Briefly: 2.16GHz MBP, music sales, iTunes IPO, Walkman phones
2.16GHz MacBook Pro option arrives
Along with its announcement today that MacBook Pros will begin shipping this week with faster processors than previously announced, Apple also added an option that allows 2.0GHz MacBook Pro shoppers to upgrade to a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor for an additional $300. The 2.16GHz chip is the fastest Core Duo processor Intel has announced to date.
Customers who pre-ordered a MacBook Pro from retailers of authorized resellers do not need to adjust their orders in light of the announcement. Apple will automatically update the previous 1.67GHz and 1.83GHz MacBook Pro SKUs to correspond with the faster CPU specs announced today. Therefore, customers who placed orders for 1.67GHz MacBook Pros will receive a 1.83GHz MacBook Pro.
Record companies reaping iTunes benefits
Warner Music Group on Tuesday said quarterly profit nearly doubled, driven by stronger sales of higher-margin digital songs during the holiday season.
The company, home to artists that include Madonna, Green Day and James Blunt, said digital revenue rose to $69 million, up 30 percent from the fourth quarter, and nearly triple that of a year earlier, because of online music sales at services such as Apple's iTunes music store and Napster, as well as mobile ringtones.
"Our digital revenue was up dramatically year-on-year, especially after MP3 players went live on December 25th," Chief Financial Officer Michael Fleischer said before the company released results. "The naysayers of digital music on the Street have been proven wrong."
The US accounted for 70 percent of digital music sales, which were split evenly between Internet downloads and ringtones, Fleischer said.
Sony Ericsson sells 3M Walkman phones
Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson said today it has sold more than 3 million of its Walkman phone models since the first one came on the market six months ago. (By comparison, Motorola in November said it had shipped over 500,000 of its ROKR E1 iTunes phones since they were announced two months earlier.)
The Japanese-Swedish joint venture, which was the world's fifth-biggest handset maker in 2005, also unveiled its sixth Walkman model on Tuesday. The Sony Ericsson W950, a purple 3G phone with an orange backlight and 4 gigabytes of flash memory storage capacity to hold thousands of songs, provides the same storage as Apple's iPod nano music players.
At the same time, another of Sony's creations -- the Walkman Bean -- appears to be the latest digital audio player fatality at the hands of Apple's iPod. Sony will reportedly discontinue the product line in April.
An iTunes IPO?
Over the weekend, a post to Briefing.com read: "We are hearing some chatter this morning about Apple that we can't confirm, but found interesting nonetheless. The rumor is that Disney could buy a stake in Apple's iTunes, which could then be a first step towards an iTunes IPO. This is a new one to us, and this type of Apple/Disney rumor could be motivated by the fact that Steve Jobs will be on the Disney board following its acquisition of Pixar. Some of the initial feedback we heard on this was skeptical, so again, just passing this one along."
The validity of the report is unknown, but interesting nonetheless.
Along with its announcement today that MacBook Pros will begin shipping this week with faster processors than previously announced, Apple also added an option that allows 2.0GHz MacBook Pro shoppers to upgrade to a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor for an additional $300. The 2.16GHz chip is the fastest Core Duo processor Intel has announced to date.
Customers who pre-ordered a MacBook Pro from retailers of authorized resellers do not need to adjust their orders in light of the announcement. Apple will automatically update the previous 1.67GHz and 1.83GHz MacBook Pro SKUs to correspond with the faster CPU specs announced today. Therefore, customers who placed orders for 1.67GHz MacBook Pros will receive a 1.83GHz MacBook Pro.
Record companies reaping iTunes benefits
Warner Music Group on Tuesday said quarterly profit nearly doubled, driven by stronger sales of higher-margin digital songs during the holiday season.
The company, home to artists that include Madonna, Green Day and James Blunt, said digital revenue rose to $69 million, up 30 percent from the fourth quarter, and nearly triple that of a year earlier, because of online music sales at services such as Apple's iTunes music store and Napster, as well as mobile ringtones.
"Our digital revenue was up dramatically year-on-year, especially after MP3 players went live on December 25th," Chief Financial Officer Michael Fleischer said before the company released results. "The naysayers of digital music on the Street have been proven wrong."
The US accounted for 70 percent of digital music sales, which were split evenly between Internet downloads and ringtones, Fleischer said.
Sony Ericsson sells 3M Walkman phones
Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson said today it has sold more than 3 million of its Walkman phone models since the first one came on the market six months ago. (By comparison, Motorola in November said it had shipped over 500,000 of its ROKR E1 iTunes phones since they were announced two months earlier.)
The Japanese-Swedish joint venture, which was the world's fifth-biggest handset maker in 2005, also unveiled its sixth Walkman model on Tuesday. The Sony Ericsson W950, a purple 3G phone with an orange backlight and 4 gigabytes of flash memory storage capacity to hold thousands of songs, provides the same storage as Apple's iPod nano music players.
At the same time, another of Sony's creations -- the Walkman Bean -- appears to be the latest digital audio player fatality at the hands of Apple's iPod. Sony will reportedly discontinue the product line in April.
An iTunes IPO?
Over the weekend, a post to Briefing.com read: "We are hearing some chatter this morning about Apple that we can't confirm, but found interesting nonetheless. The rumor is that Disney could buy a stake in Apple's iTunes, which could then be a first step towards an iTunes IPO. This is a new one to us, and this type of Apple/Disney rumor could be motivated by the fact that Steve Jobs will be on the Disney board following its acquisition of Pixar. Some of the initial feedback we heard on this was skeptical, so again, just passing this one along."
The validity of the report is unknown, but interesting nonetheless.
Comments
Originally posted by mcloki
Apple tactically is still not in a position where it needs to license Fairplay. Apple should focus on extending iTunes reach though.
If iTunes were to be spun off, the new iTunes company would be in charge of Fairplay, and it would be in their best interest to license it (or, if Apple keeps it and licenses it to iTunes co., it would be in their best interest to license WMA and offer music using that). iTunes Corp. would be liable to its stockholders to push for the best possible product and profit. Its not their business to keep a one-to-one relationship with Apple if it actually hurts their own business (for example, it wasn't in Pixar's best interest to re-up with Disney in the contract talks, because the contract sucked for Pixar, despite that it was a good relationship).
However, if they do spin off iTunes, expect it to be like the spin off of Claris, basically still controlled by the home office in what it can and can't do. So it'll still be solely tied to the iPod.
Originally posted by mcloki
Make versions of iTunes for Linux, PSP, PS3, XBox360, The ViiV platform, and the Revolution. Nintendo DS if possible. Anything with a hard drive and an operating system Apple should extend their iTunes reach to.
Well, Linux users won't use it, because of the DRM. The PSP, PS3, and XBox360 won't license the software for their devices because of competition with their own money-making offerings.
Originally posted by AppleInsider
Therefore, customers who placed orders for 1.67GHz MacBook Pros will receive a 1.83GHz MacBook Pro.
So is this the exact same chip that's currently in the 17" Intel iMacs?
Originally posted by cubist
Spinning off iTunes makes sense. It is a service business rather than a product business. Apple has deliberately built iTunes as a separate brand, with only weak association to Apple. Once this is done, Apple will have to start licensing FairPlay to other MP3 player companies, and this could end up hurting the iPod business. Overall, though, it should be a win for everyone.
Your post assumes the iPod would stay with Apple and not go with the new company. There are plenty of factors to consider -- antitrust implications, the Apple Records negotiations, licensing of fairplay -- but it would seem to me that iTunes and the iPod are two peas in a pod. Take those two things away, and Apple is a very good computer company that's not in the music/portable player business.
So who makes the new whiz-bang DVR, Apple or iTunes?
BTW, the rumor sounds nuts to me.
Originally posted by satchmo
So is this the exact same chip that's currently in the 17" Intel iMacs?
Yes.
Originally posted by Porchland
Your post assumes the iPod would stay with Apple and not go with the new company. There are plenty of factors to consider -- antitrust implications, the Apple Records negotiations, licensing of fairplay -- but it would seem to me that iTunes and the iPod are two peas in a pod. Take those two things away, and Apple is a very good computer company that's not in the music/portable player business.
So who makes the new whiz-bang DVR, Apple or iTunes?
BTW, the rumor sounds nuts to me.
The only reason why I'm wondering about whether this is legitimate or not is because of the anti-trust issues.
If it does happen, Apple would stay with the iPod. That's where the money is. The anti-trust issues would be minimised.
Originally posted by Louzer
FYI, Apple just posted 10.4.5!
I was wondering if I should post that somewhere, or wait for the article to arrive here first.
I guess that gives you *FIRST POST*.
I wasn't expecting it to come out yet. A bunch of surprises today!
iTunes is an Apple Brand. To say otherwise means you are an absolute dullard with brand recognition.
Just Do It is a brand of Nike.
iPod/iTunes are brands of Apple. The Apple logo is always at the end of the iPod/iTunes commercials and Podcasts on all major networks.
How negotiating with Disney over their catalogue to be exclusively through the iTunes store turns into an iTunes IPO tells me people get paid too much money not to think.
Originally posted by mdriftmeyer
Just Do It is a brand of Nike.
Air Jordan is to Nike as iPod/iTunes is to Apple. Just Do It is only a slogan. This spin-off won't happen. Where would Apple get all of it's money to bankroll the Macintosh division?