Briefly: Mac OS X 10.4.11 Server; Phase for iPod; Eisner on Jobs
Mac OS X 10.4.11 has resurfaced in the form of new server builds on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Apple has released 'Phase,' a new interactive iPod music game from the creators of Guitar Hero. And former Disney chief Michael Eisner has some choice words regarding Apple's dominance of the digital media market.
Mac OS X 10.4.11
Much has been made of absence of Mac OS X 10.4.11 Update thus far. The final update to Apple's Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system appeared to be nearing a release alongside Leopard two weeks ago when the company seeded builds 8S2165 (Intel) and 8S165 (PowerPC) without specifying any outstanding issues with the software.
Since then, little has been heard about the impending update. However, Apple on Wednesday asked its developers to test a pair of new Mac OS X 10.4.11 Server builds alongside the first pre-release builds of Mac OS X 10.5.1 Leopard.
The builds, labeled Mac OS X Server 10.4.11 (Intel) build 8S2169 and Mac OS X Server 10.4.11 (PowerPC) build 8S169, include only minor tweaks to Mac OS X 10.4.11 Server's installer script and a couple of its software utilities.
Phase for iPod
Meanwhile, MacNN reports that Apple on Tuesday released through its iTunes Store a new iPod rhythm game published by MTV Networks but developed by Guitar Hero creator Harmonix.
Dubbed "Phase," the game lets users pick tracks from their music library, which are then converted into game sequences where players must match button presses and clickwheel motions to on-screen notes.
Scrolling backgrounds include alien, urban and underwater settings. Two play modes are available: Quick Spin takes users through a single song, while Marathon strings together multiple songs, with increasingly difficult notation.
Phase is a $5 download from the iTunes Store and is only compatible with iPod classics, third-generation Nanos, and fifth-generation iPods.
Eisner says blame Steve
In his keynote speech on Wednesday morning at the Media and Money conference hosted by Dow Jones and Nielsen, former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner called the ongoing Writer's Guild of America strike "stupid." He said the organization is lobbying for a bigger cut of the profits from digital distribution which he claims simply aren't there.
Eisner called the situation for "Web video" similar, in that the medium has yet to prove lucrative. However, he placed part of the blame on studios and networks for allowing themselves to be strong-armed by Apple and its chief executive.
The studios "make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners," he said. "They make all these kinds of things, and who's making money? Apple! They should get a piece of Apple. If I was a union, I'd be striking up wherever he is."
Mac OS X 10.4.11
Much has been made of absence of Mac OS X 10.4.11 Update thus far. The final update to Apple's Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger operating system appeared to be nearing a release alongside Leopard two weeks ago when the company seeded builds 8S2165 (Intel) and 8S165 (PowerPC) without specifying any outstanding issues with the software.
Since then, little has been heard about the impending update. However, Apple on Wednesday asked its developers to test a pair of new Mac OS X 10.4.11 Server builds alongside the first pre-release builds of Mac OS X 10.5.1 Leopard.
The builds, labeled Mac OS X Server 10.4.11 (Intel) build 8S2169 and Mac OS X Server 10.4.11 (PowerPC) build 8S169, include only minor tweaks to Mac OS X 10.4.11 Server's installer script and a couple of its software utilities.
Phase for iPod
Meanwhile, MacNN reports that Apple on Tuesday released through its iTunes Store a new iPod rhythm game published by MTV Networks but developed by Guitar Hero creator Harmonix.
Dubbed "Phase," the game lets users pick tracks from their music library, which are then converted into game sequences where players must match button presses and clickwheel motions to on-screen notes.
Scrolling backgrounds include alien, urban and underwater settings. Two play modes are available: Quick Spin takes users through a single song, while Marathon strings together multiple songs, with increasingly difficult notation.
Phase is a $5 download from the iTunes Store and is only compatible with iPod classics, third-generation Nanos, and fifth-generation iPods.
Eisner says blame Steve
In his keynote speech on Wednesday morning at the Media and Money conference hosted by Dow Jones and Nielsen, former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner called the ongoing Writer's Guild of America strike "stupid." He said the organization is lobbying for a bigger cut of the profits from digital distribution which he claims simply aren't there.
Eisner called the situation for "Web video" similar, in that the medium has yet to prove lucrative. However, he placed part of the blame on studios and networks for allowing themselves to be strong-armed by Apple and its chief executive.
The studios "make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners," he said. "They make all these kinds of things, and who's making money? Apple! They should get a piece of Apple. If I was a union, I'd be striking up wherever he is."
Comments
Disney has begun to shed it's shoddy reputation since his departure.
If you do, please delete this one too so the thread doesn't go down the tubes wondering what I was referring to.
He said the organization is lobbying for a bigger cut of the profits from digital distribution which he claims simply aren't there.
So what's the problem then, if it's not a lucrative field and it doesn't generate lots of profit? Oh wait, it will in the future, and those silly writers are trying to ensure their future cut by signing deals now, before they can be laughed at by companies on their way to the bank.
What's his point - that these new channels will never make money? Why not just drop the whole idea then? And if they will make money, how is it "stupid" for the Guild to want a cut of it?
what's up with the greedy jews? first Zucker then Eisenberg. Not enough money to send to Israel?
What's up with Hitler? - ban this bastard
Phase for iPod
Dubbed "Phase," the game lets users pick tracks from their music library, which are then converted into game sequences where players must match button presses and clickwheel motions to on-screen notes.
Hmmm. So if I buy a song for $0.99, I have the right to play it on my iPhone, but I have to spend another $0.99 to use it on the same iPhone as a ringtone.
However, I don't have to pay $0.99 extra to use multiple songs in the Phase Game. Sounds like a hole in the supposed licensing issue required for ringtones, eh?
Jim
BTW, this is my first post on my first ever Mac (20" Imac), and I gotta say...I'm loving it. So long Windoze; I'm not looking back
What do you expect from someone who gives themself a User ID of borg_drone. If one were to break it down, "drone" one of it's definitions equates to 'loafer', and "borg" Star Trek TNG race that assimilates other's originality to the collective with a catch phrase "Resistance is Futile".
So a loafer that lives off the collective of others or welfare state, ergo someone that does not have a lot to offer.
Or a long winded way of agreeing with bcharna's post "It seems like you have a lot to contribute to these forums".
To pomo - Congrats on your first Mac and welcome to the Mac community.
Finally regarding the article... I think "former Disney chief" says all I need to know regarding judging whether his keynote comments have any real value to me!
I did the same thing 5 years ago.....bought a powerbook and an imac.....wish I just bought the powerbook, and took that $1200 I spent on this imac i'm still using and bought apple stock that day when it was $4.00 a share.....oh well....I love my old imac....
I second the motion to delete the objectionable comment already posted....it is hateful and sadly wrong. When will we ever learn?
Frank D.
Ahh yes. The former Chairman/CEO that nearly buried Disney. Meanwhile, PIXAR accepts a merger offer from Disney that never would have happened with him on the job.
Disney has begun to shed it's shoddy reputation since his departure.
Yeah, it's really stupid. I hear that the accounting books at media companies are more cooked than anything that has Rachel Ray's name on it.
Per-episode or per-season, the networks and studios should be making a lot more money than they would with DVDs.
You can hit the red "!" button on the lower left corner of the offending post. I'm not sure if it does anything though, because the 2006 predictions thread still isn't locked, spammy posts stay and it is still being hit by link spammers.
So what's the problem then, if it's not a lucrative field and it doesn't generate lots of profit? Oh wait, it will in the future, and those silly writers are trying to ensure their future cut by signing deals now, before they can be laughed at by companies on their way to the bank.
What's his point - that these new channels will never make money? Why not just drop the whole idea then? And if they will make money, how is it "stupid" for the Guild to want a cut of it?
The contract doesn't currently include digital content distribution and you're exactly spot on. They know the growth is solely in this area, thanks in large part to companies like Apple for making a vehicle to do so.
Amazing how a company that doesn't develop the devices nor the transportation system wants device creators to cut them in on their products.
Apple has shown that this model can be created and highly successful if it drives mainly the sale of hardware and a modest fee for digital content.
For some silly reason the media companies have some strange idea that digital streams are equivalent to CD/DVD.
They aren't.
But as they increase the quality of content they don't want a portion of that increased price for HD to go to the writers who without them or Apple they don't exist.
In reality, they might be dreading that Apple, Microsoft and others just want to remove them and work directly with the artists. If so, they'd better treat the artists with more respect, including increased monetary riches.
What do you expect from someone who gives themself a User ID of borg_drone. If one were to break it down, "drone" one of it's definitions equates to 'loafer', and "borg" Star Trek TNG race that assimilates other's originality to the collective with a catch phrase "Resistance is Futile".
What? The ordinary workers in the Borg collective are called drones, much like the usage for some of the insects in ant colonies and bee hives. As distasteful as borg_drone was here, it's reaching to use any other meaning.
What? The ordinary workers in the Borg collective are called drones, much like the usage for some of the insects in ant colonies and bee hives. As distasteful as borg_drone was here, it's reaching to use any other meaning.
Considering the Borg identity was a collective of all sentient life driven to be a fusion of AI/machine and flesh.
Nothing about which race you come from ever was a question to the Borg. They saw the incompleteness of all as a bug and thus needed to be fixed by adding all these emotions, thoughts and experiences to their collective conscience.
In other words, Eisner failed in his negotiations with Jobs, and he's still bitter. So now he's advising other studio CEOs to be tougher in negotiations with Apple. If they listen to Eisner, they'll be booted also (though with huge golden parachutes, I'm sure).
We're all smarter, don't keep dignifying such posts with any kind of response. It lowers us to that level.
I did however enjoy some of the posts regarding borg activity...
It is so simple. If studios both music and movie continue to marginalise the Apple model (and similar models - although I'm sure Bill and Steve B will come up with a pricing structure based on losing money to get the studios on their side) then the "consumer" will return to the days of bittorrents and file sharing where no one wins except the ISPs in data transfer charges.
Studios will continue to go after grandmas and grandpas as show trials but the people who used to gather content illegally will return to doing so.
Sure Apple are making millions from the sale of iPods, but iPods can still be filled with content legally purchased on second hand CDs and DVDs.
Someone please correct me, but I believe I have read that it is a minority of songs and tv shows on iPods that have come from the iTunes store compared to the amount of songs on shop bought CDs
Make the user experience complicated and people will abandon it. Make it too expensive and people will abandon it.
It is soooo simple yet even the highly paid studio executives can't see the forest for the money they believe they could make if they charged the same amount of money for both digital download and hard copy (discs with covers booklets freight storage space printing costs)
"We'll tell'em we're giving 'em the hard bits for free. The value's in the content! HA HA HA HA"
That's the future I see if the studios take control of the download space
These execs are brainwashing us to think that because there's no physical media, there's less entertainment.
what's up with the greedy jews? first Zucker then Eisenberg. Not enough money to send to Israel?
Please keep your bigoted comments off this forum, thank you.
I was moved to register because I felt I needed to respond to this post and Borg's post.
One of the things I enjoy most about AI are the article comments. People are great about staying on topic and there is very little spam. I'm here to read about Apple, technology, and the Mac, that's it.
These posts, however, are off-topic and have no place in civilized discussion. Frankly, I'm surprised the mods haven't moved faster to remedy the situation.
Oh, and Wayland, a quick note about freedom of speech. Freedom of speech exists to protect us from GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP. Voluntary communities and organizations may censor their members as they please. Indeed, it would be an affront to liberty not only for government to impose limits on the freedom of speech within voluntary organizations, but also for government to COMPEL private speech. I'm sure most of the posters here are smart enough to know this intuitively, but I'm not so sure about Wayland.