Apple's cyber sellout; Verizon's open promise; third NYC flagship
Cyber Monday saw inventories of Apple's iPod Touch and iPod Classic products run dry at several of the Internet's largest retailers. Meanwhile, Verizon said Tuesday it plans to open its network to a new and wide range of devices, just as rapper Jermaine Dupri posted a public rant about iTunes. And it appears that Apple is pushing to have its third flagship shop in Manhattan open ahead of the December holidays.
Apple's Cyber Monday sellout
Shares of Apple rose $2.27 to close at $174.81 Tuesday after Morgan Keegan & Co. issued a report stating that online demand for iPods outstripped supply during the "Cyber Monday" shopping spree.
Analyst Tavis C. McCourt kept his "Market Perform" or "Hold" rating on the company after the Cyber Monday and Black Friday rush forced the 8GB and 16GB versions of the iPod Touch to be placed on backorder at some of the Internet's leading retailers. In addition, the 80-gigabyte iPod Classic was also placed on backorder at some shops, McCourt said.
"Combined with a continued drop in NAND flash pricing, the demand for iPod Touch is yet another data point that argues that upside to our current estimates appear(s) more likely than downside for the December quarter," the analyst told clients.
Meanwhile, MacMall issued a statement on Tuesday saying that its own sales for the period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday increased by 65 percent from the same period last year, primarily driven by strong sales of MacBooks, iMacs, Office 2004 Mac, and all versions of the iPod with the exception of the iPod Shuffle.
Looking to maintain its momentum, the online retailer on Tuesday kicked-off a holiday sale which offers rebates and savings on some previous-generation 24-inch 2.16GHz iMacs ($1449) and 2.33GHz 17-inch MacBook Pros ($2099), as well as discounts on the 80GB iPod Classic ($236.99) and LaCie's 500GB USB 2.0 external hard drive ($114.99).
Verizon to open wireless network
Meanwhile, Verizon did its part to shake up the US cellular industry Tuesday by announcing a new strategy that will allow customers more choice of their own hardware and software.
Dubbed "Any Apps, Any Device," the move will reportedly let any cellphone, computer, or similar device that meets a certain minimum technical threshold run on the carrier's network and use its services. Those devices will be able to use any software a user demands rather than what Verizon dictates for its own handsets.
Verizon sees the expansion as a "transformation" for the industry but notes that its core strategy of offering locked phones with customized, controlled software will remain intact. Whether prices will change for service plans for unrestricted devices is unknown, but the technical guidelines will be published by early 2008 and will see the open service available across all of Verizon's service areas by the end of 2008.
The move is largely considered an attempt to win favor with the government and public for the upcoming FCC auction of the 700MHz spectrum, which is expected to serve as the basis for future cellular or wide-area Internet services. Verizon recently dropped its resistance to open access rules won by Google for the auction despite a short-lived lawsuit and allegations that Verizon was engaged in questionable lobbying of Martin to allow auction winners to lock down access.
Meatpacking District Apple Store grand opening
Our friends at ifoAppleStore have been notably accurate when it comes to pinpointing launch dates for Apple's future retail stores ahead of an official announcements.
A concept rendering of the renovated retail space at 14th Street and 9th Avenue.
According to their latest post, multiple sources have pointed to December 7th as the grand opening date for the 14th Street retail store on Manhattan's west side -- a spectacular, two-story corner space in the city?s Meatpacking District.
JD's got Jay-Z's back
Ranting for the Huffington Post, hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri is calling on artists, producers and label executives to stand up to "those guys at Apple" and tell them they can either cooperate with the music industry's demands "or have nothing for people to buy and download on their iPods."
Specifically, Dupri takes issues with Apple's iTunes model that allows customers to purchase individual singles without buying entire albums.
"Some people find it hard to understand my man Jay-Z's decision not to let iTunes break up his American Gangster album and sell it as single tracks," he wrote. "They say he's fighting the future and losing out on sales from fans who only want to download singles. But I say it was a stand somebody had to take in the music industry. Jay is speaking for all of us."
Dupri goes on to accuse Apple of helping the consumer 'destroy his canvas' and demands that the company start to "respect the craft!"
"We don't tell you to break up your computers into bits and pieces and sell off each thing," he adds. "When you go to the Apple store you may only need one thing, but you have to buy all their plug ins and stuff. You have to buy their whole package, even if you don't necessarily want it, or your equipment won't work."
Greenpeace bumps Apple
Finally, a combination of new entrants and shifts in corporate practices have shaken up the rankings for ecologically friendly electronics makers, according to the December 2007 Greenpeace guide to the technology industry.
Electronista notes that Apple has improved from its previously low scores, moving from 12th to 11th place; this is largely due to the use of aluminum and glass for the new iMac as well as a reduction in toxic chemicals for many iPods. The company nonetheless needs to more explicitly outline which hazardous substances it continues to use and also needs to greatly expand its takeback policy for recycling obsolete hardware outside of the US, Greenpeace argues.
Apple's Cyber Monday sellout
Shares of Apple rose $2.27 to close at $174.81 Tuesday after Morgan Keegan & Co. issued a report stating that online demand for iPods outstripped supply during the "Cyber Monday" shopping spree.
Analyst Tavis C. McCourt kept his "Market Perform" or "Hold" rating on the company after the Cyber Monday and Black Friday rush forced the 8GB and 16GB versions of the iPod Touch to be placed on backorder at some of the Internet's leading retailers. In addition, the 80-gigabyte iPod Classic was also placed on backorder at some shops, McCourt said.
"Combined with a continued drop in NAND flash pricing, the demand for iPod Touch is yet another data point that argues that upside to our current estimates appear(s) more likely than downside for the December quarter," the analyst told clients.
Meanwhile, MacMall issued a statement on Tuesday saying that its own sales for the period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday increased by 65 percent from the same period last year, primarily driven by strong sales of MacBooks, iMacs, Office 2004 Mac, and all versions of the iPod with the exception of the iPod Shuffle.
Looking to maintain its momentum, the online retailer on Tuesday kicked-off a holiday sale which offers rebates and savings on some previous-generation 24-inch 2.16GHz iMacs ($1449) and 2.33GHz 17-inch MacBook Pros ($2099), as well as discounts on the 80GB iPod Classic ($236.99) and LaCie's 500GB USB 2.0 external hard drive ($114.99).
Verizon to open wireless network
Meanwhile, Verizon did its part to shake up the US cellular industry Tuesday by announcing a new strategy that will allow customers more choice of their own hardware and software.
Dubbed "Any Apps, Any Device," the move will reportedly let any cellphone, computer, or similar device that meets a certain minimum technical threshold run on the carrier's network and use its services. Those devices will be able to use any software a user demands rather than what Verizon dictates for its own handsets.
Verizon sees the expansion as a "transformation" for the industry but notes that its core strategy of offering locked phones with customized, controlled software will remain intact. Whether prices will change for service plans for unrestricted devices is unknown, but the technical guidelines will be published by early 2008 and will see the open service available across all of Verizon's service areas by the end of 2008.
The move is largely considered an attempt to win favor with the government and public for the upcoming FCC auction of the 700MHz spectrum, which is expected to serve as the basis for future cellular or wide-area Internet services. Verizon recently dropped its resistance to open access rules won by Google for the auction despite a short-lived lawsuit and allegations that Verizon was engaged in questionable lobbying of Martin to allow auction winners to lock down access.
Meatpacking District Apple Store grand opening
Our friends at ifoAppleStore have been notably accurate when it comes to pinpointing launch dates for Apple's future retail stores ahead of an official announcements.
A concept rendering of the renovated retail space at 14th Street and 9th Avenue.
According to their latest post, multiple sources have pointed to December 7th as the grand opening date for the 14th Street retail store on Manhattan's west side -- a spectacular, two-story corner space in the city?s Meatpacking District.
JD's got Jay-Z's back
Ranting for the Huffington Post, hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri is calling on artists, producers and label executives to stand up to "those guys at Apple" and tell them they can either cooperate with the music industry's demands "or have nothing for people to buy and download on their iPods."
Specifically, Dupri takes issues with Apple's iTunes model that allows customers to purchase individual singles without buying entire albums.
"Some people find it hard to understand my man Jay-Z's decision not to let iTunes break up his American Gangster album and sell it as single tracks," he wrote. "They say he's fighting the future and losing out on sales from fans who only want to download singles. But I say it was a stand somebody had to take in the music industry. Jay is speaking for all of us."
Dupri goes on to accuse Apple of helping the consumer 'destroy his canvas' and demands that the company start to "respect the craft!"
"We don't tell you to break up your computers into bits and pieces and sell off each thing," he adds. "When you go to the Apple store you may only need one thing, but you have to buy all their plug ins and stuff. You have to buy their whole package, even if you don't necessarily want it, or your equipment won't work."
Greenpeace bumps Apple
Finally, a combination of new entrants and shifts in corporate practices have shaken up the rankings for ecologically friendly electronics makers, according to the December 2007 Greenpeace guide to the technology industry.
Electronista notes that Apple has improved from its previously low scores, moving from 12th to 11th place; this is largely due to the use of aluminum and glass for the new iMac as well as a reduction in toxic chemicals for many iPods. The company nonetheless needs to more explicitly outline which hazardous substances it continues to use and also needs to greatly expand its takeback policy for recycling obsolete hardware outside of the US, Greenpeace argues.
Comments
Why can't artists just dub an album that is made up of one track, so that when it is put on iTunes, the album runs together. If the artist truly wants a single entity to be purchased, then he/she should make their "glorious" creation how they want it to be sold. This master track could even be sold as a full CD in terms of price. If you create a split up CD from the get-go, you only open the door to people wanting to buy the specific sections.
The whole purpose of the track-by-track purchasing scheme is to give the customer a choice. Often times, artists have both good songs and filler material. Only if you like it, should you have to buy the filler. This is the primary reason for the 'Complete my album' function within the iTS. If the customer deems the album worth thier money after purchasing songs individually, then the customer can choose to endorse the work of the artist through the purchase of the entire CD. The artists need to stop pretending that they are almighty gods, and come down to earth. MAKE GOOD MUSIC, AND THEY WILL COME!
As for Dupri, he's even dumber than a moron if he thinks they can make it so there's "nothing for people to buy and download on their iPods." If you want to go back to the bad, old days of virtually all illegal downloads, that's fine with an awful lot of people. P2P isn't even as hard as it used to be.
If you want to go back to the bad, old days of virtually all illegal downloads, that's fine with an awful lot of people. P2P isn't even as hard as it used to be.
But with p2p people will download the whole album.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flagship
How about this.....
Have artist make CD's with good songs, no fillers and people will buy the entire CD
Why should people be forced to pay for garbage music when there is another alternative?
Half pint didn't get the memo....
IT'S A BRAND NEW DAY!
Also his computer comments don't really make any sense to me. It just shows his ignorance to the computer industry.
If I only want tracks 2, 5, and 8, then why should I be made to buy the whole CD? For a $13 CD with 13 songs on it, thats a waste of $10. Its just free money in his pocket basically. Just another way to screw the customer so he can have his tricked out Cadillac with 25" chrome rims and a $10,000 diamond gold necklace (Not to sound politically incorrect). Because everyone deserves one of those....
You mean buy a Mac with your iPod? Nope they work on Windows too. Only use iTunes to purchase music? Nope go on over to Amazon. What exactly are you talking about JD? Plugins?
Why don't you let your "fans" set your prices (see Radiohead) and you'll find out how much your albums are really worth. You'd probably make more selling a couple singles on iTunes.
Less rap on iTunes? WhatsoEVER shall we do?
"but you have to buy all their plug ins and stuff. You have to buy their whole package, even if you don't necessarily want it, or your equipment won't work."
You mean buy a Mac with your iPod? Nope they work on Windows too. Only use iTunes to purchase music? Nope go on over to Amazon. What exactly are you talking about JD? Plugins?
Why don't you let your "fans" set your prices (see Radiohead) and you'll find out how much your albums are really worth. You'd probably make more selling a couple singles on iTunes.
No Kidding! Dupri really shows how completely stupid he is. I wonder if he has ever had to buy his own computer. I also wonder if he has used a computer. News flash, you can buy stuff separately. What a moron.
Also, these artists better stop making crappy tracks to fill albums, because we have a choice now, thanks to Jobs revolutionary idea. If you don't make a great album, I don't have to buy the entire thing. There are many whole albums I have bought off iTunes. Yea, those albums from TALENTED ARTISTS!!!
"We don't tell you to break up your computers into bits and pieces and sell off each thing," he adds. "When you go to the Apple store you may only need one thing, but you have to buy all their plug ins and stuff. You have to buy their whole package, even if you don't necessarily want it, or your equipment won't work."
Heh, what a damned dummy. Rule #1 of stupid school should be, don't try to make analogies... ever.
Heh, what a damned dummy. Rule #1 of stupid school should be, don't try to make analogies... ever.
I wonder if he will quit while he is behind or follow up on his comments.
I hope he says more. I haven't laughed so hard for quite a while.
(meanwhile I notice he still has tracks for sale on ITS:
ignorant,stupid, and a hypocrite)
that is why "the industry" sold singles of popular songs for so long.
Apple takes the concept and makes it the best thing for THE CONSUMER!
Wow! Novel!
Now vivendi and one individual artist want to make things go back to the confusing and consumer beware no mans land that it was before.
Hey Dupri, apple already respects the "craft," that is why they designed a LEGAL download system that no only works, but gets people who would never buy your stuff to get to sample it from the comfort of their home and download the parts they like.
I would never buy a "trick Daddy" album, but I did download the "let's Go" song, because I was able to hear and download it on iTunes. If I had to buy the whole album for that song, I would go without.
These guys need to shut up and either withdraw their stuff quietly or respect Apple's "craft" which enables them to reach broader audience.
If they don't like it, fine withdraw, but shut up about your "craft" and trying to get others to follow your dubious lead. Why not just be honest and say that you just want to force people to pay more. Some people will pay you more and some people will steer clear.
Now steps in Apple selling singles for $0.99 and record companies now only see $0.75 so it is talking them allot longer to turn a proof and pay off their investment in 9 to 12 songs which people are only paying for one song so the other 8 to 11 never turn a profit for them.
So that is their side, but if they were smart they stop making artists product 9 to 12 songs which most suck and focus on one or two good onez and their profits would be greater and quicker. But obviously they have not figured that part out yet.
....And it appears that Apple is pushing to have its third flagship shop in Manhattan open ahead of the December holidays.
If I'm not mistake only ONE store can be the "flagship" store. You can't have a second or a third.
But Dupri is pretty whacked out here. Hey JD - don't sell your stuff on iTunes - it's your choice. But don't tell Apple how to run its business - Apple's not telling you how to run yours.
If you're really so pure, why do you let radio stations play just one song at a time from an album, instead of the whole album straight through? That's defacing your art, isn't it?
I defer to the artist - even if their "art" is crap to the rest of us, it's still their vision. If they want to give up the sales they can make on individual tracks, let them. It's pretty funny when they get all preachy and mad at Apple, though. They're really criticizing their fans for not liking all their songs.
"No, we are going to keep bashing Apple as the money rolls in..."
If I were SJ, I'd take their crap down anyways