Briefly: Intel challenges Apple; MS Origami; paid podcasts?
Intel challenges Apple on remote design
Intel has issued a friendly challenge to Apple to come up with a remote with fewer buttons, according to Macworld UK. The challenge reportedly came in the form of a remark made by Intel VP Don MacDonald during his keynote on the digital home at the Intel Developer Conference on Tuesday. "We set the bar with no controls on a remote, we'd like to see someone else beat that," MacDonald joked. The Intel remote control will be voice activated, all the customer need do is speak into the voice receiver. However, when demoed on stage the device initially failed to work, no doubt due to the acoustics of the auditorium, as MacDonald suggested.
Microsoft unwraps "Origami" tablet PC
Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled its compact "Origami" computer, which the software giant was originally scheduled to show at the CeBIT technology trade show today. A Microsoft spokesperson told the Associated Press that the device would officially be called the "Ultramobile PC." Two variants of the device are expected to arrive ins stores by early April, priced between $600 and $1,000. One analyst said most power users will be disappointed. "They're going after the consumer crowd," he said. "There's no way you can cram enough hardware into a $500 price point and make it run well for Windows XP, let alone Vista."
Paid podcasts?
Talk show radio host Rush Limbaugh yesterday said that his company and Apple have developed a method to restrict access to podcasts to paid members. Previously, the only way for "Rush 24/7" subscribers to get Limbaugh's commercial-free podcasts was to download them individually through the Rush 24/7 member site. However, the podcats can now be delivered automatically via iTunes to paid members each Monday, simply by setting a preference on the Rush 24/7 website.
Apple sets up tech support center in India
Apple has decided to set up a massive technical support centre in India, reports India Times. Apple will hire 1,500 people by the end of this year, and 3,000 by the end of next.
Apple struggles to boost iPod market share abroad
Apple commanded a 73 percent share of the digital music player market in the United States in 2005, according to research firm NPD. This compares to a 56 percent share in 2004. Its worldwide share, on the other hand, was just under 25 percent in 2005, according to data from iSuppli. The Street estimates that Apple had a 22.5 percent worldwide share in 2004. However, MP3 player sales grew 270 percent from 2004 to 2005 worldwide, while they grew just 170 percent in the U.S.
Intel has issued a friendly challenge to Apple to come up with a remote with fewer buttons, according to Macworld UK. The challenge reportedly came in the form of a remark made by Intel VP Don MacDonald during his keynote on the digital home at the Intel Developer Conference on Tuesday. "We set the bar with no controls on a remote, we'd like to see someone else beat that," MacDonald joked. The Intel remote control will be voice activated, all the customer need do is speak into the voice receiver. However, when demoed on stage the device initially failed to work, no doubt due to the acoustics of the auditorium, as MacDonald suggested.
Microsoft unwraps "Origami" tablet PC
Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled its compact "Origami" computer, which the software giant was originally scheduled to show at the CeBIT technology trade show today. A Microsoft spokesperson told the Associated Press that the device would officially be called the "Ultramobile PC." Two variants of the device are expected to arrive ins stores by early April, priced between $600 and $1,000. One analyst said most power users will be disappointed. "They're going after the consumer crowd," he said. "There's no way you can cram enough hardware into a $500 price point and make it run well for Windows XP, let alone Vista."
Paid podcasts?
Talk show radio host Rush Limbaugh yesterday said that his company and Apple have developed a method to restrict access to podcasts to paid members. Previously, the only way for "Rush 24/7" subscribers to get Limbaugh's commercial-free podcasts was to download them individually through the Rush 24/7 member site. However, the podcats can now be delivered automatically via iTunes to paid members each Monday, simply by setting a preference on the Rush 24/7 website.
Apple sets up tech support center in India
Apple has decided to set up a massive technical support centre in India, reports India Times. Apple will hire 1,500 people by the end of this year, and 3,000 by the end of next.
Apple struggles to boost iPod market share abroad
Apple commanded a 73 percent share of the digital music player market in the United States in 2005, according to research firm NPD. This compares to a 56 percent share in 2004. Its worldwide share, on the other hand, was just under 25 percent in 2005, according to data from iSuppli. The Street estimates that Apple had a 22.5 percent worldwide share in 2004. However, MP3 player sales grew 270 percent from 2004 to 2005 worldwide, while they grew just 170 percent in the U.S.
Comments
Are you sure? Whenever I call Apple, I get connected to somebody in Apple's Cork, Ireland support centre. Except last time, they connected me to somebody in India, after I initially spoke to somebody in Ireland. My issue was resolved successfully though.
stu
That's a LOT of non-iPods being sold.
Originally posted by stustanley
hmm theres a lot of reasons a voice activated only remote is a silly idea, one due to the recognition by the remote tho presumably there will be some kind of training for different accents, but also if you are trying to use it in a noisy environment such as a party of playing your music or film loud then it will probably not understand correctly. But it might all be ok...
I think it would be cool, one can walk by a hapless coworker's computer and yell "ERASE ALL FILES!".
Originally posted by stustanley
hmm theres a lot of reasons a voice activated only remote is a silly idea, one due to the recognition by the remote tho presumably there will be some kind of training for different accents, but also if you are trying to use it in a noisy environment such as a party of playing your music or film loud then it will probably not understand correctly. But it might all be ok...
stu
I would think the same as I had to do this with a previous cell phone (train the phone for each number). I just got a Moto RAZR and I couldn't believe it when I just had to press a button and say "Call NAME Mobile" or "Call NAME Home" and it would freaking say it back and then call. If it's unsure it says "Did you say Call NAME Mobile"? It's incredible I must say. No programming needed!
Originally posted by AppleInsider
Intel challenges Apple on remote design
That Macworld article really could have been written better. I think as it stands, it's really only funny to those people that know that MS sells a media remote with 40+ buttons, while Apple sells one with 6, and that this has been a point of contention around the MS campus. Sure, we all know that, but I would expect there are a lot who don't.
Apple sets up tech support center in India
Sigh. The price of increased market share, I suppose. Let us just pray that Apple uses a better screening process than Dell and others. I have no doubt that it is possible to use this money-saving technique while still providing good service and keeping customers happy. So many companies have failed at this, though.
If you signup for "Premium" service, you can then subscribe to password protected podcasts (iTunes prompts you to log before it downloads new episodes). I've been doing this since the 1st of February.
Regarding outsourcing to India, that is just a bad idea, The service that comes out of there is horribly sub-par. I've had people at Indian call centers tell me that 'they don't have a supervisor' or 'boss' or 'level 2 tech' when I wanted to escalate cases. I hope Apple doesn't get like Dell where they want you to 'see if it works with a different' every single part in the damn computer from hard drive, to ram, to processor. With Dell you pay for onsite service, yet the consumer has to do all the troubleshooting.
Originally posted by nagromme
If Apple has less that 1/4 of the digital music player market by dollars (is that what they mean?), and most of the non-Apple players that sell are flash players (which I think is the case), then by UNITS Apple has far LESS than 1/4 of the market.
That's a LOT of non-iPods being sold.
Nope. The low worldwide share figure is by UNITS. In the USA and Europe consumers are buying expensive iPods. In Asia they're buying cheap flash players - lots of them.
Originally posted by Robin Hood
Whenever I call Apple, I get connected to somebody in Apple's Cork, Ireland support centre.
If only I'd get Cork whenever I call Apple. They've been consistently competent, with a good sense of humor.
Originally posted by crees!
I just got a Moto RAZR and I couldn't believe it when I just had to press a button and say "Call NAME Mobile" or "Call NAME Home" and it would freaking say it back and then call. If it's unsure it says "Did you say Call NAME Mobile"? It's incredible I must say. No programming needed!
WHAT?! Mine doesn't do that. Whenever I hit the button it says "No voice names are stored in phonebook." WTF?
Originally posted by DeaPeaJay
Why can't Rush get with it and offer his podcast free like everybody else? Put some ads in there if you want some money, gosh.
Oxycontin ain't free!
Ultra Mobile PC
Catchy name vewy creative