Posted 06/22/09 at 04:15:42 PM by Paul Lilly

Apple has begun offering a $30 iTunes Store credit for iPhone 3G S buyers who ran into trouble activating their new a device, a result of overloaded servers despite early indications that it would be smooth sailing. Here's the email that was sent out:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you’ll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely, Apple Online Store Team

At first, the launch seemed to being smoothly, partially a result of Apple releasing the OS 3.0 update early. But as the day went on, some customers trying to activate their new phone received a message saying it may take up to 48 hours to complete. Some, like Kevin Mobley, a software performance expert at The Ian Thomas Group, warns that Apple's brand image might suffer from this and other similar problems.

"Going forward, as Apple presumably gets deals with other carriers and grows the iPhone user base, they'll have to determine if iTunes is really the best solution for activation," Mobley said.

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mobile, apple, itunes, Smartphone, activation, cellphone, iphone 3g s

Posted 05/12/09 at 03:58:27 PM by Andy Salisbury

Sony CEO Howard Stringer has hit a point in his life where he’s decided to change some things – or at least, talk about it. In a recent interview with Nikkei Electronics Asia, Stringer made some pretty bold statements about Sony’s future and their past.

He claims that going forward, Sony will use more open standards. “If we had gone with open technology from the start, I think we probably would have beaten Apple” in music. A pretty lofty statement considering how insanely popular the iTunes music store is today. But, in its fledgling days, who knows? Anything is possible.

“We can no longer say that we’re right and our customers are wrong. We can’t build only what we want to build,” he continued. If you want to read the full interview, give it a look here.

So, what do you think? Will Sony continue their present ways, or are they going to change for the better (or worse)? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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apple, itunes, music, : Sony, Howard Stringer

Posted 05/12/09 at 01:32:37 PM by Paul Lilly

Oh snap, it's on like Donkey Kong, or at least like an intense level of Galaga. More specifically, Microsoft continues its advertising offensive against Apple with yet another commercial pointing out the cost of being hip, only this one targets iTunes and not MacBooks.

In the latest ad, financial planner (certified, of course) Wes Moss points out it would take $30,000 to fill the latest iPod using iTunes at a buck a pop.

"I don't know about you, but I don't have thirty grand laying around for music," Moss says.

His solution? A subscription service like Zune Pass, of course! "One costs a lot, and one costs a little," Moss adds, referring to the iPod with $30,000 worth of music and Zune Pass's unlimited subscription plan for $14.99/month. For those of you doing the math at home, $30,000 buys almost 167 years of Zune Pass. 

There are obvious flaws in Microsoft's latest pitch, but the goal here isn't necessarily to discredit Apple's iPod/iTunes combination as a viable music platform (too late for that) as much as it is to promote Zune Pass. The question is, will it work?

Hit the jump and sound off!

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microsoft, Software, apple, itunes, mp3, music, Zune, hardware, consumer electronics

Posted 04/24/09 at 07:35:47 PM by Andy Salisbury

Really, Time Warner? Do I need to take you, and sit you in a corner? Because it’s clear to me that you just can’t right any of your wrongs. This time, a boneheaded exec at Warner Music Norway decided to lash out against an 18-year-old Norwegian student, calling him (and I quote the translation) a “stupid brat.”

A young blogger, identified only as Evan, was reportedly upset about his inability to download the new Dave Matthews Band album on iTunes. However, he was quick to identify that his problem wasn’t present for those in the United States. So, like any self-respecting member of the Internet, he Tweeted his concern, by stating (again, this is an approximate translation), “'I’m pissed! iTunes is only allowing downloads of the new Dave Matthews Band album if you live in the US! And they complain about pirating.”

Without delay, Warner Music Norway’s Terje Pedersen was there to solve the problem with some quick, and effective customer service. Pedersen, responding in the standard tweet format, stated, “Then I suggest you steal it and write about the process in your stupid brat blog. We don't want you to get upset.” Pedersen is of course, referring to Evan’s blog.

Wow, well played Pedersen. Clearly the concept of acting your age is lost on you.

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itunes, twitter, Time Warner, Warner Music, Norway, Dave Matthews

Posted 04/13/09 at 11:22:42 AM by Paul Lilly

It looks like iTunes' new variable pricing scheme isn't just shuffling money around inside everyone's wallets, but also has the iTunes Top 100 chart playing a game of leapfrog. The losers in this new game? The higher $1.29 tracks.

According to Billboard, on Wednesday the iTunes Top 100 chart had 40 songs priced at $1.29 and 60 with the original $0.99 price point. The songs selling for $1.29 slid, on average, 5.3 places on the chart, while the $0.99 tracks gained 2.5 chart positions. The trend continued on Thursday, with 53 songs priced at $0.99 rising an average of 1.66 places and 47 songs priced at $1.29 losing an average of 2 chart spots.

So far the changes have only been in chart position, but as Billboard points out, "a general idea of incremental changes in revenue can be reached. By looking at the unit sales of the most recent Soundscan top track downloads chart, the difference between chart positions can offer a view into how moving up and down the chart impacts revenue." 

Thoughts on how the variable pricing structuring is affecting chart positions? Hit the jump and sound off!

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apple, itunes, music, variable pricing

Posted 04/08/09 at 03:00:00 PM by Paul Lilly

Say it isn't so, Amazon! Taking a page from iTunes' recently announced (as in yesterday) variable pricing scale, Amazon has decided to follow suit just one day later. Boo, hiss!

Apple's iTunes yesterday introduced a variable pricing model where songs sell for $0.69, $0.99, and $1.29. The move earned Amazon some short-lived praise for staying under a buck, but that all goes out the window today.

To be fair, the blame more than likely goes to the music studios, who may have raised prices in exchange for serving up DRM-free titles. Amazon and Apple aren't alone in switching to variable pricing, as it appears to have also affected Real's Rhapsody store and Lala. Prices are up at Wal-Mart too, with some songs reaching $1.24.

Reactions to what looks like an industry-wide price hike? Hit the jump and sound off.

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itunes, mp3, music, amazon

Posted 03/26/09 at 09:07:33 AM by Paul Lilly

Vista might not have lived up to the pre-release hype on the day of its release, but at least as time went on, the initial bugs and hiccups have been mostly ironed out. What started off as a problematic OS has evolved into a respectable replacement for XP, no matter what the haters might tell you. If only the same could be said for former Microsoft Windows executive Jim Allchin's first foray into the solo music scene.

Allchin, who left Microsoft in 2007, recently released a solo guitar-and-vocals album titled "Enigma" (we would have gone with "Enema"), which made its way onto iTunes earlier this week. But unlike Vista, which got off to a rocky start but held promise, "Enigma" might have more in common with Windows ME, another utterly forgettable release.

"This is literally one of the, if not THE, worst albums I've heard," a listener wrote. "I'd say it's the 'Istar' of music, but that would be doing a grave disservice to 'Istar.' I cringe when I hear this ,and I'm at a loss for words to describe why it's so bad."

So are we, but maybe you'll have better luck than us. Give it a listen here, then hit the jump and offer up your critique.

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vista, microsoft, apple, itunes, music, album, enigma

Posted 03/09/09 at 07:23:10 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Youtube houses arguably one of the largest music-video collections on the internet, which even features some hard-to-find musical gems. Dan Nelson, a 15-year-old developer, has built an iTunes-esque, free-music service that streams Youtube music to the user’s desktop. His downloadable music player is called Muziic.

Muziic can be considered the notional progeny of Youtube and iTunes: it delivers free music available on Youtube in a seamless manner one associates with iTunes. But its adolescent creator is yet to secure Google’s endorsement.

A Youtube spokesperson told Cnet that Muziic appears to be in breach of the Youtube API terms of use. But he admitted that their inquiry is still in its youth. “This is the first we've become aware of the site,” he said.

Google’s gripe may emanate from the fact that there is no mechanism in Muziic to display the advertisements that usually accompany Youtube videos. So Muziic is effectively depriving Google of ads revenue that is lawfully its due. Having used Muziic, this author can vouch for its utility. But will it be music to Google’s ears?

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Software, itunes, music, Google, copyright, ads, website, youtube, Napster, application, dan nelson, muziic