John
09-01-2010, 08:42 PM
Apple Inc unveiled an aggressive move into the Internet-television market on Wednesday, while also rolling out an overhauled lineup of its iPod devices.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, at a presentation to reporters and investors, took the wraps off a new version of Apple TV, a device the company introduced in 2006 but which never became a blockbuster hit.
The new $99 (64.05 pounds) Apple TV is a quarter of the size of the previous version -- it looks similar to a square hockey puck -- and will allow users to rent TV shows for 99 cents or first-run movies for $4.99 (3.23 pounds) each. Apple has also struck a deal with Netflix Inc that enables viewers to stream content from the video rental site.
In the past, Jobs has referred to Apple TV as a hobby, but the announcement on Wednesday signals the company is ready to seriously focus on marrying the Web to TV, a combination that so far has been a minefield for the world's most creative and deep-pocketed companies. Unlike other Apple business models, content on Apple TV cannot be purchased, only rented.
Rival Google Inc is taking a different path with its latest offering of Google TV, which allows viewers to search and watch programs, DVR recordings and the Internet in one fell swoop.
Some new TVs will come Google TV-ready, though the plans are in the works to market a separate stand-alone device in the fall. Google is working with the cable and satellite distributors.
Apple, for its part, said it has struck rental deals with Walt Disney Co's ABC and News Corp's Fox. Jobs said, "We think the rest of the studios will see the light and get on board pretty fast."
Jobs also unveiled a snazzier line of its iPod, with new designs for every model of the popular media device in hopes of kick-starting holiday sales.
"It's the biggest change in the iPod lineup ever," he said, adding that the company has sold about 275 million iPods to date.
Still, while Apple's iPods dominate the music- and media-player market, sales growth has moderated in past years. Jobs has turned his attention towards the iPhone and more recently the iPad, which became an immediate success when it was launched in April.
As a result, the company has revamped its product line ahead of the key holiday sales season. Jobs called it the "strongest lineup of iPods we've ever had."
The revised iPod shuffle, for instance, has been updated to include playlists, buttons to navigate the volume and is smaller than the previous model. He said it would play 15 hours of music, and would come in five different colours at a price of $49 (31.70 pounds).
The nano, another model, now includes FM radio, 24 hours of music. It will be priced at $149 (96.40 pounds) for the 8-gigabyte version or $179 (115.81 pounds) for the 16-gigabyte model, Jobs said.
A third revised iPod model, the touch, will include a front camera and is thinner than the current model. It will be priced from $229 (148.16 pounds) to $399 (258.15 pounds) depending on storage, and will be available next week.
Jobs also introduced an updated version iTunes, complete with a new logo that does away with the image of a CD, that includes a social networking feature, called Ping.
"It's Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes. It's a social network all about music."
Apple, banking on the popularity of social networks like Twitter and Facebook to keep consumers coming back to its music and video store, said Ping would be available immediately for 160 million users in 23 countries.
Source - Yahoo.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, at a presentation to reporters and investors, took the wraps off a new version of Apple TV, a device the company introduced in 2006 but which never became a blockbuster hit.
The new $99 (64.05 pounds) Apple TV is a quarter of the size of the previous version -- it looks similar to a square hockey puck -- and will allow users to rent TV shows for 99 cents or first-run movies for $4.99 (3.23 pounds) each. Apple has also struck a deal with Netflix Inc that enables viewers to stream content from the video rental site.
In the past, Jobs has referred to Apple TV as a hobby, but the announcement on Wednesday signals the company is ready to seriously focus on marrying the Web to TV, a combination that so far has been a minefield for the world's most creative and deep-pocketed companies. Unlike other Apple business models, content on Apple TV cannot be purchased, only rented.
Rival Google Inc is taking a different path with its latest offering of Google TV, which allows viewers to search and watch programs, DVR recordings and the Internet in one fell swoop.
Some new TVs will come Google TV-ready, though the plans are in the works to market a separate stand-alone device in the fall. Google is working with the cable and satellite distributors.
Apple, for its part, said it has struck rental deals with Walt Disney Co's ABC and News Corp's Fox. Jobs said, "We think the rest of the studios will see the light and get on board pretty fast."
Jobs also unveiled a snazzier line of its iPod, with new designs for every model of the popular media device in hopes of kick-starting holiday sales.
"It's the biggest change in the iPod lineup ever," he said, adding that the company has sold about 275 million iPods to date.
Still, while Apple's iPods dominate the music- and media-player market, sales growth has moderated in past years. Jobs has turned his attention towards the iPhone and more recently the iPad, which became an immediate success when it was launched in April.
As a result, the company has revamped its product line ahead of the key holiday sales season. Jobs called it the "strongest lineup of iPods we've ever had."
The revised iPod shuffle, for instance, has been updated to include playlists, buttons to navigate the volume and is smaller than the previous model. He said it would play 15 hours of music, and would come in five different colours at a price of $49 (31.70 pounds).
The nano, another model, now includes FM radio, 24 hours of music. It will be priced at $149 (96.40 pounds) for the 8-gigabyte version or $179 (115.81 pounds) for the 16-gigabyte model, Jobs said.
A third revised iPod model, the touch, will include a front camera and is thinner than the current model. It will be priced from $229 (148.16 pounds) to $399 (258.15 pounds) depending on storage, and will be available next week.
Jobs also introduced an updated version iTunes, complete with a new logo that does away with the image of a CD, that includes a social networking feature, called Ping.
"It's Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes. It's a social network all about music."
Apple, banking on the popularity of social networks like Twitter and Facebook to keep consumers coming back to its music and video store, said Ping would be available immediately for 160 million users in 23 countries.
Source - Yahoo.