iPod and Tech news

Many online articles and stories strongly suggest that there may be big changes coming in the near future for both iPod owners and also those who plan to purchase iPods. Apple is in discussions with regards to making their favorite download website iTunes at least partly free for individuals who go to their website….. But the catch is that instead of paying at the iTunes online E-store they will rather be paying more money for the specific model of iPod they want to purchase.

   While this has not been decided as final as of yet, Apple & also the firms EMI, Sony BMG plus Warner Music would not make staements concerning this topic as of last week, yet I would imagine a final decision quite soon..

   In the meanwhile,  David Pakman, the noted Chief Executive Officer of eMusic, which is of course a major competitor of  iTunes, has clearly stated that his concern lies principally with the fact that the Apple Company may in fact try to take advantage of the monopoly it currently enjoys in the digital player market in general.

   As it stands, for example, the various IPod lines (which are fairly numerous, relatively speaking) represent around eighty five percent or so of the digital music market online as of the time of this writing. Having nearly ninety percent of any such market is quite staggering, but if this particular plan which has been leaked in some competitors thoughts, if it is for example bundled with music from iTune downloads then that would be grounds to be considered anti-competitive, according to staements made by David Pakman.

In other related news, the online technology magazine called ‘MacWorld UK’ has reported that the Apple Corp. has Registered an ”iPod Air” Domain Name as well as a Web Site and this has led them to think that there are probably more wireless iPod technologies coming down the research and development pipeline and into the production stage. This should be very interesting.

Here is the latest iPod news for you, I hope that you enjoy it: In the news is the world’s most expensive iPod that has been donated to a charity auction that was held in London, United Kingdom. It is being labeled the iDiamond iPod and it was designed by a Norwegian jeweler named Thomas Heterdahl, the iPod and earplugs have been designed of solid white and pink 18 karat gold, along with the coating of 430 diamonds that includes 118 diamonds on the earplugs. Hererdahl stated that he would not design another of this one of a kind iDiamond iPod and feels that it would be quite a different situation if it were to be produced commerically. This design according to the jeweler was designed with the Apple iPod Shuffle in mind.  That is pretty cool indeed, don’t you think?.

A Panel Formed For iPod discussion

   There have been  some interesting reports coming out lately  about a panel that has formed to discuss a rise in crime (or in this case iCrime) in the past several years, these crimes are robberies, for the most part.

   These researchers have theorized that iPod users have become prime targets to a criminal, with the tell tale earbuds. It does not only make them an easier target because a person who is listening to their music is less likely to pay attention to what might be going on around them   but it also tells the criminal that they are in possession of a popular small appliance that is easily resold. 

   While there is not a lot of data to support this there is some and it shows that among the younger thieves iPods are a popular item to steel, they are an expensive item that is popular and can easily be resold.

  To further prove this the a group of teenagers were responsible for approximately 20 iPod muggings and the data for New York subway muggings for iPod and cell phones has also increased.

  This may not be enough data for this panel to come to a firm conclusion it is a discussion that can be used as food for thought when using an iPod in public places. I will continue to monitor this story for additional updates and headlines.