Thoughts on the Macworld keynote
So I was right on one or two things, which is an improvement on last year!
iTunes
Movie rentals seem like a good idea to me. If the service is fairly priced when it hits UK shores then I might use it in preference to the local Blockbuster, if only to avoid the hassle of out-of-stock films and returning discs. As I said previously, this update makes the Apple TV useful at last.
Now that the big four labels (Sony BMG, Universal, EMI and Warner) are all on board with Amazon MP3, I’d like to see Apple play hardball and say “drop the DRM, or you’re out of the Music Store” to all labels.
iPhone and iPod Touch updates
The refinements to the iPhone and iPod Touch are welcome, and make the ‘Touch much more attractive to me. It’s not surprising however that the upgrade tax on ‘Touch owners is causing controversy. $20 won’t exactly break the bank, but the inequity of it is a problem.
If it were completely free, the complaints would be coming from iPhone owners, unhappy that they are subsidising software development for a device they don’t own. As it is, people who rushed to buy a ‘Touch prior to this update feel exploited.
It should be free for all, or not free at all.
I don’t think it would be a problem if these apps were designated outside the scope of a standard ‘Touch, and had to be bought regardless of when you got yours. After all, that will be what happens when developers are using the SDK to build their own apps. Perhaps Apple could sweeten the pill with some free downloads from iTunes?
MacBook Air
Very very nice, but not for me. Honestly I think it’s aimed at countries like Japan, where consumers are well known to favour small form factors. The size reduction wouldn’t benefit me though, and I’d be inclined to either save my money and buy a MacBook or go all the way and get a MacBook Pro.
Time will tell whether the non-replaceable battery unit, lack of optical drive and impressive thinness (and its effect on heat dissipation) were wise decisions.
All this makes me wonder when the MacBook will be refreshed. The last update was a bit of a yawner, and it’s now the odd one out in Apple’s range (white plastic, LCD screen etc). I’ll eagerly await the next MacBook.
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January 18th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Microsoft’s movie HD and SD movie downloads seem to be fairly priced (not far off blockbuster rental prices I think) but my broadband needs to be a lot quicker before I regularly download films.
If I had the bigger Xbox hard Drive and Faster broadband I would definitely be using the xbox live video marketplace especially as it’s a bit of a trek to blockbuster.
I totally agree with you on the price issue people have. Although it’s not a lot of money It’s just wrong to neglect your early adopters, they are usually the most loyal of a companies customers. The last thing you want to do is make this group seem like you don’t care for them once they’ve bought your product, they might just look somewhere else for their next purchase.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
My understanding of the pricing issue is that Apple account for the iPhone and Apple TV on a subscription basis. This is how they are able to add features without charging.
Because the iPod Touch is not accounted for that way, they have to charge when they add significant features in order to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
They don’t have to charge $20 though.
Curiously, it appears that the 1.1.3 update delivers the applications. The act of purchasing just unlocks them.