Listen to today’s show here!
MC20050908.mp3 [20.2mb 44:01 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 87. Apple’s big music announcements, Motorola iTunes phone, iPod Nano, new iTunes 5, QuickTime 7.0.2 update released, Steve Jobs will not keynote at Apple Expo and Sony and Apple in licensing talks for Japan iTunes Music Store. Listener reaction to Apple announcements, hurricane relief PSA, listeners iMac G5 power supply issue, yet another mac browser, Shiira. If you have audio issues check the MIDI Setup, how to cancel the save dialog from the keyboard, a review of SuperDuper and eMacCast Artwork Contest Winners, new motion|VFX contest. New music, In a Long Time by 46 Bliss. Bonus podcast promos.

Even a poisonous snake isn’t bad. You just have to keep away from the sharp end.

Shownotes: HTML or OPML
Subscribe to the Podcast Feed or Get the MP3

Craig Patchett from the Behind the Scenes podcast sent the following email about Roxio’s new “upgrade” option or lack there of for Toast 7. Seems like they may be learning some upgrade pricing tricks from Apple.

I won’t be upgrading to Roxio Toast 7, even though I’m a registered user of Toast 6. Why? Because apparently Roxio couldn’t care less about its registered and loyal owners. The cost to upgrade to the latest version? The same as it is for anyone else to buy a copy. Technically, actually, it’s more. Any user of OS X qualifies for a $20 discount off Toast 7, which you can purchase from Buy.com with tax and shipping for $85. Net cost: $65 after rebate. Registered owners qualify for a whopping $30 discount, but only if they buy directly from Roxio for $99.95 + $11 shipping (the discount only applies to the CD version) + tax. Net cost: $80.95 + tax after rebate. So basically Roxio wants to reward those who are buying Toast for the first time and punish those who were foolish enough to purchase previous versions.

This approach to upgrade to upgrades is disgusting and is nothing more than a blatant example of corporate greed. Roxio should be publicly shamed by its existing customer base for choosing such tactics.

So the big announcements:

iTunes 5.0
iTunes 5.0 is available for download from Apple.com. New features include a redesigned look with the ability to organize playlists into folders. An improved shuffle feature called “smart shuffle”. You can now control the frequency of how you hear songs from the same artist of album. There are also now parental controls. The biggest new feature for Windows is users is the ability to sync their Outlook calendars and address book with the iPod.

“Motorola ROKR” iTunes phone
Works like an iPod Shuffle built into your phone. Connects via a USB cable and holds about 100 songs. Service in the US will be carried by Cingular

iPod Nano
New iPod will replace the existing iPod Mini. The iPod Nano uses flash memory and has a 14-hour rechargeable battery. The Nano will connect via a USB 2.0 cable and uses the standard 30-pin iPod docking connector so it is compatible with all existing iPod accessories. It features a color screen, is half as thick as the iPod Mini, comes in two colors (Black or White) and is available in 2 sizes 2GB and 4GB at $199.00 (USAD) and $249.00 (USD) respectively

Listen to the announcement here!
MC20050906.mp3 [0.56mb 01:06 64kbps]

Decided to wait until after Apple big music announcement tomorrow (Sept. 7th) to put out the next cast. Thanks for your patience.

Subscribe to the Podcast Feed or Get the MP3

Listen to today’s show here!
MC20050902.mp3 [12.5mb 27:12 64kbps]

A podcast about Macs done by a Mac geek for Mac geeks. Show 86. Apple taking hurricane donations through iTunes, my “Try it, you’ll like it” concept becomes reality, at least for 12 hours. Motorola is also holding a big music event September 7th, big stars to appear in Motorola ads for iTunes phone, will we see a new .Mac soon? OS 10.4.3 Update will have over 400 minor bug fixes. MacCast review of the iMojo Shuffle Sweats. Tip for silencing the volume noises, the CopCast promo, take control of your Trash with Compost. Tip on editing multiple ID3 tags at once in iTunes. The eMacCast artwork contest has ended, winners to be announced on the next podcast. The Me and my Mom podcast promo. New music, Spirit Come by Foolish Things

I think the world has been run long enough by well-meaning professionals. We might give the amateurs a chance now.

Shownotes: HTML or OPML
Subscribe to the Podcast Feed or Get the MP3