greenthinks

The conventional wisdom about Apple’s announcements tomorrow says that Apple will be introducing some new iPods. Maybe a new set of higher end iPods and perhaps a pink Madonna iPod nano.

Some people have been talking about a video iPod, but most experts have poo-pooed that idea, saying that Apple would need to re-engineer its online store for movies and that bandwidth, and the deals with movie studios necessary for such an undertaking, are not in place.

However, today another piece of the puzzle fell into place. Every week on Tuesday Apple updates the Music Store with new music. This week Tuesday came and went with no new music, no newly released albums, no new additions from older catalogs.

So even if the more conservative prognostications are accurate, it seems that Apple is at least updating the iTunes Music Store as well tomorrow. It may in fact be more than that, however.

MacRumors reports that a new iTunes version may be released sometime soon. They guess it is 5.0.2, but I would put more money on 5.1. iTunes 5 was a typically underwhelming x.0 release (remember v4.0?) and now Apple probably plans to add all sorts of more interesting functionality in point releases over the next year or so.

It might even turn out to be more significant than that. Think Secret is now speculating that Apple will indeed release video iPods tomorrow and that the iTunes video store will debut. My take is that Apple will announce such devices without the vital functionality (vital according to Apple executives) of ripping DVD’s to one’s HD, but with big collaborations (e.g. BBC) and with a big push towards music videos and vlogging. The company will then attempt to use its iPod cache to exert pressure on the government and the industry to make ripping one’s own DVD’s for use on one’s video iPod a legal and feasible reality.

Well, here’s hoping…

Tim Bray:

What all the DRM dreamers don’t want to admit is that 95% or more of the population hasn’t yet encountered DRM, and when they do, they aren’t going to like it. They’re going to scream and scream and scream and get mad as hell and not take it any more. I’m talking about the honest people who play by the rules: they buy a house and the vendor moves out and pulls no more strings. They buy sofas and flowers and wine and paper and the store where they bought them doesn’t try to limit what you can do with them, and when the digital-media vendors try to horn in on this relationship, the response is going to be “you and whose army?”

Again, amen. My parents would never put up with DRM - would yours?

Don Yacktman, ex-NeXT employee:

I sure hope that Apple sticks to its guns on this one. Since it sounds like not all the labels really want the price hike, I think this is a battle Apple could win. Sure, one of the majors (cough cough Sony BMG cough) could still say that they’ll take a hike if Apple won’t deal, and might even try it, but then what happens? All that money flowing through the iTMS goes to the other labels, and the label that walked sees everyone shift to illegal downloads for their music. Apple can put an ad in the iTMS explaining that such and such labels songs are no longer available because they got too greedy and thought 99¢ wasn’t already enough. Can you imagine the impact? It could create a mass boycott of that one label. Customer outcry might force the label right to the iTMS, 99¢ price and all.

Amen to that. Apple, I love you. Sony, I hate you. Count me first to boycott if this does indeed happen.

Just got my iTunes preorder of Death Cab for Cutie’s new album, Plans. Boy, am I loving this!

...has been around since before podcasting. It’s Acts of Volition Radio, produced by Stephen Garrity from Charlottetown, PE, Canada.

Garrity does what radio DJ’s used to do – he plays tracks he’s discovered or has loved for years and talks about the bands and the music. Simple enough, but it really works and his taste is impeccable. I’m always excited when he includes something I’ve already found, but that’s rare – usually it’s an occassion to break out the ‘ole Amex and order some CD’s on Half.

Since he’s Canadian, he leans towards bands from north of the border, which is great, as there’s even less of a chance that I’ll be familiar with them already. His location also plays into the reason for his remaining uniqueness even now as podcasting is exploding. Garrity plays commercial music, and plays the songs in full. While this is not only illegal in the U.S. but is also being actively targeted by the authorities and their impish cohorts, the lawyers, it seems to still be gray area in Canada. It’s a good thing too, ‘cause it will be a sad day down here in NYC when Stephen Garrity stops doing Acts of Volition Radio.

Check it out.

Update: Subscribe in iTunes!