chanson

The newly-introduced iMac brings up memories of a Mac long passed. I never had one, nor even much wanted one, but in 1993 Apple released a machine cleverly designated the Macintosh TV. (Believe it or not, this was a significant improvement over some of its succesors' names.)

The MacTV was a black 68030-based Mac with a built-in 14-inch monitor, an NTSC TV tuner, and an IR remote. Many of the Performa-series Macs that succeeded the MacTV built on its feature set. For example, in 1997 I had a Performa 6220CD on my desk at work. (What was I saying about names?) That Performa had a cable-ready NTSC TV tuner plus composite and S-video input, the ability to watch TV in a window while using other applications, a remote control, and support for optional video output.

The user experience was nowhere near as nice as FrontRow, and there was nothing even remotely like the iTunes Music Store or the iPod.

I had a realization, prompted by an online conversation between some friends: I don't actually need surround sound to enjoy a new receiver.

So I picked up that Sony STR-DE698/B receiver I had decided upon earlier, and got a nice pair of Sony SS-MF550H speakers to go with it. (Thanks to my neighbors Chuck & Judy I was able to get the speakers up to my apartment. There was no way I could have done it myself, it was just too awkward a box...)

It has reasonable room to grow, though it only has two analog HD inputs and no HDMI or DVI. I'm planning on getting some sort of flat-panel or projection HDTV at some point, but not today, and it will probably be my only full digital HD equipment for a while anyway.

I'm also planning on getting the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express so I can stream straight from iTunes, but in the meantime I've plugged my iPod dock into the analog MD input. That's sufficient for listening to music and podcasts for the moment.

The next addition is likely to be a new TV stand and AV cabinet. My current stand is completely out of room, and I want to get both a TiVo and a center-channel speaker in the near future.

After the stand and center-channel speaker, I've decided that if I can build up my strength to the point where I can carry the box upstairs myself, I'm going to get another pair of Sony 550s and set up 5.0 surround sound. (I really don't need a subwoofer, the bass from the speakers is just fine — especially given that I have neighbors below me.)

It won't be that hard to run the speaker cable, and three-foot-tall floor-standing speakers mean I don't have to worry about speaker stands. Enough of what I watch has 5.1 audio that it'll probably be worthwhile, and I'm already using coax digital audio between my DVD player and my receiver...

So I've been thinking about getting a new receiver and some speakers to go with it. Wait, back up. Really, I've been thinking about getting a receiver.

In my AV setup right now, I just have this little Aiwa LCX-01 bookshelf system that my parents got me as a high school graduation present lo those many years ago. It kicks ass for what it is — particularly its non-suckful tape deck — but its set of inputs is pretty minimal. And lately I've been wanting to listen to more music from my iTunes collection, maybe via an AirPort Express, and I only have one line-in port that's currently connected to my TV.

So I've looked around and I've picked out the Sony STR-DE698/B. It does everything I want and more, has plenty of inputs, does surround sound decoding for all the various standards, and has 7.1 channel output. Of course, that's just a receiver. I also need some speakers.

So I've looked around and I've picked out the Sony SA-VE367T. They sound decent and they're a full 7.1 system, which would be kind of nice. Of course, those are just speakers. I need to mount them.

So I've looked around and I found some speaker stands, since I don't actually want to screw anything into my apartment walls. They come in pairs, which means I'd need three pairs, plus someplace to put the center channel speaker. Of course, my current AV cabinet is kind of cramped as it is, and has a glass front so I can't put the center channel speaker in there. So I need a new AV cabinet.

So I've looked around and I found a couple new AV stands that are reasonable for my current setup and whatever I might have next. And I've realized that this is fast turning from a purchase decision and into a project. A project that I, uh, don't have space for.

Fortunately, my PowerBook has decent speakers and the iPod headphones (which I seem to be accumulating pairs of) are rather nice. And that's a whole lot cheaper than dropping a ton of cash on stereo equipment and then trying to figure out how to make it fit...

The latest release from DJ Format — If You Can't Join 'Em… Beat 'Em — is available on the iTunes Music Store.

It's pretty sweet, check it out! Lots more DJ Format, Abdominal, and now MC D-Sisive. And the obligatory Chali 2na & Akil, of course.

Oh, also be sure to check out the video for 3 Feet Deep.

Really, watch the video!

While I'm talking about my parents' new iBook, I have to say that Panther itself is a killer app.

My parents enjoyed their previous Macs, got a lot of use out of them, learned all sorts of things and used them for all sorts of things. All of their previous Macs were running the traditional Mac operating system, not Mac OS X.

But they're floored by some of the things their new computer can do out of the box. My dad has really taken to iTunes, they both seem to really like Mail and Safari, and yesterday they rang me up to voice-chat in iChat AV. Of course, I had to retaliate by hooking up my iSight and calling them back via video. And today we printed a family photo I took at Thanksgiving with their new Epson C84 on fancy glossy photo paper. iPhoto rocks.

They've also already played some of their old games under Classic (like Eric's Ultimate Solitaire CD) and my dad's started getting up to speed on Quicken 2004. But it's really the built-in software that seems to be blowing them away.

Scoble wrote a guide for people who hate Microsoft. Of course, it's all about his further attempts to justify Microsoft's hype campaign around Longhorn as a way to make it better, not a way to try and get developers and users to avoid considering alternatives. (Hmm, wonder why. Could it be because more and more are doing so?)

Scoble thinks that people who hate Microsoft and want them to improve want Microsoft's products to improve. Boy, he really doesn't get it. It's not just about the company's products. It's about the company's behavior.

I do believe Microsoft can change. And I want it to change, not just selfishly because the platform I work on is in competition with theirs, but because they can do so much better. Unfortunately I don't believe it's on the road to change. I'd believe that if I actually saw some genuine contrition on the part of the company and its employees, a belief that wrong was actually done and people & competitors were actually harmed.

Instead, we get crap like their response to iTunes — not "Welcome to the platform, it's good to have you writing consumer applications!" but "It doesn't offer the choices Windows users need!" And what is the choice they claim Windows users need? Windows Media, which conveniently enough helps to leverage Microsoft's dominance in operating systems into dominance in online content. Microsoft still treats every market as a zero-sum game; win-win isn't really in the corporate playbook. "Given half a chance they'd drive us out, so we have to drive them out first!"

In the end, the behavior of Microsoft as a company and of many of Microsoft's employees looks more like aversion than change. "Let's not be seen doing anything else that could get us in trouble!" is not how you begin change. "Wow, we really screwed up, how can we fix it?" would be a better start.

Oh, and Scoble? I bet a lot of what's shown in Longhorn at PDC is stuff we already have in Mac OS X.

What's up with all the people claiming iTunes is Apple's "first Windows software"?

Haven't these people been using QuickTime to watch movie trailers?

Haven't these people heard of ClarisWorks, or FileMaker Pro? Or WebObjects?

Apple has released plenty of Windows software over the years. iTunes is only the latest.

Steve just came out, wearing the trademark black mock-turtleneck and jeans.

He's going over where Apple's been. New PowerBooks, Safari, iLife, Keynote, Final Cut 4.

Now Apple's going to innovate in music. They're re-showing the "Rip. Mix. Burn." ad. "Don't steal music." Reviewing what they've done: iTunes and iPod, their Grammy last year.

Now he's defining "Rip. Mix. Burn." "Rip doesn't mean 'Rip off!'" Ripping is taking bits off CD and putting them on your hard disk. "That's what 'rip' means to anyone under 30."

Play: iPod

700000 iPods sold since release, the "number one" digital music player. (By what metric?)

New iPods: 10GB, 15GB, 30GB (7500 songs). Thinner (0.62 in) and lighter (5.6oz). Lighter and thinner than a pair of CDs in jewel cases. No moving parts on any controls, better screen, backlight. A non-standard FireWire connector on the bottom, so it can be dropped onto a dock. The dock also has line-out. Docks are sold seperately. USB2 is also supported, but the software for Windows isn't done yet. ("Windows is a lot less predictable.") The USB2 cable doesn't supply enough power, so it's double-headed and available seperately. Also, only one box, no seperate Mac and Windows versions any more.

Patents pending on automatic sync. (Ew.)

AAC will be supported. Playlists can be managed from the iPod. You can personalize the main menu. There's now an alarm clock. And it includes two new games, Solitaire and Parachute.

Pricing: 10GB is now $299. 15GB is $399. 30GB is $499. 10GB model doesn't include dock, case, or remote. Available this Friday in the United States, next Friday internationally.

Manage: iTunes 4

New feature: AAC support. Claims it sounds the best of any audio CODEC. (Wrong, that goes to Ogg Vorbis, damn it.)

New feature: Rendezvous! You can stream songs from playlists on other Macs.

New feature: DVD archiving.

New feature: Album artwork.

Acquire: The iTunes Music Store

"The Internet was built for music delivery."

Rhapsody and PressPlay: "These services treat you like a criminal and they're subscription-based."

People want to buy their music on the Internet as downloads just like they bought LPs, casettes, and CDs, with "a broad set of personal-use rights."

The Big 5: BMG, EMI, Sony, Warner, Universal. Apple has been able to negotiate a deal with the music industry to get users a broad set of personal-use rights: Unlimited CD burns, though you have to modify the playlist every 10 burns. Unlimited iPods, past present & future. Play on up to three Macs, and you can transfer authorizations. Use in any applications that run on the Mac, including iPhoto, iMovie, and iDVD. $0.99/song, with no subscription fee.

Apple has been operating the largest movie trailer download site for years — they "know how to pump oceans of bits reliably." All songs are encoded as 128Kbps AAC, some from master tapes rather than CDs. 30-second previews of every song. Album cover art also included.

It's supported directly through iTunes! You can search or browse for albums to buy, and buy via One-Click. There are also exclusive tracks available only through this service. Click "purchase" and it's downloaded straight into your iTunes library.

Extended demo time!

Only available in the US right now, starting today! It'll be up by 11:30 Pacific.

It'll be Mac-only to start with, but will be available for Windows users by the end of the year.

iJournal 1.48 doesn't interface with iTunes 3. Turns out it's because the author of the original iTunes support was conservative, and in the code makes sure it's talking to iTunes 2 before actually trying to get information from it.

So, a one-line fix and it appears to work. Except now I have to use the development version. Should be fine though...