iPod Topics - Daily iPod & iTunes News, Views, Blog & Discussion. Apple Shuffle, Nano, Video iPods & More!

Apple iTunes is Opening it’s Virtual Doors to Independant Film Makers

Until very recently, iTunes has turned a cold shoulder to the independant film maker; opting to only allow major studio’s to have their films available through iTunes. But according to Apple Insider, this is all about to change. With the release of a handful of indie sports flicks through iTunes, it appears that indie film producers and fans alike, will now have a new distribution vehicle in iTunes.

What Does iTunes Mean For Independant Film Makers?

The internet itself has been a game changer for indie films, allowing them to virally spread like wild fire. iTunes is a highly concentrated, potent, game changing marketplace that is ideal for indie films. Why? Because iTunes, with over 150 Million users, is the ultimate expample of a long tail marketplace. It is a marketplace with no physical boundaries, ripe with users who crave the unusual and non-standard. Just the sort of folks who love independant films. But rather than having to scour the Internet to find what best suits your tastes, iTunes delivers it all right to your desktop.

Can iTunes Revolutionize Film Distribution?

The motion picture industry is an old and archaic institution that has never looked to change “business as usual.” This mentality, though, has put them in a vulnerable position. With internet superstars like Mark Cuban looking to revolutionize the way films are released (through a multi-channel approach), it is fair to say that iTunes, and service like it will play a huge part in the way films are distributed to the public. Change is inevitable. The best will always rise to the top. The day when a film that was released “straight to iTunes” is already upon us, and someday soon, quite possibly might become the year’s best picture, or an epic that transcends generations.

Yeah, that’s right. I called you an iSnob. You wear your shuffle in the most conspicuous place ever. Of course you didn’t buy the black one - that one isn’t shiny enough; you bought the neon blue one. The reflective paint can innocently blind all people walking the opposite direction as you when you’re strutting down the street, or it can reflect just enough light in that hot girl’s eyes doing that leg workout on the OBGYN-looking machine while your at the gym, walking on the treadmill (otherwise known to you as “working out”).

Oh what’s that? “I don’t have a shuffle. It’s a Nano, you jackass.” Pardon my ignorance! I was too busy counting the money I saved buying my “off brand” MP3 player (Creative, Dell, Samsung, you know, brands you’ve never heard of before) which does more than your iPod could ever do, and looked better, and had a battery that didn’t die on the 3rd day after your extended warranty ended.

After you glare at me and continue to do whatever you were doing with your iPod of some sort - I reach into my pocket and pull out, *gasp*, my iPod Photo 20GB. “After all that bickering, you have an iPod? You hypocrite!” No - not really. I found my iPod at a bar, some poor sap named Jacob who likes (and I mean, REALLY likes) All American Rejects is sitting at home crying; and since he failed to register his iPod, I have no way of finding out which Jacob in New York City owns it. And guess what? I still don’t use it. However, I will now force myself to - and blog about it.

Thus begins my iBlog.

Straight out of Midtown Manhattan, let me introduce Howie, our newest blogger here at iPod Topics. Howie has some interesting views on iPods and the people who use them, lets just hope he blogs as well as he sings karaoke. Rumor has it that there may be some incriminating videos circulating out there. I’ll see what I can dig up for next week…

Could Apple and Microsoft Be in Court Soon?

Peter Ha has an interesting post over at CrunchGear about an Apple iPod Shuffle patent that looks (and sounds) an awful lot like a Microsoft Zune. According to Peter,

“This is somewhat strange, but you can’t deny the facts. Apple was granted a patent that would allow “A two shot injection process for forming an enclosure for an electronic device”. Sounds a lot like the Zune doesn’t it? Keep in mind the patent was filed August 16, 2005 and was meant for the first-generation Shuffle, but we know that it was shipped as a single layer shell. Does Apple plan on using this for future iPods or is it dead in the water? Did Microsoft ‘borrow’ this particular design and just tweak it a bit? Maybe it’s just coincidence, but don’t you love rumors?”

I’d have to agree that the patent looks like and describes a Microsoft Zune. What is more interesting though, is why has this form factor not been used? The first generation iPod shuffles look nothing like this. Could we quite possibly see a new iPod Shuffle form factor for the third time?

Here is what the patent picture looks like:

Read more »

Gone Are The Days Of Simply Listening to a Song iTunes

Don’t you just hate when some over-zeleaous, self-promoting DJ ruins a song with their crappy voice overs? Get ready for a whole new generation of song spamming DJ’s through SpotDJ.

SpotDJ, an application that enables people to record and share audio commentary about music through media players (such as iTunes) bringing context and community to the “music experience”.

SpotDJ works with iTunes and plays short audio tidbits (they call them spots) about your favorite songs and artists while you listen to your music. At the end of a song, if SpotDJ has a spot relevant to that song, it plays the spot and then iTunes moves on to the next track as usual. So to summarize, while trying to listen to a song, you are forced to listen to someone add in their two cents about the song, the artist, or whatever it is they wish to speak about, essentially ruining the reason you are listening to the song…to hear it.

Now I am certain SpotDJ has it’s place within the music experience community, but I am curious as to what the overall value of the software is. Are there that many people in the world that want to hear what someone else thinks of a song?

I want to know what you think. Leave your thoughts in the comments!