Apple-Apple Action Good for iPod’s Future?

The continuing saga of the third round of Apple Corp vs. Apple Computer has hit the headlines of the mainstream press again this week. I don't suppose the level of coverage is surprising considering the two feverent fan-bases involved. But what none of the coverage I've seen has mentioned is how a ruling against Jobs & Co might force them to take positive action vis-a-vie the iPod branch of Apple Comp.

I remember reading some analysts proposals a few weeks ago about breaking up Apple: divesting the consumer electronics part of the company (basically iPod and iTunes) from their traditional computer hardware and software base. [If I find the link again I'll update this post.] Such a move does make a lot of sense. The iPod brand is very strong and could easily survive away from the Apple core [excuse the pun]; separate companies would allow each to focus properly on their diverging interests; and it may go some way to solve the recent legal hassle from the French and Danes trying to open up iTunes.

The only question is how much does the public's exposure to iPods and iTunes go towards pushing Apple's profitable computing business? This is perhaps the only reason for maintaining the corporate link.

I haven't had time to do any real analysis, but first impressions suggest that the numbers of iMacs etc. sold to once-disinterested PC-using iPod owners is small. There was speculation at the time of the release of iTunes for Windows that exposure of hardend Windows users to a swish OS X Cocoa-like application/environment would send them in hoardes to Tiger, but I think that's turned out to be wishful thinking. The barriers for an uncertain Windows user to make the 'switch' are too high, both in terms of the perceived extra expense and the incompatability woes, two issues that Apple may be able to address with the ramping up of the new Intel chips and rumored software in Leopard (OS X 10.6).

So, back to the Apples and the courts, whatever the verdict, it'll hopefully spur Apple Computer on better things.

Combined Journal Search

I’ve recently updated my combined journal search page to incorporate Applied Physics Letters.

Happily the page remains in the top three in Google under ‘Combined Journal Search’.

AllPeers: BitTorrent for Firefox

AllPeers is an exciting venture based locally in Oxford (although run in Prague, it seems) that was mentioned on TechCrunch a few months backas the Firefox “killer app”.

It basically seems to be a Firefox extension offerring a BitTorrent client that allows people who might not have shared material before to “exchange photos and home movies” with friends and family. In the future, AllPeers will also allow public sharing (mostly probably with restrictions to control copyright violations). Messenging and VOIP are also logical additions that they should include.

Strangely, it will not be advertising funded. Instead, there are suggestions that ‘monitization’ (a horrid word that is never far from any Web2.0 article) will be achieved through paid content. This must be feasible, since they recently got VC funding from the original backers of Skype.

There is no public beta yet, but it must only be a matter of time.

RocketBoom have a nice interview with the founders of AllPeers.

Best … blog business … ever

Wow, thanks to Gothamist I came across a blog that’s been turned into a (well, not quite sustainable, but fun) business.

The fairly talented Scott Moore is doing sketches for $1 (via PayPal) and then posting them on his blog, Sketch-it.

By the look of things, he’s getting a lot of requests and all those bucks must add up!

Histories of Film

The Breakfast Club appeared on BBC TV over the weekend: I didn't watch it, mainly as I know most of half-by-heart; but, being set in late March, it set my mind thinking about anniversaries from films.

These are some I've rooted out so far and I have an iCal on the way:

Date	Year	Film	Location
January, 12	1997 / 1992 (book/film)	2001: A Space Odyssey	HAL Laboratories, Urbana, IL (HAL9000 #3 operational)
March, 24	1984	The Breakfast Club	Shermer High School, Shermer, IL
May, 17	1985	Ferris Bueller's Day Off	Shermer, IL / Chicago, IL
May, 28	1976	Dazed and Confused	Robert E. Lee High School, Austin, TX
July, 1	1899	Indiana Jones Triology	Princeton, NJ (Henry Jones, Jr. born)
Oct., 2	1988	Donnie Darko	Middlesex (Jet engine strikes house / DD saved)
Oct., 26	1985	Back to the Future	Twin Pines Mall, Hill Valley (DeLorean demonstration)
Nov., 15	1962	Animal House	Faber College, Faber, PA (Student Court Hearing of Delta)

Carbon-Market.com

Matt Prescott and Carbon-Market.com did very well winning the runner-up prize (£2000) in the social entrepreneurship part of Oxford Entrepreneur’s Ideal Idol competition.

He seemed very knowledgable and extremely keen during his ‘elevator pitch’ to the judges, but doesn’t seem to have taken the project further in the two weeks since taking the money. The website remains to be a blog (with two posts) on blogspot that he admitted making in an evening.

I hope he hasn’t taken OE’s cash and fled on a CO2-poluting flight to the tropics.