Pretty good strategy you two, but it is completely pointless. We already have enough “social sites” not including Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, or Friendster. And plus, how are they going to integrate it into their existing services, AND establish “friend” relationships? That sounds like it is going to be pretty hard. I hope they can accomplish it. I just wish them both good luck.

Google will definetely have more success in this type of business than Yahoo. They already sink into various area of an internet user’s life, not limited to web, e-mail, video, search, and news. And they also centralized it very well by requiring only one log-in for using all of these services. I just hope that Google knows how to execute this properly. It could mean a big screw up, but not to lower their user base. I wish the best of luck to Google (Yahoo, not so much).

This does not sound like something like Microsoft would do, so I was a little bit surprised. Apparently, the whole “reason” of UAC (User Account Control) was to push third-party vendors to make their code run securely, so their software use won’t display a prompt. Normally, I would be pissed off at Microsoft, but the fact that you can disable user account control holds me from letting it all out (which by the way might not be so pretty).

I actually find this to be a pretty good move on Microsoft’s part.This is one of the few times Microsoft tries to improve security in an effective way. I mean, the Windows XP firewall was a complete BUST! Lets hope Microsoft does these things more often.

Apple, you have GOT to be kidding me. I mean, look at the photos! Here is what Apple actually thinks:

….Apple’s legal challenge to the seemingly innocuous GreenNYC logo, claiming that the looped green apple would cause “consumer confusion resulting in damage and injury” to Apple, and will “cause dilution of the distinctiveness” of Apple’s trademark….

Consumer confisuon that is resulting in injury for Apple?! This has got to be joke! We are talking about a green-conscious organization that happens to have a logo shaped like an apple. Why the heck would Apple lose profits? Apple is starting to become one of the big, bad corporations that files lawsuits over anything! I mean, who would could confuse the two apples? For the sake of comparing, here are the two logos, courtesy of The New York Times:

I don’t know what person could confuse these two logos, but that surpasses me. Apple is pissing me off right now. (Walks away )

VIA New York Times

Ha, I think not. MySpace is very late to the idea of offering a music site, and if the two other music websites haven’t caught up to iTunes, I don’t think any site will at this point. If MySpace had gone into the game a lot earlier, they would of had a good chance of being a successful music site. I mean iTunes has the majority of music subscribers, it’s just as simple as that. I don’t think anyone will come in their way at this point. The sales of the Apple iPod definitely garnered attention from many people, and if it weren’t for the Apple iPod iTunes could have crashed-and-burned. To me, Apple has some sort of advantage in this market, although I do have to say that they pull off the software part of it extremely well and that also helps promote their sales.

VIA eFlux Media

It was about time. I knew this time would come eventually. And now, that time is here. Apple finally surpassed everyone else in the digital music download services. And looking at the CD trends stated by NPD, it does not look like this trend is going to let up. Here is how Michelle Quinn and Dawn C. Chmielewski from the Los Angeles Times describe it:

NPD Group, based in Port Washington, N.Y., did not release figures on how many albums each company sold. It said it counted every 12 singles sold as one album, and that Apple probably received a boost during the two months by people cashing in iTunes gift cards — which Wal-Mart and other retailers also sell — received during the holiday season.

So it looks Apple might have had a sales boost for certain parts of the year. In my own opinion, Apple would have dominated the market even if they were counted in a more accurate way. Although I am an avid user of iTunes myself, I do have to say that it does have some flaws. First and foremost, from what I recall from reading other forum posts, you can only redownload your lost iTunes songs ONCE. And to do that, again from what I recall, you have to go through a more or less complicated talk with Apple support. Also, some of the songs on movie soundtracks could ONLY be purchased when you buy the whole album. That is another flaw that has irritated me so. I have yet to know why Apple does these kinds of things, and I am interested in knowing. But for know, I am hanging with iTunes, until other competition, like Sony BMG, blows them out of the water (hopefully ).

VIA Los Angeles Times