The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gif The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com en-us Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/HBO might be coming to iTunes, with flexible pricinghttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/12/hbo-might-be-coming-to-itunes-with-flexible-pricing/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/12/hbo-might-be-coming-to-itunes-with-flexible-pricing/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/12/hbo-might-be-coming-to-itunes-with-flexible-pricing/#commentsFiled under: ,

Porfolio.com is reporting that you might soon be able to find Tony Soprano in the iTunes Store. HBO, the premium cable channel known for their original programming, is in talks with Apple to add their programming to the iTunes Store.

This is good news for fans of HBO shows, but the real story here is the deal that HBO has reportedly managed to wrangle out of Apple. Portfolio's sources say that Apple has agreed to flexible pricing for HBO, which might mean we'll have to pay more than $1.99 per episode for that content. This is the structure that NBC, and many other studios, would love but Apple has been resistant to in the past.

Before you go crazy, please note that flexible pricing might mean something other than paying more for the shows: Apple might give HBO a bigger cut of the profits from the flat $1.99. Only time will tell, since HBO insiders say that that HBO's inclusion in the iTunes Store will be announced and launched at the same time.

Note: HBO and TUAW both have the same corporate overlords, but that doesn't mean we have any inside information.
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]]>aol-time-warnerhboitunesitunes-storeScott McNulty2008-05-12T11:00:00+00:00Itching to learn Esperanto?http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/itching-to-learn-esperanto/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/itching-to-learn-esperanto/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/07/itching-to-learn-esperanto/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Hot for Hindi? Up for learning Uyghur? Wild about Welsh? LifeClever tipped us off to the fact that there are 926 free language training podcasts currently available in the iTunes Store. A quick glance at the available podcasts shows that you can learn 39 languages from Arabic to Yiddish with the help of your iPod or iPhone.

To find this treasure trove of linguistic goodness, launch iTunes, pop into the iTunes Store, click on the Browse link, and navigate to Podcasts > Education > Language Courses.

What am I going to learn on my summer vacation? I'm waffling between Sexy Spanish and Latinum. This is a great way to get your kids to learn a language and keep them occupied during that long, hot road trip to Wally World this summer.

Thanks, Tipster Chanpory!
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]]>freelanguagepodcastSteven Sande2008-05-07T19:30:00+00:00iTunes: Free Tuesdayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/06/itunes-free-tuesday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.

Continue reading iTunes: Free Tuesday

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]]>Free FeedFree TuesdayFreeFeedFreeTuesdayErica Sadun2008-05-06T14:00:00+00:004 million iTunes songs disappear, speculations aboundhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/04/4-million-itunes-songs-disappear-speculations-abound/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/04/4-million-itunes-songs-disappear-speculations-abound/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/04/4-million-itunes-songs-disappear-speculations-abound/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Last week, Apple's iTunes Store turned 5 years old. Now the blogosphere is buzzing with the fact that Apple said they had over "10 million" songs in their library, then later changed the page to say "6 million." That's a difference of 4 million songs unaccounted for. MacNN did the math and said that if they had 10 million songs, it would have accounted for a 66% increase in their catalog in only a month. MacNN has before and after pictures of the iTunes Store page showing the changes.

So... typo? Or is Apple doing some weird shuffling of their library?

[via MacNN]
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]]>5 years old5YearsOldiTMSiTSiTunessongstweet-thisCory Bohon2008-05-04T15:00:00+00:00iTunes movie purchases now available same day as DVDhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/01/itunes-movie-purchases-now-available-same-day-as-dvd/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/01/itunes-movie-purchases-now-available-same-day-as-dvd/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/01/itunes-movie-purchases-now-available-same-day-as-dvd/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Given the choice between buying a physical DVD and grabbing a downloadable iTunes version of the same movie, you might choose what's behind door #2 for convenience, iPod playability and speed; that is, if you're willing to wait it out while the DVD-only window ticks away. Up until now it's been about 30-45 days post-DVD release, with a few exceptions, before the iTunes version showed up. With a report from the NY Times yesterday that Warner Brothers was moving to "day-and-date" digital release, simultaneous with the disc ship, we expected to hear something from Apple promptly, and we have.

According to this morning's press release, it's bigger than just Warner Bros. Multiple studios' films -- 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and more -- will now be delivered to iTunes customers at the same time that DVD buyers can snag them in stores. "American Gangster" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" are two of the first movies available on the new ship schedule.

Does day-and-date change your attitude on buying movies from iTunes? Inquiring minds want to know.

View Poll




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]]>dvditunesmoviespurchasetweet-thisMichael Rose2008-05-01T09:30:00+00:00iTunes: Free Wednesdayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/30/itunes-free-wednesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/30/itunes-free-wednesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/30/itunes-free-wednesday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.

Continue reading iTunes: Free Wednesday

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]]>Free WednesdayFreeFeedFreeWednesdayErica Sadun2008-04-30T22:00:00+00:00BBC America shows added to iTunes Storehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/29/bbc-america-shows-added-to-itunes-store/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/29/bbc-america-shows-added-to-itunes-store/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/29/bbc-america-shows-added-to-itunes-store/#commentsFiled under:

American anglophiles, rejoice! Three BBC America shows have just been added to the iTunes Store line up. The shows are:
A good start, I would say but I'm holding out for Bargain Hunt and How Clean is Your House? Oh, and that show about that doctor would be nice too.

All the BBC America shows cost the usual $1.99 with the entire seasons ranging in price.

Thanks, Theo.
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]]>bbcamericaitunesScott McNulty2008-04-29T10:30:00+00:00Apple celebrates 5 years of iTunes Storehttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/28/apple-celebrates-5-years-of-itunes-store/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/28/apple-celebrates-5-years-of-itunes-store/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/28/apple-celebrates-5-years-of-itunes-store/#commentsFiled under: ,

On the iTunes Store (iTunes link), Apple is celebrating 5 years since the original iTunes Music Store launched on April 28, 2003. Each of the last five years (2003-7) is marked with bestsellers and staff favorites (conveniently arranged for you to add them to your own collection). Clearly in a glowing mood at recently becoming the largest music retailer in the US, they note cheerfully how the store has grown from a little "more than 200,000 songs and a handful of exclusive tracks" to a library of over 10 million today. It's just too bad they couldn't have coughed up some special pricing to help us celebrate, too.
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]]>iTSiTunes StoreItunesStoreMat Lu2008-04-28T09:00:00+00:00Next talkcast: Open phones and giveawayshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/26/next-talkcast-open-phones-and-giveaways/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/26/next-talkcast-open-phones-and-giveaways/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/26/next-talkcast-open-phones-and-giveaways/#commentsFiled under: ,

This Sunday night at 10 PM EST, Michael Rose, our consumate Talkcast host, will once agin be out of town, so I'll be taking his place. Hopefully, we won't run into any of the technical difficulties we ran into last week.

We'll be taking open calls and discussing the top stories of the week, attempting to answer any of your questions, talking about Apple rumors...oh yeah, and we'll be giving away schwag (including some software) for correct trivia answers.

To join the conversation and try your hand at winning, just log onto TalkShoe, either with or without an account, by using the shiny new browser-only client (no downloading required and no registration needed). Just click the "TalkShoe Web" button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. You can also listen in on the Talkshoe page or call in on regular phone or VOIP lines: dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID: 45077.
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]]>podcaststalkcasttuaw-talkcasttweet-thisChristina Warren2008-04-26T10:00:00+00:00iTunes UK adds ITV showshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/22/itunes-uk-adds-itv-shows/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/22/itunes-uk-adds-itv-shows/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/22/itunes-uk-adds-itv-shows/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We may not have movies in the U.K. iTunes store, but that hasn't stopped the UK broadcasters from slowly but surely adding their wares to the UK shop. First the BBC pitched in with a selection of shows such as 'Spooks' (it airs in the US as 'MI:5') and then Channel 4 added the likes of Black Books (amongst others). So today adding to the mix is commercial broadcaster ITV, which has added 'Lewis', 'Goodnight Mr Tom', 'Brideshead Revisited', 'Cold Feet', 'The Saint' and 'Captain Scarlet' to the UK store.

That may not sound like a great deal of content, however ITV is clearly looking to milk the archive shows for all they're worth. Apple UK's Hot News quotes Dawn Airey from ITV: "[We have] thousands of hours of classic content in the archive which we are bringing to a whole new audience via iTunes". and then leaves us with the perennial teaser of "Watch out for more great additions coming soon on iTunes".

As usual, iTunes UK TV show pricing of £1.89 (US$3.75) an episode applies to all the ITV content.
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]]>itunesiTunes-UKitunes-uk-videoukNik Fletcher2008-04-22T19:45:00+00:00iTunes: Free Tuesdayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/22/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/22/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/22/itunes-free-tuesday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.

Continue reading iTunes: Free Tuesday

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]]>Free FeedFree TuesdayFreeFeedFreeTuesdayErica Sadun2008-04-22T12:30:00+00:00Starbucks offers free iTunes "Pick of the Week"http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/15/starbucks-offers-free-itunes-pick-of-the-week/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/15/starbucks-offers-free-itunes-pick-of-the-week/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/15/starbucks-offers-free-itunes-pick-of-the-week/#commentsFiled under: ,

Apple and Starbucks are at it again, this time with a new Pick of the Week iTunes offer. Basically each week Starbucks will distribute cards good for a free download of a hand-picked song from the iTunes Store. Starting this week the first such song is the Counting Crows' "Washington Square."

It's not entirely clear what you have to do to get a card, but presumably it involves a purchase. A new card will be available each Tuesday. Once you get a card you have 60 days to redeem it.

[via iLounge]
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]]>iTunes StoreItunesStoreStarbucksMat Lu2008-04-15T15:00:00+00:00iTunes: Free Tuesdayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/15/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/15/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/15/itunes-free-tuesday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.

Continue reading iTunes: Free Tuesday

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]]>Free FeedFree TuesdayFreeFeedFreeTuesdayErica Sadun2008-04-15T14:00:00+00:00Next talkcast: Parenting with Mac moms & dadshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/10/next-talkcast-parenting-with-mac-moms-and-dads/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/10/next-talkcast-parenting-with-mac-moms-and-dads/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/10/next-talkcast-parenting-with-mac-moms-and-dads/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We had a fun time on the ol' TUAW talkcast last Sunday, with panelists Christina Warren, Dave Caolo, Erica Sadun and reader Brett Peters (yes, the broken iPhone guy). Brett had a sad saga of MacBook Air performance woes to tell -- his machine refused to run on two cores under moderate load, apparently a thermal management feature run amuck, and it's going back to the mothership now (read the details here). We also ran through the iPhone 3G rumors with a coarse-toothed comb. You can download direct, listen in your browser or subscribe to the TalkShoe feed in iTunes.

For this coming Sunday's show (4/13), we're going to be talking about parents, kids and the Mac with Dave Caolo and hopefully some special guests. We'd love to get your suggestions and recommendations for the best educational software, kid-friendly peripherals and utilities, art and music tools for tots, and more. If you'd like to contribute your picks and pans, you can comment below or use our handy PBwiki page (you'll need a login, so just comment that you want to help out and I'll send you an invite). If you're wondering how to introduce your tots to computers or whether content filtering/parental controls really work as advertised, call in and we'll talk.

Continue reading Next talkcast: Parenting with Mac moms & dads

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]]>brett-peterschristina-warrendave-caoloerica-sadunkidsmacmike-roseparentingtalkcasttuawMichael Rose2008-04-10T11:30:00+00:00iTunes: Free Wednesdayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/09/itunes-free-wednesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/09/itunes-free-wednesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/09/itunes-free-wednesday/#commentsFiled under: ,

As many of our readers let us know (thank you!), the UK single of the week finally went live late yesterday. Here it is for you to download and enjoy.

UK: The Black Keys, Lies - Single of the Week
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week.

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]]>Free FeedFree WednesdayFreeFeedFreeWednesdayErica Sadun2008-04-09T15:00:00+00:00iTunes: Free Tuesdayhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/08/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/08/itunes-free-tuesday/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/08/itunes-free-tuesday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync. Highlight of this week: 3 free episodes of the FX series The Riches.

Continue reading iTunes: Free Tuesday

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]]>Free FeedFree TuesdayFreeFeedFreeTuesdayErica Sadun2008-04-08T17:00:00+00:00Roar! New York Public Library joins iTunes Uhttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/08/new-york-public-library-joins-itunes-u/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/08/new-york-public-library-joins-itunes-u/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/08/new-york-public-library-joins-itunes-u/#commentsFiled under: ,



iTunes U, Apple's program to host multimedia files and podcasts for various institutes of learning in the iTunes Store, has a brand new member -- a big one. The New York Public Library has just launched its iTunes U page. Included are lots of audio programs broken up into several sections, as well as some archival material. The best part, of course, is that all of this content is free.

[via NYPL Labs]
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]]>itunesitunes uItunesUnyplScott McNulty2008-04-08T16:00:00+00:00Apple passes Walmart, number 1 in US music saleshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/03/apple-passes-walmart-number-1-in-us-music-sales/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/03/apple-passes-walmart-number-1-in-us-music-sales/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/03/apple-passes-walmart-number-1-in-us-music-sales/#commentsFiled under: ,

Ars Technica managed to get access to unreleased data from NPD MusicWatch that shows that Apple is now the leading music retailer in the US, passing Walmart. Apparently the news was sent in an internal Apple email and Cupertino now controls 19% of retail music sales, against Walmart's 15% and number three Best Buy's 13%.

Needless to say, this is the first time a download retailer has taken the number one spot and represents a notable market share gain for Apple even since February. It will now be interesting to see if Apple can hold on to the top spot in the long run. In any case, this is a watershed moment and brings the mainstream death of the CD that much closer into view.

Update: Apple has since confirmed its position with a press release. "The iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the US based on the amount of music sold during January and February 2008."

Thanks Nate!
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]]>iTSiTunesmusictweet-thisMat Lu2008-04-03T12:05:00+00:00Remix Radiohead in iTuneshttp://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/03/remix-radiohead-in-itunes/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/03/remix-radiohead-in-itunes/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/03/remix-radiohead-in-itunes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A couple of years ago, Trent Reznor released fully editable GarageBand versions of a few Nine Inch Nails songs. Others have followed suit (like Burger King), and now Radiohead joins their number.

They've made all five tracks (or "stems") of the song "Nude" available in iTunes for $0.99 each [iTunes link]. The tracks are in DRM-free iTunes Plus format, so you can pretty much manipulate them however you'd like.

Purchase all five before the end of this week and receive an access code for the full GarageBand file. Once you've finished your remix, you can upload it here. It definitely sounds like fun, especially for Radiohead fans (like me).
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]]>garagebanditunesitunes plusItunesPlusradioheadremixDave Caolo2008-04-03T07:00:00+00:00Kostenlos Mittwoch: Es Gibt TV!http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/02/kostenlos-mittwoch-es-gibt-tv/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/02/kostenlos-mittwoch-es-gibt-tv/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/04/02/kostenlos-mittwoch-es-gibt-tv/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As Brett posted earlier, guess what's neu over at the Deutschland iTMS? TV Sendungen! Finally, TV has macht its way over the channel from England and für nur €1,99-€2,49 an eppy, you can get your TV on with South Park and Desperate Housewives. As far as the new hinzugefügte goes, I had a bit of trouble getting it all working this morning. You might have to wait until the store gets fully sorted. Here's a direct link to the new TV section, which features TV so wie Tramitz and Friends, Kaya Yanar, und Sechser Pack. Bitte forgiven Sie mein Deutsch. Despite having taken Erste Jahr Deutsch dreimal, not a lot of it stuck with mich. Kostenlossen/Gratis heute gibts jetzt in TV:

Deutschland: Ladyland, Staffel 1
Ihre Frauenfiguren in "Ladyland" geben ihr die Möglichkeit, in die verschiedensten Rollen und Charaktere zu schlüpfen. Dabei stammen die Geschichten direkt aus dem Leben: überraschend, spannend, zum Schmunzeln, haarsträubend, verrückt und manchmal auch tragikomisch. Eben (fast) so, wie sie jeden Tag irgendwo auf der Welt passieren könnten. Anke Engelke schlüpft in jeder Folge in ganz unterschiedliche Rollen: Mal ist sie eine arrogante Immobilienmaklerin, die sich plötzlich in einem Kuhstall wiederfindet, dann die kleine kaufmännische Angestellte, bei der sich ein Scharfschütze auf dem Balkon einquartiert, mal eine angehende Ministerpräsidentin mit Alkohol-Problem, dann eine Hotelrezeptionistin mit künstlerischen Ambitionen oder ein einfältiges Blondchen, das tatsächlich eine SMS von Gott erhält.

Deutschland: Pastewka, Staffel 3
In der 3. Staffel von "Pastewka" zeigt sich, dass das Leben eines Promis nicht nur extrem aufregend ist, sondern vor allem auch unglaublich kompliziert sein kann: Bastians Bruder Hagen ist immer noch mit der launischen Nachbarin Svenja Bruck liiert und führt diese - trotz Bastians massivem Widerstand - auch noch offiziell in die Familie ein. Vater Pastewka und Nichte Kim sorgen ebenfalls für Zuwachs: Kim hat endlich ihren ersten Freund und Vater Pastewka eine neue Putzfrau, die sich ganz offensichtlich nicht nur um seine schmutzige Wäsche kümmert. In der Beziehung zwischen Bastian und Anne kriselt es, und Annes dauerfröhlicher Ex-Freund Jo provoziert bei Bastian Eifersuchtsausbrüche. In all dem familiären Chaos dürfen natürlich auch in der 3. Staffel die lieben Kollegen nicht fehlen. So gibt es Gastauftritte u.a. von Michael Kessler, Maddin Schneider, Bully Herbig, Til Schweiger und Barbara Salesch.

Deutschland: Switch, Staffel 1
Ob Daily-Soap, Talkshow, Nachrichten, Werbung oder Erotikmagazin - nichts ist vor "Switch" sicher und alles wird persifliert. "Switch" stellt mit hintergründigem Humor die Besonderheiten von Inhalten, Formaten und Darbietungen aus der gesamten Fernsehlandschaft heraus.

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]]>DeutschlandFree WednesdayFreeWednesdayGermanyKostenlos MittwochKostenlosMittwochTVErica Sadun2008-04-02T13:00:00+00:00