On that unboxing video we posted the other day (sorry about the ads-- point taken), it was noted that the Apple Remote no longer stuck to the side of the new iMac. Reader Sal emailed me this morning to point out that not only did his Remote not stick either, but apparently he rang up Apple, and the "product specialist" said the Remote should stick. I also called Apple, and they told me the Remote should stick as well.
But neither the Unboxing Remote or Sal's Remote actually stuck, so what's the deal? Our commenters have noted over the past few days that aluminum eats magnetic fields, so it could be that the aluminum makes sticking the Remote on a no go. I don't know exactly how it worked with the old iMac (whether there was just a magnet inside or in both the Remote and the iMac), but Sal points out his Remote won't stick to the fridge either. After he told Apple that, they even offered to send him a new Remote, so maybe the Remote he has is defective (which means this is the second new defective product we've heard about in the past few days). One more wrinkle-- other commenters have suggested that instead of the side, the Remote now sticks to the "chin" of the iMac, but Sal tried that and said it didn't work either.
At any rate, Apple says the Remote should stick, but everything we've seen says it doesn't. Which is it? Anyone have a new iMac and want to confirm that it sticks? It's not a big loss, of course, if it's really not sticking. But like the Open Apple button, that's another special Apple touch that's been lost on the new iMac. Update:This video, courtesy Rizza in the comments, shows the Remote stuck on the front right corner of the glass (which is one way to get around the aluminum, I guess). So looks like Apple moved the magnet there.
Reader Matthew kindly sent us a tip (thanks!) that the TV Shows section of iTunes is currently featuring a five page listing of free television episodes available for download. As you might expect, lots of it is junk-- apparently Scott Baio has another television show, and someone thought it was a good idea to call it "Scott Baio is 45... and Single," but there are some shows worth watching in there, including a BSG wrapup (hey, gotta watch something to hold us over), a few Gray's Anatomy shows, and the pilot of Jericho (those are all iTunes links).
So if you're looking for some free quality video (or just something to play on your iPhone for that trip you're about to head out on), looks like the iTunes store has it.
Update: Our commenters also point out that there's lots of good free TV hidden in iTunes' podcast section as well-- two episodes of Flight of the Conchords is much better than anything you'll see highlighted in the free section.
Ryan from Cybernet (thanks!) dropped a note about his find of a new Apple patent. These things spring up faster than mushrooms (or rabbits, depending on your preference for down home expressions), but sometimes they are a good indication of what Apple is at least considering producing in the future.
This one's all about the iPod, by the looks of it, and giving it the ability to "wirelessly control and access a media server." Ryan speculates that means iTunes, which would mean that you could listen to streaming music from your iTunes install, through your iPod. But I think he's thinking small on this one-- what if Apple wanted to create an iPod that actually hooked up to AppleTV. You could sit in your bedroom watching the latest Daily Show, streaming from the AppleTV in the other room, while someone else watched the latest episode of Lost on the television. The possibilities there are very interesting-- combine a widescreen iPod with a wireless function like this (and we might as well throw in MobileSafari, right?), and you're looking at a very droolworthy multimedia gadget.
Of course, as with all Apple patents, this is total and complete speculation-- this patent may never actually be built, and even if it is, we might be looking at something planned years from now. But it's always fun to guess at what Apple's doing next.
I've heard many people complain that the plot for "Lost" has seemed to wander off lately. Apparently, it has found its way to the iTunes Store.
Apple has released a "Lost" game for iPod [iTunes link]. It features a storyline by the show's writers, familiar settings (like Black Rock and the hatch) and several "quests" to complete, like assisting the wounded at the crash site for hunting for useful goods. Sounds like fun.
The Lost game requires a 5th generation iPod with Software version 1.2 or later, and costs about five bucks (US).
I'm not much of a "Lost" fan (I guess you could say I "lost" interest in season one. Ha!). However, many people are, including TUAW reader David who noticed that the UI of a "satellite phone" used on last night's episode looked kind of familiar (Reader loki the first has posted a much larger screenshot here). Those rounded square buttons, even the real Mac OS X "Home" icon...heck, that's an iPhone! OK, an iPhone crammed into a Newton, but the similarities are pretty striking. Heck, note the hand position in both photos (yes, we realize that there are only so many ways to hold a cell phone).
So now they've got an iPhone before anyone else. That island really IS strange...
Our old friend Dave pointed us to a Newsday article discussing how iTunes essentially took NBC's The Office off the chopping block, where it was headed last year after disappointing Nielsen ratings, and catapulted it to "the Seinfeld of iTunes." If you're not a Seinfeld fan that might be meaningless to you, but trust me when I say It's the BEST, Jerry! The BEST!* Only recently did The Office cede the top spot to Lost as the single most downloaded program weekly, not to mention nabbing an Emmy (well-deserved, IMO) for Best Comedy.
Angela Bromstead, president of NBC Universal, which owns and produces The Office had this to say: "I'm not sure that we'd still have the show on the air." The network had only ordered so many episodes, but when it went on iTunes and really started taking off, that gave us another way to see the true potential other than just Nielsen. It just kind of happened at a great time." Of course Nielsen is getting hip to the power of iTunes + iPod itself these days.
Newer shows like 30 Rock and Jericho are also expected to be a big iTunes sellers when/if they hit the iTS, despite their currently poor Nielsen showings and may save their respective fates as well.
The article goes on to talk about what doesn't sell well on iTunes. "Nielsen hits such as CSI: Miami or NCIS are no-shows in the top 50. The Simpsons? Nada (which is not on iTunes at all... even though Prison Break is a stalwart). What does any of this mean? Who knows - except, perhaps that serials and guy-oriented shows are the biggest beneficiaries of the iTunes effect."
Personally I think iTunes is only part of this revolution. The networks themselves are getting smarter about putting their shows online, on their own websites, which may not be as convenient or trendy as iTunes, but it's certainly a start. With all the timeshifting and placeshifting going on these days anyway, Prime Time Television as we have known it for many years is going away sooner rather than later. iTunes is really only the beginning of the revolution. It's not the be all and end all.
It's promo time! In an attempt to woo new customers ABC is giving away free copies of last season's finales of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy [iTunes link]. One million of 'em, in fact. If you've been wanting to try out that shiny new iPod you just bought, here's your no-risk opportunity. Get 'em while they're hot!
After weeks of ambiguous hints and torturous teasing, The Omni Group has unveiled their newest product, and it definitely isn't a Sweedish meatball maker. Introducing: OmniDazzle, a "set of fun and useful enhancements that help you track the location of your mouse pointer and provide options for highlighting certain areas of your screen". Basically, it's like one of those mouse-trailing toys tools with some actually useful goodness baked in. For example, OmniDazzle can place a spotlight on your mouse, dimming the background and helping you or your audience focus on what's important. It offers other interesting tools for pinpointing your mouse and even drawing on screen for those times when crayons just won't do. In fact, there's a lot of quirky (and handy) stuff OmniDazzle is capable of, so why not check it out while it's in beta?
Starting today through June 30th, ABC is experimenting with streaming some of their primetime shows on the web, for free.
Now, you will have to watch ads (though you do that when you watch these shows on TV, so that isn't a deal breaker for
me) and you'll have to watch them on your computer.
The good news for Mac users? ABC is streaming these
shows via Flash video, so we can actually watch them on our Macs (as long as you have Flash 8 installed, of course).
Update: I failed to mention that this is USA only.
Disney announced
today that it will make episodes of both Lost and Desperate Housewives available for free via the web,
starting in June. The files will feature "chapters" to let users quickly jump ahead in the episode, though
not past the embedded commercials. The article merely says that the shows will be available "...on the
internet," which sounds like they mean outside of the iTMS. Both Lost and Desperate
Housewives have been big sellers for Apple, so this seems like an odd move for Disney (they are calling the project
a two month experiment). I can't imagine that the shows will be available for free via the web while they're still
$1.99US in the iTMS, so we'll see what happens.
The title says it all. You are now able to buy 'season passes' for Ghost Hunters
($15.99), Desperate
Housewives ($34.99), and Lost ($34.99) on the
iTunes Music Store.
If you aren't familiar with the iTunes Season passes, it works like this: for one price
you get all the episodes of the current season that have already aired, and then iTunes automatically downloads the
newest episodes the day after they air on TV.
The last Lost widget (say that five times fast) we featured was for Konfabulator, but now you Dashboard junkies can get in on the fun of pushing a button every 108 minutes.
Am I the only one who doesn't get this whole Lost thing? Isn't it just a spooky version of Gilligan's Island?
On that unboxing video we posted the other day (sorry about the ads-- point taken), it was noted that the Apple Remote no longer stuck to the side of the new iMac. Reader Sal emailed me this morning to point out that not only did his Remote not stick either, but apparently he rang up Apple, and the "product specialist" said the Remote should stick. I also called Apple, and they told me the Remote should stick as well.
Reader Matthew kindly sent us a tip (thanks!) that the TV Shows section of 
I've heard many people complain that the plot for "Lost" has seemed to wander off lately. Apparently, it has found its way to the iTunes Store.
It's promo time! In an attempt to woo new customers ABC is giving away free copies of last season's finales of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy [
After weeks of 
Disney 
The last Lost widget (say that five times fast) 
