On May 20th 2016, Google announced that the success of its Project Ara will allow them to release a modular smartphone. The announcement was made on the last day of Google's I/O developers conference. A developers edition of the new modular phone is expected to ship this fall. The phone will run Android and have a 5.3 inch screen. Google plans to release a consumer version some time in 2017.
Google had originally reported that it had been working on a modular phone in October 2013. A year after that, they announced that they were going to being doing trials in Puerto Rico, but the program was cancelled after the discovery of design flaws. A new design, which frees up space for modules, integrates the phones technology into the frame. A consumer can choose to change or add new speakers, a camera, or expandable storage at any time.
The key to Ara's success is a redesign of the connectors on the back of the phone. Each connector had to be able to withstand a high volume of connecting and reconnecting. Google's ATAP team created a proprietary port that uses an open standard called UniPro. Each phone has six of them and they can push up to 11.9 gigabits of data in both directions. The ports only consume as much power as USB-3.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Apple Is Not Closing Itunes
On May 11th 2016, Digital Music News reported that an unnamed source with a close and active business relationship with Apple, had told them that Apple was planning to phase out the iTunes Music store in as little as two years. In a response posted to Recode, Apple spokesman, Tom Neumayr simply said, "Not true." He also made it clear that an alternate time line of 3 to 4 years was also out of the question.
There is much speculation as to what Apple's plans for iTunes really are. While downloads have been declining in the last few years, its streaming service, Apple Music is only a year old and still working out the kinks. And, the fact that the iTunes Music store brings in three times as much revenue as Apple Music, it would appear unlikely that Apple will be abandoning it anytime soon.
Digital Music News contends that Steve Jobs' history of phasing out older products in favor of newer ones, even when the older products are still profitable has become the driving force at Apple, as they strive to stay ahead of emerging technological trends. Some analysts are already stating the obvious fact that many artists, especially independents, need the iTunes store get their releases out to the public, and may create a backlash by withholding their music from streaming services.
People still like to buy music. To those people, there is nothing like owning your own copy of your favorite artist's music. While every music delivery system has had its heyday, most of them are still around. CDs, cassettes, and vinyl are all still around. While streaming is rising to the forefront, there still remains the possibility that some as yet unreleased method of music delivery may soon arrive. In fact, with the current pace in the release of new technologies, it's almost a guarantee.
There is much speculation as to what Apple's plans for iTunes really are. While downloads have been declining in the last few years, its streaming service, Apple Music is only a year old and still working out the kinks. And, the fact that the iTunes Music store brings in three times as much revenue as Apple Music, it would appear unlikely that Apple will be abandoning it anytime soon.
Digital Music News contends that Steve Jobs' history of phasing out older products in favor of newer ones, even when the older products are still profitable has become the driving force at Apple, as they strive to stay ahead of emerging technological trends. Some analysts are already stating the obvious fact that many artists, especially independents, need the iTunes store get their releases out to the public, and may create a backlash by withholding their music from streaming services.
People still like to buy music. To those people, there is nothing like owning your own copy of your favorite artist's music. While every music delivery system has had its heyday, most of them are still around. CDs, cassettes, and vinyl are all still around. While streaming is rising to the forefront, there still remains the possibility that some as yet unreleased method of music delivery may soon arrive. In fact, with the current pace in the release of new technologies, it's almost a guarantee.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Charter Buys Time Warner
On May 6th 2016, the FCC officially approved Charter Communications' bid to buy Time Warner Cable. The deal also includes the purchase of Bright House Networks which is based in New York. The two companies were purchased for $55.1 billion and $10.4 billion respectively. The merger will make Charter the second largest cable and internet company in the US, behind Comcast.
The deal was approved by the FCC with certain conditions, and it still has to be approved by regulators in California. The conditions were imposed in order to prevent the new company from "erecting barriers to video competition." Under the terms of the agreement, Charter can't charge online video streaming services for improved content delivery.
Charter will also not be allowed to implement any policies that would prevent online video providers from delivering content through Charter's networks. And, Charter will have to expand it's high-speed broadband service to two million more homes. Charter originally made its deal with Time Warner in 2015, after a Comcast bid for Time Warner fell through.
The deal was approved by the FCC with certain conditions, and it still has to be approved by regulators in California. The conditions were imposed in order to prevent the new company from "erecting barriers to video competition." Under the terms of the agreement, Charter can't charge online video streaming services for improved content delivery.
Charter will also not be allowed to implement any policies that would prevent online video providers from delivering content through Charter's networks. And, Charter will have to expand it's high-speed broadband service to two million more homes. Charter originally made its deal with Time Warner in 2015, after a Comcast bid for Time Warner fell through.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
IFPI Reports Growth Of Music Industry Revenue In 2015
On April 12th 2016, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) released its global music report which revealed that there had been an increase of 3.2 % in music industry revenue for 2015. The increase was to the tune of $15 billion. Such an increase had not been experienced since 1998, and was due in large part to the success of paid music subscription services.
The report further revealed that 2015 saw digital overtake physical formats, such as CDs, to become the primary revenue stream for recorded music, for the first time. Streaming revenue alone was up 45.2 %. This amounted to $2.9 billion, which was about half of the total global digital revenue. The number of paid music subscribers in 2015 rose to 68 million which was up from 41 million in 2014.
The IFPI's report also noted the music industry's concern over what it called a widening, "value gap." The report went on to say, that while music is being consumed at a record rate, the remuneration to artists and record levels is not keeping pace. The problem is the amount of music that is being consumed on free and user upload sites. The report stated that a true return to form for the music industry can't be made until artists, labels, and rights holders are duly compensated.
The report further revealed that 2015 saw digital overtake physical formats, such as CDs, to become the primary revenue stream for recorded music, for the first time. Streaming revenue alone was up 45.2 %. This amounted to $2.9 billion, which was about half of the total global digital revenue. The number of paid music subscribers in 2015 rose to 68 million which was up from 41 million in 2014.
The IFPI's report also noted the music industry's concern over what it called a widening, "value gap." The report went on to say, that while music is being consumed at a record rate, the remuneration to artists and record levels is not keeping pace. The problem is the amount of music that is being consumed on free and user upload sites. The report stated that a true return to form for the music industry can't be made until artists, labels, and rights holders are duly compensated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)