I remember the story of how Bill Gates stole Steve Jobs idea for an operating system over 20 years ago. I always thought it was a very dishonorable thing for Bill Gates to do.
Today, Steve Jobs is getting the last laugh in a sense for beating Bill Gates on the innovation train.
The UK Telegraph reports that Apple has unveiled a new music social network that could rival Facebook and Twitter, as well as an Apple TV that can stream movies and television shows directly from the internet
Steve Jobs announces a new touch-screen version of the iPod Nano
Apple has thrown down the gauntlet to Facebook and Twitter with the launch of a new social-networking service designed specifically for music fans.
Ping, a social music discovery service, is built in to Apple’s iTunes software, a programme used by more than 160 million people to download songs and organise their music library.
Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, used a special press conference at the Yerba Buena Centre in San Francisco to outline Apple’s new approach to music and entertainment services.
“One of the biggest things we focus on with iTunes is discovery. There are more than 12 million songs to choose from, so how do you find new stuff?,” asked Jobs.
“So we’re launching Ping – it’s a social network that’s all about music. It’s like Facebook and Twitter meets iTunes. You can follow your favourite artists and friends and discover what music they like and are downloading.”
Jobs also unveiled a new, compact Apple TV set-top box, little bigger than a drinks coaster, which can “stream” content, such as music, films and television shows, from the internet directly to a television.
Jobs, who had previously dismissed the Apple TV as “a hobby”, admitted that while people loved the device, it had only sold in modest numbers, He said the company had listened to user feedback about exactly what they wanted from a set-top box, and had overhauled the device to meet those needs.
“They want on-demand access to Hollywood movies and TV shows, they don’t want amateur stuff,” he said.
“They want their movies and TV shows in high-definition, and want to pay less for this content.
“And they don’t want a computer on their television – though this is a hard one for people in the computer industry to understand. And they don’t want to manage the storage of downloaded movies and programmes.”
The new Apple TV will allow users to “rent” films and television shows for a modest fee, with high-definition movies available on the day of DVD release for $4.99, and television programmes for 99c.
The device itself will cost $99 – around $200 less than its predecessor – although Apple has not yet released details of UK pricing.
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U've been looking at Flo TV, but I just may have to check this out. Anybody have any thought, chime in.
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