iTunes Music Store Downloads Surpass 300 Million

Apple today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 300 million songs from the iTunes Music Store. Additionally, the benefit single “Across the Universe,” available exclusively on the iTunes Music Store, debuted as number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart making it the most successful exclusive digital track ever in its first week of release.

“We’re honored to offer “Across the Universe” exclusively on the iTunes Music Store with all proceeds going to tsunami survivors and their families,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Applications.

The iTunes Music Store features more than one million songs and continues to add great music in all categories, including this week’s addition of classic live recordings from the Grateful Dead—the two-track “Dick's Picks” series and the multi-track “Vault” series —and an exclusive version of Jack Johnson's new album "In Between Dreams" which includes a digital booklet.

the itunes music store just keeps getting better and better. and if you're looking to download the latest version of itunes which is 4.71 you can download itunes here

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lost 1984 macintosh videos part 3, full video

here is the third and final series of the lost 1984 macintosh introduction videos. you can view the introduction by steve jobs, the original showing of the 1984 commercial, and 5 tv commercials. you may download the spots in parts, or the whole video click the video link to get the videos. this is a great piece of apple computer history.

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firefox 1.01 is out for the mac

mozilla today released a new update to the firefox web browser. this includes a number of security fixes, as well as better stability. from mozilla:

"Prior to installing Firefox 1.0.1, please ensure that the directory you've chosen to install into is clean and doesn't contain any previous Firefox installations.

Once you have downloaded the Firefox 1.0.1.dmg file, double click the Firefox Disk Image to open it in Finder, and then drag the Firefox application onto your hard disk. Drag the icon to your Dock if you want it to appear there."

check out the firefox for the mac link to download firefox 1.01, this is a great browser.

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new updates for apple's ipod photo

the 30 gig model is now just 349.00 and the 60 gig is now 449.00 (thats a nice price drop, thanks apple!) features:

-30 gig holds up to 7,500 songs
-60 gig holds up to 15,000 songs
-both will hold up to 25,000 digital photos

the new ipod photo will also support another new product apple announced today, the optional ipod camera connector. from apple:

"The new iPod Camera Connector is an optional accessory that enables customers to connect their digital camera to iPod photo and import their photos into the iPod. By simply connecting the iPod Camera Connector and a digital camera, customers can easily transfer digital images to their iPod photo, providing tremendous storage space so they can take more pictures. Imported photos are immediately viewable on iPod photo's crisp color screen, and can also be brought back to iPhoto® on the Mac or various photo applications on the PC. The iPod Camera Connector is expected to be available in late March for $29."

each ipod photo includes: earbuds, usb 2.0 cable, a usb power adaptor, and a cd with itunes 4.7.1 for mac or windows. and all models are availble now at the applestore

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apple offers new ipod mini

the new 2nd generation ipod mini starts at 199.00 for the 4 gig version and 249.00 for the 6 gig. features:

-up to 18 hours battery life
-usb charging
-four colors: blue, pink, green, and silver
-includes: earbuds, beltclip, usb 2.0 cable, and itunes 4.7.1

this is a nice little upgrade, and the price is even lower. now's the time to get one.
ipod mini is available now at the applestore

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free music sampler album from itunes

check out the new free music sampler from itunes (atlantic/lava edition) with 16 songs from artists such as: john butler trio, skindred, no address, unwritten law, moments in grace, toby lightman, and more.

you can download the entire album at the itunes music store

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itunes: how to copy music between authorized computers

want to safeguard those hundreds (or even thousands) of songs you've purchased from the itunes music store? well you can, by simply transferring a copy to another (authorized) computer, or burning a copy to media. from the knowlegebase:

"You can download a song once when you purchase it from the iTunes Music Store. If you want to listen to it on another computer, you can copy it from the computer you used to purchase the song, but you can't download it again. You are allowed to play each song on up to five authorized computers."

-copy to a cd or dvd
-save songs to your .mac idisk account
-send files to an external hard drive
-Turn on file sharing to copy files over a network
-transfer to iomega zip or jaz drive

please be sure to backup those songs you've purchased from itunes so that you never loose them. you can get an external hard drive now for just over 100 bucks. it makes sense to protect your songs from data loss. do it now.

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Pangea Payroll Free Payroll Tax Software Download

Pangea Software is offering a free Pangea Payroll application. it also includes the full xcode source code. they started this to use in-house for their employee bookkeeping, but now offer it to the rest of us.

"Do you run a small business that needs to calculate payroll taxes for your employees? Are you tried of paying ridiculous amounts of money to buy tax table subscriptions every year? Well, then download the free "Pangea Payroll" application! This is a very simple application which lets you track payroll data for your employees. It calculates the federal taxes to deduct from the wages and keeps track of each payment you enter. Pangea Payroll is nothing fancy, but it does the job for those of us who have very simple employee bookkeeping to do. This application started as an in-house tool, but we wanted to share it with the world, so here ya go!"

The freeware download is available along with documentation at the Pangea Payroll download page.

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new japanese applestore set to open in toyko

apple is set to add to the international retail stores it has open in japan with a third store in the shibuya district of tokyo. from the info page:

"Apple has selected the location for its next Japan retail store-- the energetic Shibuya district of Tokyo, populated by the teen set, strobe lights, pachinko parlors, bright neon lights, and sometimes outrageous fashion."

this will add to the very sucessful ginza store in toyko, and we are very happy to see apple agressively expanding into choice international retail sites.

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free louis l'amour audiobook from itunes

apple's itunes music store is offering more free stuff in addition to songs. now available is the free audiobook "merrano of the dry country" (dramatized) includes music and sound effects. presented by audible.com louis l'amour fans should download this free audiobook now.

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apple lowers prices on grammy winning albums

today apple announced special lower pricing in honor of the artists who were awarded a grammy. from apple:

“We want to extend our congratulations to all of the GRAMMY nominees and winners,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re thrilled to be able to honor the industry’s top artists by showcasing their award winning music on the iTunes Music Store.”

Starting today, all albums on the iTunes Music Store that include a GRAMMY award winning track can be downloaded for $2 off its original cost, which brings the price of most albums down to $7.99. The special version of "Across the Universe" performed live during the CBS GRAMMY telecast by leading artists including Bono, Stevie Wonder, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Velvet Revolver, Tim McGraw and Brian Wilson is also available as a 99 cent download exclusively on the iTunes Music Store in the US and Canada, with all proceeds going to the Southeast Asia tsunami relief efforts."

if you check the itunes music store you can see at the top "grammy" click on that and it takes you to the page with the special pricing. i noticed that the latest albums by maroon 5, black eyed peas, and jay-z, are all listed for the special 7.99 price. i don't know how long this sale will last, so fire up the itunes music store and get buying!

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transfer files from your pc to your mac

bought a new mac and wonder how you're going to get your files from your pc to your mac? well here's aome great software called move2mac. from the site:

"Move2Mac transfers files from your PC to your new Macintosh and puts everything just where you need it. Tracks from “My Music” on your PC go to the Music folder on your Mac; clips in “My Videos” move to the Movies folder; images in “My Pictures” show up in your Pictures folder; items in “My Documents” relocate to the Documents folder on your Mac. Move2Mac places data from other locations in a folder you can browse at your leisure. Move2Mac will transfer your Internet Explorer home page and bookmark files, as well as desktop backgrounds and even your dial-up Internet connection settings."

move2mac automates the process that used to be tedious and messy, and is great for anyone who wnats to give a mac a try without worrying about transferring the files themselves. check it out at the move2mac website

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free filemaker pro 7 trial download

filemaker is offering a free 30 day trial of the filemaker pro 7 database software. from filemaker:



"With easy Starter Solutions, the ability to import and organize many types of information, point-and-click customization, comprehensive sharing features, and sophisticated security options, FileMaker Pro 7, is the simply best way to



* Be productive instantly

* Organize all your information in one place

* Create solutions to work the way you do

* Share information with other people and programs

* Protect your most valuable assets"



this is a great product and here's a chance to try it free for 30 days. you can visit the free filemaker pro 7 trial site.

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lost 1984 macintosh videos part 2

they promised more clips and here they are. see apple ceo steve jobs recite bob dylan, the original showing of the 1984 commercial, the original introduction of the mac, and see steve introduce 5 more clips.



these can be downloaded as files but they also offer the option to download these 1984 apple videos as bittorrent files as well. get these at the apple 1984 site. this is great stuff for anyone interested in apple history, and the begining of the mac.

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download skype 1.0

skype allows you to make free phone calls to anyone else using skype. this is a free download. also, if you want to call a regular phoneline you can use skypeout which is not free but is a cheap way to make landline calls.



the skype program also encrypts all calls and then decrypts them at the reciving end. it also allows file transfers between skype users. skype is available for mac, linux, pocket pc, and windows. mac users can download it from the apple skype site

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a mac mini in your car?

this didn't take long at all. apple's new, tiny, $499.00 computer, the mac mini, has now been installed in a car. sloatsburg, ny. based classic restorations used an original 69 nova ss. in the pic below you can see the mini behind the lcd screen:






this installation includes:

-7 inch touchscreen lcd

-4 port usb hub (in the ashtray)

-custom steel shockmount glovebox (to house the mini)

-articulating arm (screen support)

-audio output



from the site:

" To control the computer, this client has chosen both a 7-inch touchscreen, and an assignable aluminum USB knob on the center console for easy volume control and power functions. Audio output is handled by Infinity amps and Alpine speakers, with the Mac itself performing the functions of a conventional head unit."



these guys have done some awesome work on this and we cant wait to see the final results soon. i can even see users buying a mini for the home, and one for the car. they also include a short mac mini car video.

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macs for science

apple has released an online video about why macs are better for science and research. they interview a number of scientists who also report that not only are macs the better platform, but the tco (total cost of ownership) of macs is cheaper. from apple:



"An industrial-strength, UNIX-based operating system. The power and precision of 64-bit computing. Seamless integration of hardware and software. The Apple platform has never been better for science — giving you the performance, ease of use and interoperability you need to accelerate your research and make your next discovery."



this is yet another reason to buy a mac. you can view the macs for science video now.

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helping pc users switch to the mac

they need to see it...



ill tell you what i mean. i was introduced to macs by my friend dave, and was struck by how passionate he was about the mac platform. i mean at that time to me it was just a computer right? but then i remembered how i felt when i bought my first computer an amiga 500 back in the 80's and how wonderful the expierence was. and this is what dave was trying to tell me about the mac.



it really helped when i was able to go to citcuit city and play around with the g4 cube they had there. it was so much easier doing ANYTHING on the mac compared to a pc. for instance it took only a few clicks to get something done where windows involved many steps. to uninstall a program you just dragged the icon to the trash! simple! no nonsense about windows not being able to uninstall everything which saved time.



ill never forget the circuit city employee who told the woman that i was showing the imac off to that "macs only ran dos" and "you couldn't run any windows programs on the mac" so i countered does os x look like dos? and walked over and picked up a copy of virtual pc for the mac to show her what it could do. she bought the imac on the spot...



and dont even get me started on the windows virus count. i mean, i check norton and its up to what over 70,000 virus defs for windows right now? thats just crazy! who needs it? what really surprised me was when i called my bank and their computers were down due to a virus and i told the surprised lady on the phone that they should consider switching to macs as they wouldn't have to worry about those windows virus attacks. she didn't know that macs were immune to alot of that.



and thats what needs to get out. windows users need to be told about the mac experience, and more importantly, SHOWN what its like to use a mac. so those of you with macs, take your ibook or powerbook to work/school etc. and show them what its like. there's nothing like seeing a mac in action for the first time.

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from mac to pc ?

alright, these guys took a perfectly servicable mac mini and hacked it open, removed the mini's guts and inserted a pc motherboard and a hard drive containing, get this, windows...



first the g5 and now this.



you've got to see how they turned a beautiful mac mini, into this pc-ized contraption. and they even had the nerve to make a video

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new powerbooks from apple

today apple released new powerbooks including these new features:



-bluetooth 2.0

-a new scrolling trackpad

-sudden motion sensor

-5400 rpm hard drives

-duel link support for apples 30 in. display

-brighter backlit keyboard



the 15 and 17 inch powerbooks inclue 1.67 ghz processors, while the 12 in models include 1.5 ghz. 512 mb of memory is now standard on all powerbooks. and you can add and remove options at the applestore. this is a nice little upgrade for those of you with powerbook lust.

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get apple manuals

lost your manual? well apple just happens to have a page which lists lots of the user manuals for apple airport, displays, ibook and powerbook, all of the ipods and imacs, powermacs, xserve, final cut pro, os x, and more. you can download these apple manuals as pdf files which you can read with the free adobe reader software.



this is a great little resource for any mac user who has ever lost their original manuals.

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macworld keynote webcast

if you didn't get a chance to attend macworld this year you can still watch steve jobs deliver the keynote and catch all the excitement of the new hardware and software introductions. macworld keynote

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powerbook and ibook battery tips

is your "books" battery running low quicker than when you bought it? here are some quick tips to help prolong the charge of your powerbook or ibook battery. from the apple knowledge base:



"Optimize your battery settings in Energy Saver preferences.

1-From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.

2-From the View menu, choose Energy Saver.

3-Click Show Details.

4-Choose Battery Power from the "Settings for" pop-up menu.

5-Choose Longest Battery Life from the Optimize Energy Settings pop-up menu.





These settings will put the hard disk to sleep whenever possible and reduce the computer's microprocessor performance in order to maximize its battery life. If you are using processor-intensive applications, you may wish to change these settings so the microprocessor performance is no longer reduced.



Turn off unused features and technologies.

Just as you would turn off the lights in an unoccupied room, turning off unused features and technologies can help maximize your battery life, too. Here are a few suggestions:



1-Eject CDs and DVDs you're no longer using. Every so often, the optical drive spins up to read CDs or DVDs. This consumes a small amount of power.

2- * Disconnect peripherals when you're not using them. Connected peripherals, such as printers and digital cameras, can draw power from your battery even when you're not using them."



these are just a few of the tips that can help you get more out of your laptop.

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find a mac user group

own a mac? looking for like-minded souls to share advice, and tech support to solve problems? then you might want to join a "mug" or mac user group. from apple:



"User groups help members with technical questions, give honest advice on software selection, and provide a friendly environment where people can learn more about their computers. Many groups offer classes, one-on-one support, monthly meetings, an informative newsletter, member discounts, special interest groups, and of course, the inevitable camaraderie that all Mac users share. Larger groups offer extensive training programs, computer labs, and resource libraries."



"User group members receive exclusive benefits from a large number of companies. As a user group member, you can save money on software and new and used hardware from many of the top vendors."



so these are just some of the benefits of joining a user group. to find one in your area, you can use the apple usergroups search page.

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free itunes songs pepsi bottles in stores now

the contest doesn't start until january 31, but there are reports that itunes bottles are already in some stores now. so check your local outlet to see if they are available, and get drinking.



im just glad they have my fave mountian dew now in the contest! oh and no tilting the bottles this time...part of the fun in the last free itunes contest, was in buying a couple bottles and checking to see if i won. so no peeking, as steve jobs would say, its bad karma. good luck!

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original 1984 macintosh introduction video found

for the last 21 years scott knaster kept the only known copy of a video of apple iceo steve jobs (wearing a bow tie no less) introducing the macintosh computer. i have always wanted to see this video, and it also shows the section where the mac speaks for the first time.



the macintosh was groundbreaking for what it could do at the time. and it really was the computer "for the rest of us" this clip is only a small part of the 2 hour long video (with more to come) which was shown on public tv (too bad we didn't have tivo back then) click 1984 macintosh video to find out where you can view the video.

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itunes music store sells over a quarter billion songs

apple computer reported today that the worlds number 1 music store, itunes, sold more than 250 million songs to date. the company said:



"With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod® and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Music Store is the best way for Mac® and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music online. The iTunes Music Store features more than one million songs from the major music companies and 600 independent record labels, over 9,000 audiobooks, gift certificates and exclusive music not found anywhere else online."



the itunes music store is so easy to use that i have purchased hundreds of songs using it. and some potential users may not realize that you don't have to use the itunes music store to enjoy itunes. it can be used for free as a jukebox just to play any mp3 files you have stored on your computer, as well as ripping any cd's you own. you can download itunes here

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save $100.00 on ipods

looking for cheap ipods? well how about cheaper ipods. save $100.00 on the purchase price of an ipod, ipod mini, ipod photo, the u2 ipod, or 1 gig ipod shuffle when you join audiblelistener for 1 year.



audible has a great collection of audiobooks, and i like that fact that they include the 1 gig ipod shuttle (bringing that price down to $49.00!) to learn more about this offer surf to audible and click the "need an audio player?" tab.

or click here

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ipod case for click wheel ipods

here's a great case for the ipod called the iskin evo 2 it comes in 5 standard colors: arctic, ebony, carbon, sonic (my fave), and blush. also four colors that glow in the dark: lava, wasabi, vamp, and ghost.



it includes an integrated docking port cover, to keep liquids,dust, etc. out, a clear screen saver with soft contacts so you don't scratch your screen. also the revoclip which allows you to rotate your ipod when clipped to your belt. nice.

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free trial of .mac

apple is offering a 60 day free trial of .mac which provides idisk online file backup, virex antivirus scanning, your own free homepage, backup service, .mac mail, and more. the service is normally $99.95 a year so this is a great way to try it out for free. you can also take the video tour.

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why the mac mini matters

ok macheads, get ready for a whole slew of new windows switchers joining the club as they open their brand-spanking-new mac mini's. this is going to be huge...as steve jobs said, they can no longer use price as a reason not to buy a mac. lets look at some of the benefits of owning a mac.



-no windows virus's

-superior os, based on unix

-no windows spyware

-mac os x is more secure right out of the box

-share files with a windows network

-runs many popular X11 based applications

-get more work done using less steps

-os x has the best user interface






in my own informal survey, i've found that a number of windows users feel that the price is now right for them to try out a mac. the $499 pricepoint seems to cross a line that makes it much easier for them to justify a purchase. and the mini is a portable computer that you can take with you to work, plug in, and just get stuff done.



and checking the apple online store, it shows a 3 to 4 week wait on new mac mini orders, which tells me sales must be off the charts. this will grow apple's marketshare. did you get yours yet?



think of it as a laptop without the laptop price...

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ipod shuffle autopsy

someone had to do it...

curious about the guts of the new ipod shuffle, this user decided to go exploring and dug deep inside the belly of his ipod. whats intresting is the soft rubber membrane underneath the navigation buttons, i had not expected that. but it just shows apple's attention to detail.



everything comes apart rather easily with small tools. its incredible how they packed all this equipment into such a tiny mp3 player. if you wish to see the "autopsy" click ipod shuffle for all the gory pics.

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new pepsi itunes song givaway coming

it looks like there will be another promotion with pepsi giving away free song codes for itunes. also you can win free ipod mini's every hour. the page had been yanked but is back up now. (i just entered my email for the free notification service) we scored pretty well last year winning over 25 free songs. since i drink pepsi along with other soft drinks it was a good deal.



some areas of the country (the northeast) had lots of pepsi codes, while others did not. but the addition to win an ipod mini makes this contest one to watch. you can check free pepsi itunes songs for more info.

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free office 2004 test drive

check out the free demo of office 2004 for mac, from microsoft. this 30 day demo includes the new project center in entourage. also word, excel, and powerpoint. this is a great way to "try, before you buy" you can download it here: free office 2004 for the mac

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the new, tiny, $499 mac mini

the new mac mini





last week at macworld, apple released the new mac mini. an affordable, mini-computer for anyone thinking of switching to the mac, but wanted to spend alot less than the top of the line powermac.



this thing is $499 for the 1.25 mhz model, with a 40 gig hard drive, and combo cd burner/dvd drive. or you can upgrade to the $599 with 1.42 mhz, 80 gig hard drive model. either mac can be customized at the apple store buy the mac mini here with additional options. you provide your own keyboard, mouse, and display. (yes you can use your pc equipment) and if you purchase a kvm switch you can pop this puppy right on top of your current pc tower and switch back and forth between the mac and pc using just one keyboard and display.



i like the new mac mini and am thinking of getting one (or 2) for myself. now price can no longer be used as an excuse not to get a mac.

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