{"id":526,"date":"2006-09-13T08:01:55","date_gmt":"2006-09-13T16:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/archives\/2006\/09\/13\/applepalooza\/"},"modified":"2006-09-13T08:12:52","modified_gmt":"2006-09-13T16:12:52","slug":"applepalooza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/2006\/09\/13\/applepalooza\/","title":{"rendered":"Applepalooza"},"content":{"rendered":"

Obviously Steve Jobs wasn’t raised by old Jewish ladies.\u00c2\u00a0 Otherwise, he’d know how to pronounce MAH JONG!<\/p>\n

For a control freak who’s known to rehearse ad infinitum, and even bristled today during a minor glitch when the screen he wanted didn’t appear INSTANTLY, I’m stunned that Steve could fuck up so badly.\u00c2\u00a0 Or, is it that like a record company, no one’s got the balls to stand up to Mr. Jobs.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not like there aren’t any Jews working at Apple, SOMEONE had to come up with the new iPod version of Mah Jong, couldn’t they tell Steve how to pronounce it?<\/p>\n

But that was about all Steve got wrong.\u00c2\u00a0 For, unlike Edgar Bronfman, Jr., or Doug Morris, he’s a seer.\u00c2\u00a0 He seems to be able to look into the future and come up with EXACTLY what people want, before they even know they want it.<\/p>\n

But although the products were interesting, more interesting is how every damn analyst got it wrong.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, they were dissecting movements in China better than the CIA tracks Al Qaeda in Pakistan, saying that there was no way Apple could come up with new iPods before Christmas, but they were wrong, Apple did.<\/p>\n

And, jumping almost to the end, what’s also interesting is how fucking dumb the movie companies are.\u00c2\u00a0 Dumber than the record companies, in fact.\u00c2\u00a0 The only reason the studios are getting away with their ignorance is because of the cost of production.\u00c2\u00a0 But at some point the holier than thou Ivy Leaguers who run these behemoths are going to be eclipsed by street nobodies without degrees who know how to use the EQUIPMENT!<\/p>\n

To be clear, why in HELL did the other studios, that is every one other than the Jobs-controlled Disney, not offer their flicks up for distribution at the iTunes Music Store?\u00c2\u00a0 Oh YEAH, they wanted to teach Jobs a lesson, show him who’s boss.<\/p>\n

So where in hell do they plan to SELL said movies?\u00c2\u00a0 Have you read about the new Amazon service?\u00c2\u00a0 An utter DISASTER!\u00c2\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\n

My fight with Amazon Unbox<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon Unbox – Well that didn’t work at all<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But maybe, just maybe, it’s about DVDs.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what’s been said, the studios are afraid of Wal-Mart<\/p>\n

\n

Wal-Mart and Apple Battle for Turf<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Why is it that the troubled retailer (not quite as troubled as Dell), single-handedly keeps content providers locked to the past?\u00c2\u00a0 Can’t music and movie companies see that digital distribution is key, and that Wal-Mart will NEVER succeed there?\u00c2\u00a0 After all, Wal-Mart sells tracks CHEAPER than Apple, but nobody seems to care.\u00c2\u00a0 And when has a physical retailer triumphed in the area of software ANYWAY?\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Didn’t the bankrupt Tower have a digital strategy?\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, how about beleaguered Sony, tech is their BEAT!<\/p>\n

This is how the story plays out.\u00c2\u00a0 Jobs starts selling Disney product and trumpeting his success at doing so and then each of the other studios makes a deal one by one.\u00c2\u00a0 This is what happened with TV shows, why should movies be any different?\u00c2\u00a0 Once confronted with demand, the studios will cave.\u00c2\u00a0 Because they can’t turn away the revenue, because they’re stumped by the future and as soon as they see some movement they jump just like the record companies DON’T (fearful of repeating the labels’ mistakes).\u00c2\u00a0 Yup, you PROVE that you can make money, and then the studios sign on.<\/p>\n

As for the money…\u00c2\u00a0 Rumor has it the recalcitrant studios wanted more.\u00c2\u00a0 Didn’t they make all that money by LOWERING home video prices?\u00c2\u00a0 Wasn’t it only when Warren Lieberfarb undercut VHS prices dramatically that they sold TEN MILLION COPIES OF A MOVIE?\u00c2\u00a0 You get no packaging, there’s no manufacturing, no shipping, no DISC, but the studios want more!\u00c2\u00a0 Isn’t this like record labels charging more for a movie soundtrack CD than the studio charges for the DVD containing all the music?<\/p>\n

Then again, the studios don’t want to make the "mistake" the record companies did, giving Apple too much control.<\/p>\n

But the reason that Apple has gained control is not because of bullying, like Microsoft, but SUPERIOR PRODUCTS!<\/p>\n

Watching the presentation <\/p>\n

\n

Apple Special Event<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

do you have any doubt that the system WORKS??\u00c2\u00a0 You figure it’ll be glitch-free, that’s the Apple REPUTATION!<\/p>\n

But I guess the studios, like the record companies, are not interested in reputation.\u00c2\u00a0 Figuring they’ll just come up with some new retread that everybody will buy.\u00c2\u00a0 Which doesn’t seem to be happening as both industries’ revenues decline.<\/p>\n

Buying the movie…\u00c2\u00a0 All you need is one click.\u00c2\u00a0 You can play it within a minute of download.\u00c2\u00a0 And in the first quarter of 2007, you can stream it to your plasma\/LCD via iTV, which appears easier to hook up than a set-top box, no buttons appearing on it AT ALL!<\/p>\n

I don’t give a shit about streaming movies wirelessly through my house to a big screen TV I don’t have.\u00c2\u00a0 Sitting through "Pirates Of The Caribbean" ONCE was as much time as I want to waste on vapid visual entertainment.\u00c2\u00a0 But the drones of America, THE WORLD, with dreary lives looking for escape, THEY WILL!\u00c2\u00a0 And suddenly, Apple owns home entertainment.\u00c2\u00a0 Oh, Microsoft was there before, but their system was too complicated and didn’t deliver what people WANTED!<\/p>\n

Usability.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what Apple delivers.\u00c2\u00a0 Unlike Palm, with all those Pilots now sitting in drawers.<\/p>\n

As for the aforementioned iPods…\u00c2\u00a0 The big story is the rumored to be discontinued Shuffle.<\/p>\n

No one would EXPECT a screen, it would fuck with the cool factor.<\/p>\n

The Shuffle is jewelry.\u00c2\u00a0 And if you don’t covet one, you haven’t seen one.\u00c2\u00a0 Just like the white earbuds before it, having a Shuffle attached to your clothing will be de rigueur for hipsters.\u00c2\u00a0 And the PRICE!\u00c2\u00a0 $79!\u00c2\u00a0 Including a dock and the newfangled headphones, never mind a built-in clip.\u00c2\u00a0 THIS was the star of the presentation.<\/p>\n

And the Nano?<\/p>\n

Funny how Apple steals the music industry term "remastered" and it has positive spin.\u00c2\u00a0 Yup, the record companies have redone CDs so many times, people are balking.\u00c2\u00a0 How many CD versions of Elvis Costello’s albums do you NEED?\u00c2\u00a0 The definitive versions came out recently, but now there’s going to be ANOTHER set of definitive versions!\u00c2\u00a0 Utterly ridiculous.<\/p>\n

Actually, it’s the same old Nano, except it’s in color and cheaper.\u00c2\u00a0 AND it has a better battery life.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s like a redo of the Porsche 911.\u00c2\u00a0 There was nothing wrong with it the first time, it’s just tweaks\/improvements.\u00c2\u00a0 And notice how you can only get the coveted black if you buy the most expensive 8 gig unit.\u00c2\u00a0 BRILLIANT marketing.\u00c2\u00a0 More for less.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what tech delivers, that’s what the movie and music companies have to adopt as their mantra in cyberspace.\u00c2\u00a0 But they’re wedded to the old ways.<\/p>\n

The new regular\/traditional\/standard iPods?<\/p>\n

Nanos are where the action is, but if you want to play in the video sphere, you need one of these.\u00c2\u00a0 The prices are insane, compared to what came before.\u00c2\u00a0 $249 for the 30 gig!\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, five years ago, it was $399 for 5 gigs!\u00c2\u00a0 And, $349 for 80 gigs!\u00c2\u00a0 I covet one, so I can synch my whole library.\u00c2\u00a0 But with my 40 still working, I guess I’ve got to wait to get one as a gift.<\/p>\n

And battery life is longer.\u00c2\u00a0 And, the 30 is the same price as the black Nano…\u00c2\u00a0 Brilliant pricing throughout the line.\u00c2\u00a0 Always moving you up the ladder, spending more than you want to, because it’s SUCH A GOOD DEAL!\u00c2\u00a0 We used to have this in the record business, with the multiple purchase, before CDs cost eighteen bucks.<\/p>\n

Bottom line, the Microsoft Zune is dead on arrival.\u00c2\u00a0 You just can’t compete.\u00c2\u00a0 Apple has flash memory locked up at the lowest price and has a truly integrated system that WORKS, whereas Microsoft can’t even launch Vista, never mind a desirable hand-held media player that does audio and video.<\/p>\n

I’d love to tell you that today’s special event was astounding, blow your mind good.\u00c2\u00a0 But no, I was not dazzled.\u00c2\u00a0 Because I’ve come to expect development and hits just as I did during Mo Ostin’s reign at Warner Brothers.<\/p>\n

Apple’s on a roll.\u00c2\u00a0 Buy stock.<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Obviously Steve Jobs wasn’t raised by old Jewish ladies.\u00c2\u00a0 Otherwise, he’d know how to pronounce MAH JONG! For a control freak who’s known to rehearse ad infinitum, and even bristled today during a minor glitch when the screen he wanted didn’t appear INSTANTLY, I’m stunned that Steve could fuck up so badly.\u00c2\u00a0 Or, is it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p96vPs-8u","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lefsetz.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}