If the Apple Software Update box is annoying by offering the Safari Web browser go into Tools > Ignore selected Updates.

I am really pleased that the proliferation of legal downloadable content is on the increase in the UK.

Our American cousins have it way better than we do with new movies and TV shows.

However in Europe the way content is licensed we are essentially locked out. So our digital revolution hasn’t really started (yet).

Its like the dawn of the TV all over again with only 3 channels to chose from.

Some decent content is slowly appearing but look how they hamstring us further.

Apple’s iTunes Music Store

£41.58 for the entire 22 episodes (£1.89 per Episode)

Play.com Internet Retailer for the DVD Version

£17.99 for the entire 22 episodes on DVD (£0.82 per Episode)

What you also need to bare in mind is the quality of the iTunes version will be far below that of the DVD version.

Typically their content is H.264 with a resolution of 640×360 with a bitrate of 1540kbps.

That’s fine for a video clip on a computer window or iPod but looks terrible on a TV.

Additionally you lose out on special features with the iTunes digital version things like: Dolby Digital, making of’s and commentary tracks.

So in summary the digital version in the UK is 56% more expensive than the DVD based equivalent. To make things worse its of inferior quality. How dumb do they think we are?

The problem is with the episode price point of £1.89 in the US store the price is $1.99 so about a £1

This show is in the US sells for $37.99 or £19.20

In the UK for this to viable from a consumer point of view the cost per episode needs to be £0.99 or less. Then having the convenience of a digital download might make sense. As it is today this pricing is just a rip off.

When you download an application you should be given the full disclosure about what is being installed on your equipment and given some options/choices.

If you download the latest version of iTunes for Windows what you are really installing is:-

iTunes
Quicktime
Apple Mobile Device Support
Apple Software Update
Bonjour

If you decide to uninstall you are faced with 5 separate uninstall’s from the control panel add/remove programs.

Nice touch for a user who changes their mind. A unified uninstaller would be welcome.

To cap this off the Apple Software Updater then suggests the additional download of the Apple Web Browser Safari 3.1.

The motive behind the web browser install is ad revenue. Apple have an inroad to 100m windows PC’s. How very opportunistic of them!

Where do Apple draw the line on this issue?

You may think why does this matter?  I look after hundreds of PC’s and I care what gets installed right under my nose.

Take Bonjour for example. This is Apples networking protocol that makes connecting devices easier (PC’s and Mac’s)  It operates on UDP Port 5353. Now as a network admin what if someone were to design an exploit that does something bad with Bonjour for Windows.

Do I now have to wait on Apple to fix it or run around frantically getting it uninstalled. I hope I don’t have to find out.

Dealing with Microsoft security is bad enough. Do I really need to worry about drive by installs from Apple, a company that really should know better.

For those who like a conspiracy theory why is Bonjour in this software bundle in the first place?  Why now?  I suspect we will find out in 10 months time at the Macworld 2009 keynote. But it doesn’t take a genius to see it has to do with networking PC’s and Macs.

I like to watch these just for Steve Jobs presentation style.

You can see the stream here: Mac World 2008. Watch the Keynote

But as PC user you would be amazed how much Apple is becoming part of your digital life.

Things I liked this year..

The MacBook Air: this looks fantastic and I am a fan of really slim laptops. I used to be a Dell X300 owner and that was really thin and one of my favourite laptops.

So I am looking forward to reading some peer reviews because as nice as it looks there must be some pitfalls. Example 1 USB port sounds really limiting but I guess I am not thinking wireless enough.

Above is the Dell X300 I used a few years ago. I miss it, but hey now Dell can build the next generation super thin laptop now the shrunk down Core2Duo chip exists.

Digital Media

Charging iPod Touch users for applications doesn’t seem very cool or Apple like.

iTunes

Ok movie rental downloads have arrived in the iTunes music store.

In the US you can now rent and download movies via iTunes. You have 30 days to keep them on your computer but only 24 hours to watch them once you hit play.

Basically what is happening to digital music will probably happen for movies over time (10+ years). The one problem I have with the digital rental model is I like to own not rent. I wouldn’t consider renting digital music for example and I feel the same way about movies.

I want companies to stop telling me what I can and cant do with the digital content I pay for.

But no doubt the rental model is very convenient.

So I imagine in the future that a two tier model will exist.

1) The disposable digital rental.

2) The Disc based Full Hi-Def version 1080p

I can live with that.

Kudos to Apple for offering HD-Def content with Dolby Digital 5.1 but they lose the kudos for charging more for the privilege. Hi-Def Downloads are $1 more expensive. That would be the Hi-Def tax I keep talking about.

This is still a long way off and is complicated in Europe by how movie’s are marketed and sold via distributors.

In this weeks Screencast I give you a a quick look at how to subscribe to a Podcast in iTunes.

Podcasts are an excellent resource for both entertainment and educational content. Almost all podcasts are free. Note you do not need an iPod to listen to Podcasts, just a PC or Mac with iTunes installed.

What is podcasting Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting

This screencast runs for 2ms16s

Click the Screencast to Play.

This screencast requires the Flash plug in. You can get it here

If you’re a North West based business looking help and advice with new technology then get in touch I can help you. Tel: 01606-841587.

Please feel free to link to this content, I update regularly.

My 2007 Screencast Links:
http://www.colindiponio.com/category/screencast/

Thanks

Colin