(Credit:
Apple)
We're not sure what it will take for Apple TV to really take off, but a $100 price cut certainly can't hurt. On Sunday night, the company dropped the price of the 160GB Apple TV to $229 and killed the 40GB model, which had previously been priced at $229.
Considering Apple had already dropped prices for its Time Capsule wireless networked drives, an Apple TV price drop doesn't come as much of a surprise. On top of that, Microsoft is on the verge of updating the Xbox 360 to stream "instant-on" 1080p movies using Zune video technology, so Apple needs to do something to invigorate its little white video box in the face of increasing competition from plenty of players, including Roku.
Of course, after recently hearing Apple executive Phil Schiller talk about how $199 is a "magic price point" for the iPod Touch, you have to wonder why Apple just didn't hit $199 with Apple TV (I routinely beg Apple reps to drop the price to $199 in meetings).
Alas, in due time. However, before we see that price point, we expect to see a higher capacity, more expensive model in the not so distant future.
Comments? At what price would you consider getting an Apple TV unit? Is 160GB for $229 good enough?
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Two weeks after releasing the largest capacity 1.8-inch hard drive, Toshiba announced on Thursday its MKxx29GSG series of this small form factor storage device that's finally catching up with the regular 2.5-inch laptop hard drives in terms of speed and storage space.
Toshiba's 1.8-inch hard drive now spins faster.
(Credit: Toshiba)For a long time, 1.8-inch hard drives' performance was limited to 4,200rpm and the old-school ATA interface, making them significantly slower than the currently popular 2.5-inch hard drives that spin at 5,400rpm (or even faster at 7,200rpm) and use the SATA standard. That discrimination has ended now with Toshiba's third-generation 5,400rpm SATA 1.8 hard-drive family. The new drive features 120GB and 160GB capacities and can take advantage of the SATA-II controller standard, of which the transfer rate reaches up to 3 gigabits per second.
Other than improved performance, the new MKxx29GSG series also comes with a freefall sensor option, which enhances protection from external shock and vibration. It also offers more quiet and more energy-efficient operation. PC vendors can now make ultraportable laptops without having to compromise much of their performance, battery life, and functionality.
Toshiba's new family of 1.8-inch hard drives will be available to PC manufacturers and distribution partners in December. Right now, it's unclear how much they will cost.
Sony upsizes the PS3 to 160GB--but loses some functionality in the mix.
If news of an upgraded PSP wasn't enough for you, how about a new PS3 bundle? Sony has announced a 160GB PS3 that will hit stores in November for $500. The limited-edition system will also include the rumble-ized DualShock 3 controller and two games: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and (via a voucher for the PlayStation Store) Pain. Sony was less specific on other details, but the presence of just two USB ports on the spec sheet would seem to indicate that this is basically a "Core" model with a bigger hard drive--which means no built-in flash card reader, and no backward compatibility with PS2 games.
The addition of the 160GB model comes as the 40GB Core PS3 is being replaced by an 80GB Core model--meaning anyone buying the entry-level PS3 will soon be getting twice the capacity for their $400.... Read more
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