Tech blog Ars Technica says they've got their hands on an internal Apple memo that shows iTunes has topped Wal-Mart Stores in total global music sales.
The data in the memo cites a report from the month of January conducted by The NPD Group, a market research firm. NPD's numbers show the iTunes Store leading overall music sales for the first month of 2008 with a 19-percent share, followed by Wal-Mart with 15 percent, Best Buy with 13 percent, and Amazon with 6 percent.
The NPD Group, which reserves certain data for paying customers--like Apple, Wal-Mart, and others--and more general results for publication in the press, isn't taking ownership, but it's not exactly denying the numbers in the report either. NPD spokesman Lee Graham told CNET News.com he "can't comment on or confirm the information because all of that was based on a leaked memo from Apple."
Wal-Mart has long been the leader in global music sales, but Apple opening up a lead isn't a huge a surprise, as it's been on a roll lately. Most recently, the iTunes Store passed Best Buy to take up the second-place spot, according to an NPD report released in February.
TakeTV offers a cheaper, easier alternative to streaming videos from a PC.
(Credit: SanDisk)It was first shown at January's Consumer Electronics Show--and then leaked on Buy.com just days ago--but the Sansa TakeTV is now official. It's not the first device designed to put PC-based digital videos on the TV, but what sets SanDisk's TakeTV apart is its simplicity: just drag and drop videos to the flash drive from your PC, and then plug it into the included video dock to watch them on your TV. The straightforward operation is a notable counterpoint to most other PC-to-TV digital video alternatives, which involve either cumbersome direct hook-ups (video and audio runs from a PC to a TV); installing digital media adapters (such as the Apple TV or Xbox 360), which require some knowledge of home networking; or burning video files to disc for playback on compatible DVD players.
Concurrent with the TakeTV launch, SanDisk is also debuting Fanfare, a premium video download service. TakeTV is the first device that can play back Fanfare content, but SanDisk is aiming to expand compatibility to other products in its Sansa line. Currently in beta, Fanfare is little more than a proof of concept, but the addition of content partners beyond CBS and Showtime could certainly position it as a worthwhile alternative to Apple's iTunes Store.
For a more in-depth look at the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV--including a first look at the Fanfare service--check out CNET's complete hands-on review and the accompanying photo gallery.
One of the first things you'll need to do with your new iPhone is register with the iTunes Store in order to activate the handset.
If you want the iPhone, you'll need to sign up with the iTunes Store.
(Credit: Apple)Apple revealed the requirement in an e-mail sent Tuesday to those who had registered to receive e-mail updates on the TMHGIH (The Most Hyped Gadget In History). Presumably, most of the iPhone early adopters will be Apple devotees with current iTunes Store accounts, but for those who don't have an account already, have your credit card ready during the iPhone setup process.
Why would Apple do this? For one thing, iTunes is the application that will handle e-mail syncing between the iPhone and a Mac or PC, so registering the device with the iTunes Store might make it possible to wirelessly sync e-mail. But it also gives Apple a way to promote iTunes in front of iPhone users who might also sign up for a Media Max account from AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone. Usually the carrier controls the services available on a phone, but Apple appears to want that software and services relationship all to itself.
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