With extremely limited fanfare, Microsoft this week confirmed analyst predictions and introduced the second generation Zune players, which sport basic specs and pricing similar to the iPod. Now when Apple introduces a new product these days, except for minor revisions to existing models, such as Macs, there’s a huge amount of anticipation that may go […]

As I write this, both Apple and AT&T stores are rapidly running out of their initial stocks of the iPhone, with initial reports claiming some 525,000 were sold over the first weekend. Those of you who expected instant gratification may have to redefine “instant” to encompass days or weeks until new supplies arrive. At the […]

All right, ladies and gentlemen, here’s the good stuff, at least if you’re a Microsoft employee or stockholder: For its fiscal third quarter, ending March 31st, earnings rose to $4.93 billion, or 50 cents a share, compared to $2.98 billion, or 29 cents per share last year. Total sales increased by 32 percent to $14.4 […]

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reviewing the impact, first, of the statement by Steve Jobs that Apple would love DRM to go away, and, second, the decision of EMI Music to offer that alternative. You’d think millions and millions of music lovers have been clamoring for that freedom, plus superior-quality audio, all at […]