Sunday, December 21, 2003
Top Stories
While Other Customers Help, The Companies Hide
When companies try to reduce their tech-support costs in these ways — a good thing if it lets them lower their prices — they also reduce the chance of learning anything from their users.
News
Brands To Use 'Free' Music To Lure Teens
Music giveaways are understood to foster customer loyalty. What's more, they provide consumers with powerful incentives to use the related products, executives say.
Christmas Shoppers 'Can't Get Enough Of iPods'
Shops are struggling to cope with demand for a hi-tech personal stereo which has become the must-have gadget of the year.
Angry iPod People Assault Battery-Price Shcoker
Apple To Sell Software Via Software Update?
Embedded in one of the configuration files of Panther's Software Update is evidence that Apple has planned for the implementation of a new feature in Software Update: Selling Software.
Opinion
There Are Alternatives To Microsoft, Really
Living without Microsoft isn't as hard as you might think.
On Shipping Software
It's kind of like what Woody Allen said, "90% of life is just showing up."
Review
iTunes Music Store Vs. WalMart's Download Service: A Head-To-Head Comparison
WalMart's download service would probably seem bearable if iTunes for Windows didn't exist. But unfortunately for WalMart, it does.
Sidetrack
BEEP BEEP : One application I have on my Mac is beeping every once and a while, and I don't know which application, and I'm driven crazy over this.
I'm going to my father-in-law's birthday lunch later, but I'll get to the bottom of this once I get back. :-)
Update #1: No, I haven't left for the lunch yet. But I've stopped all applications except Safari and Mail.app, and the beep continued.
Does anyone knows if BlogLines beeps?
Wintel
Microsoft Faces Public Sector Backlash
Microsoft is being pressed to cut the prices it charges the public sector for software as governments, including Britain's, look to cheaper options such as the Linux operating system.
Microsoft Wants Into More Cars
First Microsoft set out to put a computer in every home. Now the software giant hopes to put one in every vehicle, too.