It bugs me no end when people, after having used my mac, are suitably impressed enough to go in to an Apple reseller only to be faced with dire customer service?

Until then, not interested.

The renaissance mail server also accepts messages to people in the apple.co.nz domain, but of course, I can't tell if they're being forwarded elsewhere after that.

Hmm, cool... now?

This is no help to you in the Hutt valley but in Auckland Ubertec in Parnel is well stocked, have friendly attentive staff, and know their shit. This however is the exception, there is a largish Mac specialist store in central Auckland which is repeatedly given me appalling?

Although If Renaissance knew about this they would have to disclose it to the NZX, as I think itwould be market sensitive,?

The iPod range has become steadily more affordable, but the PC's have not kept in-line, esp the portables.

See that now MSN Music is going down the gurgler, Microsoft is recommending that people "back up" their old "play for sure" tracks?

I guess the other option is that Apple are planning to set up a proper Apple NZ and shuffle Renaissance out of the game in terms of distribution.

Hmmm. Apple Australia has always treated NZ like the poor cousin, so if they are planning to properly establish an Apple NZ?

I've had a few crashes, but I suspect the problem is at my end. The prefs may reset after the crash, or the preset menu bar items (Apple, eBay) I've deleted come back.

Tried deleting the preferences file,?

In the interim (and I'm hoping this is the interim) this is an interesting local site to check out:

http://txttunes.com/default.aspx

Not from me, but it seems to log me out after a while, which is annoying.

Robyn, there is an issue with cookies not applying to both publicaddress.net and www.publicaddress.net, so watch which one you're using as you may be logged in on one but not the other. A fix?

I'm getting tired of this normalisation of the notion that the "purchase" of media is just another form of licencing.

For a useful development of this, go to The Register (thanks NZBC), to see Peter Jenner declaiming on the subject in this vein:

The major four music labels today?

If you've ever visited the Renaissance offices, you might have gone through the same double-take I did... "Wait, THIS is APPLE?!" It was like the offices of?

Yep we are indeed losing our apple.co.nz email addresses here at Renaissance. we've not been given any worthwhile explanation as to why it's happening, except it's to strengthen the Renaissance brand. That sounds like bollocks to me, but I just work?

This just in from a "worker bee" at Renaissance:

Hey Russell, maybe your "worker bee" and my "worker bee" should trade information, perhaps that will paint a clearer picture.

We managed to retrieve the data but it was going to take THREE WEEKS (yes THREE) in order for Apple to get a replacement drive (via Aussie).

That is what happens when you have a second or third party involved in the distribution of a product.

More seriously....

In other long-running-saga news, Sideswipe may be coming out from behind the?

BTW. PA System crashed my Safari when I was registering on Friday. Seems to be working now (intel iMac). Herald is also slow on my iHug DSL.

On one hand – MagnumMac in Wellington has the single worst service of just about any store I've ever walked into my life.

Their response when I took my G3 powerbook in – it had some intermittent flickering on the screen – was?

Ever since we got the Xtra Go Large package (unlimited downlands, fast as can be done) I haven't been able to access the Herald quickly. It can take up to a minute to load

Interesting – I've also been having trouble with the Herald lately. It's really slow to load.?

MagnumMac in Wellington has the single worst service of just about any store I've ever walked into my life.

Tim – did you find anyone else in Wellington who was any good? Rolled into MagnumMac with my cheque book out a week or so ago, and was so put off?

I've been told that I?

BTW, anyone else have crashing problems with Safari on Public Address System?

No problems with Safari at home or Opera at work. Occasionally misplaced type but nothing worst.

That's not the only problem. Ever since we got the Xtra Go Large package (unlimited downlands, fast as can be done) I?

Certainly, for a long time, Renaissance has used the Apple business to prop up the failing/loss making parts of it's business – which have been several!

But dealing with Apple Aus is?

Anyway, the?

Problem with Xtra, or with the Herald? Or (shush – don't say it too loud) with our Mac? Any advice?

My suspicion is that it is specific to the Go Large package, as I can load up the Herald in no time on the Pro plan.

I've been hearing a?

Never heard of Conduit before, but it appears to be closely related to Renaissance Corporation Ltd, which holds all the shares in it.

Conduit were setup by Renaissance after they inhouse developed a new information system (stock control, web sales, etc). They thought that they could sell this new product?

And who is going to sell their shares in Renaissance? AFAIK they have had great growth over the last couple of years on the back of Apple. If they lose it then what happens to the share price?

Renaissance has little intrinsic value beyond it's Apple distributorship. If it were?

As for the Renaissance "bad" vs Apple "good" debate, I'll have to agree with John Holley. I'm also an ex-employee of the big red R and I totally agree that Apple Oz is certainly responsible for a significant amount of the angst at Renaissance.

I went to Macworld NY one?

I went to Macworld NY one year, at Renaissance's expense because Apple Australia didn't give a crap about NZ journalists. When we got there, the Apple Aust comms person proved highly adept at organising expensive dinner outings, less so at doing anything remotely useful for me.

Funnily enough I was?

When you have an iTunes gift voucher purchased from an Apple store in LA, the iTunes US store doesn't seem to care that your?

Aren't almost all firms like that really? Particularly those whose main job is to shuffle boxes from one warehouse to another?

Even the companies?

See that now MSN Music is going down the gurgler, Microsoft is recommending that people "back up" their old "play for sure" tracks to CD? For personal use only, of course. What is the point?

Did I read on Slashdot that PFS tracks aren't compatable with the Zune??? What is?

That's the problem, not the solution. Renaissance sells directly to business customers and thus is competing with the firms it supplies: the authorised service providers who are obliged to by their Apple product from?

I've lately had quite extraordinarily, above-and-beyond-the-call support from Renaissance regarding an iPod five months out of warranty. Of course, this may be entirely due to the?

Yes, you can still do the claim back of GST at the airport if you are carrying the goods in hand luggage.

I know a few people who have done this in 2006 and more or less paid their air fare to Aus.

Check with the airlines that?

If like me you've been thinking about a 2nd Mac (because if one is pretty then two will be prettier:)).

And if you hear rumours that Rennaisance and their markup will be taken out of the supply chain. And you guess?

Of course they knew where I worked, I'd be interested to know if they've been as helpful for?

I had the same problem with my 80GB, but so far only on podcasts.

Is it doing it on podcasts, too...? Chances are this is caused by iTunes 7.xx's new Gapless Playback Information – it's something to do with Apple's proprietary encoding, according to bloggers geekier than I...?

In the end it is all about volumes. As I use to say, "NZ is the flea on the tail of the dog." Our impact on?

An Apple Store?

in all seriousness, the local representatives of the global labels need to get bold and defiant of their bosses in LA, Tokyo and Paris... of course that is not going to happen when?

majors are working three times as hard to sell the same amount of product as they were previously.

This oxymoron had me laughing so hard I nearly gave away all my free promo CDs.

And the thing I don't understand about the arguments against an iTunes Store is?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10410075

:(

Simon Grigg has posted this... "I have it on fairly reliable advice that you can expect the announcement of a New Zealand iTunes store within the next ten days.."
source: http://opdiner.blogspot.com/

I hope I'm right or I could have the proverbial egg on my face, but it came from an?

I have midnight music cravings and nowhere to fulfil them.

have you tried:
emusic.com
or
bleep.com
?

i have & use them regularly
no DRM and unless your tastes are mainstream
I'd bet itunes NZ will be underwhelming for some time...

I can't see myself delving into the itunes world too soon

have you tried: emusic.com or bleep.com?

I have an emusic account and I've found it pretty good for getting music from certain types of artists, though I'm not a fan of their pricing system.

But not every awesome band out there is signed to a minor or independent label. Sometimes?

I hope I'm right or I could have the proverbial egg on my face, but it came from an industry insider who would know

If it helps Simon, I'm hearing much the same from quite a different quarter ...

So, Russ, whats the story with vodafone then? Are they launching a new music service on nov 16, or something else?

I gather it's a music service, but nowt to do with iTunes.

Are they launching a new music service on nov 16, or something else?

I think that would be the Mobile "social networking" service, via Vodafone Live.

"Who in their right mind would produce a brown electronic product?" Steve Kaneko, design director of the Zune, asked. "Artists would. Musicians would. This is very underground. This is Seattle grunge. This is our Kurt Cobain."?

This is very underground.

How the hell can a Microsoft product be classed as "underground" ???

How the hell can a Microsoft product be classed as "underground" ???

MS still has this perception of itself as "underground" in some bizarre way. It's a part of the company ethos going back to the little folk stories about their origins. Quite odd. Then again even the likes of?

A more worrying aspect for many is Universal getting a payment from Microsoft per player sold and the flow on effect for consumers and Apple.

As someone?

A more worrying aspect for many is Universal getting a payment from Microsoft per player sold and the flow on effect for consumers and Apple.

I agree but UMG had the ability to put a spanner in the works for the Xmas launch. They were effectively bought off. There are?

Universal CEO Doug Morris – "These devices [MP3 players] are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it."

Oh, yes, and UMG have treated their acts historically so damned well! Pot / kettle....

This slight of hand where Apple uses DRM to hold people to a hardware platform is pretty shoddy too – yes I know it can be gotten round but that doesn?t defeat?

{:/

One thing to note is that U2 are in town and we all know they have their own brand iPod and have launched iTunes services in the past.

I am a gambling man and have money on U2 being involved in the NZ iTunes launch.

Anybody else see?

How will it work though?
An actual iTunes NZ store.
Opening up of the Australian store to accept our credit cards again.
A proper?

What is up with Vodafone. Why are they leaving it up to the dodgy car boot sales on parrallel import and trademe to bring in funky phones (assuming they work here in NZ).

They are very keen to release the most mediocre phones and?

Or will it all just be nothing like all the other times the rumour has come around.

While getting pissed at Prego on Friday – that's where I do all my best research – I received another implicit confirmation that something's happening. I'm sticking with my date next week, but?

There is a chick in Wellington who has been licensing NZ music to iTunes internationally for a while now.?

Didn't see Julian Lennon which was a bonus.

Speaking of Blowfish Sushi, I went to the one in West Hollywood and it was very good indeed. Those US-based sushi chefs really know how to make the stuff – much more adventurous than the standard 'sushi' we get in NZ.

Yep, I went to the San Francisco one, and?

dry ribs at cactus club vancouver

If I could actually spell that would be good.

Don't worry. Your job is making pictures. Leave the spelling to us.

So, what do you get when Bono goes to Blowfish Sushi and launches iTunes?

"iBlow" of course!

I would assume a NZ iTunes store would be run off shore ie Australia with content uploaded to them for inclusion, and, possibly have a NZ-based staff member to license content.

this is complicated by the fact that one of the major labels does not report to Australia (EMI) therefore?

this is complicated by the fact that one of the major labels does not report to Australia (EMI) therefore its royalty stream from NZ sales cannot go through the OZ Opco.

[...]

Then there is the mechanical (songwriting) royalty which is still, I think, at a different rate for NZ?

The entropy described in the Slate?

here we go, here we go, here we go.......

now all I have to do is convince myself to get the credit card out of hiding.

Some of the coolest things out of iTunes stores are the lists. Maybe I am a list kind of guy, perhaps in some inane need for acceptance of groups or some other?

Maybe we're getting a proper Apple presence as well. Apple.co.nz dns info was changed today. It is now registered to Apple Australia as well, the same people that bought itunes.co.nz

curiouser and curiouser,

Keep it up :-)

http://10layers.com/2006/11/itunes-new-zealand-ready-to-launch/

here we go, here we go, here we go.......

Really? Nothing happened while U2 was in the country, though – or are they still here, hanging around, like the rest of us...? iTunes is trying to take me directly to the Australian store when I sign in.

Yawn. It's?

I can just imagine McGuiness trying to sell?

Bono: "Fook that, ya Irish tw*t! We're back over to Mercury Island to drink the rest of Fay's wine cellar!".

http://www.apple.com/nz now redirects to http://www.apple.co.nz it used to provide a 404 error.

nserver.apple.com now has DNS information for apple.co.nz listed. This wasn't the case previously. The?

If not we must wait for?

I'd be very dissappointed if the New Zealand record companies have negotiated?

I can usually go down to?

The last 2 times I have lived in vancouver I came home with a stack of cds as new 'premium' cds cost $17 NZD. (and I got the local gst back when I left the country).

As a result?

If it's $30 an album I sure as heck won't be buying any... ok maybe once so I can see how it works. the $16.99 figure that they have at the Australian isn't too bad, if we were to get that same figure here.

And I don't believe we are?

And I don't believe we are being cheapskates when we say this. If I knew that the artist was getting a larger cut I wouldn't be whining...

the major record companies on the contrary are often using the digital move as a way of reducing the amount paid to an?

Go figure.
It's call packaging – without which you are receiving 'less' for you money and therefore the price should follow suit.

Has anybody download album artwork from an iTunes store before?

I know the cover is?

Has anybody download album artwork from an iTunes store before?

I helped a fried in Australia download all the cover art for (most of) his albums over the weekend. It's as easy as selecting "Download Cover Art" from one of the menus in iTunes, and then watching them come down?

Your thoughts?

We are pleased to inform you that the Ripit Music Store is compatible with Firefox. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, please click here to view the step by step guide on how to enable Firefox to use the Ripit Music Store .
...
Before you start browsing Ripit Digital?

http://www.iphone.org/

Now a carrier independent iphone before xmas would be all I need in my stocking this year. I'm hanging out for one, otherwise I'm having?

Can I combine this with the Word of the Year thread?
USER-HOSTILE.

.

Heck yeah – what a complete consumer botch-up.
You can't expect to run a commercial on-line music store when your first intro to customers leaves them scartching their heads and never coming back.

vodafone NZ doesn't believe in?

ripit.co.nz, new music store launched by Dick Smith. Well, what can I say, another less than average music store with no mac support.

Not just no support for Macs, but no support for firefox? And DRM-crippled WMA files? ugh.

It's about presenting your store so any platform can access it easily and it works well.

Amplifier is a good example.

The Vodafone 'music store' looks?

Press Release: Jiggy.co.nz
November 30, 2006
For immediate release
Kiwi bands to get on board for iTunes NZ

It?s a matter of when, not if, for iTunes to launch a store in New Zealand ? finally! ? and digital music distributor?

I'm hanging out for one, otherwise I'm having to do the parallel import/trade me thing to get a decent sony w710i walkman phone as vodafone NZ doesn't believe in customer choice.

that's one of the things that hit me back in NZ last month, the lack of choice offered by?

DSE have done something like this in Australia for some time, or at least when I last looked at their website two years ago they had. So has?

What a rip.

I so agree. Vodafone are infinately cooler than telecom, but if they want to maintian that brand they really need to have the product in the hands (on the bar table tops etc) of the folk out there that are more of a shop window than their?

I agree with the ease of use of the ipod/itunes marriage of software and hardware. But then thats a mac thing isn't it.

Well, yeah it is a 'Mac thing' but it works on PCs too.
What I'm trying to say is should be a cross-platform thing.
It obviously can?

http://hrmpf.com/wordpress/102/radio-transparent-zirconia-iphone

From the patent:
A portable computing device capable of wireless communications, the portable computing device comprising: an enclosure that surrounds and protects the internal operational components of the portable computing device, the enclosure including a structural wall formed from a ceramic material that permits?

An American website, Apple Insider, recently noted a crop of trademark applications for the word ?iPhone?. Applications have been made on behalf of Apple Computer in Australia, Canada, Britain, Singapore, the European Union?

On Tuesday, Universal Music Group's Doug Morris told the Reuters Media Summit "it would be a nice idea" to seek an concession from Apple like it did from Microsoft and its Zune. "We have a negotiation coming up not too far. I don't see why?

EML or Ourageous Fortune on the bus anyone?

What is it with Toni Marsh?

I don't get it.

actually I don't get it either

but that voice and...

but compared with the blokes and TVone's line up Marsh is the woman for the weather anytime (in the absence of that climate change denying Augie that is). She actually does a good fist of it most of the time (and?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10413471

http://www.macrumors.com

New Zealand iTunes Store Coming Wednesday?

same herald article basically.

But you know, as great as this is, I'm just still going to spend time in Real Groovy in Dunners (they need to do better with the music dvd section though).

I really need to get out more I think.

Kevin Rose: "It is coming in January to all?

and a "cool" OS??

Actually, that definitely sounds like the sexiest part. Any guesses on what that OS might be?

If the OS was a portable version of OSX then that would be interesting in itself....

If the OS was a portable version of OSX then that would be interesting in itself....

Hey, maybe it's time for the Newton OS revival!

Other possibilities: a tooled-up verion of the iPod OS, or an adaptation of an existing Java platform.

Any guesses on what that OS might be?

Rockbox!

But, y'know, with a cellphone thingy.

As to what OS it will be released with, I've no idea.

The phone thing – yeah, it's no doubt coming and might be a Nokia/Moto/Sony killer..

only if they can get a retail structure in place globally to compete with those people, and the iPod infrastructure / network doesn't count. Those companies have a street retail presence everywhere in the world?

maybe it's time for the Newton OS revival!

Now that brings back memories:

Doonesbury #1

Doonesbury #2

Doonesbury #3

Doonesbury #4

And more recently on the Microsoft side of the ledger, this

VF or Telecom?

Or both...

Those companies have a head start that is almost insurmountable.

But less so, perhaps, in the US, where the big global mobile brands aren't so utterly dominant, and where there's room for Sidekicks and Blackberrys.

As I recall, the rumours have been saying there will be two iPhones – a?

Which network would the Apple phone run on?

That would depend on whether it's a GSM or CDMA phone I guess?

Oh for a frankenstein phone on both networks. Samsung have one out I believe, but it's not here yet.

Any guesses on what that OS might be?

My guess is a lite version of Leopard.

Macworld is the most obvious place to launch....

Extremely small form factor
Two battery design — one for music, one for phone functions
Single charger
Flash memory: 4GB for US$249, 8GB for US$449
Slide-out keyboard
Possible touchscreen
Likely launch with single GSM carrier (CDMA?

But less so, perhaps, in the US, where the big global mobile brands aren't so utterly dominant, and where there's room for Sidekicks and Blackberrys.

Isn't the US cellphone (rather than the smartphone) market pretty much dominated by what deals the big four providers have done to give away or?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBfLjqfYKM0&eurl=

but there's something really unnerving/galling/whatever to see a guy 10 years young that yourself swilling beer in front of a computer with a hoodie worth $60m+ USD.

All the while my student debt is peaking and I'm coverting an apple cell phone in the new year.

Still cool?

but there's something really unnerving/galling/whatever to see a guy 10 years younger than yourself swilling beer in front of a computer with a hoodie worth $60m+ USD.

Rose and Jay Adelson were both at Foo Camp this year, and they did just strike me as sort of regular guys, quite?

but there's something really unnerving/galling/whatever to see a guy 10 years younger than yourself swilling beer in front of a computer with a hoodie worth $60m+ USD..

What is wrong with drinking beer and keeping warm?

Still....

but there's something really unnerving/galling/whatever to see a guy 10 years young that yourself swilling beer in front of a computer with a hoodie worth $60m+ USD.

well, at least he's not a Paris Hilton type of millionaire...

What do you think will be the most popular local download (NZ Track).

Fat Freddie's insert track name here sure, wahtever, blah blah blah but I'm thinking maybe something like 'Poi E'?

Well, I'm kinda in the same camp – I don't really care if my phone plays music.
Still....

Well I do, one less thing for me to charge or take out of my car so it doesn't get stolen sounds good to me.

Well I do, one less thing for me to charge or take out of my car so it doesn't get stolen sounds good to me.

but there is nothing new in a phone that plays music..the S/E W950i holds 3000 odd songs with a six hour battery..more time than my?

What is wrong with drinking beer and keeping warm?

Students do it.

I can load tracks onto the memory card and play them like an iPod.

What I'm saying is I don't NEED my phone to?

Russell, what numbers are these from? Is it based on $ sales? What are the top three? Just curious...

Russell, what numbers are these from? Is it based on $ sales? What are the top three? Just curious...

It came from a little birdie, and I'm actually wondering myself now. It might be more correct to say that Vodafone has become a significant player in music retail. And Telecom?

Kind of like the continious 'we're number one' headlines that the Sunday Herald and Sunday Star Times put in their papers.
Every week.

Still, a 200% increase in sales seems a big jump.?

http://www.apple.com/nz is loading up our Official Apple Online Store. Prices are a little cheaper.

Apple Launches iTunes & Online Apple Stores in New Zealand
Today, 06:50 AM
Apple today launched the iTunes Store in New Zealand, giving New Zealanders access to outstanding local music and the same innovative features, breakthrough pricing and?

But the good news is there is a chance to win a MacBook or one of 5 iPod?

Does anyone know if you get someone a gift certificate for a certain store, whether a foreigner can use it in that store??