Apple’s recent purchase of Lala has many intriguing ramifications for Apple users.

Lala is a music site that lets users stream music.  Lala scans your hard drive to see which music you already own.  If songs match what is in their library, or you upload your tracks, you can listen to that music an unlimited amount through their web site.  If you don’t own the tracks, you can listen to them once.  After that you can buy a web version that can be streamed forever or “upgraded” to a downloadable version.  The streaming component flies in the face of Apple’s “download-and-own-forever” model.  Apple sees that music consumption may evolve and they are preparing for this change.  It is unknown whether Apple will keep Lala’s current model or alter it to a “all-you-can-eat” subscription.

There is no way the Lala iPhone app sees the light of day, presuming that Lala isn’t kept as a separate service that is away from Apple’s ecosystem.  Streaming content could be provided through the music app on the iPhone/iPod touch (and hopefully Apple’s potential tablet) with optional caching for offline playback.  It would be nice to have downloadable music for iPods lacking WI-FI, with music files that time-expire.  Syncing through iTunes could then verify service membership (i.e. once a month).

There have been endless debates on the value proposition of MobileMe, especially in light of alternative free services that can be combined to be similar to what MobileMe offers.  Adding a streaming music service to MobileMe would increase its value significantly.  I would assume that being a subscriber to Apple’s music service would not require being a MobileMe member.

It would be great to have my music stored in the cloud from anywhere with a Internet connection.  Any Lala web site functionality will probably be rebranded as a Apple product and thus become iTunes in a browser.

Apple TV has not sold well.  Coupling this music service with the proposed video subscription deal that could be occurring soon and I would be far more interested in getting an Apple TV.  Content is king, and the variety and amount of music and video available will be key to increasing Apple TV’s popularity.

Many music services I have tried have left me wanting more.  Hopefully Apple’s will have enough content to please me.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses Apple’s interest in competing with Nintendo in the portable games market.  If I were Nintendo, I would be worried.

Nintendo has been able to beat previous handheld competitors, such as the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx, but Apple is different.  Previous competition was focusing on games only, whereas the iPhone/iPod touch can do so many things very well.  The Sony PSP does do a lot too, but not nearly as much or as well as the iPhone/iPod touch.

iTunes has helped Apple effectively sidestep brick and mortar retailers to provide digital content, which is the future of content distribution.  Nintendo has few digital offerings, but these downloads are limited to the DSi, which makes up a small percentage of Nintendo’s handheld sales.

Developers of all sizes do not have to pay much for development costs and have a far easier time getting on the iPhone/iPod touch platform.  Apple’s review process has been arbitrary and lengthy at times, but less restrictions have been placed for apps compared to DS games.  There is also far more variety in content then the DS provides.

There is already a large library of games for the iPhone/iPod touch.  There are poor titles in iTunes, but there are also many great games.  These games are also priced cheap, which is attractive for consumers.  DS games usually cost upwards of $30.

Apple does face some obstacles.  Like the Wii, many developers have not designed games for the iPhone/iPod touch’s unique controls in mind and have ported games from other platforms that had “regular” controls.  It is a way for large publishers to milk successful franchises.  Publishers have been focusing more and more on popular franchise that do not stray to much from what made them successful, so care is not taken when brining games to the iPhone/iPod touch.  At least for Nintendo they can make good games for the Wii’s controls.  Apple must rely on third-party developers to make games that work well with the touchscreen.

The iPhone/iPod touch does not have as many great games as the DS.  With Nintendo’s franchises on the DS, this is not surprising.  The App Store has not been open for long (since July 2008), and with larger developers making a bigger push to bring popular franchises to Apple’s handheld, the gap will close between Apple’s and Nintendo’s portable game offerings.

It is hard to compete with a device that does many things well, which is why some companies have made devices that do one thing very well (the Kindle for example).  Apple has been able to make a great multi-functional device, while Nintendo has not shown this yet. It will be interesting to see what Nintendo does to maintain dominance in the handheld market to ward off Apple.

After downloading Twitterrific for iPhone, I thought it would be my Twitter app of choice.  The interface is great and the app looks very appealing.  Tweetie 2 has changed all this.

There are many great features within Tweetie 2.  Multiple Twitter accounts can be logged into simultaneously.  Tweets can be viewed offline by caching them or sending them to Instapaper.

Sometimes I want to just put down my thoughts before tweeting them.  Drafts can be done within the app instead of using an app like Birdhouse.  If you use Birdhouse, drafts can be sent from Tweetie 2 to Birdhouse.

My favorite feature is that Tweetie 2 can show nearby tweets on a list or map.  It is great to see exactly where and who is tweeting near you.  Seeing local tweets is more interesting to me.  It feels like I have more a connection with people that live in my area versus them living far away.

There are a few downsides to the newest Tweetie.  There are no push notifications, which mean constantly checking Tweetie 2 to see if new tweets have arrived.  Alternatively, an iPhone app like Notifications (iTunes link) can be used to send push notifications when a new tweet appears for you.  The appearance of Tweetie 2 is rather plain looking.  It is not an eyesore, but more attention could have been made to make it look better.  Also, Tweetie 2 is not available for Mac yet, which is unfortunate because it will be great to see how the Mac and iPhone versions work together.

Much has been made over the pricing of Tweetie 2.  It costs $2.99 whether or not the previous version was purchased.  What is controversial is that some people feel there should be free upgrades if the original Tweetie was bought.  This view is rather troubling.  Tons of hard work goes into developing apps and developers should be rewarded with pay if they want to charge for their software.  Certain things probably should not be charged for, such as bug patches.  Overall though, if there are feature upgrades that are worthy of payment, by all means consumer should pay for them if they want the features instead of feeling entitled to free upgrades for life.

The price of Tweetie 2 is not high.  The developer, Loren Britcher of Atebits, is not forcing users to upgrade from the original Tweetie.  Britcher was on a Macworld podcast talking about this issue and will be providing support for the first Tweetie “for the foreseeable future.”

Tweetie 2 is compatible with iPhone OS 3.0 and above is available now (iTunes link).

Starbucks recently released Starbucks Card Mobile on the App Store. The application makes it easy to manage your Starbucks Card. What is a Starbucks Card? The basic premise is that a Starbucks Card acts like a credit card at Starbucks and you enjoy some free perks along the way. If you visit Starbucks on a semi-regular basis, it’s not a bad idea to have one.

The Starbucks Card Mobile (iTunes link) app allows you to check your Starbucks Card balance, add money to your card, add new cards to your profile, and review recent transactions. If visit one of a handful of stores in Washington or California, you can even pay with the app!

I’ve used the app for the past month to manage my Starbucks Card, and it’s certainly easier than using the website (which isn’t hard to use either). Even on an Edge connection, reloading my card was fairly quick and very easy.

If you are a Starbucks Card user, I highly recommend downloading this free application. At the very least, it’s a good example of taking functionality from an existing website and making it easier to use on your mobile phone.

As an added bonus, the first time you use the Starbucks Card Mobile app to load $25 on your card with a Visa, you’ll receive $5 free. There are some limitations to this promotion however. You need to be a US customer and must take action before December 15, 2009, or until “the supply of Bonus Starbucks Card Loads is exhausted”. Check the application’s Terms Of Use for the fine print.

App rearrangement is a simple process. First, upgrade to iTunes 9.0 and iPhone OS 3.1. Connect your iPhone OS device to the computer and select it in iTunes. Choose the “Applications” tab and iTunes now displays your app pages as they appear on your iPhone or iPod touch. Apps can be moved around or deleted however you please. Pages can also be rearranged. Sync when you are happy with the order.

The “Applications” tab also lists apps by category and entrance into the App Store. Originally, it was sorted by name only. They will not automatically sync in this order though.

There are a few other limitations. Web apps or apps that came with your device cannot be deleted. Web apps must still be deleted on the device. Both these types of apps can still be moved around within iTunes.

Though far from perfect, being able to rearrange icons in iTunes 9 is a great feature and makes my life easier.

Newsweek posted an article late last week about the U.S. military’s use of the iPod with soldiers. The iPod is replacing hardware specially built to military specifications. Here’s the money quote if you ask me:

Typically sheathed in protective casing, iPods have proved rugged enough for military life.

If it’s tough enough for the U.S. military, it’s probably tough enough for your use!

[Via Daring Fireball]

Indeed it has been a busy Tuesday in the world of Apple.  In addition to new Macbook and Macbook Pros, Apple has released iPhone/iPod touch software update 1.1.4.  The reports are starting to come in, and so far there isn’t much news to report.  According to most everyone, there doesn’t seem to be any actual features added.  What does Apple say?  “This version of the software includes bug fixes and supersedes all previous versions.”

The most likely scenario is this update puts the finishing touches on the road to the iPhone SDK wonderland.  That same SDK that is suppose to ship this week, but some are repoting that it will be late.  Apple has three more days to hit their February release date for the SDK.  I just checked the ADC and there is currently no trace of the iPhone SDK.

When the 16GB iPod touch was introduced it was only a few seconds later that people started to predict a 16GB iPhone. Those 16GB predictions finally came true today. Apple has in fact released the 16GB iPhone and it will set you back $499. The 8GB iPhone is still priced at $399. I feel sorry for those 4GB iPhone buyers who paid $499 and got 1/4 the capacity that is available just over 6 months after the iPhone launch.

The iPod touch has also been updated today. You can now get a touch with 32GB of storage. The 32GB iPod touch will set you back a cool $499. The iPod touch is now available in 8GB ($299), 16GB ($399), and 32GB ($499) models.

If you’re in the market for an iPod touch, you can pick up the 16GB touch for the same price as an 8GB iPhone. You can also get a 32GB iPod touch for the same price as the 16GB iPhone. What amazes me is that if you really want the iPod touch, Apple will toss in a cell phone for an extra $100. I remember what my first cell phone was capable of and it cost more than $100 and didn’t do 1/4 of what the iPhone can do. If you’re thinking about buying an iPod touch and currently don’t have a cell phone carrier agreement, it would seem like a pretty tough choice not to get an iPhone.

Among the new feature of iBank 3:

• Direct transaction downloads from your financial institution
• Interactive graphs via Core Animation
• .Mac syncing and editing with iPhone and iPod touch
• Drag and drop support
• Loan management

I’ve been using iBank 2 for many months and it was even one of the applications I couldn’t live without in 2007. I’ll take iBank 3 for a test drive this weekend and report back my findings. The iBank 3 public beta expires on February 20th and can be downloaded here (direct link to dmg). As with any beta program, it’s a good idea to backup your data before using and installing iBank 3.

[Via DF]