The popularity of Apple's iTunes is steadily growing when is passed QuickTime in the mid 2005 it now looks to pass the ever popular RealPlayer by the mid-2006.

Though Windows Media Player is still the leader in unique users having 80 million and iTunes at 30 million. The amount of time per user is 2.4 times as long with iTunes than its rival RealPlayer (111 minutes versus 46.4 per user). Perhaps contributing to the rise in iTune users is the better connectivity. In-home Broadband in the US is on the rise and is expected to break 70% by April 2006 from its current 68%.

One of the best things about iTunes is the power it gives users to classify and organize their music for burning, syncing or just listening. Don't treat it like a simple repository of MP3 files; take time out to learn its tricks - you'll find it time well spent.

If, like many users out there, you listen to the songs in your iTunes playlist regularly, you might find yourself tiring of what you get to hear. Here's an interesting solution to this problem that's based on making new playlists, Smart and otherwise, and organizing your music according to these lists. In a general sense you get iTunes to pick music for you to listen to according to loose parameters you set yourself.

Read on and enjoy!

There are many a music connoisseur that turn-up their noses at digital audio formats.  They're too lossy, or there's problems with ripping, etc, etc.  I'm not one of those folks, but I just finished reading some interesting tips for getting the most out of iTunes.  Essentially, there's just a few boxes you need to check properly in the preferences, and you can feel comfortable in getting superior results.

The information is put together by a true audio technician who even worked on the original mpeg format.  Read through and you'll see that he's been there and done that.  He seems to know his stuff - more so than I do, that's for certain!

As France works through laws to open media formats, it threatens Apple Computer and their iTunes Music Store's proprietary music format.  The law in question would require Apple to open their music format to be playable on all music players, and not just limited to the iPod.  If they fail to do so, the iTunes Music Store would be forced to close up shop in France. 

The law itself would enable people to use conversion software that would make media playable in any desired format.  Essentially it would make it a non-issue to crack Digital Rights Management (DRM) on copyrighted media.  A move in this direction is expected to see Apple choose to close its doors in France rather than open up the audio format.  This would be an understandable stance, as it could leave Apple open to massive copyright infringement if the format became open in France.

Is that wood in your pocket? Why, Yes it is.

All this could be yours with iWood. Too much you say? I think not, who could ever resist saying such a thing?

Harken friends to my words, allow yourself the pleasure to carry wood with you where ever you may roam.

Enjoy these features: 

• Natural protection
• Smooth rounded edges
• 10mm access, no need to pull it out.
• Brand it with choice words or letters. Share your love in more ways than one.
• Best of all, the sheer quality that wood brings, and it comes with a stylish black box.

Now that's some present, and for only 113ish dollars (prices may vary considering the euro exchange, and outlandish markup) for the 60Gb version.

Go see what all the commotion is about.

Time has picked the Apple Hi-Fi its Gadget of the Week, calling out its strengths and witnesses. I don't know about it being the 'gadget of the week,' something I think is predicated more on the Apple name than anything else. I've had a chance to get to see these, and I've got to tell you that, while the sound is good and all, I really don't dig what they did with the overall design.

Seems like Time agrees with me: "For $349, the Hi-Fi is something of a hybrid iPod dock Â? not quite a "bookshelf" stereo, but not quite a home-theater system either. It's more expensive than the Bose SoundDock and Klipsch iGroove, but those are meant for small spaces. The bigger, heavier Hi-Fi is meant to fill a room. Still, though it has an auxiliary input for stereo sources, it's not necessarily something you'd think to connect to your cable set-top box. And because it's all one piece, it wouldn't make a good speaker system for a computer."

Any of you guys out there digging the design?

Fresh from the Apple event today in Cupertino, this image shows the all-important new ports incorporated into the Intel Mac Mini, letting it function properly as a movie and music server in the home.



Â? and hereÂ?s the iPod Hifi, with itÂ?s black speaker grille removed. Notice the carrying handles on both cornersÂ?nice and chunky.

The second announcement from todayÂ?s Apple product launch is another direct hit for the rumor sites. iPod HifiÂ?a large boombox style device which can run from 6 D-size batteries, or from the mains. It has a sealed resin enclosure holding three speakers, which does not vibrate when the volume is cranked up high. The iPod Hifi contains two 80mm mid range drivers in sealed acoustic suspension and a 130mm dual voice coil woofer with a ported bass reflex design. It can be controlled by the Apple Remote.

Any iPod (even a Shuffle) can be plugged in to drive the iPod Hifi, and (via an iPod firmware update already released today) can be set to Â?speaker modeÂ?, whereby itÂ?s screen will dim to show just the album artwork while youÂ?re cranking up the tunes.

The iPod Hifi is on sale today, at $349. ItÂ?s basically the iPod taken to a higher level of sound qualityÂ?letting your pocket music machine power some serious speakers.

I don't know a lot of people, who understand anything at all about sound quality, to prefer the stock earbuds that come packaged with all iPods. Then again, I don't know of any headphones or earbuds to be favored by everyone unanimously.

Some people want the best quality, sacrificing the visual aesthetic and comfort, while others want something a little more low-key, at the sacrifice of sound quality -- of course, I haven't even begun to talk about price. For the undecided, or those of you who don't understand all the jargon out there, Mac World News provides a little refresher course.

The article covers all types of headphones, including wireless headphones, so be sure to check it out. And for our readers who have found that perfect pair of 'phones, let us know, we'd like to try them out.

The rumors are beginning to fly again on who is next in line to try to outpace and outsell iTunes and the iPod. Many others have tried and all of them have failed to put a considerable dent in the vast stranglehold that Apple currently has on the market. Amazon, if all rumors are correct, will try to change that.

The company that Jeff Bezos built, it is being reported, is considering offering a music subscription service similar to iTunes on its hugely successful site. It turns out that Amazon has been working on the launch of the the service for some time now, though sources now say that the company is almost ready to roll out the service and debut it to the public.

We'll have to see where this goes for Amazon, and whether the company is able to penetrate the increasingly competitive digital music market. Sources also say that the site is considering producing and marketing a product all their own in the vein of the iPod. Sexy news indeed.