It seems that a new kind of hate crime is hitting various metropolis nowadays. The crime? podRage. The victims? iPod users. Just recently, we reported about a teen who was convicted because of an iPod related killing, now lawyers for other podRage victims want to sue not only those responsible for these senseless crimes, but also the top Apple honcho himself - Mr. Steve Jobs.

Gary Tugai of the London lawfirm Tugai Zanner Dogg, says that his client has not been able to work because he was traumatized. In his own words, Mr. Tugai said that his client - John Speakman, "was sitting quietly on a 341 bus, listening to his iPod, when he was attacked without provocation. He had the ear buds ripped from his head, and his iPod thrown from the moving bus. Not only was that a danger to passers by, but Mr Speakman was in the middle of The Fugees moving rendition of Roberta Flack's 'Killing Me Softly', and his inability to finish the track was most distressing." I don't know about you, but if ever that happens to me, I won't care about the song, I'd run for my life.

Although the attacker remains unknown and is still roaming freely up to now, witnesses said that the assailant was becoming increasingly agitated by the noise coming from Mr. Speakman's ear buds. According to the witnesses, they overheard the suspect saying that it was unfair that the whole bus should have to listen to Mr. Speakman's choice of music.

And here is where Steve Jobs could be prosecuted according to Mr. Tugai. "The design of the iPod earphones is clearly defective - It is perfectly possible to design earphones that do not emit ambient noise, and there are some aftermarket brands that do this - Instead, Apple and Mr Jobs have recklessly endangered my client by marketing a product that, when used normally, is a menace to other people." You're suing Mr. Jobs? Lots of luck to you. You're going to need it.

Now that Apple dominates the music world, film studios are afraid the computer company has its eye on the film industry as well. Nonetheless, several Hollywood studios are currently in negotiations with Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Other studios, wary of dealing with a member of Disney's board, are talking with Apple VP Eddie Cue instead.

The studios are resisting Job's idea that feature films be priced at $9.99. Typically, library titles are sold to big-box chain stores for much lower prices than new releases. Right now, the studios think Apple should sell similar content at multiple price points, which has not been done previously.

According to Variety, film studios are also negotiating with other distributors such as Amazon, Movielink and BitTorrent, to head off any chance of a monopoly. Most major studios will probably have movies available through the iTunes Music Store by year's end.

I think only a few people were able to see this made-for-tv docudrama entitled - The Pirates of Silicon Valley. It basically tackles the rise of two then starting, now behemoth computer companies - Apple and Microsoft, and the guys behind the companies which is Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

Although I am sure that they have nothing but mutual respect for each other, the two companies have a history; a court case about Microsoft's alleged infringement of copyright among many other things. It is rare to see Mr. Jobs and Mr. Gates sitting together and talking.

Like this rare picture that was taken in a D3 Welcome Dinner. Wonder what in the world are they talking about though...

We all know that Steve Jobs is a non-conformist and a risk taker. I guess you'll all agree with me when I write that Mr. Jobs have learned through his shortcomings that the mark of a true leader is someone who could be a company evangelist and brand spokesperson.

Nowadays, Apple is the connotation of Steve Jobs and vice versa. And because Apple is all about innovation, so is Steve Jobs. With that, maybe it is apt to say that the newly-erected glass cube smacked right in the middle of Manhattan could be a monument for the man himself.

When interviewed by NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams, Mr. Jobs was his usual charismatic and candid self. Topics such as technological innovations and where he fits in the elite American family of thinkers, were some of the things that the interview tackled. Here are some excerpts of the interview:

Brian Williams: Is this (Apple Retail Store, Manhattan) your Model T? Is this your space program?

Steve Jobs: This is the best store we've ever built, and I think that it's the state-of-the-art that we know how to do. Like, the cube is [an] extremely state-of-the-art use of glass. You know, there's hardly any metal holding it up. It's glass fins holding up glass. It's not just the stuff in the store or his company. It's the fact that Steve Jobs helped bring us many of the icons of American life today. From tiny trash cans to clicking and dragging Â? the now-commonplace language of computers, the hand-to-mouse movements we no longer think about Â? it's a language he helped teach America.

Williams: Do you know the downside of innovation? The rap on it is the minute you buy an iPod, you have to get the newest iPod.

Jobs: You know, you keep on innovating, you keep on making better stuff. And if you always want the latest and greatest, then you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year. That makes the Manhattan store the new center of the universe for those who swear by Apple.

To read the full interview, click on the 'Read' link.

So is this the reason why Disney isn't renewing its contract with fast food giant McDonald's? Steve Jobs, who happens to be the biggest shareholder in Disney after its acquisition of Jobs' Pixar Animation Studios, is saying no to a renewal of a 10-year contract between Disney and McDonald's that places Disney plastic toys in Happy Meals.

The reason behind this move? Disney is concerned that the company will be associated with the negative implications of fast food especially now that the society becomes more conscious about this issue. Disney says there is value in fast-food tie-ins, but with people's concerns about high calorie and fat-laden fast food, Disney thinks it is better to disassociate itself with negative issues such as this one.

But for people who buy McDonald's Happy Meals only for the plastic toys included in the package, well, don't fret. DreamWorks Animation SKG has stepped in to fill in this void Disney has left behind. The company's partnership with McDonald's regarding promotional tie-ins will have Â?Shrek 3Â? plastic toys finding their way to kids' Happy Meals.

Steve Jobs just broke the hearts and bank accounts of so many people in Hollywood. In a conference held in Hollywood about the problem with the industry and how they can fix them (so they can milk more money from it), a segment about the music industry focused on four music executives. Apparently they were  trying to explain how terrified they are of losing their jobs and not being able to pay for their sports cars because of the immense popularity of iTunes.

Well that's life, sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. But the issue here is not the ways of the world, but how did iTunes gave so many woes to big and established music companies.

Some people are saying that it wasn't the fact that iPods are selling like hotcakes or that so many people are purchasing their music on iTunes. Apple won this race because they change the ABC's of the business of selling content in a way that was more convenient, affordable and portable. The recording industry is scrambling to catch up on Apple but the problem is, they don't even know how to do that.

Apple gave consumers an alternative from the usual products offered to them. It just so happened that people dig the alternative more than the traditional ones, and they better think of an alternative to the Apple alternative if they want to survive.

At the company's shareholders' meeting on Tuesday, Steve Jobs assured investors that his role in the Disney deal that led to the purchase of Pixar for $7.4 billion by the family-friendly conglomerate does not mean he will neglect his own role at Apple.

According to Mercury News, one of the shareholders asked Steve Jobs directly whether he considered himself to be the "next Michael Eisner."

"That's a valid question,'' said Jobs, who will become a Disney board member. Some investors, he added, wonder if "I will spend all of my time at Disney -- and that couldn't be further from the truth.''

The move to put Jobs in one of the board seats on Disney, he said, only ensures that Pixar will continue to produce as well as it has until now. Having some supervision over his other pride and joy doesn't hurt, he argues.

There is a curious little video floating on YouTube, showing Steve Jobs making his presentation on the upcoming 50-acre campus that Apple will be building, to the Cupertino council. While we're used to seeing the electrified Steve on stage, debuting the best new products in the world and sizzling when he shows off, over and over again, the power of his company to change the world, this time, he looks more like a middle-aged man telling his teenage son that he has to mow the lawn on Saturday instead of going out.

Watch as Jobs scratches the side of his belly when he considers what to say, which often ends up being a repetitive 'pitch' on how much the new campus will benefit the city. Jobs loses all of his grandeur while speaking to the council members. I know, I know, this isn't an event that is set to change the course of the world, it is an informal presentation to keep the city abreast on the company's latest developments, but Steve could still have mustered up a little more excitement in my opinion.

My favorite part is when the presentation is over, and council members, visibly intimidated to be in the presence of one of the country's most visible CEOs, make senseless small talk with the man. "It's like you get a child ... and then you just tell how to educate that child ... that's very key ... that's great," said one of the council members, clearly losing her train of thought while she speaks. "What a great news," says another.

Currently in development  of his own autobiography, Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple) recently asked his old friend Steve Jobs if he'd like to write the foreword to his book.  After initially accepting the offer, Jobs has now reportedly declined it.

"I was a little disappointed -- he'd never written a forward before, we sent him the book and he said, 'Oh I saw some excerpts and I'm going to decline"

The strange thing is, why decline? Many years ago, both Jobs and Woz' founded the now immensely successful Apple, regardless of the lack of Steve Wozniak's contribution to the company within recent years. "I don't know why he declined -- I'm nice to him, so there must have been something [in the book] he didn't like."

He continued explaining his relationship with Steve Jobs saying that they have not been close friends for a while, and expressed it could be interpreted they weren't really too close during the first years of working together, due to there differentiating aims for Apple and general prospects.

In conclusion, its disappointing to see these two great people slowly drift further and further apart.

Steve Jobs is known for his dramatic presentations when introducing new products to the world. His charisma and his enthusiasm offer a look into a man who would seemingly place his life behind a few products. His iPod has been embraced by the world over, including difficult markets in other countries where American brands had previously failed.

Investors continue shoving money down Apple's throats and the business world admires the work of the man at the helm of one of the most innovative companies in America today. But how does he do it? And how can you learn from Steve Jobs' presentation that can help you to be more effective in your own presentations? Business Week tackles the subject in an article that illustrates, point-by-point, exactly what constitutes a Steve Jobs presentation. If you think you can benefit from the tactics of one of the country's top executives, be sure to check out the article.

Anyone who has watched a Jobs keynote will tell you he is one of the most extraordinary speakers in Corporate America. Jobs learned a long time ago that a leader must be a company evangelist and brand spokesperson. Yeah, so if Apple ever calls me up to re-introduce the Macbook or the iPod, I think I've got a good handle on how to do it.