Business and Industry News 

Mac sales gain momentum as iPod sales growth slows

Apple Computer’s iPod has cornered more than 75% of the portable music player market, leaving little room for growth, but Mac computers are showing steady sales growth after the company finished the transition of its line to Intel‘s microchips in August, according to analysts.    Bloomberg/ClipSyndicate (10/17),   The Washington Post/Reuters (free registration) (10/17)

Q-and-A: Philips financial chief talks CE sales
Philips Electronics‘ CFO Pierre-Jean Sivignon says the company has built its business model to be able to ramp up its headcount when the consumer electronics sector demands it. Although third-quarter CE sales dipped 1% compared with a year earlier, growth in the company’s connected displays business helped push margins up to 2.2%.   Yahoo! (10/16)
Lenovo replaces IBM in Bluetooth standards group
Lenovo Group is replacing IBM as a board member in the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. The appointment reflects the importance of China as a Bluetooth market, as well as Lenovo’s growing clout in the tech industry.   The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (10/16)
Pilot study to gauge impact of traditional, new video
The Council for Research Excellence, an independent group that works with Nielsen Media Research, has commissioned Ball State University’s Center for Media Design to undertake a pilot study to track how consumers view both traditional and new forms of video, inside and outside the home. If the pilot seems worthwhile, a full, year-long media exposure study will be launched.   Adweek (10/16)
Panel: If Grandma can run it, technology is ready for everyone
For the burgeoning "connected home" trend to succeed in the mainstream, devices must be simple enough for grandma to operate, according to a panel at an industry conference. "If the content is simple, and one click works, people will consume more media," said Herve Utheza, vice president of TV properties for Orb Networks.   CNET (10/16)
Texting, for better or worse, is here to stay
Whether you see them as a force for good or bad, it’s clear that text messages have become a ubiquitous form of communication in the U.S.: In the first half of 2006, Americans sent nearly 65 billion text messages for things both frivolous — such as voting for an "American Idol" — and deadly serious, such as a message for help typed by a 14-year-old South Carolina girl trapped in an earthen dungeon.   The Washington Post/Associated Press (free registration) (10/16)
Other News
  Forecast: PS3 will outsell Wii in 2007
E-Commerce Times | 10/16
  WSJ survey tracks tech trends in Asia
The Wall Street Journal | 10/15
  Nokia rolls back prices for multimedia phones in Europe
America’s Network | 10/2006
  Report: Sony likely to recall 300,000 batteries
The Washington Post | 10/16

Technology Update 

Consumer Reports: Flat-panel TV quality up to snuff
Consumer Reports findings indicate that LCD and plasma TVs have reached reliability that is on par with tube TVs. The magazine’s investigative results showed few, if any first-year repair issues with flat panels, although the magazine said it is too early to determine the long-term reliability of the sets.   CE Pro (10/16)
"QR" could be the next big thing in wireless ads
Quick response ads allow mobile device users to download online information via bar codes embedded in movie posters, business cards and outdoor ads. The technology has spread like wildfire in Japan, in part because Denso Wave, the company that patented the process, allows its widespread free use among marketers. Moreover, wireless carriers have agreed on a single standard for reading the codes.   International Herald Tribune (10/16)
The birth of the iPod
Wired tells the story of the iPod’s birth, which was the product of a team effort headed by Steve Jobs, engineer Tony Fadell and Jon Rubinstein, the former head of Apple Computer’s hardware division.   Wired (10/17)

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