Music lovers who paid extra for their iPods because of a levy will soon be able to get their money back, Apple Canada announced Monday.

"Apple is pleased that the Supreme Court of Canada let stand a lower court ruling that blank media levies on iPods are invalid, and will shortly announce a claims process so consumers can request a refund for the levies they paid," the company said in a release.

In July, the Supreme Court refused to overturn a Federal Court of Canada ruling that quashed the levy, which was applied to iPods and similar digital music players. The tax had been passed on to consumers by companies like Apple and was collected by the Canadian Private Copying Collective, a non-profit agency that works on behalf of musicians and record companies. The levy was in effect from December 2003 until a year later, when the Federal Court overturned it.

The Canadian Coalition for Fair Digital Access, which represents retailers and manufactures like Future Shop, Wal-Mart Canada, Apple Canada, Sony Canada and Dell Computer Corporation of Canada, had lobbied to have it abolished. The tariff was $2 for non-removable memory capacity of up to one gigabyte, $15 for one to 10 GB, and $25 for more than 10 GB. About $4 million was collected by the CPCC from sales of iPods and the like during the tariff's one-year life.

The CPCC got the levy instituted in the first place because it successfully argued that iPod users were making illegal copies of songs, so money should be collected on behalf of the copyright holders. Details of how to apply for the refund from Apple were not announced on Monday. ...

Music lovers who paid extra for their iPods because of a levy will soon be able to get their money back, Apple Canada announced Monday.

"Apple is pleased that the Supreme Court of Canada let stand a lower court ruling that blank media levies on iPods are invalid, and will shortly announce a claims process so consumers can request a refund for the levies they paid," the company said in a release.

In July, the Supreme Court refused to overturn a Federal Court of Canada ruling that quashed the levy, which was applied to iPods and similar digital music players. The tax had been passed on to consumers by companies like Apple and was collected by the Canadian Private Copying Collective, a non-profit agency that works on behalf of musicians and record companies. The levy was in effect from December 2003 until a year later, when the Federal Court overturned it.

The Canadian Coalition for Fair Digital Access, which represents retailers and manufactures like Future Shop, Wal-Mart Canada, Apple Canada, Sony Canada and Dell Computer Corporation of Canada, had lobbied to have it abolished. The tariff was $2 for non-removable memory capacity of up to one gigabyte, $15 for one to 10 GB, and $25 for more than 10 GB. About $4 million was collected by the CPCC from sales of iPods and the like during the tariff's one-year life.

The CPCC got the levy instituted in the first place because it successfully argued that iPod users were making illegal copies of songs, so money should be collected on behalf of the copyright holders. Details of how to apply for the refund from Apple were not announced on Monday. ...

Apple today announced that music fans in Japan have purchased and downloaded more than one million songs from the iTunes® Music Store since its launch just four days ago. With over 90 percent of the songs priced at just ¥150 per song, the iTunes Music Store in Japan features a mix of local favorites and popular international artists, with Japanese artists claiming both the number one song (Def Tech) and the number one album (Ulfuls).

“iTunes has become Japan’s number one online music store in just four days,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iTunes has sold twice as many songs in just four days as all the other online music services in Japan sell in one month.” ...

Apple today announced that music fans in Japan have purchased and downloaded more than one million songs from the iTunes® Music Store since its launch just four days ago. With over 90 percent of the songs priced at just ¥150 per song, the iTunes Music Store in Japan features a mix of local favorites and popular international artists, with Japanese artists claiming both the number one song (Def Tech) and the number one album (Ulfuls).

“iTunes has become Japan’s number one online music store in just four days,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iTunes has sold twice as many songs in just four days as all the other online music services in Japan sell in one month.” ...

Jobs made no secret of iPod's challenge to Sony during his presentation, telling the crowd that the iPod was outselling Sony's latest star product, the PlayStation Portable, or PSP. Sony sold about 2 million PSPs in the last quarter but Apple shipped more than 6 million iPods during that same time.

Offerings from Japanese artists on Sony labels aren't available on iTunes, said Sony Music Entertainment spokeswoman Kiyono Yoshinaga.

"We are in talks with Apple, but we have not reached an agreement at this time," she said, while declining to give details ...

Jobs made no secret of iPod's challenge to Sony during his presentation, telling the crowd that the iPod was outselling Sony's latest star product, the PlayStation Portable, or PSP. Sony sold about 2 million PSPs in the last quarter but Apple shipped more than 6 million iPods during that same time.

Offerings from Japanese artists on Sony labels aren't available on iTunes, said Sony Music Entertainment spokeswoman Kiyono Yoshinaga.

"We are in talks with Apple, but we have not reached an agreement at this time," she said, while declining to give details ...

Advertisers fear their messages may get edited out by the growing band of iPod listeners, writes Paul Durman

PERSONAL video recorders, such as Sky+, are already scaring the living daylights out of television advertisers, fearful that viewers will quickly learn to fast-forward through the commercials. Now the podcasting phenomenon is posing a similar threat to commercial radio.

Podcasting can make radio broadcasts and other audio files available over the internet, allowing them to be downloaded and saved on an iPod or similar digital music player.

Since podcasting started to gain popularity last autumn, it has quickly been embraced by conventional radio companies, in addition to the many amateur broadcasters who were the first to adopt the technology. The BBC and Virgin Radio are both in the vanguard of those experimenting with podcasts.

It is easy to see the appeal. Podcasting breaks down the temporal and geographical limitations of radio. If you want to listen to the Today programme in Toronto at 10pm, you can.

Chris Kimber, head of radio interactive at the BBC, said feedback from listeners had been “overwhelmingly” positive. “The feedback is: ‘We absolutely love this. When are you going to start offering more of your programmes like this?’” The BBC trial includes the Chris Moyles show from Radio 1, as well as the main interview from the Today programme and Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent. Kimber said: “You can listen to it on a plane or on holiday in France. You can take it with you.”

He said the BBC was keen to ensure that radio remained relevant to a mobile generation growing up with the iPod.

The danger, at least for commercial broadcasters, is that the podcast generation will stop listening to the advertisements. It is almost as easy to skip ads with a digital music player as it is with a Sky+ box.

Roger Parry, the chairman of ClearChannel International, part of America’s biggest radio company, said: “You have exactly the same sort of issues that you have with a Sky+ box.

“The conventional, 30-second spot is threatened. The more power you have to listen to something under your control the less likely you are to sit through (an advertisement).”

Audiences could also fragment if podcasting takes off in a big way. That could have commercial implications. Our listener in Toronto is not very valuable to an advertiser offering tool hire in Tooting.

But there will also be new opportunities. James Cridland, head of new-media strategic development at Virgin Radio, said: “We believe we can reach new audiences for our advertisers that we otherwise couldn’t. It’s a great marketing tool.

“There are a lot of people who will be able to sample what our breakfast show is all about who perhaps would not have otherwise listened to Virgin Radio.”

Virgin’s Pete and Geoff breakfast show began daily podcasting in March, the first such move by a British radio station.

The podcast is stripped of the news, weather and travel information that would date it. More awkwardly, for copyright reasons Virgin also has to remove the music.

Cridland said: “What you end up with is the best of our breakfast show and what people tune in for — which apart from the music is the entertaining and wry observations on the world.” ...

Advertisers fear their messages may get edited out by the growing band of iPod listeners, writes Paul Durman

PERSONAL video recorders, such as Sky+, are already scaring the living daylights out of television advertisers, fearful that viewers will quickly learn to fast-forward through the commercials. Now the podcasting phenomenon is posing a similar threat to commercial radio.

Podcasting can make radio broadcasts and other audio files available over the internet, allowing them to be downloaded and saved on an iPod or similar digital music player.

Since podcasting started to gain popularity last autumn, it has quickly been embraced by conventional radio companies, in addition to the many amateur broadcasters who were the first to adopt the technology. The BBC and Virgin Radio are both in the vanguard of those experimenting with podcasts.

It is easy to see the appeal. Podcasting breaks down the temporal and geographical limitations of radio. If you want to listen to the Today programme in Toronto at 10pm, you can.

Chris Kimber, head of radio interactive at the BBC, said feedback from listeners had been “overwhelmingly” positive. “The feedback is: ‘We absolutely love this. When are you going to start offering more of your programmes like this?’” The BBC trial includes the Chris Moyles show from Radio 1, as well as the main interview from the Today programme and Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent. Kimber said: “You can listen to it on a plane or on holiday in France. You can take it with you.”

He said the BBC was keen to ensure that radio remained relevant to a mobile generation growing up with the iPod.

The danger, at least for commercial broadcasters, is that the podcast generation will stop listening to the advertisements. It is almost as easy to skip ads with a digital music player as it is with a Sky+ box.

Roger Parry, the chairman of ClearChannel International, part of America’s biggest radio company, said: “You have exactly the same sort of issues that you have with a Sky+ box.

“The conventional, 30-second spot is threatened. The more power you have to listen to something under your control the less likely you are to sit through (an advertisement).”

Audiences could also fragment if podcasting takes off in a big way. That could have commercial implications. Our listener in Toronto is not very valuable to an advertiser offering tool hire in Tooting.

But there will also be new opportunities. James Cridland, head of new-media strategic development at Virgin Radio, said: “We believe we can reach new audiences for our advertisers that we otherwise couldn’t. It’s a great marketing tool.

“There are a lot of people who will be able to sample what our breakfast show is all about who perhaps would not have otherwise listened to Virgin Radio.”

Virgin’s Pete and Geoff breakfast show began daily podcasting in March, the first such move by a British radio station.

The podcast is stripped of the news, weather and travel information that would date it. More awkwardly, for copyright reasons Virgin also has to remove the music.

Cridland said: “What you end up with is the best of our breakfast show and what people tune in for — which apart from the music is the entertaining and wry observations on the world.” ...

The next generation of consoles are nearly upon us. Assuming a November release for the Xbox 360, we're but three months away from the first next-gen system. All three consoles promise not only enhanced visuals and some exciting new features, like wireless controllers standard for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and the highly secretive Nintendo Revolution controller, but they also promise greatly enhanced online and network functionality.

The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are both capable of being turned into media centers for your entertainment system as the Xbox 360 has built-in Windows Media Center Extender capabilities and the PlayStation 3 hard drive will ship with a version of Linux. The Revolution too promises great online functionality with Nintendo creating its own online service and even offering NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 games for download and play on the Revolution.

How demanding will the next-gen systems be on an Internet connection though? While the networked media functions and whatnot should work nicely over a fast wireless or 100Mbit wired connection, online gaming and media downloads looks like it may require quite a hefty connection to take full advantage of the systems' abilities.

For instance, many Xbox 360 games will feature support for 64 players online, and many PlayStation 3 games will likely support the same number. Add in full voice support and something like a first-person shooter will already require double the bandwidth of similar 32 player games on current-gen machines. Battlefield 2 for the PC supports 64 players, but you need to be on a very, very fast pipe in order to handle it.

Next-gen games will have a lot more going on that needs to be sent to each player in the game as well. For one, physics systems should be much more advanced than they are in current games, and all of that data will need to be sent to each client. As well, many next-gen games seem to be pushing many, many times more AI characters on-screen simultaneously than current games, so anything with online co-op play will need to send data for each one of those characters. We've heard of games having 2,000 characters/enemies on-screen simultaneously; it would take a massive connection to be able to keep up with that data.

So the question then is whether or not "standard" broadband access will be enough for some of these games. Will a 1.5Mbps DSL connection be good enough, or will gamers need something like a 6Mbps, 10Mbps or even higher to play at the games' most advanced settings? It seems as though college kids may have it best with dedicated optical connections running through their dorms. ...