Monday, September 12, 2005

Tiny iPod nano has makings of a big hit - The Boston Globe

Tiny iPod nano has makings of a big hit - The Boston Globe: "Even its name is tiny -- Apple decided to dispense with capital letters. And of course, the name hints at the up-and-coming science of the ultra-small.
Still, Apple may have been a tad too clever with the nomenclature. It seems that Creative Technology Ltd. of Singapore has been selling a music player called Nano since March. That's Nano, with a capital N. Perhaps that slight difference will matter to a trademark judge somewhere.
Apple's already in trouble with Creative, which last month won a US patent on a user interface technology similar to the one used by the iPod. Another feature of the iPod interface has also been patented -- by Microsoft Corp. Believe it or not, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs might end up owing royalties to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates.
...
We might have hoped for another Razr, the stunning little cellphone that dazzled the world last year. No such luck. Instead, the Rokr is a drab little lozenge of a camera phone, without a hint of iPod personality -- not even the magical scroll wheel. It's just a cellphone that plays music -- and only 100 songs at that. For this, Cingular hopes to charge $249 with a two-year cellular contract. You're better off spending the money on a nano."

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