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Bigwig notes iTunes music store sales are declining: it took 7 days to sell the first million, 9 for the second million, and 14 for the third. Will there be an asymptote or will sales decline forever? There was probably a "cool, check this out" effect fueled by the positive publicity the store's opening received; over time it will settle in. The important thing is that a viable alternative to free has been established.
CNet considers whether it might be Amazon vs. Apple in music downloads...
If you enjoy Steve Jobs (I do, I do!) then check out Denise Howell's unofficial transcript of an interview by Walt Mossberg. "[at Apple] there are no plans to make a tablet. It turns out people want keyboards. When Apple first started out, "People couldn't type. We realized: Death would eventually take care of this." I love it - read it all...
Scoble discovers two 70-year olds trying to install a printer under Windows XP. "Just another reminder that our products are too freaking hard to use." You have to give Robert credit, he is honest. This is why I recommend a Mac to anyone who "isn't technical"; you plug in the printer, and it works.
 Remember graph paper? How cool it is, and how useful? Well now you can make your own, with the Graph Paper Printer. Excellent. [ via Ned Batchelder ]
Alan MacCormack ponders The True Costs of Software. Or how "free" software like Linux isn't really free.
You know how you can find anything on eBay? Well, how about this: A Genuine Soviet Sputnik! Current bid is $25,000. But warning, these things don't hold their value; it cost more than that new :)
Speaking of communist nations with intentions of landing on the moon: former senator Bob Walker thinks the Chinese are next - within four years!
Dave Winer summarizes: "Microsoft, AOL settle browser suit. MS pays AOL $750 million. Web developers get $0. Web users get a buggy browser. Huh?"
CNet wonders Is this the end of Netscape?
Another hardware vendor turned software company bites the dust: 3DO files for bankruptcy. Founder Trip Hawkins was a media darling in the early 1990s with this company, which proved there is no market for $700 video game machines, despite a pre-revenue IPO which saw the company's market cap exceed $5B. Whew.
A musical version of The Lord of the Rings is being planned to open in London, in 2005. "This will be like nothing the West End has ever seen before." I am not making this up.
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