YouTube and Apple Almost One: QuickTime Sync With YouTube

 

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For whatever reason - proximity to each other in Silicon Valley, a mutual admiration for the culture of each firm, or more concretely Apple's constant drive to make its computers the best for video-bloggers - it seems Apple Computer and YouTube are all but one company.

Consider that according to Apple Insider, Apple now has built in support for YouTube across all of the latest versions of its main product lines: IPhone, Apple TV, iMovie, and now QuickTime. Soon, you will be able to directly upload your QuickTime-based video to YouTube right from the upcoming QuickTime X Player software (and part of the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system to be released this summer).

Why is this a big deal?

Consider what a video-blogger has to do as of this writing to upload a video. Let's take the one I installed today regarding ESPN and The Oakland Raiders. First, I used my Flip Video Camera to record my monologue, then took the camcorder and plugged it into my MacBook. That action opened the Flip Video software and I downloaded the clips I created. Then I opened iMovie6 (I'm not a fan of the current version of iMovie), edited and compressed the clips, and the result was a ".mov" file that I can open in QuickTime. Instead I used TubeMogul to upload the video to multiple sites including YouTube, Blip.tv, and Viddler.

(As a note, never use just one video-distribution site. You'll be sorry. More on why in a later installment.)

Now there are occasions where my video files are larger than 500 MB, making TubeMogul unusable. For those scenarios and this new provision I could just open QuickTime and do the uploading from there. What I love is Apple Computer has made creating video-blogs a nearly super simple task. And YouTube has altered its site such that its easier than ever to actually earn revenue from making videos and promoting ones channel. To digress for a moment, I can now embed a small version of my YouTube channel on a blog or website, like so:



But the bottom line is the constant advance of the mating of Apple and YouTube for the benefit of video-bloggers. Videoblogging is the next frontier of media but many people are still intimidated by it. Hopefully as these developments continue, more and more people will take up videoblogging in much the same way they blog today.

Apple's Steve Jobs Still Plans to Return After June

More ar SFGate: “Apple Inc. co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs still expects to return from his medical leave at the end of June, according to an Apple director who responded to an investor at the company's annual shareholder meeting Wednesday.

The investor — who was the only one to press for details on Jobs' health — had asked when the board knew Jobs planned to step away from his daily duties. Apple director Arthur Levinson responded that since Jobs announced Jan. 14 that he needed to go on leave, "nothing has changed."”

-- Having just lost a relative to Pancreatic Cancer I wonder how Jobs is being treated? What is the procedure and of course, how much did it cost?

Steve Jobs taking medical leave of absence | Apple

More at CNET News: “Apple has confirmed that CEO Steve Jobs will step down from his CEO post while recuperating from a hormone imbalance. His absence will stretch until the end of June.
Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, will run the company during Jobs' absence, according an e-mail Jobs sent to Apple employees that was released to the media.
Jobs said in the e-mail:
Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week, I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
Trading in Apple's stock was halted following the announcement but resumed around 2 p.m. PT, falling more than 8 percent, as investors digested the news.”

Steve Jobs is Very Much Alive! Leave Him Alone!

More at MOBODOJO: “I’m periodically amazed at the lengths hackers will go to do something stupid. What they are doing now is hacking MacRumors live blog feed from the MacWorld keynote. The first comment indicated that Steve Jobs had died, which is untrue. ”

-- Yiah! What's the deal with hackers wishing that Steve Jobs was dead? This started with the infamous iReport video and has went from there. Maybe the best thing is for Jobs to walk around the floor of MacWorld just so they all leave him alone.

Or is that wishful thinking?

No Steve Jobs in 2009: Apple Announces Its Last Year at Macworld

Apple Announces Its Last Year at MacworldFrom Apple's website: “CUPERTINO, California—December 16, 2008—Apple® today announced that this year is the last year the company will exhibit at Macworld Expo. Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will deliver the opening keynote for this year’s Macworld Conference & Expo, and it will be Apple’s last keynote at the show. The keynote address will be held at Moscone West on Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Macworld will be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center January 5-9, 2009.”

-- This is definitely the end of an era. I can't imagine anyone getting up at 4 AM to hear Phillip Schiller speak in the morning. I can't help but wonder what the real story here is.

iTunes Makes Apple #1 Music Retailer In U.S.A

According to ArtsTechnica.com, Apple has risen to become the number one music retailer in the United States, and all of those transactions are online - not one single money exchange was done by a cash register in an Apple store.

That's amazing. Apple has surpassed WalMart, BestBuy and another online retailer Amazon.com to reach this position. But this should firmly cement in the mind of the public the fact that online retail is not a fad and is the next wave of transactions.

But ArtsTechnica points to a "dark side" of Apple's success because many "offline" retail purchases are of high-end CD's, so Apple's success means that the overall revenue of the music industry is falling.

Apple MacBook Air At MacWorld San Francisco

This is one of many videos I made at this week's MacWorld San Francisco at Moscone Center, where the star this year is the MacBook Air computer. It's a very, very thin device that only costs $1,799. But according to Mickey Settler, a Mac expert who appears in the video, it has some design flaws that make it less than desirable for current Mac users contemplating a switch.

Steve Wozniak on All Things Apple - Laptopmag.com

The Way It Woz: Steve Wozniak on All Things Apple

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talks to LAPTOP about Leopard, the iPhone, and the future of computing.

by Joanna Stern
10/26/2007

It's been more than three decades since Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs formed Apple Computer, where "the Woz" brought the Apple I and II to life, and where he played a critical role in bringing the original Macintosh to market. He's considered one of the most influential people in the history of personal computing, and his passion for producing easy-to-use software is still very much a part of Apple's DNA. On the eve of the Leopard launch, we asked Wozniak whether Apple was staying true to its roots and what innovations he'd like to see become a reality.

LAPTOP: How are you keeping busy these days?

Steve Wozniak: I've been doing various levels of volunteer work on local nonprofit boards. I also do regular speaking engagements around the world about my experience. I started a financial type company with a couple Apple executives, and we acquired a chip maker in Southern California. And we are called Jazz Technologies. At this point I haven't taken a role yet and am trying to figure out what part I will play.

L: Will you be switching to Leopard? Have you tried Vista?

Steve Wozniak: Yes, I will [switch to Leopard], the first day it comes out. I really don't know anything about it; I like to be surprised when I first play around with it. No, I haven't tried Vista. I bought Parallels, but I didn't install it. I don't have any desire to try out Vista and haven't seen the need to yet.

LAPTOP: You were recently quoted as saying that a lot of the intuitiveness had gone away from Apple's programs. Do you think Leopard might change that?

SW: Early on with the first Apples, we had these dreams that the computer would let you know what you wanted to do. The idea was that little icons or words would suggest what you wanted to do, but now I have to find my way around to odd little icons that aren't positioned in the prominent places. When conducting a common task, I have to go searching around in folders or the bottom of the screen. I don't think any of it will be solved with Leopard because I don't think there is incentive to. They want to make things easy, and if it seems easy and it can be demonstrated quickly then it's okay. The real dreams of how it will work for someone who knows nothing about the computer have been lost and don't get addressed anymore.

L: What about the aesthetic appeal of the OS?

SW: I don't think it makes it easier or harder. I think it's just more fun.

L: Do you think Linux has a lot of potential?

SW: I don't think it's going to make a big mark. The masses of users aren't going to be going that way. You have to be in a geeky crowd to take advantage of that. You have to be an expert, and not everyone is an expert. In my mind, it's very idealistic people, but most people want to take it easy.

L: Mac's notebook market share has climbed as high as 8.8 percent in the U.S. How much higher do you think it can go?

SW: I think Macintosh has a lot higher market share than it's ever credited for. I think normal people who buy and use computers on their own choose Macs. It's close to a 50/50 split in my mind. It's businesses that are buying thousands of Microsoft PCs, and there are tons of countries where Apple isn't sold at all.

L: Do you think Leopard will provide a boost?

SW: I don't think any operating system, despite all its promises, is what sells a computer nowadays. I think OS changes are just done to keep your loyal people happy. Learning an entirely new operating system is something no one wants to do. You get stuck on a platform, and you don't want to start learning a whole new computer system.

MacBook and Coffee - Two Friends Talk About The Mac

Blip.tv's Mike Hudack Brokers Deal With Rocketboom - Ads In QuickTime Videos A First

I got this from ClickZ as it's 2:45 AM and I'm too tired to blog it myself. Props to Mike.

Rocketboom’s quirky video blog now contain clickable video ad overlays that might mark the first time such ad units were created in QuickTime, according to those involved.

The ad campaigns are the result of a deal between Rocketboom and blip.tv, an online network that hosts, distributes, finds sponsors for and shares revenue with independently produced programs. Blip.tv is also now hosting Rocketboom segments, serving its RSS feed and syndicating it to other online video portals, said blip.tv co-founder and CEO Mike Hudack. Other shows on the growing site include Wallstrip, Geek Entertainment TV and Alive in Baghdad.

The first ad campaign to accompany Rocketboom episodes is for the second season of Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program. Blip.tv worked with New York ad agency Deep Focus to broker the deal. In addition to the QuickTime video ad overlay, the campaign includes post-roll videos for the Silverman show.

Blip.tv personnel began working with counterparts at Rocketboom several months ago and built the infrastructure needed to transfer Rocketboom’s hundreds of episodes to blip.tv, said Hudack. It also developed what Hudack calls “pioneering new technology” needed to serve the Silverman campaign ads.

Hudack said he believes it’s the first time anybody has created interactive QuickTime overlay ads that behave similarly to the more common Flash units. “Historically, with Flash video on the Web you can pretty much do anything you want, but QuickTime is more complicated and more difficult to work with,” he said. “QuickTime is not an authoring environment." He said the overlay comes up within a few seconds of the initiation of a video and has a close button..

Hudack declined to share early results, but he said the partnership is "seeing good viewership numbers and good impression numbers.”

The QuickTime overlay works in iTunes and Miro. In his blog, Hudack praised “the brilliant Dennis Backus of Apple’s QuickTime team and Josh Paul of Aweli” for their work on the project. He also said Rocketboom co-creator Andrew Michael Baron, “wouldn’t settle for just any QuickTime advertising implementation” and “insisted on something groundbreaking.”

Blip.tv has 10 employees, three of which are involved in ad sales, working with “a number of different agencies and brands.”

In a statement, Deep Focus Media Director Eric Druckenmiller observed Rocketboom and Sarah Silverman are a good match since they feature “unique content” appreciated by both of their audiences. Hudack agreed, noting, “Everybody is trying to figure out how you take the content we deal with and match it with advertising” that resonates with the fans. He said many programs hosted by blip.tv have avid followers who are notified regularly when a new episode is available. “Some of these people get shows delivered on a daily basis,” said Hudack. “They develop a real relationship with the host or hostess.”

Also important is finding ways to serve advertisements that are as non-intrusive as possible, he said. The video overlays being used on Rocketboom are an example of this in that it gives viewers “the opportunity to learn more and, if they are not interested, to kind of tune it out or, if they want, to close it."

Philip de Vellis Is Creator Of "1984-Hillary" Video - MacBook and Apple Wins Again!

Thanks to the Huffington Post , we have the identity of the person who created the 1984-Hillary video. His name is Phillip de Vellis.

According to records, Philip de Vellis was the Deputy Director of Internet Communications for Wal-Mart Watch, nationwide public education campaign to challenge the world’s largest retailer to become a better employer, neighbor, and corporate citizen. Prior to working on the Kerry-Edwards campaign in Cleveland, OH, Philip was a commercial editor in Los Angeles for 5 years.

He's also got a channel on YouTube competitor Blip.tv.

Now, he works -- or did work -- Blue State Digital , where he was a strategist. But he says he made the video on his off hours using his Mac computer and video editing software to alter an updated version of a classic Apple ad that aired during the Super Bowl in 1984. (The Black MacBook's my computer of choice -- I have that one and a White MacBook, too.)

Phil was invited to tell his story at The Huffington Post. He wrote:

Hi. I'm Phil. I did it. And I'm proud of it.

I made the "Vote Different" ad because I wanted to express my feelings about the Democratic primary, and because I wanted to show that an individual citizen can affect the process. There are thousands of other people who could have made this ad, and I guarantee that more ads like it--by people of all political persuasions--will follow.



Damn right.

So Apple emerges as the real winner in the 2008 Presidential race. Someone call Steve Jobs!

But my previous point about the very real possibility of using this technology to re-create history is still an active one. It could happen.

I don't think this is a set back for the Obama campaign. Hey, the guy was a little over zealous, but he did create a classic video and it has a message that resonates with many people.

Big Apple Bullies Tiny Paul O'Brien, A Blogger Who Posted iPone GUI

Yep. Apple. Never happy with any aspect of its environment it can't control, took its giant foot and stepped on a small blogger this week. Paul O'Brien dared to -- well, he didn't know it was going to be a problem if he posted an image of Apple's iPhone in a converted version for Pocket PC users. All he did..well here's the story:

Apple legal throw their weight around...
Sat, 13/01/2007 - 08:58 — Paul
Can you believe it... yesterday, in this topic, I posted a link to a post on XDA-Developers, where an enterprising member had created a Pocket PC today screen to mimic the Apple iPhone.

It's worth pointing out I just posted a link and a screenshot... NOT the actual files required to DO the installation.

Well, this morning in my mailbox I find a letter from Apple's legal team (O’Melveny & Myers LLP, San Francisco) entitled 'Unauthorized Dissemination of Apple Computer Copyrighted Material by MoDaCo' demanding I remove the said link and the screenshot. Crazy or what? Unfortunately the mail was marked 'NOT FOR POSTING', exactly how bound I am by that i'm not sure.

A bit excessive IMHO... and although I can accept that they can get upset over the screenshot, can they really demand I remove the link too? :-S