Apple’s recently announced that they would sell unencrypted audio files from EMI artists in a higher-quality digital audio format – 256 kbps AAC encoding, compared to 128 kbps AAC encoding with DRM. The higher quality will come at a premium, though, as Apple plans to charge about 30% more for the higher quality tracks. The [...]

San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is warning commuters that Apple’s iconic white earbuds are magnets for thieves. “Don’t be a target!” warns a BART flier distributed by at station entrances. “Use ear buds other than the standard iPod white, or other aftermarket headphones.” About 1 out of 10 robberies on the BART [...]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs isn’t worried about the latest iPod-killer wannabe, the Zune. While Microsoft may promote the Zune’s “community building” wireless features, Jobs says that iPods are better for connecting with girls: “I’ve seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song [...]