Apple Music Special Event: The Good, The Bad, The Missing

Let's break out the Sept. 9 Apple Music into three parts: The Good, The Bad, and The Missing:

The Good:

Steve Jobs Appeared: While people are sure to continue to speculate on his health, the bottomline is, he was there, and he is actively involved with the company.

iPod Nano: A decent update, staying a step ahead of the competition, at least in terms of "bang for the buck." New shape means new cases, which means even more revenue for Apple, and accessory manufacturers. As a former Apple retail worker though, I feel bad for those who will be dealing with customers looking for specific colors. It sounds harmless enough, but look for another post shortly on why it can be hell.

iPod Touch: A curved shape is nice, and a price drop is swell, but the speaker is probably the biggest feature to propel the touch forward, and sells a lot more apps.

HD TV shows: Great for those who want HD on their computer/Apple TV

NBC Shows Return: More content is always better.

The Bad:
$79 Earphones: Let's hope Apple learned its lesson with the HiFi speaker. If these earphones don't stand up to the other $79 options, then don't put them out there.

The New Nano Look: When the 3rd gen "fatty" Nano came out, some people hated it, some loved it, and some were won over. It looks like the new Zune-esque screen will garner equal love and disdain.

Audio DRM Still Kicking: More the labels fault than Apple at this point, but let's let the music go free. Are there any statistics to indicate the iTunes Plus tracks have been pirated in any great numbers?

The Missing:

Music Subscription Service: Two major advertisers during MTV's VMA's were Rhapsody and Verizon, both peddling subscription music plans. No iPod/iTunes ads at all. Apple needs to get in on subscriptions before it's too late.

Apple TV: No news on company's biggest "hobby." No sales figures either.

CPU Updates: While not expected at a music event, the fact remains several Macs are due for updates on the surface, and under the hood.

Live video analysis of today's announcements

Just a quick reminder that after the dust settles on whatever Apple may release today, we'll have live video analysis and video walkthroughs of any new software/hardware at 5PM ET /2PM PT.

Moto Chaser for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Freeverse Software has changed the title of their iTunes App Store launch title from Moto Racer to Moto Chaser, and they've made some key changes along the way. First, a $4 drop in price. Second, the layout of the controls is better, and finally the steering is now tolerable.

Here's a look:

Audi A4 Challenge iPhone Game Review

You would think a major car manufacturer taking advantage of the iPhone as a promotional gaming platform would have the potential to create something fun and innovative. The Audi A4 Challenge for iPhone and iPod Touch is neither.

As a matter of fact, the poor quality of gameplay could actually reflect poorly on the cars. The handling of the tiny Audi on your screen is horrible. Maybe it needs traction control.

Take a look:

Microsoft, That's All You Got?

Remember all the talk about the Microsoft ads intended to combat the "Mac vs PC" ads? Well, the first one has shown up. And, well, here: