AppleInsider reports today on more evidence that Apple will be updating high-end iPods soon. Specifically, they seem to be on sale at a few places. Amazon.com is selling iPods for 5%-7% off, depending on the model. This is hardly conclusive, though it is true that iPods typically sell for retail.  

I'm pleased to announce that Jackie in Berlin NJ has won FreeiPodGuy's most recent drawing. Jackie diligently submitted entries day after day, and the effort paid off.

Be sure to keep entering. Each day you submit another entry, you increase your chances of winning!  

CNet's News.Com site is reporting today that Gratis Internet, who runs FreeiPods.com, is being sued by the state of New York for violating its own privacy policy by selling millions of e-mail addresses of its users.

Now, I've never accused FreeiPods.com of being a scam site (despite the difficulty of the required offers and recruitments) or doing dirty business, and I'm not about to now. However, I thought this is a prime opportunity to remind FreeiPodGuy.com contest entrants that I'm here for one reason: to give away iPods. We will not violate our privacy policy, which is simply stated in its entirety here:

Privacy Policy
FreeiPodGuy respects your privacy, and your right to not receive spam. Your information will be kept private, unless you authorize us to release your personal information to third parties, or unless we are legally required to release it for law enforcement purposes. (I can't imagine what that would be. I'm just covering myself here.)  

France today passed a law forcing online music stores to allow interoperability with any music player. This essentially means that (a) Anyone--not just iPod users--can buy music from the iTunes Music Store, (b) iPod users can buy music from any music store, not just iTunes, and (c) Apple now has to choose between losing control over the whole iPod/iTunes package, or pulling out of France altogether.

It's difficult to argue with this from a consumer point of view, though its ultimate ramifications are unknown. More choice is good, but if the law means Apple takes their ball and goes home, that will mean less choice, not more.

The thing that concerns FreeiPodGuy more about this bill is that it also outlaws P2P file sharing software. I'll readily admit that P2P sharing is done illegally more than legally, but the principle that a useful technology will be unavailable to all because some users might use it illegally is abhorrent to me.  

A potential clash of the titans is in the works as both Apple and Microsoft may be preparing new killer products.

According to American Technology Research's Apple analyst Shaw Wu, the rumored new video iPod is more than just smoke and mirrors. CNNMoney.com reports Wu believes the new iPod will have a wider screen and bluetooth capability.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is apparently planning a new portable Xbox tie-in machine that, while primarily a gaming machine, could also pose a significant threat to the iPod's audio and video capabilities. With the Xbox, a Microsoft-branded Xbox Media Center-like product, and a new unit that can add portability to the mix, Microsoft is poised for a major move.

I'm loathe to use the term "iPod Killer", but Microsoft is definitely getting their ducks in a row.  

Macworld UK reports today that the French Parliament will vote on a bill which would require publishers of content with DRM to publish the specifications of their DRM, which would have the effect of (among other things) allowing users of non-iPod players to be used with iTunes.

Some analysts have speculated that if the bill is passed, Apple will withdraw from the French market.