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Apple to build second data center in Oregon
News network KTVZ has confirmed with Apple that the company plans to build another big data center on a 160-acre section of land just outside of Crook County, Oregon. The land that the data center will be built on cost Apple US$5.6 million. Until February 15, the paperwork that solidified the deal was hidden from public eyes, with Apple only being referred to as "Project Maverick." A piece of paper filed earlier this month identified Apple's address as "1 Infinite Loop," and Apple has now confirmed that it's going to be developing the land. Apple's other data center in North Carolina has gotten a lot of press, but this new one isn't quite so surprising. We can expect it'll be used for Apple's extensive App Store traffic, plus various iCloud services and things like iTunes Match. Building in Oregon is smart as well; land is cheaper there than almost anywhere else along the West Coast (Facebook happens to have a data center nearby as well), and the proximity to big tech cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle will set Apple up well for future Internet-based services. While $5.6 million may sound like a lot, it's a drop in the bucket for both the cost of the data center and compared to Apple's considerable (to say the least) cash holdings. Apple also confirmed that this data center will be a "green" facility (as it's come under fire from environmental concerns for its data centers in the past), but given that plans probably aren't finalized yet, we'll have to wait and see what that means. [via Mac Rumors]
How does NBC justify tape delaying the Olympics? Pretty easily
You can't throw a rock on the internet without hitting someone frustrated by NBC's handling of the Winter Olympics. ESPN and The New York Times can barely hide their giggles while posting event results hours before they air and West Coast viewers have to endure an additional delay to watch an event happening in their own time zone. Compare these quotes by NBC Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol, first in 2001, then later in 2008 posted by Deadspin and The Bastard Machine: 2001 - "A domestic Olympics cries out to be telecast live across the entire country as previous U.S. games have been," he said. "I am emphatic that delaying our primetime Salt Lake coverage is a mistake." 2008 - "...the viewers have repeatedly told us that the vast majority of them, well in excess of 80 percent, want to see the Olympics when they're available to see the Olympics. They don't want to see the key events of the day happening at 4 or 5 o'clock their time." Meanwhile NBC CEO Jeff Zucker a.k.a. the guy who keeps Heroes on the air appears completely pleased by the ratings results in this video interview with CNBC embedded after the break. Whether it's still the local affiliates who are to blame or simply a silent majority of tape delay loving Luddites, it doesn't appear NBC plans on changing course for any reason. Still, feel free to drop by their message boards and let them know how you really feel about it, and hope ESPN nabs the rights for future Games.
ESPN's SportsCenter goes West Coast & 1080p production tonight
Think you've seen everything SportsCenter has to offer? Already a go to channel for most HDTV owners by default, the next big change to ESPN's daily news show is the debut of a West Coast produced edition, coming 5 days a week at 1 a.m. EST / 10 p.m. PST. The Sony-outfitted digs in the L.A. Live entertainment complex are the world's first capable of 1080p production (what, no 3D?), but until someone starts broadcasting live that way, it'll be the same 720p as usual when Neil Everett and Stan Verett bring it to your house featuring a Magic Johnson / Larry Bird interview on the 30th anniversary of their championship game tonight. Read - ESPN's studio in L.A. debuts Read - Bird and Magic Interview on Debut of SportsCenter from Los Angeles Monday, April 6
Pioneer to launch new West Coast stores in 2009
Left coast gadget-philes will have a few new playgrounds sometime after spring of 2009, when Pioneer adds at least three more West Coast locations to the current Costa Mesa, CA store. Specific locations and dates have not been announced, but the stores will hopefully add some brand presence for Pioneer as it gets its restructuring efforts underway. Yeah, it's ironic that the Pioneer store will be populated by Panasonic panels (and maybe Sharp, too), as well as JVC beamers. But hopefully this move will help give Pioneer some more of the upscale appeal it's seeking (and pricing for). We've chided Pioneer's marketing for not making better use of the fact that its plasmas were generally regarded as "top of the class," so hopefully this move marks a new approach. We'd also suggest reallocating concept car floor space to darkened demo theaters. [Image courtesy ocregister]
SportsCenter changes up the formula starting August 11
The daily SportsCenter rotation marks time for many a sports junkie, but starting this fall, everything will be different. Timed for the start of the Beijing Olympics, SportsCenter is switching to a live edition from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. News vet Hannah Storm will host from 9 a.m. until noon each day, in an effort to balance with ESPN2's morning programming and ESPNews. Smaller tweaks include a continuous Bottom Line news ticker that scrolls headlines throughout the show and commercial breaks, and an ESPNews-style Rundown vertical listing of upcoming stories. Next spring ESPN takes the wrapper off its Sony-powered LA studio, debuting a 10 p.m. PT / 1 a.m. ET live SportsCenter broadcast skewed for the West Coast. Endless reruns of SportsCenter throughout the night and early morning have been a fixture for more than a decade, this adjustment strikes us on the level of political unrest, a weakening dollar and global climate change. [Via Variety]
DirecTV migrating West Coast locals to MPEG4 only
Shortly after getting word that Palm Springs, California residents can now look forward to getting their locals via DirecTV (if only in MPEG4 SD, for now), it seems that the satellite provider is urging all West Coast residents to make the switch to MPEG4. According to a note received by DBSTalk's Chris Blount, "customers with HD DNS channels will start to see crawls," which will purportedly encourage them to contact DirecTV in order to arrange for a 5 LNB dish and an MPEG4 HD receiver. Furthermore, we're also told that the new lineup will consist of CBSWHD on channel 391, NBCWHD on 393, ABCWHD on 397 and FOXWHD on 399. For whatever it's worth, the message will supposedly only reach those "in the Western half of the US" for now, but who knows when said alert will make its way east.[Thanks, Earl]
