iPod nano privacy concerns; Adobe Lightroom success; more

A major chain of gyms has banned the new iPod nano with camera from its locker rooms; Adobe claims Lightroom is four times as popular as Apple's Aperture; and a vote is due Wednesday on an accounting rule change that could benefit Apple.

iPod nano with camera not welcome in locker rooms

Apple's new iPod nano sports a slim form factor that includes a video camera. The tiny size of the device has become a concern for Life Time Fitness, a company that runs 84 gyms in 19 states. As a result, the new iPod nano has been prohibited from use entirely in the facilities' locker rooms.

In a new report from the Pioneer Press, company spokesman Jason Thunstrom said it is impossible to tell whether a user is choosing a song to play or shooting a video. Bans have also been placed on camera-equipped cellphones at health clubs for years.

The company will allow exercisers to use the new iPod nano while working out, but shooting video while exercising is also prohibited.

The fifth-generation iPod nano has a total size of 1.1 cubic inches. The 8GB model ($149) can record up to 7 hours of video, while the 16GB capacity ($179) can capture 14 hours.

Adobe touts Lightroom success vs. Aperture

In a new blog post, John Nack, principal product manager for Photoshop at Adobe, provided some numbers that show the purported market share of Lightroom and Aperture in total, and specifically on the Mac platform. The numbers suggest that Apple's proprietary Aperture program has lost ground while Lightroom has seen gains.

"As always, everyone at Adobe couldn't be happier about the warm reception pro photographers have given LR, and we're grateful to the amazing, thriving community that's grown up around the product," Nack wrote. "The team has just scratched the surface of Lightroom's potential, and the future looks great."

In 2008, Photoshop Lightroom 2 was released as Adobe's first 64-bit Mac application, beating Aperture and Apple's other Pro software to the punch.

Accounting rule to receive vote Wednesday

The Financial Accounting Standards Board is set to vote Wednesday on a proposed rule change that could have a significant impact on Apple's reported earnings. Drafted weeks ago, the new rule is expected to help Apple, which is currently required to use "subscription accounting" for its iPhone-related filings.

According to Fortune Brainstorm Tech, the FASB will decide on Wednesday whether to approve the new rule, for which Apple heavily lobbied in favor.

Analysts believe the change could have a major impact on the handset maker's reported earnings. Analyst Shaw Wu, with Kaufman Bros., said that the company's revenue was underestimated by $1.4 billion, or 17 percent, last quarter. In addition, he said earnings per share were under-valued by $0.78, or 58 percent.

The proposed rule change would affect the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) enforced by the FASB, a private, not-for-profit group which sets accounting standards for U.S. public companies under the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Analysts like Wu, and Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray, believe that the change could have a positive impact on Apple's stock price.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/22/