http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/07/sony_in_blu_ray_talks_with_apple_microsoft.html
Sony in Blu-ray talks with Apple, Microsoft
By Slash Lane
Published: 11:00 AM EST
With its victory last month in the high-definition DVD format war, Sony is
now said to be entertaining talks with rivals Apple and Microsoft over
supplying its Blu-ray drives for future generations of the pair's
electronics devices.
Microsoft has thus far backed To****ba's HD DVD format and offered an HD
DVD
drive that can be plugged into the Xbox 360, while Apple has remained
relatively neutral, patiently waiting for the battle to resolve itself of
its own volition.
The Financial Times is now citing Sony Electronics chief executive Stan
Glasgow -- the same executive who recently vouched for Sony-branded Apple
TV
competitor -- as saying talks are underway with Microsoft over adopting
Blu-ray in the 360, making it more competitive with the Sony PS3, but at
the
same time generating incremental revenues for the Japanese electronics
maker.
"Mr. Glasgow, speaking at a media dinner, added that discussions were also
taking place with Apple, which has not offered Blu-ray drives on any of
its
computers so far and has focused on digital media via downloads and
streaming through devices such as its Apple TV," the financial paper said.
The re****t adds corroboration to an AppleInsider re****t from last Friday,
which noted that Apple and Sony were in discussions over slot-loading
Blu-ray drives for a future generation of Apple's MacBook Pro notebook
series.
People claiming to be familiar with the matter had said that Sony is
prepared to deliver Blu-ray Combo Drives capable of reading and writing CD
media, but not writing Blu-ray DVD media. Apple, however, is said to have
only expressed interest in a SuperDrive variant that could also write
Blu-ray discs.
Should Apple reach an agreement to offer the Sony drives as part of its
Mac
platform this year, it's likely to do so only as a build-to-order option.
As
noted by the Times, most models currently fetch around $399.
Glasgow, however, noted that prices should fall to $299 by this holiday
shopping season and to about $200 next year.
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