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There is very little to get excited about when it comes to new media file formats, for the average person. Sure, they offer better compression, better quality, smaller file sizes, etc., but they also cause headaches, render hardware obsolete, and just generally inconvenience everyday computer users. Apple is reportedly working on its own new format, but it looks like it could bring something to the table which will give everyone something to get excited about.

The new format, which is code named “Cocktail,” according to various whispers and rumbling around the web, will be more than just a new single-media codec. Instead, it will supposedly package a multitude of different components into one convenient package, which is why it presumably earned the Cocktail nickname.

Just like a mixed drink, it’ll deliver the main ingredient (music) with a selection of experience-enhancing extras, including lyrics, sounds, movies, and more. The new format is designed to draw in more digital music customers by providing extras you wouldn’t get via piracy, and to attract mainstream consumers who prefer traditional physical media because of box art, liner notes, and other perks that don’t always come with digital downloads.

The hope is that by offering a variety of extra incentives to buy full albums, digital music retailers will be able to avoid the kind of pick-and-choose single track purchasing that currently dominates the majority of online transactions. Personally, I’m a fan of encouraging musicians to focus on the album as a whole rather than just one or two chart-topping singles, but it’s probably a lot easier to slap some lipstick on a pig than to completely re-imagine the way pop music is made.

At least some people are taking these rumors very seriously, and are acting preemptively to avoid being left behind. Sony, Warner, Universal, and EMI, who have a love-hate relationship with Apple, since it drives a lot of revenue toward the record companies, but also dictate terms as a result, are developing a Cocktail competitor, and aren’t afraid to let people know about it.

The label-spearheaded format will feature artwork, liner notes, songs, videos, and images, and will all be combined in a central launch page that opens when you click on an album file. It sounds like there won’t be much difference between the two formats, with the exception that Apple’s will probably be fully iTunes compatible from the start, while the label conglomerate will likely have to seek alternate delivery routes, like Amazon, to distribute theirs.

While I personally don’t see myself rushing to pick up digital albums with a bunch of extras of questionable merit (shovelware?) thrown in, especially if they command a premium price, it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in terms of the ongoing battle between Apple and the major labels for control of the digital music industry.

I was just installing the Garage Band update on my Mac mini, when lo and behold, upon checking again at completion for updates, the 10.5.8 cumulative update appeared.

I’ve yet to update my mini to 10.5.7, because of reported issues with outputting to 720p resolution, which is the resolution of the TV I have it connected to. 10.5.8 appears to fix display resolution issues, as stated in the update description itself.

It also claims to bring the usual bug fixes and security enhancements we’ve come to expect from incremental updates, in addition to solutions for AirPort connectivity and reliability issues, Bluetooth connectivity problems, and sluggish startup times. My iMac has had some AirPort hiccups from time to time, which I’ve actually just learned to live with, but hopefully 10.5.8 gets rid of even those minor annoyances.

It’s available now via Software Update, and you can read more about it at this Apple Support article.

Most recent Apple rumors are focused on upcoming new hardware, including new iPod touch and nano models with a built-in camera, and the mysterious tablet device, which has often been rumored, but seems to be gaining lots of steam this time around. Yesterday, another interesting rumor surfaced, but this latest speculation has nothing to do with hardware.

According to sources on Wall Street, as reported by Silicon Alley Insider, Apple is thinking about moving in on PayPal’s territory. According to the rumors, Apple is thinking about opening up iTunes Store accounts, allowing them to be used to make purchases on licensed third-party sites. If it does end up doing this, it really has to consider that iTunes name change, since it would then only cover an even smaller part of the service’s functionality.

It’s territory that Facebook is also looking to move into, with a planned “pay with Facebook initiative” that will allow third-party vendors to let visitors pay via Facebook Connect. If Apple follows suit and enters the fray, it could get very crowded for PayPal very quickly. As long as both Facebook and Apple can make its systems financially appealing to online retailers, it will bring with it a built-in legion of users, many of which could come from segments of the population who’ve traditionally been wary of PayPal.

The problem with this scenario is of course that it doesn’t funnel consumers towards an Apple hardware purchase, which is traditionally the purpose of its service and software offerings (MobileMe, or the App Store, for example). One possible scenario involves Apple leveraging the e-commerce potential of the iPhone by allowing users to pay for real-world items in-store using their mobile devices in combination with their iTunes account. If an iPhone could replace cards, wallet and cash, that would definitely become a selling point for many.

After so brazenly bragging about Apple’s legal department’s request that one of Microsoft’s ads be pulled last week, Redmond has quietly made changes to the ad in question to make sure that it accurately reflects reality, which is what Apple wanted in the first place. Kind of puts a damper on Microsoft COO Kevin Turner’s bubbly enthusiasm, I’d imagine.

Last week, he basically did a little dance for joy when he received the call from Apple legal, and trumpeted the news to the masses to make sure everyone knew that Microsoft had indeed scored a direct hit, even going so far as to call it “the greatest single phone call” he’s ever taken. The ads in question are the Laptop Hunter series, in which Microsoft gives random people a sum of money and challenges them to find their perfect laptop, at which point they get it for free. The ads were created by Crispin Porter & Bogusky.

The specific ad Apple took issue with is the “Lauren” ad (not that “Lauren” ad, the other one), in which Lauren and her mother are shopping for a computer under $1,700. At one point, they comment on the MacBook Pro’s $2,000 price tag, asking “Why would you pay twice the price?” As of the latest notebook lineup refresh, Apple’s top-of-the-line MacBook Pro no longer costs $2,000, coming in instead at a much easier to swallow $1,700. Which, coincidentally, is actually within Lauren and mom’s budget.

Microsoft, for its part, is saying the minor change doesn’t change “the focus of the campaign,” according to AdAge.com, so it’s clearly still counting this as a win. I’m willing to bet Microsoft’s legal department has been in contact with Apple on quite a few occasions, yet COO Tim Cook doesn’t break out the noisemakers and party hat every time that goes down.

As you may already know, one of the improvements that came along with iPhone 3.0 was mobile Safari’s ability to access the iPhone and iPod touch’s geolocation services. Geolocation is quickly becoming a feature that more and more web developers are looking at implementing, especially given that the recently released Firefox 3.5 and Chrome 2.0 support it. It boggles my mind how far we’ve come from the days of avatars and handles, when only a rare few ever shared their real name and photo online, let alone their actual, real-time location.

King of the Internet that it is, Google is spearheading the implementation of location services on the web. It recently introduced location support in Google Maps for Firefox and Chrome users, which works pretty much like the Maps app on your iPhone or Android device does, albeit using Wi-Fi signal towers for most computer users (who don’t likely have GPS capabilities in their machines), so it’s more comparable to the iPod touch. As of yesterday, Google’s mobile search site also supports geolocation, which works perfectly with the latest version of Safari for the iPhone.

Once you grant Safari (and Google.com) access to your device’s location, you’ll see a little blue dot on the main search page, with your location spelled out next to it. When you change locations, you’ll have to manually update by clicking a link next to that, but if you tend to stay in one place like myself, Google seems to be content to remember your choice for quite some time, so you won’t have to find yourself each time you visit.

Searching for things like restaurants, maps or directions, will then bring up results relevant to where you are. Even though the stated location doesn’t seem to be any more specific than the city you’re in, I found that a search for “closest grocery store” actually came up with results in my immediate area, although it did miss the one right across the street from me, so that could just be because I live downtown.

Still, it’s very handy to have Google be even broadly aware of where you are in the world when returning search results. Especially in a mobile device, which you generally use when you’re out and about, and therefore in need of on-the-spot directions and info about local amenities and services. Hopefully where Google has gone, others will follow, and we’ll see geolocation built-in to many more web apps and services. I would love to see some corporate websites like Best Buy work it into its retail store finder pages, but considering the rate at which retail chains usually implement new tech, I’m not holding my breath.