It's official then. Gibson's new toy is racing with Ernie Ball's "Gamechanger" onboard digital unit to hit the market first. The lawsuits out of this will be quite interesting.
Maybe, maybe not. Assuming the info about Gibson's new product is correct, it would still depend on the details. They might not use the same technology and it might not involve new patents.
But now here's another quote, from a thread at The Gear Page:
Here it is folks (thank you anonymous internet):
Gibson is producing a new line of Les Paul. This model will be a cheeper version of the studio and will be produced in China, yet it will still carry the Gibson logo. The guitar comes with a usb port, and a genuine Gibson usb wire. Plug the guitar into your computer and you are greeted with a program that contains a dumbed down version of Amplitube, and basic recording/editing fuctions, and a program to help you learn songs, along with a store.
The big 'revolution' is Gibson will have an 'Itunes' like store. Songs will be downloaded as *.gpf files, which is a compsoite of .mp3 and Gibson's new tabulature format. The format makes learning the songs super easy. You can slow down the song, and there will even be videos for some of the most popular songs, which would require an additional purchase. This isn't like learning songs from youtube, or other tab sites. These songs will be accurate as Gibson is working with the Artists when possible, and life long musicians otherwise.
*edit: The price mark for the guitar is going to be $300 - $500. The $500 version will have better electronics.Again, I have no idea if any of it is accurate. I hope not.
