Apple iTunes for Windows... Soon?

[MacRumors]

With the recent emergance (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/09/20030929100953.shtml) of a number of competitors to Apple's iTunes Music Store, Apple-followers are anxious about the release of the promised iTunes Music store for Windows.

Today, AppleInsider claims (http://www.appleinsider.com/news.php?id=215) that iTunes for Windows is complete and that an announcement is expected anywhere from "as early as next week" to "by month's end".

The date of October 15th is suggested as a possibility, which echoes a previous Page 2 report (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/09/20030910231353.shtml) from early September, which originally pinpointed the iTunes Music Store for Windows on that date.

A mid-October launch was later confirmed by Newsweek (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/09/20030915125333.shtml) who referenced "music insiders" with knowledge of Apple's plans.

Meanwhile, the only new information from Apple was simply confirmation by Jobs that Apple was still "very much on track to execute iTunes for Windows".

[Java]

Way to go Apple (if this is true).

[sabbath999]

This should not have taken this long!

[tutubibi]

Let's get this iTunes Windows thing over so iTunes can expand to Canada and other countries.
I hope once Windows thing is done, Apple will concentrate to expand iTunes (Mac and/or Windows) to other countries.

[mactastic]

Wow, that would be huge if Apple could get it rolled out this month. If it happens while people are still not committed to another service, Apple could snag a whole lot of PC people with the slick interface we are all used to.

Cool beans.

[syrreg]

Good. Then they can STOP distributing their direct competitor's software with every iPod!

[Flowbee]

This will be the first time a lot of Windows users will actually use an Apple application (other than watching an occasional quicktime video). Let's hope it 'just works.'

[tutubibi]

Any word on whether the licencing terms will be same for Windows as they are now for Mac?
I know there ware issues with recording lables not eager to grant same broad rights to Windows offering.

Or maybe we will just see iTunes for Windows software for now without access to ITunes store?

[micvog]

It will be interesting to see if Apple also includes WMA support for Windows iTunes and the iPod at the same time.

Even though WMA is a proprietary Microsoft format, it has the appearance of being an open standard since there are a number of third-party devices that support WMA. As an example, my DVD player (Panasonic) plays WMA files, my Pocket PC plays WMA files, my co-worker's Honda Accord plays WMA files and most MP3 players do as well. AAC on the other hand, while being an open standard, has the appearance of being proprietary since only Apple is pushing it (AFAIK). I don't know of a DVD player, PDA, car CD player or MP3 player (besides the iPod) that plays AAC.

This, along with Apple's poor reputation on writing Windows software (Quicktime is pretty bad on the PC side), are the two biggest concerns I hear from PC users about a potential iTunes for Windows.

Meanwhile, I am waiting for new iBooks or eMacs along with Jaguar to make the Switch.

[york2600]

Here's my question. Will Apple include Rendezvous sharing in iTunes for Windows. I think a big way for Apple to gain market share over Windows Media Player is to grab the college market and I can tell you that Windows users are uber jealous of iTunes library sharing. I would also love to double or triple the number of shared libraries here. It's about 15 most of the time on my campus and we only have 7,000 students including commuters

[srobert]

Until now the two major critics of ITMS from competitors were:

1) Not windows compatible, and

2) Only 200,000 songs, we got 250,000, 300,000, 500,000, etc...

This could mean that critic 1 finally goes down the drain.

What about critic 2?

Anyone knows how much songs ITMS sports as we speak? What is keeping them to have as much as the 500,000 advertised by competitor Napster?

[phgreer]

My laptop is an iBook (white one with combo drive) and my desktop is a Dell 8200 running XP Pro. I love iTunes on my iBook but how will it work when it comes to sharing tunes between the two? Will I be able to copy the tunes on my iBook to my PC and vice versa over my home network?

[arn]

Originally posted by tutubibi
Any word on whether the licencing terms will be same for Windows as they are now for Mac?
I know there ware issues with recording lables not eager to grant same broad rights to Windows offering.

Or maybe we will just see iTunes for Windows software for now without access to ITunes store?

MusicMatch has very simliar licensing as iTunes for Mac... so I think it shouldn't be an issue.

arn

[greenstork]

Originally posted by Macrumors
With the recent emergance (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/09/20030929100953.shtml) of a number of competitors to Apple's iTunes Music Store, Apple-followers are anxious about the release of the promised iTunes Music store for Windows.


This is outstanding news. I can wait for my PC toting friends to hop on board in droves. I know they're all waiting. They secretly love Apple but refuse to admit it.

However, I think instead of "Apple-followers are anxious" you meant to say "Apple-followers are getting whiny" ;)

[PowerBook User]

I hope they're right. If iTunes and iTMS come out this month, the other Windows services won't have much of a head start.

[arnette]

Is this why a special edition iPod wasn't released? Or the holdout for iPod peripherals? Maybe they want to bundle it with the new iTunes? So Windows people can install iTunes that's included with their iPods?

Just curious. Someone brought up iSync for Windows and what kind of synching solution Apple will have for PC. I hadn't thought of that but it's a good point.

[alia]

It would figure that iTunes comes out just as I'm getting ready to buy my Mac. :) Still... my siblings will definitely benefit from it. My sister loves itunes and she has a Dell.

Plus, then I can actually keep a copy of my music on my current PC.

Yay!

Alia

[bertagert]

Originally posted by sabbath999
This should not have taken this long! Why not? Apple said by the end of the year the windows version would be out. The "competion" aren't doing anything great. So what are you so worried about?

I just find it funny that every time a new service comes out, half the people on these forums get freaked out that Apple won't have a chance with the windows ITMS. Well, we've had Buy Music (a flop), now Music Match (jury is still out) and soon-to-be Dell and Napster. Looks like ITMS for windows will be out before the later two. There is no problem with ITMS for windows coming out a week from now or 2 months from now. Apple has built the online music brand. Dell definitely won't capture any of it, Music Match might do ok but without having a player they're not going to make any money, and finally, Napster might have a poke because of the name. All things considered, Apple has won the marketing battle already. So don't worry too much about it.

Give the whole online music store a year. You'll have two left standing. Apple and either Napster or Music Match (I don't think MM has the cash to compete against these too though?). Then the war will start between WMA and AAC.

[CaptainScarlet]

Ever since Winamp went out the door for windows (It sucks), I've been dying for a really good FREE Polished player...And this is it!!!!

I can't wait for it to be released!!!!!!

(PC at home....Mac at work.)



CS

[bertagert]

I wonder how many people are using windows 98 or lower still? I know I do on my work machine. Music Match definitely won't work on these machines but wondering if Apple is as well?

Just a thought.

Edit: I just saw that Music match does work on win 98. Sorry.

[Mason]

If I were Apple, I wouldn't announce iTunes for Windows this week. I'm assuming that they would like some media coverage and they're not likely to get it with the recall and the leak taking up 99% of the news coverage. I'd wait until next week.

[restiffbard]

thing 1. Yesterday I rolled out of bed at 3 in the morning and had a craving for some new music. So, I hop on iTunes and just browse a bit from the highlighted titles on the front page. Not really looking for anything I see a Coltrane album for 6.93. Click. Update iPod. Done. If anyone else can make buying music at 3 in the morning that easy or easier they can have my money. I sincerely doubt, though, that anyone can beat Apple at the ease of use.

thing 2. someone asked about having tunes on a PC and a Mac. Well, currently you can have up to 3 Macs authorized to play your music. I suppose one of them can be a PC.

[inkswamp]

An online acquaintance of mine (who asked not to be named... heh... wonder why) commented to me that he thinks a Windows version of Safari could emerge from the whole iTunes for Windows thing since iTunes and Safari rely on a lot of the same libraries to do their work (I guess iTunes renders the music store that way.) I'm not so technically inclined to know whether there's any validity to such a statement or not, but it does seem like an interesting outcome of this. Has anyone heard any such rumors and furthermore does anyone have a deep enough understanding of this to comment? At first, I thought Safari for Windows would be ridiculous, but then when you think about MS's announcement to stop making IE as a standalone product, it seems like one of those unlikely scenarios that could happen.

[Sonofhaig]

I wouldn't be surprised to see it sometime next week. I think it'll be an amazing success too! :)

[Doctor Q]

itunes.macrumors.com

I haven't noticed the use of a subdomain devoted to a topic before. Is this something new? Are there others?

[arn]

Originally posted by Doctor Q
itunes.macrumors.com

I haven't noticed the use of a subdomain devoted to a topic before. Is this something new? Are there others?

Site News: Rumors by Product (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/09/20030909044317.shtml)

The iTunes one is new. There's a search box on the bottom of the main macrumors page which lists them.

[caveman_uk]

Originally posted by inkswamp
An online acquaintance of mine (who asked not to be named... heh... wonder why) commented to me that he thinks a Windows version of Safari could emerge from the whole iTunes for Windows thing since iTunes and Safari rely on a lot of the same libraries to do their work (I guess iTunes renders the music store that way.) I'm not so technically inclined to know whether there's any validity to such a statement or not, but it does seem like an interesting outcome of this. Has anyone heard any such rumors and furthermore does anyone have a deep enough understanding of this to comment? At first, I thought Safari for Windows would be ridiculous, but then when you think about MS's announcement to stop making IE as a standalone product, it seems like one of those unlikely scenarios that could happen.
What's the point of porting Safari to windows? It doesn't make any money ('cos it's free) and would only be a support issue. iTunes is only being ported because it's needed for iTMS - it will make money for Apple. Who's to say Apple are even using webcore on windows? They may be then again they may be using IEs rendering engine.

[Frisco]

Makes me wish I kept my PC.

Not!!

;)

[jettredmont]

Originally posted by micvog
It will be interesting to see if Apple also includes WMA support for Windows iTunes and the iPod at the same time.

Even though WMA is a proprietary Microsoft format, it has the appearance of being an open standard since there are a number of third-party devices that support WMA. As an example, my DVD player (Panasonic) plays WMA files, my Pocket PC plays WMA files, my co-worker's Honda Accord plays WMA files and most MP3 players do as well. AAC on the other hand, while being an open standard, has the appearance of being proprietary since only Apple is pushing it (AFAIK). I don't know of a DVD player, PDA, car CD player or MP3 player (besides the iPod) that plays AAC.


Question:

How many of those play protected WMA files?

Unless something has changed drastically in the past couple of weeks, very few do.

"WMA" compatibility isn't the same as "Any WMA-based Music Store" compatibility, especially if your device is more than a year old.

[rishio]

anyone know if apple will charge for iTunes for Windows - or will it be a free product? My coworker has gotten addicted to iTunes and has been downloading tons of songs from my powerbook. I hope the windows version is free so she can download from her computer and I can work in peace!

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by rishio
anyone know if apple will charge for iTunes for Windows - or will it be a free product? My coworker has gotten addicted to iTunes and has been downloading tons of songs from my powerbook. I hope the windows version is free so she can download from her computer and I can work in peace!

That's a very good question....

Were all talking about that too...

[Stella]

That was be suicide if Apple decided to make iTunes for windows payware.

Apple, although have buggered up quite a few times in the past with product decisions, aren't really stupid enough to pull a stunt like that.

If I was a Windows user, WHY, WHY would I want to pay for a product just so I could use iTMS - especially when there are plenty of alternatives.

Makes no sense.

No Windows user would use iTMS. Instant failure.

Originally posted by rishio
anyone know if apple will charge for iTunes for Windows - or will it be a free product? My coworker has gotten addicted to iTunes and has been downloading tons of songs from my powerbook. I hope the windows version is free so she can download from her computer and I can work in peace!

[arn]

yep...

Common sense would conclude that iTunes Music store will be free, and just like the Mac one.

Apple has mentioned that the goal of the iTunes music store is to win Mac converts....

the first hit is always free... :)

arn

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by arn
yep...

Common sense would conclude that iTunes Music store will be free, and just like the Mac one.

Apple has mentioned that the goal of the iTunes music store is to win Mac converts....

the first hit is always free... :)

arn

I think he was talking about the whole software....iTunes Music store would obviously be free...but what about the player???

Another words...Is the software just iTunes music store or the whole iTunes itself???




CS............

[sharky2313]

"the first hit is free"

very funny arn!!

this is good news today as itunes will be a nice trojan horse to bringing more mac users into the fold

[rishio]

I'm sure Apple will give the whole iTunes Software for free to iPod users/buyers.

But will they do the same for people who have no intention to buy the iPod? I hope so..

[Doctor Q]

Originally posted by arn
Site News: Rumors by Product (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/09/20030909044317.shtml)

The iTunes one is new. There's a search box on the bottom of the main macrumors page which lists them. Well, that certainly shows how observant I am! :rolleyes:
Lame excuse: I never scroll down that far, since the newest news is at the top of the page!

Back to the topic...

The Windows software will be free free free. Apple's goal is to sell iTunes music and iPods. Charging for software would interfere with that goal.

[Dippo]

Originally posted by arn
yep...

the first hit is always free... :)




I'll take a hit, please pass it on down.

I wonder if iTunes will support plugins? I really would love to buy music from iTMS and burn it to a MiniDisc. Would this be possible you think?

[mdntcallr]

As i posted over a month ago, Itunes will be ready mid October in order to beat an announcement from Microsoft in November and get a jump on fourth quarter sales.

Microsoft will be launching their own competing service in mid November and will be pushing hard on their announcements and marketing. Also with an assortment of copycat ipod rip-off devices which will play their WMA copy-protected format files. Their service will pretty much copy Itunes and everything Apple has done. Big surprise there.

[DGFan]

Originally posted by Mason
If I were Apple, I wouldn't announce iTunes for Windows this week. I'm assuming that they would like some media coverage and they're not likely to get it with the recall and the leak taking up 99% of the news coverage. I'd wait until next week.

I think it would be nice to announce it tomorrow and steal some of Napster's thunder (what little they will have).

[spankalee]

Originally posted by caveman_uk
What's the point of porting Safari to windows? It doesn't make any money ('cos it's free) and would only be a support issue. iTunes is only being ported because it's needed for iTMS - it will make money for Apple. Who's to say Apple are even using webcore on windows? They may be then again they may be using IEs rendering engine.

If Apple is using KHTML in iTunes for Windows, then a Safari port could help them in the enterprise. Safari is aiming to be very standards compliant, and having another high profile standards-based browser helps the smaller players. Heterogeneous IT environments are getting a lot of press, but if business webapps are coded for IE then Apple is at a disadvantage. With Safari for Win you could deploy the same browser across Mac and Win, and not have to use the bloated Mozilla.

Dunno, I see what they can gain, but it seems like a lot of work, since Safari is all Cocoa.

[asphalt-proof]

I don't know if Music Match uses the same interface that they use on the iPod as they do on their website... if so then people will be driven away by the sheer mind boggling confusion of it. I just got my iPod and, first, attached it to my PC to get the my music off of it. Didn't work because the files were WMA. No biggie. But was stunned with the profusion of buttons and boxes that made little intuitive sense on the interface. It was very cluttered. When I read the help file I was left more confused than before. I agree with the poster who downloaded music at 3:00am. The KISS method is always best and I think that Apple got it right with their music store. I haven't used MM so I can't speak to the quality of their website.

I am a bit ambivalent about WMA being suppor tby the iPod. It would be nice to have that compatibility but I think that we are talking about market dominance in the music distribution channel in the long run. The danger is that people will buy the iPod by the dozens but stay with a closed standard. I imagine that the music biz would love that because they can have more control over the distribution despite their wariness of Microspft. AAC soon become irrelevant because there is no pressing need to support it, despite apparent sound quality superority.

Now if only Apple Records will drop their lawsuit...

[mclosers]

Did anyone notice that smaller labels are now on the ITMS. Epitaph is one that I know of that is on there. (lots of punk bands) Anyone see any others?

[devotchka]

yay! finally a decent player from my pc at work!

[Stella]

Of course the player will be free.

If Windows user have to pay to be able to play any tunes bought from iTMS - they'll ignore it.

There are plenty of truely free alternatives out there.

If I was a windows user, I certinately wouldn't pay... I'd use another service.

[CaptainScarlet]

Originally posted by mclosers
Did anyone notice that smaller labels are now on the ITMS. Epitaph is one that I know of that is on there. (lots of punk bands) Anyone see any others?

None that I noticed...I'm still waiting for stuff from Metropolis Records.....

[MrMacMan]

Well its about time...

The sooner the better...

There are so many names... buymusic, napster, iTunes, and more and more every day!

:mad:

Not looking good, apple better keep up and have more songs.

[rjrufo]

Originally posted by Frisco
Makes me wish I kept my PC.

Not!!

;)

That makes two of us...:D

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by Mason
If I were Apple, I wouldn't announce iTunes for Windows this week. I'm assuming that they would like some media coverage and they're not likely to get it with the recall and the leak taking up 99% of the news coverage. I'd wait until next week.

Why would that be an obstacle?

"At the inauguration ceremony, Gov. Schwarzenegger conspicuously held an Apple iPod portable music player in his hand as he boasted of California's potential for a strong economy. 'We have innovative firms like Apple Computer who just this week announced their iTunes online music store would be available for Windows. With companies like Apple providing innovative products and services, California can definitely become once again an economically vibrant state.'"

[reyesmac]

I think when the windows itunes comes out many people are going to write negative articles about how limited the program is. If it doesn't have hundreds of customizable options and dozens of buttons they will say it cant do much more than play music. And since it wont play windows media or real media, people talk like thats a bad thing.
Personally I can't wait, I am hoping it can talk to the mac version of itunes so you can stream music on a network. That way, my old mac wont have to use processing power to play music all day while I work.

[Doctor Q]

Apple may retain its market lead, or Apple's delayed entry on the Windows side may hurt them. But, in either case, it looks like the era of wide-audience mass-marketed healthy-competition customer-accepted for-pay online music is here. If you step back and look at a timeline of music history, we are right at one of the milestones. With Apple providing the innovation and leadership, of course.

[pkradd]

iTunes for Windows will be free. Why wouldn't it be. The software is not where the profit is. It's downloading songs and buying iPods (That's really where the money will come from). The quarterly analyst meeting is next Wednesday the 15th. Look for iTMS for Windows to be announced the 14th or 15th. Apple may also announce the long rumored peripherals as well!

[JoeRadar]

Originally posted by caveman_uk
What's the point of porting Safari to windows?
(1) To blunt the tendency of web site developers to create IE-only web sites; (2) to get Windows users to think more about Apple products.

Many web sites are tuned for, and in some cases only support, Internet Explorer. They can do this because IE is so dominant in marketshare. If the community can create a more heterogenous browser environment, this will put pressure on web sites (and web site development tools) to be more standards compliant.

Also, the more Apple products Apple can get into Windows users' hands, the more likely they would at least consider buying a Macintosh.

[JoeRadar]

Originally posted by pkradd
iTunes for Windows will be free. Why wouldn't it be.
I believe you are right. I hope you are right.

However, over the years I have seen a lot of companies, including Apple, make some bone head decisions on prices and distribution plans.

[elmimmo]

I just hope it is not a resource hog as QuickTime for windows is. Apple is really to shame on that one.

[robeen]

iTunes for windows will solidify the store and make it bigger and better (i.e. more artists sooner)

Its better for apple to wait as long as is needed for it to run correctly right out of the box.

finally, I know I am a prude...but the spelling of emergence by the awesome arn is killing me.

Rob

[Wash!!]

Originally posted by micvog
It will be interesting to see if Apple also includes WMA support for Windows iTunes and the iPod at the same time.

Even though WMA is a proprietary Microsoft format, it has the appearance of being an open standard since there are a number of third-party devices that support WMA. As an example, my DVD player (Panasonic) plays WMA files, my Pocket PC plays WMA files, my co-worker's Honda Accord plays WMA files and most MP3 players do as well. AAC on the other hand, while being an open standard, has the appearance of being proprietary since only Apple is pushing it (AFAIK). I don't know of a DVD player, PDA, car CD player or MP3 player (besides the iPod) that plays AAC.

This, along with Apple's poor reputation on writing Windows software (Quicktime is pretty bad on the PC side), are the two biggest concerns I hear from PC users about a potential iTunes for Windows.

Meanwhile, I am waiting for new iBooks or eMacs along with Jaguar to make the Switch.


You will find several units by panasonic, philps and others that support aac files format it just takes time..

PS here are some:
anasonic SV-SD80
e-wear™ MP3/WMA/AAC player with SD memory card, iDP-100 better yet check this out http://www.epinions.com/Personal_CD_Players-AAC

[mdntcallr]

Honestly,

we should want the ipod to be compatible with WMA protected media. I know it is a negative. but when Microsoft comes out with their system, we still want people buying Ipods.

Just like it is compatible with songs from music match, it should also be compatible with songs from MSFT new music service.

It will just mean more money in the pocket of apple from those companies also.

[Wash!!]

MS is doing this becuase it wants to push its "standard"
There is no reason for apple to support it. have evre try to listen to a song using wma it sounds like crap full of noise and other noises...I stick with aac and mp3.

my 2¢

[AidenShaw]

Originally posted by Wash!!
have evre try to listen to a song using wma it sounds like crap full of noise and other noises...

Yes, and we can find poorly encoded MP3 files that sound bad, and overly compressed Quicktime movies that are horrible.

On the other hand, WM8 and WM9 can give very high quality at very small file sizes.

Your "head in the sand" approach of just saying that WM is low quality won't work when people have seen good WM.

[Wash!!]

And support what ever the oh mighty M$ says it going to be the standard, switch all of the itms tracks to wma and the world would be a better place.. come on.
you don't see sony runing to drop their MD file format for wma why should apple do it. be sides wait until wma comes out and thier drm you go ahead an listen to your track on your computer that only plays in your computer and God forbid you want to make a cd of it you have to pay more or paid a yearly subcribtion to burn or play songs tha M$ feels you should listen to..

My God what I was thinking to have a choice on sould I listen or burn the songs that i want... :eek:

[inkswamp]

Originally posted by spankalee
If Apple is using KHTML in iTunes for Windows, then a Safari port could help them in the enterprise. [...] Dunno, I see what they can gain, but it seems like a lot of work, since Safari is all Cocoa.

And oddly enough, someone on comp.sys.mac.advocacy just posted about how iTunes might be running with the help of Cocoa libraries ported to Windows. Not sure about the credibility of the poster, but it seems interesting that all these little tidbits keeps trickling in.

The post to c.s.m.a under the subject header "Windows iTunes Cocoa based... Hrmmm"

-----
There are rumors going around the 'net that Windows iTunes is Cocoa
based -- basically like NeXT's OpenStep for Windows, but an updated
version in-line with Cocoa today... Cocoa for Windows...

Any confirmations of this? ;-)
-----

[Wonder Boy]

i dont have windoze so i dont care.

i have a mac and stopped using itms. why? i dont like how i cant use itms songs on my os 9 machine.

[WM.]

Originally posted by AidenShaw
Your "head in the sand" approach of just saying that WM is low quality won't work when people have seen good WM.
'Preciate that, Aiden.

:D

WM

[kansast]

I just hope this thing gets released for freakin WINDOZE and is just a big freakin' success. (of course, let's hope it doesn't get slammed and there's not enough bandwidth ?) and just blows these other copy-cat music sites out of the water !!

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by Wonder Boy
i dont have windoze so i dont care.

i have a mac and stopped using itms. why? i dont like how i cant use itms songs on my os 9 machine.

You have an OS 9 machine? You want to play music on it?

Good luck...

(OS 9 has terrible multitasking, and if it wasn't for the fact that it precaches the music, iTunes would never work on it.)

[Wash!!]

Originally posted by Wonder Boy
i dont have windoze so i dont care.

i have a mac and stopped using itms. why? i dont like how i cant use itms songs on my os 9 machine.

OS 9 is dead so I think is time for you star looking into a new mac.. you know you can pick up a bw g3 for about $200 on ebay or even better an imac for a little more or if you want to spur you can buy a g4 for $500..just a thought:D

[JayBee]

Originally posted by Wash!!
And support what ever the oh mighty M$ says it going to be the standard, switch all of the itms tracks to wma and the world would be a better place.. come on.
you don't see sony runing to drop their MD file format for wma why should apple do it. be sides wait until wma comes out and thier drm you go ahead an listen to your track on your computer that only plays in your computer and God forbid you want to make a cd of it you have to pay more or paid a yearly subcribtion to burn or play songs tha M$ feels you should listen to..

I don't think anyone was suggesting that Apple should drop AAC support and move entirely to WMA. That would be dumb.

Equally dumb might be the blank refusal to allow WMA files to play on an iPod AS WELL AS AAC/MP3/Whatever. The more music the iPod plays, the more they'll sell. That's just simple arithmetic meets simple logic.

Whether it will happen or not is another question. However, when you're advocating "choice" and "options", you have to realise that, for most people on "the other side", refusing to play with their existing systems is denying them the choice of your kit. Selling them an iPod that they can't play their existing choons on isn't much of a choice. Selling them one that they CAN play their existing music on, PLUS showing them the light of the AAC/iTMS combo lets them have the best of both worlds.

By burying one's head in the sand about WMA, one demonstrates a lack of understanding of the purpose of iTunes for Windows.

Case in point is my flatmate. He's a Windows/Linux user, and we share our music on a central server (well, on my G4 box, but anyway). I can play all his stuff as he doesn't encode much, but since iTunes 4, he can't play any of my AAC files on his Media Player software. I can't wait for iTunes to come out for his machine as it will mean less headaches of the "can I borrow that CD of yours?" variety when the damn thing's already on the server.

However, he DOES have a few WMA files on his own box. If iTunes won't play em, he either has to re-encode or still use Media Player. Not a problem with a small library, but if he had 20 GB of stuff, I doubt anyone could be assed re-encoding *JUST* for a shiny metal interface...

MORE compatibility GOOD... whiny MS bashing BAD

;)

[yosoyjay]

Originally posted by mclosers
Did anyone notice that smaller labels are now on the ITMS. Epitaph is one that I know of that is on there. (lots of punk bands) Anyone see any others?

I noticed Om and Epitaph today. I it would be nice to be able to search by record label on the Power Search. That would be really handy for me.

I'm still waiting for Sub Pop and Def Jux...

[Wash!!]

There are several available on the net for download you just have to find them...

If the ipod plays wma files is just like saying that ms format is the best, why would they do that when they are pushing aac as an open standard with better sound quality and compresion than wma...once they get itms up and runing on winblows people are going to realize that aac is the better format I did I had tons of mp3 files that I rip from my cd collection that I have re-rip into aac because they were smaller files with better sound quality,.
The reason ms is trying to lunch there version of itms cause they know that is the only way they can become the "standard" by shoulving down the throut of the pc crow and forcing them to use it as you will see that their player will not allow you to play aac or mp3 files..

PS i have 20 gig + of mp3s that a re-rip into aac so it can be done

[Coca-Cola]

I am placing my bets on an October 21st release. Hence, the Sarah Mclaghlan leak today. And, the exclusivity of it. Thursday is Napsters release and it will be in the news for a while. I think a panther shipping now anouncement, ibook, emac, and dark iTMS will be on October 21st. Also, The 15th is apple's shareholder meeting. Not a good time for a product launch.

October 21st, is the day.

[SeaFox]

Originally posted by arnette
Just curious. Someone brought up iSync for Windows and what kind of synching solution Apple will have for PC. I hadn't thought of that but it's a good point.

Nobody brought up iSync for Windows. That's a .Mac service so you have to have a Mac to use it. What york2600 mentioned was Rendevouz library sharing. Since Rendevouz is just Apple's brand of ZeroConf network configuring I'm sure the Windows version will have it, too.

Syncing the iPod contents is just a matter of having a script or something that runs when it detects the iPod has been connected.

What I wonder is how big a download this will be. It will have to include lots of stuff Macs already have in their system but are missing in Windows. I bet it will be like installing iTunes and QuickTime on a Mac, plus maybe store rendering libraries.

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by Coca-Cola
Also, The 15th is apple's shareholder meeting. Not a good time for a product launch.

Don't see why not :)

"iTunes Music Store sales have been at 5 million, but we anticipate in the next quarter that will increase due to our recent release of iTunes for Windows."

"What?"

"Oh, didn't we announce that today? Guess we didn't get around to it. Well, it's out. You can thank us later."

[Phil Of Mac]

Originally posted by Phil Of Mac
Don't see why not :)

"iTunes Music Store sales have been at 5 million, but we anticipate in the next quarter that will increase due to our recent release of iTunes for Windows."

"What?"

"Oh, didn't we announce that today? Guess we didn't get around to it. Well, it's out. You can thank us later."

"While we're on the topic, Panther's out."

[SeaFox]

Originally posted by Dippo
I wonder if iTunes will support plugins? I really would love to buy music from iTMS and burn it to a MiniDisc. Would this be possible you think?

No, because the Minidisc uses a different format. If we can't even get Sony to make a version of OMGJukebox for Mac, how likely do you think it is they'll give someone else permission to build it into their software.

However, you could burn you iTMS purchases to CD (and no, Nero wouldn't be usable) and then use Simple Burner to transfer them.

Or, if you're on a Mac and it's a G5 you could just hook you Minidisc up to the optical out and record them at the player digitally.

I would like to see format plugins for iTunes. Mp3PRO capability for one.

[F/reW/re]

Lets hope it's a better piece of software than the unbelivable crappy coded QuickTime Player for Windows!

[Vonnie]

Originally posted by JoeRadar
(1) To blunt the tendency of web site developers to create IE-only web sites; (2) to get Windows users to think more about Apple products.


But Mozilla, Firebird, Opera run on Windows. And eventhough they are allot better than IE, people aren't using them. I seriously doubt that Apples Safari for Windows would change that.

[JayBee]

Originally posted by Wash!!
If the ipod plays wma files is just like saying that ms format is the best...

blah blah more self contradictory hogwash

Oops! Didn't actually realise that you're just trolling!

Silly me.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Originally posted by Vonnie
But Mozilla, Firebird, Opera run on Windows. And eventhough they are allot better than IE, people aren't using them. I seriously doubt that Apples Safari for Windows would change that.

But none of them have the credibility of Apple. As many recent articles have articulated, Apple is well respected and well known, especially by today's youth culture. As of right now, the big 2 browsers in the PC world don't have built-in popup blocking or the simplistic and intuitive interface of Safari. If Apple is looking for stronger PC exposure, Safari may be a fine idea for port. I'd actually consider eventually having a free suite of software: iTunes for Windows, Safari for Windows, and Apple Mail for Windows (for its easy junk blocking). Exposure for Apple is important so that they can give people a compelling reason to switch - and keep their image solid for PC users. They currently don't put out anything for the PC except Quicktime, and it'd be best if they can do better than that. Apple is a hardware company, but they also make amazing software.

[Vonnie]

Originally posted by Mr. MacPhisto
As of right now, the big 2 browsers in the PC world don't have built-in popup blocking or the simplistic and intuitive interface of Safari. If Apple is looking for stronger PC exposure, Safari may be a fine idea for port. I'd actually consider eventually having a free suite of software: iTunes for Windows, Safari for Windows, and Apple Mail for Windows (for its easy junk blocking). Exposure for Apple is important so that they can give people a compelling reason to switch - and keep their image solid for PC users.

Mozilla, Opera, Firebird all have built-in pop up blocking. They have had it even before Safari existed. IE is pretty much the only one that doesn't offer popup and ad-blocking.

An intuitive interface is mainly because of the consistency with other applications. Safari may be pretty consistent with other OSX applications, but it would stick out in a windows environment.

Seeing what kind of crap people install on their computers, I seriously doubt that people care about the image of the company. Heck, they are using Microsoft Windows ;)

I also doubt that Safari would be as fast on windows, than it is on mac os x. You would have to emulate a big part of cocoa. Any G3/G4/G5 specific optimisations are lost, design decissions based on the intimate knowledge of the operating system is rendered worthless.

I also doubt that people would be more inclined to switch to an Apple, if they have all Apples software for free. Apples software is one of the main reason people switch to a mac. The reason people would switch, is because they can do more things, more easily than on their current PC.

Finally, what would the existing Apple customer base prefer? A new, innovating Apple application/OS for Mac OS X, or an application they can't use because it runs on Windows. Development costs money, so Apple can't do everything all at the same time. Would you like to wait another year for Panther, so Windows users have another choice in browsers?

[F/reW/re]

Originally posted by Vonnie
I also doubt that Safari would be as fast on windows, than it is on mac os x. You would have to emulate a big part of cocoa. Any G3/G4/G5 specific optimisations are lost, design decissions based on the intimate knowledge of the operating system is rendered worthless.

Mozilla FireBird and Opera is way faster than Explorer on Windows so I really don't see why Safari would be slow.

I totaly agree that Apple shouldn't port all their software to Windows. I like working with Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Dreamweaver much more on Windows.(Mostly because how Window max out the workspace and the UI doesn't look that glossy on Windows.) If I had Safari and iTunes for windows there wouldn't be anything I would need my Mac for.

[BOOMBA]

Originally posted by Flowbee
This will be the first time a lot of Windows users will actually use an Apple application (other than watching an occasional quicktime video). Let's hope it 'just works.'

I agree.
But what are the odds Apple can do it?

MICROSOFT can't even make software that doesn't crash on their OS.

[F/reW/re]

Originally posted by BOOMBA
I agree.
But what are the odds Apple can do it?

MICROSOFT can't even make software that doesn't crash on their OS.
Neither can Apple. My Apple Apps on my iBook crashes (unexpctly quits) more often than any apps crash on my Windows-machine.

Judging by how QuickTime works on Windows, any app Apple develops for Windows will suck!

Let's hope the new guy Apple hired knows he's stuff!

[BOOMBA]

Really?
How much RAM do you have?
I feel OSX needs 512 MB min.
Seems like a lot for an iBook, but I don't see a way around it.
as for stability...

I find our dual Xeon BOXX PC running XP crashes 2 times daily.

Windows Media Player seems more unstable than Quicktime on it.

And try to use Macromedia Director on this thing without it hanging up and needing a reboot every 3 hours.

[elmimmo]

Originally posted by F/reW/re
Mozilla FireBird and Opera is way faster than Explorer on Windows.

That is plainly and absolutely false. They might RENDER pages faster, but the application themselves are way slower than IE. On a PC powerful enough so that neither IE, FB or Moz are resource-restrained, that problem might disappear, making all applications behave equally fast (and thus making FB and Moz seem like an even better option because they still render pages faster). But use a Pentium 233 w 160 MB of RAM like the one I am using right now to write this, and you will definitely want to do it in IE. IE flies in this machine and FB, while being usable, chokes (and Apple's QuickTime turns a big load of unusable ****).

This is the way it is.

[billyboy]

Originally posted by F/reW/re
Neither can Apple. My Apple Apps on my iBook crashes (unexpctly quits) more often than any apps crash on my Windows-machine.



You never turn your PC on then?;)

[Ibjr]

Originally posted by syrreg
Good. Then they can STOP distributing their direct competitor's software with every iPod!

What? Direct competitor must be singular, and so it has to be Windows Media. MM’s direct music is a joke in the PC world, they are a competitors but its disingenuous to claim they are direct competitors. Would you claim HandEra was a direct competitor to Sony?

[Catt]

Will iTunes for windows allow encoding of AAC audio as the Mac version does?

[tazo]

I know that if they release it [iTunes] for windows I will be buying 10 or so songs that day! Gotta support Apple! :D

[Mason]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but there is more confirmation that iTunes for Windows is coming out this week. An article in the New York Times (http://nytimes.com/2003/10/12/arts/music/12HARM.html) has the following quote:


Apple said last month that the iTunes store had sold 10 million songs in its first four months of operation, about half of which were sold as full albums. The company plans to offer the service to the much larger market of Windows PC users this week.

Looks like the announcement is almost 100% guaranteed to be this week.

[NicoMan]

Originally posted by Catt
Will iTunes for windows allow encoding of AAC audio as the Mac version does?
Very likely.