Sony-iTunes Link?

[MacRumors]

In the internet-game-of-telephone, several sites are reposting rumors of a Sony/Apple collaboration on the upcoming Playstation 3.

The source of all of these is a single forum post. Claims include iTunes/PS3 interoperability, and iPod/PS3 syncing.

[arn]

forum posts are bottom of the barrel in terms of rumor sources.

while more Apple coverage in the general media is good... reposts of things like this are taking a bit far.

arn

[Phat_Pat]

I remeber Steve saying that Sony and Apple were working close together in one of his keynotes..... maybe this is true.

[Freg3000]

Sony to favor iTunes and the iPod over Connect and the ND-H5ZJSKALDN or whatever it is called? Don't think so.

[inkswamp]

Originally Posted by Freg3000

Sony to favor iTunes and the iPod over Connect and the ND-H5ZJSKALDN or whatever it is called? Don't think so.

Sony hasn't been around this long by being stupid. Their iPod-killers have been nothing of the sort. A stupid company would continue to flog dead-end products, but Sony isn't that kind of company. They may just have reached the can't-beat-so-join-'em point. We'll see, but I get a sense that this rumor has some weight to it.

Also, if you read many of the follow-up posts on the site where the rumor was posted, you'll see that there is some sense among the posters there that the person who stated this has a good level of credibility.

[homerjward]

sony's new music phone (w800i i think) plays aac so maybe they'll license fairplay for itunes shtuff?

[Freg3000]

Originally Posted by homerjward

sony's new music phone (w800i i think) plays aac so maybe they'll license fairplay for itunes shtuff?

Quite a number of devices play AAC, none of them (ex the elusive iTunes phone from Motorola) can play iTMS songs with fairplay DRM.

I hope Sony isn't stupid on this, it would be nice, but I really really doubt it.

The other people on the forum do seem to believe him though. Hmm...

[eva01]

i just saw a commericial for the Connect thing from Sony, so i doubt this is happening

[hob]

please let this be true...! Apple taking microsoft on yet again...!

[Phat_Pat]

Originally Posted by eva01

i just saw a commericial for the Connect thing from Sony, so i doubt this is happening

ohhh yeah connect.... how is that doing again?

[Doctor Q]

Apple and Sony can't be too chummy since they compete in many areas. They have to pick and choose collaborations where they will both benefit. The relationship will continue to develop over time, since they certaintly take to each other.

[ASZ993]

Hint: There already IS collaboration between Sony and Apple. Look at Sony's NAS-CZ1,it can stream iTMS files (Protected AAC).

Who knows now? It might end up that Sony starts making the iPod earbuds and pulls of an HP-style iPod branding.

[MarcelV]

Originally Posted by ASZ993

Hint: There already IS collaboration between Sony and Apple. Look at Sony's NAS-CZ1,it can stream iTMS files (Protected AAC).

I don't see anything on the protected AAC on Sony Europe's press release. Are you sure about that?

[zap2]

thatt would be cool( and give my friends who use sony and windows and me who use apple and xbox to talk about,) BUT i saw the psp as sony trying to take back the market they lost after the ipod came out and took over the walkman thing

[blitzkrieg79]

Well afterall the president of Sony was on stage in January and they didnt introduced any products, just talk and declare the 2005 to be year of HD video, maybe they want to open up an itunes like video store but then again even with a cable modem it would take people hours to download a full length movie so technology just isnt there where they probably want it to be...

You all mention iTunes and iPods but Apple is already successful with them so why they would need Sony, Sony would have to provide something more than just a Playstation3, Apple doesnt need PS3 for anything, at least not with their current product lineup, Apple has iTunes, iPod, and OS X/Darwin, and Sony has this CELL chip and I think thats what Apple is really after... A computer revolution, HD content creation would definately benefit from the Cell coprocessor in a Mac, I have a feeling that Apple is working on a super high-end (even above PowerMacs) computer line with H.264 in mind...

[Dreyfus]

Originally Posted by MarcelV

I don't see anything on the protected AAC on Sony Europe's press release. Are you sure about that?

Actually the press release says that:

"the NAS-CZ1 allows automatic connection to a wide range of music jukebox software (including Musicmatch1, Windows Media Player2, iTunes3, and SonicStage4) via the supplied software M-crew Server."

There is no claim that the device actually plays the files, but that it connects to the respective software and stream it's output. So, IMHO, no DRM functonality required ?!

[Telomar]

Originally Posted by zap2

thatt would be cool( and give my friends who use sony and windows and me who use apple and xbox to talk about,) BUT i saw the psp as sony trying to take back the market they lost after the ipod came out and took over the walkman thing

PSP and iPod are not even remotely close to competitors. Completely different markets and only a very very small number of people would buy a PSP over an iPod for listening to music. PSP is more threat to the rather non-existant mobile video player market.

[Nermal]

Originally Posted by Dreyfus

including Musicmatch1, Windows Media Player2, iTunes3, and SonicStage4

There is no claim that the device actually plays the files

iTunes 3 doesn't support AAC or DRM.

Edit: And I just realised that those numbers were probably for footnotes

[Squire]

Originally Posted by Telomar

PSP and iPod are not even remotely close to competitors. Completely different markets and only a very very small number of people would buy a PSP over an iPod for listening to music. PSP is more threat to the rather non-existant mobile video player market.

And I think this-- if the rumor can be believed-- is where Apple and Sony are going. Consider the following:

1) Apple releases Airport Express 2 (with video support) at WSJ's All things Digital event next week.
2) Apple starts selling more music videos and then movies via iTunes.
3) The PS3 has Airport Express 2 support.
4) People stream videos from their cell-equipped Mac to the PS3.
5) Jobs has stated that people aren't interested in a portable video player. They keep iPod away from that but instead push the PSP (2?) as the video player.

The PS3 is the Mac-compatible media center. It all connects. (Except Sony's interest in music downloads and their own mp3 players. Hmmm...)

Squire

[plinkoman]

why do people keep thinking psp and iPod are competitors?? the psp was designed to compete against nintendos monopoly on portable game systems, not for music, yea it may play music, but no more then the average flash player. sony has iPod competitors, like the network walkman thing, but the psp is primarily a GAMING DEVICE. (this rant is more directed at the people of that forum, not here, but still, it pisses me off...)

the ps3-iPod link sounds very interesting though. right now sony is the leader in game systems, and apple is the leader in mp3 players, it sounds like a move by both to for it to stay that way. but for me, i already have an iPod, a computer to sync it with, and a stereo i can hook either into, so it doesn't mean anything to me, i'm still going to stick with nintendo systems.

[JesterJJZ]

Perhaps Sony is giving in to Apple on the mp3 player market.

[Squire]

Originally Posted by plinkoman

why do people keep thinking psp and iPod are competitors??

I don't know. I can't imagine a person buying a PSP to listen to music just as much as I can't imagine a person buying an iPod to play Brick, Solitaire, or Parachute. My point was that if a video iPod ever surfaced, the PSP and iPod would then (and only then) be more in competition.

Squire

[MontyZ]

Apple could turn the iPod into a hybrid portable gaming machine using a larger color screen. You could play your music while playing a game.

[atomwork]

found a link on the internet. Guess its a 3d model. But hell, that'll do it for me...

[chameeeleon]

That pic's a fake from a loooooooong time ago.