Behind the Motorola ROKR iTunes Phone

[Stella]

The EU have, many times fined its own companies, for example, car manufacturers, it handed out a record fines to VW a few years ago. Just one example.

Another example:
http://www.eubusiness.com/Homepage_Other_News/050119120411.q7jhifbw

Another:
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1005/271737.html

Another: ( fining EU countries )
http://www.dairyreporter.com/news/ng.asp?id=63039-milk-quota-cap-dairy-sector




Its has also probed Cellphone carriers many times, Premiership football rights is being investigated...

> The French love of the CAP also keeps food imports
The States are just as bad for CAP too.... IMO, CAP is a disaster, it encourages waste - food mountains that just go to waste...

In fact today, related: Europe has offered to cut the tariffs it charges on farm goods by up to 60%.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4385156.stm

*Europe* is only interested in competition when it is to the detriment of non-European multinational corporations. That's the problem with the EU. Its a hydra. The pro-competition leaders of the EU are mainly found in Britain (and other likeminded countries). They want a pure competitive market. And on the other side are countries like France and Germany who want to use the EU as a mechanism for creating "national champions" meaning dominant French or German companies capable of competing against American, Japanese, and Korean companies by tying them up with bureaucratic regulations.

Do you really think the EU would take on Microsoft if it were a French company? Certainly there would be no appeals to openness coming from Paris or Brussels. Look how much France fought against the internet by continuing to prop up their proprietary terminal system, because apparently the French language just isn't competitive for international business, international science, and international entertainment.

So please refrain from appealing to *Europe* as an envious model of promoting fairness. The French love of the CAP also keeps food imports from the third world from reaching European dinner tables at the expense of the poor third worlders who actually used to have markets to sell their wares too prior to the disasterous dismantling of the imperial systems.

 

[mainstreetmark]

What about a Treo with a mobile version of iTunes instead of the crappy Real Player the Treo comes with now.

My God! Not the Treo!! That phone was the worst four phones I ever owned.

http://www.the-alley.net/mark/cellphone/treo.php

 

[sishaw]

Besides, had Apple licensed MacOS early on and went for lowest common denominator design, you probably wouldn't want to use a Mac today.

Right, I agree that licensing Apple AAC/Fairplay for competing music players would obviously NOT be a good idea--Apple would destroy its own market. I'm thinking more of devices, and I think that most people who are advocating licensing are thinking the same. If the cell phone companies won't play ball, there's TiVo (mentioned by many) and also home (non-portable) game consoles. Probably other creative ideas that I can't think of.

 

[snowmoon]

Right, I agree that licensing Apple AAC/Fairplay for competing music players would obviously NOT be a good idea--Apple would destroy its own market. I'm thinking more of devices, and I think that most people who are advocating licensing are thinking the same. If the cell phone companies won't play ball, there's TiVo (mentioned by many) and also home (non-portable) game consoles. Probably other creative ideas that I can't think of.

Porting iTunes or "AirPlay" ( think Airport Express ) to these devices maybe, but that would probably take far more time and energy that Apple would care to invest. No reason for them to license FairPlay since they would loose control of the iTunes interface and/or have to maintain two platforms for both iTunes and Quicktime applications and API's.

 

[rog]

I think Libby was behind the whole thing.😉

 

[Lynxpro]

One of the reasons MacOS works so well is the limited number of computers it runs on. MacOS developers work on features, not trying to support millions of hardware combinations from various computer manufacturers. Had Apple licensed its OS back then, DOS/Windows would not have succeeded, there'd be no incentive for Apple to improve MacOS, and we'd probably still be running something like System 6 or 7, only more buggy.

Apple could've licensed the actual architectural design of the Mac as well which would have prevented the problems you hint at. Like what IBM did with Microchannel except for the fact that IBM didn't license that off as they should have to a select few manufacturers.

 

[Lynxpro]

Its has also probed Cellphone carriers many times, Premiership football rights is being investigated...

And yet they've [the EU] done practically nothing about forcing member states to divest themselves of their telephone monopolies. You can't cite Britain in that because Britain under Thatcher spun off the bulk of state-owned corporations unlike France.

> The French love of the CAP also keeps food imports
The States are just as bad for CAP too.... IMO, CAP is a disaster, it encourages waste - food mountains that just go to waste...

If it weren't for CAP, the US probably would have already cut out what's left of our farming subsidies. Yet it would be rather stupid to do so when competing agricultural countries like France won't budge on the subject. Heck, if France and Germany would dump CAP, Britain would give up the BBQ rebate. But as always, France and Germany want Britain to surrender their little perk without an even exchange. Perhaps some political leaders should start looking back on Churchill's proposition of the reunification of the English speaking nations and take the suggestion seriously and let the other countries stagnate if that is their own democratically decided decision(s).

 

[Lynxpro]

Right, I agree that licensing Apple AAC/Fairplay for competing music players would obviously NOT be a good idea--Apple would destroy its own market.

How exactly do you figure? People buy iPods because they look cool and are trendy (not to mention most MP3 players just absolutely suck when it comes to looks - the Motorola ROKR is so ugly that Creative could have designed it). Its not because of the iTunes Music Store or the iTunes program itself. Those are side benefits. Nor is it because the iPod has extra features not found on the other players which we know is not true.

So when considering that, offering iTunes/iTunes Store compatibility to competing products will not dramatically increase their sales numbers in comparison to the still ultra hot iPod but it will protect Apple from government intervention from the EU's Commission as well as the Korean version of the FTC.

 

[Stella]

The US won't budge on Wood imports from Canada... despite losing a NAFTA trade dispute... so the usa isn't all perfect, as no country is.

I thought it was hilarious when Chirac suggested that Blair should show EU Solitary by dropping the UK EU Rebate.. whilst in return, France rejected a call for lower farming subsidies. France wanted it all without giving anything in return.. As you probably know, France pay next to not EU fees due to the insanely high Farm subsidies it receives from the EU.

And yet they've [the EU] done practically nothing about forcing member states to divest themselves of their telephone monopolies. You can't cite Britain in that because Britain under Thatcher spun off the bulk of state-owned corporations unlike France.





If it weren't for CAP, the US probably would have already cut out what's left of our farming subsidies. Yet it would be rather stupid to do so when competing agricultural countries like France won't budge on the subject. Heck, if France and Germany would dump CAP, Britain would give up the BBQ rebate. But as always, France and Germany want Britain to surrender their little perk without an even exchange. Perhaps some political leaders should start looking back on Churchill's proposition of the reunification of the English speaking nations and take the suggestion seriously and let the other countries stagnate if that is their own democratically decided decision(s).

 

[purell16]

I think the ROKR is simply a starting point, and although I'm not that impressed with it, I think it is the beginning and will pave the way for future devices which will improve on it.

Ya, just wait..I hope apple designs a phone instead of motorola. Even though I highly doubt it, it would be alot better than the current iTunes phone

 

[Lynxpro]

I thought it was hilarious when Chirac suggested that Blair should show EU Solitary by dropping the UK EU Rebate.. whilst in return, France rejected a call for lower farming subsidies. France wanted it all without giving anything in return.. As you probably know, France pay next to not EU fees due to the insanely high Farm subsidies it receives from the EU.

I really wish they'd change the name back to the EC. EC in its abbreviation sounds nicer than the EU. Maybe not in French. But then the name "European Community" also sounds so much nicer than "European Union", not to mention the fact that it really is not a union any more than the United Nations is united. Of course, that would anger the pie-in-the-sky European federalists...granted, most of them are Francophiles substituting the European continent for all the territory lost overseas when the French Empire collapsed. They just won't admit that.

 

[iQuit]

What will happen when everyone has an iPod? Or something better than the iPod comes out?

 

[themacman]

What will happen when everyone has an iPod? Or something better than the iPod comes out?

then im shure it would have to be prety incredible since apple is always syaing ahead of the market, and the market copies apple.

 

[scan]

great article

now I know why the ROKR sucks so much. I love apple products but I hate motorola. In the end, this phone does not resemble any "apple". Apple products usually have a "cool" feel to them. ROKR is EXACTLY liek the motorola E398 with iTunes in it. Looks stupid.

I don't feel that Apple is really being threatened by music phones--not yet at least. but i have to admit, I was planning to purchase a Sony Ericsson W800i that did have consider getting rid of my nano. but in the end I kept it because its still the best mp3 player on the market and I don't want to drain my phone's battery by listening ot mp3's all day.

 

[dernhelm]

What will happen when everyone has an iPod? Or something better than the iPod comes out?

One day the iPod will go the way of the (original) walkman. Now that was a device that EVERYONE wanted and most eventually came to own one. But when its time was up, it was up. And that's OK because most people that owned one remember their walkman's quite fondly. That's about the best you can hope for in the gadget market.

 

[DakotaGuy]

now I know why the ROKR sucks so much. I love apple products but I hate motorola. In the end, this phone does not resemble any "apple". Apple products usually have a "cool" feel to them. ROKR is EXACTLY liek the motorola E398 with iTunes in it. Looks stupid.

I don't feel that Apple is really being threatened by music phones--not yet at least. but i have to admit, I was planning to purchase a Sony Ericsson W800i that did have consider getting rid of my nano. but in the end I kept it because its still the best mp3 player on the market and I don't want to drain my phone's battery by listening ot mp3's all day.

I still think that Apple wanted what they got in the ROKR for now. They wanted it to be crippled and they did not care if it's kind of ugly. Why? Because if it was too good to be true, think about all the lost iPod sales and all the increased Motorola phone sales. Take a RAZR and give it this capability along with iPod Nano sized memory and it is going to take a big chunk of Apple's sales and give them to Motorola. Apple is not dumb about this stuff. They did it more for generating buzz as far as the business news goes then making an attractive product. They don't want people in the media thinking they are getting behind when a new trend is starting to develop. The technology is there and if music on phones really takes off then they will go back to Moto and say..."Here is what we want..." Motorola is capable of a much better phone then the ROKR, but I don't think Apple wanted it just yet. Remember profit comes first to any large corporation and Apple is no different then the rest. Millions of iPod sales=lots of money for Apple. Millions of phone sales=lots of money for Motorola.

 

[sjo]

I still think that Apple wanted what they got in the ROKR for now. They wanted it to be crippled and they did not care if it's kind of ugly. Why? Because if it was too good to be true, think about all the lost iPod sales and all the increased Motorola phone sales. Take a RAZR and give it this capability along with iPod Nano sized memory and it is going to take a big chunk of Apple's sales and give them to Motorola. Apple is not dumb about this stuff. They did it more for generating buzz as far as the business news goes then making an attractive product. They don't want people in the media thinking they are getting behind when a new trend is starting to develop. The technology is there and if music on phones really takes off then they will go back to Moto and say..."Here is what we want..." Motorola is capable of a much better phone then the ROKR, but I don't think Apple wanted it just yet. Remember profit comes first to any large corporation and Apple is no different then the rest. Millions of iPod sales=lots of money for Apple. Millions of phone sales=lots of money for Motorola.

That'd be wierd strategy. You don't necessarily get second changes on gadget markets, if you develop and market a product that doesn't fulfill the customer expectations, they aren't going to forget the experience and give you more money to buy the second try.

And of course mobile phones development takes so long that you can't wait the music on phones to take off and then go to manufactures with specs of your phone. The rokr took 15months to develop and it's based on old model!

This time next year music on phone will be just like camera on phones is today, a standard feature, not a differentiator.

 

[Scottgfx]

I may be remembering this wrong... If anything the clones were an indication of how greedy and lazy apple had become.

It was the G3 chips. Power already had the PTP with the 604e.

What you are forgetting is that the machines that the clone makers were selling were all based on motherboard designs and tech developed by Apple. My PowerWave 604/120 was based on the same MB as the PowerMac 9500. It just never worked quite as well. Apple was hoping that the clones would boost market share. Instead, they just carved a hole in Apple's market share and thus Apple lost a lot of money on every clone sold.

When I say that my PowerWave didn't work as well I'm not kidding. I had bought PCI cards and processor upgrades that would never work in the PowerWave, but same hardware would work perfectly in Apple hardware. Timings on the motherboard can be tweaked to eek out a little more performance from a computer; it just had detrimental effects on hardware compatibility. (Something I know quite well from my Amiga days)

 

[jonhoffm]

In theory combining the two is not a bad idea. I was walking around my campus today and most students either have a cell phone glued to their head or are listening to an iPod.

You may be right, but I disagree completely. Integration of devices that do not create synergy seems bound for failure. A good example of integration that makes sense is the cell phone and PIM (ie, smartphones, blackberry). People were constantly fumbling with their cell phone and pda to set up appointments or look up a phone number. The next logical step was to bring them together.

Plus, now you are really limited with regard to a upgrade path. What if your carrier does not get the exclusive on the next ROKR? Then you are stuck or switch carriers which is unlikely.

It would seem to have been a much better plan for Apple to just add bluetooth to the ipod which could use DUN from a bluetooth phone. Then enable access to the itunes music store for mobile downloading (probably the only other synergy possibility which was blown with the ROKR) plus take the cell phone manufacturer out of the equation.

 

[Wince99]

Microsoft = only threat ?

*License FairPlay to TiVo. Anything that's bad for Windows Media Center is ultimately good for Apple.

Yeah right! Apple said that from IBM at first and stroke a deal with microsoft 🙄

Wince99

 

[Rantipole]

Has anyone here ever heard of Betamax?

I think all of you people who are saying that Apple should not license Fairplay, because Apple dominates the market currently and therefore "don't have to", should look in their electronic-product history books under "B".

(What a sentence!)