Google to Launch Music Service to Compete Against iTunes?

[timmodugdale]

iTunes is a means not an end

Hasn't Jobs stated that Apple doesn't make much money off iTunes, but rather uses iTunes as a structure upon which to build product integration? Google creating an iTunes killer would really require them to build an integrated solution that as a whole would compete with Apple. Seeing iTunes as just selling music isn't completely accurate and is, in my opinion, short-sighted.

 

[ri0ku]

Why would Google want to step into a market already dominated? A browser, okay cool. MobileOS.. cool.. that can go to carriers. But this? What's Google's competitive advantage over existing services provided?

Google is the most money earning company in the world right now, and its one of the largest and most well known.

Anything google does wont be bad...they are quite successful. But I too find it hard to think of what they could possibly do to compete well enough to take on itunes. But meh we'l see I dont have any doubts that they wont make something cool even if i dont exactly like there idea i bet it still has some cool features

 

[rmhurdman]

This is quite possibly one of the worst posts I have ever read.

What do you think they are doing by "designing hardware and software that run flawlessly together?" Face it, Apple is a for-profit business that just posted its' highest quarterly profits ever. This idea that Apple is the Mother Teresa of technology companies here to save the universe from mediocre products is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

Just because you think that what I wrote was "dumb", doesn't make it wrong. And you obviously misunderstood. I'm talking about focus, not profit. As a shareholder in Apple, I'm very glad that they are profitable. And I think they are profitable because of their focus on quality. If they lose that focus by trying to torpedo other companies, they are likely to fail.

Why can't "sav[ing] the universe from mediocre products" be profitable? Why can't Apple and Google both win, and provide choice for consumers, without destroying each other? In your crazy universe, Apple would win at the same time Microsoft and Google and Adobe and everyone else disappears, and consumers would be left without choice. Petty rivalry is so childish.

Competition is NOT good. Choice is good.

 

[JGowan]

GOOGLE is good but they're not in the same league with Apple .... I'm sick and tired of people trying to link them like they're the Twins of Technology. They're not.

Apple's the BMOC -- dazzling white teeth and making touchdowns. Google is the ugly cousin with acne and bad hair.

Everything they touch DOES NOT turn to gold -- Android is prime. It's getting a moderate start, but compared to the success of the iPhone (now in stage 3), it really can't compare. Google may come up with something that wrangles a few bucks from Apple and Amazon, but it won't be earth-shattering.

 

[notromeel]

Google is the most money earning company in the world right now, and its one of the largest and most well known.

Anything google does wont be bad...they are quite successful. But I too find it hard to think of what they could possibly do to compete well enough to take on itunes. But meh we'l see I dont have any doubts that they wont make something cool even if i dont exactly like there idea i bet it still has some cool features

Oh, I know and agree they're financially successful, etc. Just confused. The service could coincide with the OS they put out, along with maybe the whole literature (scanned books) store?

 

[ri0ku]

Oh, I know and agree they're financially successful, etc. Just confused. The service could coincide with the OS they put out, along with maybe the whole literature (scanned books) store?

Google = Skynet, one day it will think for itself and take over the world destroying all other browsers and search engines.. then the humansss!!!


But yeah I think its possible this will some how link well with there netbook OS and chrome etc

 

[hagjohn]

wonder if this means Google will come out with a gpod eventually?

 

[RazHyena]

It isn't going to be a full fledged music store anyway. Just a service that allows you to listen to previews and be directed to merchants that sell it.

....isn't this something you can already DO with google? YouTube anyone?

 

[kironin]

Google is indeed starting to be a pain in the ass.
Apple launches iphone, Google comes up with android.
Browsers by the dozen, Google has to have it's own browser.
OS's anough and Google has to have it's own OS
and it keeps on coming.
Seems like Eric want's to google the world around

That maybe, but I don't see much evidence so far that they are achieving much other than keeping the others on their toes and improving stuff while at the same time spending billions keeping plenty of tech people employed on interesting stuff other than their bread and butter PPC/search

the Android phones will likely only be mostly bought by techies that love specs, while those non-tech oriented that don't like the iPhone will likely stick to Blackberries and such.

the browser won't ever be anything but a very minor player, with FF 4 likely to blow it away for those aware enough to not default to IE8.

OS is probably DOA

etc.

 

[RazHyena]

GOOGLE is good but they're not in the same league with Apple .... I'm sick and tired of people trying to link them like they're the Twins of Technology. They're not.

Apple's the BMOC -- dazzling white teeth and making touchdowns. Google is the ugly cousin with acne and bad hair.

Everything they touch DOES NOT turn to gold -- Android is prime. It's getting a moderate start, but compared to the success of the iPhone (now in stage 3), it really can't compare. Google may come up with something that wrangles a few bucks from Apple and Amazon, but it won't be earth-shattering.

Yeah, the SMART ugly cousin that's easy to get along with.

 

[jacekwo]

Oct. 28th

The event could also be the release of Droid... The counter on the site reads a little over 6 days...

www.droiddoes.com

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

First of all, Google is not competing with Apple. If anyone who posted on the last 2+ pages of the thread would have bothered to read anything else on the thread, they would see that.

I feel stupider for having read the first page of comments. Competition is NOT, in and of itself, a good thing. It doesn't, by itself, make anything better or cheaper. Choice is a very good thing. Redundancy becomes important in times of stress. But those are NOT the same as competition...

Secondly, you're may not be stupider for having read the first page of quotes, but your reply was pretty stupid anyway.

Companies that "own the market" in any industry do not treat their customers well because they don't have to. It's called a monopoly and it only serves to push out an inferior product at a higher price. Competition is ALWAYS good because, at the very least, it makes that same inferior product cost less. And usually, competition ends up providing consumers with a better quality of product.

 

[rmhurdman]

Companies that "own the market" in any industry do not treat their customers well because they don't have to. It's called a monopoly and it only serves to push out an inferior product at a higher price. Competition is ALWAYS good because, at the very least, it makes that same inferior product cost less. And usually, competition ends up providing consumers with a better quality of product.

How can competition, by itself, increase quality? It can't. It could drive people to excel, but I'm arguing that Apple isn't driven by a petty rivalry. I argue that Apple is driven by a desire to innovate. That, not competition, is what drives them to increase quality.

Here are some Steve Jobs quotes to back up my argument. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_jobs.html

Edit: I'm glad I don't live in your little world, where people have to be forced to treat customers well.

 

[Perrumpo]

Agree 100%. Maybe this and the Verizon adoption of Android devices will get Apple to step its game up. I've given up on ever seeing a removable battery but anyone now think there will be no multitasking in the next iphone?

Or more so, AT&T. We hope.

 

[seedster2]

For me it's not an elitist thing. It's the following just because, or just for money, that is irritating. We have innovators who create from the heart and we have people who follow innovators around trying to copy as much as legally possible to make a profit from whatever scraps they put out. It's fine if Google/Microsoft are noticed, but be noticed for what you truly contribute to society. Unfortunately, many are slacking nowadays and even their original products that they were/are noted for are lacking in productivity and quality. In turn, to stay in the game, they just make up any old thing. I guess looking from their standpoint, it's fine because they still want to make money. But it's a shame when these faulty, below average, product offerings are actually compared to quality.

Get over it. Everyone copies one another. Some good and some bad. Contrary to what you think, apple is no exception.

Apple Defense Force ASSEMBLE!1!!

Google Launch IMMINENT!!11!!1

The same folks jump up to their defense with baseless claims and predicted failure without even seeing the final product. It's like a cult

This is quite possibly one of the worst posts I have ever read.

What do you think they are doing by "designing hardware and software that run flawlessly together?" Face it, Apple is a for-profit business that just posted its' highest quarterly profits ever. This idea that Apple is the Mother Teresa of technology companies here to save the universe from mediocre products is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

Some actually believe Apple is designing slick products with their enormous margins to help better society. SJ created the ipod so everyone could enjoy their music like he does...I swear there is a disconnect between these guys and reality.

 

[Fastshutter]

Hasn't Jobs stated that Apple doesn't make much money off iTunes, but rather uses iTunes as a structure upon which to build product integration? Google creating an iTunes killer would really require them to build an integrated solution that as a whole would compete with Apple. Seeing iTunes as just selling music isn't completely accurate and is, in my opinion, short-sighted.

I personally think Google's Picasa* is the iPhoto killer for the Windows platform. It would be freakin awesome if Google made a music store and music manager app as good as Picasa that synced with all devices, not just idevices. Google can integrate it with it's other online apps and enable some really good music sharing elements. There is LOTS of potential here.

*yes, I know that google purchased Picasa.

 

[ctdonath]

I'm talking about focus, not profit.

Profit is the goal, focus is the path thereto.
Absolutely Apple is competing! and absolutely Google's foray into an overlapping market is competing. If they're both making money from offering music downloads to consumers, then they're competing for those consumers. They may differ in their "focus" (Apple on facilitating iPod sales, Google on data mining for ad targeting), but that's because they believe that their focus will increase profits.
...and don't overlook that Apple pulled, what, $1,600,000,000 profit last quarter? and Google's profits are, dunno, $I,NSA,NE0,000? Trust me, whatever their focus, they're doing it for the profit - and to get that profit, they must compete with others.

While both Apple & Google do a good job with what they do, and make customers feel like the companies are doing it for altruistic reasons, don't lose sight of the fact they're doing it for the money - not altruism.

 

[sishaw]

Tempest in a teapot

According to the WSJ, this is simply going to be a new category of results on Google's search page. "Listeners will be able to stream an entire song via a link from La La Media Inc.'s Lala.com, or a sample from iLike.com. Users who want to purchase songs will be given the option to do so from either of those services, or from Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store or Amazon.com Inc. The music one box may also include an artist's image, lyrics and reviews or other "editorial" content."

So it won't be competing with iTunes, it may even drive users TO iTunes. It sounds to me like a portal as opposed to a store.

 

[OnePotato]

I would immediately buy more from google than from itunes if the price of tv episodes was 99 cents rather than the rediculous $3.99 that apple charges. I will never pay for an episode so if for some reason my PVR doesn't record it I just download from a torrent cause I would pay 99 cents but not 4 bucks

Be honest, even if the episodes were 1 cent apiece, you'd still download them from a torrent because you'd never pay no matter what.

 

[blokey]

How can competition, by itself, increase quality? It can't. It could drive people to excel, but I'm arguing that Apple isn't driven by a petty rivalry. I argue that Apple is driven by a desire to innovate. That, not competition, is what drives them to increase quality.

Here are some Steve Jobs quotes to back up my argument. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_jobs.html

Edit: I'm glad I don't live in your little world, where people have to be forced to treat customers well.

Because Apple didn't seek to put new and improved products on the market two days before Microsoft released a new operating system? Yeah, because that isn't competition.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

How can competition, by itself, increase quality? It can't. It could drive people to excel, but I'm arguing that Apple isn't driven by a petty rivalry. I argue that Apple is driven by a desire to innovate. That, not competition, is what drives them to increase quality.

Here are some Steve Jobs quotes to back up my argument. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_jobs.html

Edit: I'm glad I don't live in your little world, where people have to be forced to treat customers well.

If innovation was the reason Apple did everything, why did they drop DRM from iTunes? They certainly weren't breaking any new ground. The answer is that Amazon was gaining market share by offering DRM-free music downloads.

That is proof positive that competition is good for consumers.

Now show me an example of competition in the market being bad for consumers.

 

[Stately]

The same folks jump up to their defense with baseless claims and predicted failure without even seeing the final product. It's like a cult



Some actually believe Apple is designing slick products with their enormous margins to help better society. SJ created the ipod so everyone could enjoy their music like he does...I swear there is a disconnect between these guys and reality.

First, I don't think it's like a cult at all. This is Macrumors, so rumors about Mac products is what we are here for right? Second, I don't think people are saying that Apple makes products to better society as though they are some sort of perfect beings watching over us. I think they make great products, unlike many other companies, so why not be loyal to quality and yes I do belive that a person like Steve Jobs would want to better society through his products AND for everyone to have a good time while doing so. What's wrong with that? It makes sense to get excited over something that can benefit and individual and is fun to use and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye all at the same time. Should people be excited over half finished, expensive products given out to the public, that aren't so pleasing to the eye with UI's that are boring/annoying to use?

 

[xIGmanIx]

Yeah, leave that space to apple. Not sure why this is negative, to me the real gotcha would be if there were able to interface with other devices and load content on them besides the android.

Sounds like itunes has nothing to worry about, this will be just another overhyped Google product.

 

[Rot'nApple]

Can PRE owners use this to sync their "iPhone Killer" phone to make their precious POS work right?

 

[xIGmanIx]

apple is driven by profits pure and simple and the illusion or actual improvement is a result.

How can competition, by itself, increase quality? It can't. It could drive people to excel, but I'm arguing that Apple isn't driven by a petty rivalry. I argue that Apple is driven by a desire to innovate. That, not competition, is what drives them to increase quality.

Here are some Steve Jobs quotes to back up my argument. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/steve_jobs.html

Edit: I'm glad I don't live in your little world, where people have to be forced to treat customers well.