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iTunes Music Store for Europe - Next Year
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itunes Europe
Ok, reading this several things seem clear to me.
iTunes in Europe is very complex to get into action.... BUT...... Apple do not deal with Europe as a single entity, they deal with it country by country, so I cannot see what they are playing at here; maybe they are going to turn Europe into a single market starting with iTunes?.... The arguments about complexity stalling it are valid, but how do you US Mac owners account for Canada? Your argument falls flat. It must be frustrating in the extreme to live just over the border and own a Mac......
The real villain in this story is of course the record labels and their bratty artists. I am a big believer in survival of the fittest, not the biggest. They either simplify the copyright issue and get on line or see their products pirated to death. Every day without music download in Europe or Canada or Australia is another day with those countries peoples downloading those elusive 200,000 songs via peer to peer. The big dinosaurs of the recording industry may go to the wall if they dont sober up fast enough...
A further point; It is ironic in the extreme that Apple Corp are suing Apple Computers in the British High Court when iTunes music downloading doesn't even work in the UK.
Apple, like Ford and Coca Cola are a global company, even if they started in the US. Can you lucky Americans please take onboard that Apples attempts to become a more software orientated brand look very weak outside your shores? They come up with lovely software, then tie it into an online option that simply doesn't work properly or at all outside the US. (But rather annoyingly the cute icons to launch it are still there under our noses). It is a weakness they should address, but have no inclination to do so. Hence Europeans feeling pissed off. It is more than easy to piss someone off without doing it intentionally. I have no figures but I would be amazed to discover that there are more Macs in the USA than outside it. They need to get more organised with what I suspect is the larger share of their market.
Ok, reading this several things seem clear to me.
iTunes in Europe is very complex to get into action.... BUT...... Apple do not deal with Europe as a single entity, they deal with it country by country, so I cannot see what they are playing at here; maybe they are going to turn Europe into a single market starting with iTunes?.... The arguments about complexity stalling it are valid, but how do you US Mac owners account for Canada? Your argument falls flat. It must be frustrating in the extreme to live just over the border and own a Mac......
The real villain in this story is of course the record labels and their bratty artists. I am a big believer in survival of the fittest, not the biggest. They either simplify the copyright issue and get on line or see their products pirated to death. Every day without music download in Europe or Canada or Australia is another day with those countries peoples downloading those elusive 200,000 songs via peer to peer. The big dinosaurs of the recording industry may go to the wall if they dont sober up fast enough...
A further point; It is ironic in the extreme that Apple Corp are suing Apple Computers in the British High Court when iTunes music downloading doesn't even work in the UK.
Apple, like Ford and Coca Cola are a global company, even if they started in the US. Can you lucky Americans please take onboard that Apples attempts to become a more software orientated brand look very weak outside your shores? They come up with lovely software, then tie it into an online option that simply doesn't work properly or at all outside the US. (But rather annoyingly the cute icons to launch it are still there under our noses). It is a weakness they should address, but have no inclination to do so. Hence Europeans feeling pissed off. It is more than easy to piss someone off without doing it intentionally. I have no figures but I would be amazed to discover that there are more Macs in the USA than outside it. They need to get more organised with what I suspect is the larger share of their market.
To add to the alleged anti-European Apple stance...
In Europe...
.Mac - costs more, offers less
Sherlock - Doesn't do anything in Europe.
iTunes - There are plenty of European sites offering the same service as iTMS and to be honest, http://www.emusic.com 's subscription service works out cheaper and has a wider selection of european music than iTMS. Microsoft have fired their salvo in Europe, knowing that if they get a foothold here, iTunes for Windows in Europe is dead in the water. That's sad.
iPhoto - still no photo printing service. It takes 30 minutes to add one as I coded one into a piece of php gallery software I have. Sure, you'd have to offer a wide selection of services perhaps but IMHO, Apple is dragging it's heels.
Macs also cost more even before taxes than in the USA.
Excuse us 'old world' people for being pissed off again with apparent US arrogance.
In Europe...
.Mac - costs more, offers less
Sherlock - Doesn't do anything in Europe.
iTunes - There are plenty of European sites offering the same service as iTMS and to be honest, http://www.emusic.com 's subscription service works out cheaper and has a wider selection of european music than iTMS. Microsoft have fired their salvo in Europe, knowing that if they get a foothold here, iTunes for Windows in Europe is dead in the water. That's sad.
iPhoto - still no photo printing service. It takes 30 minutes to add one as I coded one into a piece of php gallery software I have. Sure, you'd have to offer a wide selection of services perhaps but IMHO, Apple is dragging it's heels.
Macs also cost more even before taxes than in the USA.
Excuse us 'old world' people for being pissed off again with apparent US arrogance.
It's called import taxes and shipping fees. Any time a company is manufacturing products in one country and shipping them to another country said products are going to be far cheaper in the country of origin.
You don't hear us Americans complaining about the fact that the VW Beetle to go with our iPods costs more than just the Euro/US$ conversion ratio can justify, right?
It really has nothing to do with arrogance. Apple would love to sell its products worldwide. However, the real world isn't based on universal free trade and, frankly, Apple isn't a big enough company to make significant business ventures world-wide without greatly increasing the risk to which it is exposing itself. Moreover, the Apple brand, being far stronger in the US, makes business deals far easier for Apple states-side.
In other words, Apple isn't "arrogant"; it is realistic.
But they are made in Taiwan IIRC. It's no cheaper to ship here from there than to the US. It's cheaper in usually.
If they are shipping from Taiwan to the US and then back to Europe, they want their heads seeing to.
That's because it's cheaper in the US than in Europe. Your cheapest model is the 2.0L (we have more environmentally friendly 1.4, 1.6 etc).
US price - $15,950
UK price - £14,065
UK/USD rate was about .625 dollars to the pound so your Beetle is £9968. Even if ours includes tax (17.5%) it's still way cheaper in the USA.
And they aren't going to be a world player unless they support their foreign markets and adding US only features doesn't help foster global harmony.
Can we just emphasise this point as it's obviously missed a lot of American mac users attention - even though it's been done to death.
IBOOKS AND POWERBOOKS ARE MADE IN TAIWAN NOT THE USA
POWERMACS FOR EUROPE ARE MADE IN EUROPE (IRELAND)
So they are not imported from the USA. Import duty is about 2% anyway. There is no reason for them to be more expensive except Apple wants to charge more. I don't blame them as nearly everyone else sees Europe as a cash-cow...ask Canon.
As the UK isn't Eurozone and has 60 million people can we get to be a trial run for iTunes Europe???
I am sure I paid £67 for mac.com, which I am also sure is pretty close to $99. so no gripes there about US customers' preferential treatment. I wish my UK purchased PB had been priced in dollars though, especially if it did come from Ireland and had not incurred huge transport costs and duties as if it had been imported from across the Atlantic.
Interesting how iTunes Europe is going to finally one day hopefully be born, and probably be more integrated than the whole European Union thing. I hope Apple dont punish the uk though for keeping out of the EURO by not involving them in iTunes.
Interesting how iTunes Europe is going to finally one day hopefully be born, and probably be more integrated than the whole European Union thing. I hope Apple dont punish the uk though for keeping out of the EURO by not involving them in iTunes.
Originally posted by caveman_uk
As the UK isn't Eurozone and has 60 million people can we get to be a trial run for iTunes Europe???
I suspect the UK will get their own iTMS, if for no other reason than the fact they have their own currency.
im in AUS and im not so pissed off at the fact its taking a long time IM PISSED OFF that people who use windoze computers will get it before me..... over here whey trying to explain why u would pay twice as muce for a comp with SIMILAR specs...it is a lot harder...no iPhoto printing...and everything else already coverd...IT just ****s me taht windoze peopel will get iTunes music store before peoplethe people who actuly make apple their profits... THE PEOPLE WHO BUY THEIR HARDWARE......ok my rant is now finished
Yes, but by "Europe", I'm assuming they mean "Western Europe". Other than former Communist countries, we have the UK, Switzerland, and Sweden with their own currencies. The UK is probably the biggest of these markets, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Switzerland and perhaps Sweden with stores of their own. In the meantime, the EU gets a single store that sells in Euros.
...and Norway.. Not even a member of EU - hope it´s gonna last a long time... I do not like EU..
I didn't know that. Interesting. Not to turn this into a political debate, but good luck keeping your sovereignty, and good luck getting your own iTMS!