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Overmarketing of 99 Cent downloads problem

rfenik

rfenik

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 28, 2003
110
0
Someone I know recently got a brand new iMac, but they were afraid to use iTunes because she thought it cost 99 cents to copy each song onto thier computer, even if they owned the CD. They kept saying "I don't have the money to use iTunes" so she used her CD player right next to her instead. She was so convinced this was how it was, it took quite a long time to tell her it was free to copy your own music onto thier computer... and listen to it.

Seems like they stressed the 99 cents per song a little TOO much... wonder how many other people are afraid to use iTunes because they think it costs them money to listen to thier CDs???

I think to get people to TRY iTunes more they should stress that iTunes offers more free features than any other music player... or something of the like.

I just thought that was really funny when I was told that.

-ko
 
Re: Overmarketing of 99 Cent downloads problem

Originally posted by rfenik
Someone I know recently got a brand new iMac, but they were afraid to use iTunes because she thought it cost 99 cents to copy each song onto thier computer, even if they owned the CD. They kept saying "I don't have the money to use iTunes"...
Click to expand...

This is the same type of person who wires money to Nigerian businessmen. The concept of "idiot-proof" does have its limits. :rolleyes:
 
I've heard of people thinking that too. A lot of windoze users at school think that iTunes is only for your purchaced "iTunes" (their term, not mine). A lot of them don't realize that you can upload any of your old mp3s or even rip from your tangable media. It seems that Apple needs to advertise iTunes and its many features, before the online store.
 
I can't count the times when iTunes for Windows came out that everyone asked if it'd cost them money.
 
lots of people thought it would cost money when the windows version came out...or that its only function was for buying music.

I guess apple doesn't really care if you download it just to organize your songs. They want people who will use the music store, and in turn get an ipod.

I can see how the confusion arises though.
 
Well considering most of the people are know are more tech savvy (most have OCed, dabble in BIOS tweaking, and all have AMD computers :) ), i guess i'm in the minority.

However, most of their reasons for not using iTunes is b/c of the bloat.

iTunes installs Quicktime. Forced install. If you don't want Quicktime, well then you can't install iTunes (this takes away file associations, some critical IE settings, etc.)--a bad first impression, especially coming from a company, Apple, that constantly talks about Microsoft including bloat in its SW.

Fortunately, I use Firebird, so this doesn't matter as much.

Other bloat? iTunes runs an iPod service--EVEN when your iPod isn't connected. Considering I don't even HAVE an iPod (and probably won't until i see the supposed 2gb or 4gb versions), i see no use of having additional services gobble up cpu cycles and memory while running in the background wastefully.

Third--GearSec. I guess if you want to burn CD's directly through iTunes you'd want this, but i sure don't want to. Guess what? If you disable the service, iTunes will constantly complain about it. Just great.

HOWEVER--those all aside, the interface is great. While i have pretty much switched to iTunes from winamp2.91 (or the newer 5); I sure WISH that quicktime and gearsec were not "strings" that come along with such a great program.

Also, iTunes has considerable poor memory efficiency (it can be 12-14megs @ one moment, the next is at a whopping 35megs). Winamp2 or even the bloated winamp3? Barely 4megs.

So if these several problems are fixed, i'm sure iTunes would gain a heck of a lot more acceptance.
 
Re: Overmarketing of 99 Cent downloads problem

Originally posted by rfenik
Someone I know recently got a brand new iMac, but they were afraid to use iTunes because she thought it cost 99 cents to copy each song onto thier computer, even if they owned the CD.
Click to expand...


Yah and someone you know appears to be critically stupid.

Look. There is a certain percentage of the population of the world that should stay away from foam rubber for fear of choking on it. A certain percentage that should be shielded from sharp corners. And a certain percentage that shouldn’t have a damn thing to do with computers. This “person”, sure this isn’t a chimp?, I believe falls into at least the third category. (Who knows maybe he/she stuffs foam rubber in their mouth too?)
Frankly I’m actually scared of some people. That they have actual drivers licenses and drive high speed vehicles that are capable of killing someone and yet can’t figure out a simple concept such as a file browser, or the difference between a word file or Excel file. I had someone swear up and down to me that she opened up an XLS file in PowerPoint. Apple can only do so much magic then its up to the intelligence of the individual to fill in the gaps.
 
I've heard of this problem too. It's not just people being stupid, though they may be guilty of a lack of common sense. There's clearly something about the way apple advertised this that gave people the wrong idea. Maybe the OP is right and it's just hammering the "99 cents a song" over and over. Well, whatever it is, Apple needs to be clearer. You can call the users stupid, but Apple's goal is to bring itunes and ipods to more people, and dismissing people as stupid doesn't help do that.
 
not to be mean or anything... but there common sense is really lacking these days... for example...

do we really need a label that tells you NOT to put your kitty in the microwave to dry it off?

do we really need a warning label that tells you your HOT coffee is HOT?

i mean, seriously... does someone need to hump an alien or something? ;)
we seem to need a brain boost, or a good way to teach people common sense. :D
 
Re: Re: Overmarketing of 99 Cent downloads problem

Originally posted by Flowbee
This is the same type of person who wires money to Nigerian businessmen. The concept of "idiot-proof" does have its limits. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Lol, spilt my coffee reading that one.
 
Originally posted by MetallicPenguin
I think you must have to open the case to do this.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...


:D :D :D :D :D

Funny story. We replaced all of our Compaq Deskpros with Dells 4 years ago. But during the dark time as we around here call it. The Deskpros shipped with slot loading CD-ROM drives. The problem is that the brilliant designer of the case left about 1MM of space open between the covers of the 5.25 bays; one of which was occupied by the CD-ROM drive. (You guys are seeing where this is going aren't you? :D ) So every so often we got a call on the helpdesk because someone slide their CD-ROM disk into the wrong slot and it ended up inside the computer sitting on top of the CD-ROM drive. The helpdesk calls were always labeled i-d-10-T Error.
There was one person who was notorious for doing this every few weeks. It got to a point where we just left the soft of the computer off so she could get it herself. :rolleyes:.
 
99 Cents or 99 IQ?

Originally posted by Flowbee
The concept of "idiot-proof" does have its limits. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Maybe the new term should be idiot resistant. Just like there is no longer any watches labeled just water proof. Maybe idiot resistant to 80 IQ points? The again as I said before some of the smarter people I know can’t operate a computer to save their lives. Makes me wonder if how we measure intelligence is really all that accurate. How do you measure “street smart” or “common sense”?!?
 
It may seem stupid to us, but if you took albert einstein and placed him in the 90's he probably may have the same problem as that poor girl who thought she had to pay each time she ripped a cd.

Its all a matter of what you've been exposed to, not how intelligent you are.

Some people may have a great capacity for learning or reasoning, but a great knowledge gap in other areas.
 
Originally posted by johnnowak
Ah that's just dumb people nonsense. Whoever thought that is a bonehead and that's all there is to it.
Click to expand...

True its very stupid...but what causes stupidity?

Is it because you were born with a mental defect?

Or is it because your circumstances never exposed you to certain crucial pieces of information?
 
Originally posted by krimson
not to be mean or anything... but there common sense is really lacking these days... for example...

do we really need a label that tells you NOT to put your kitty in the microwave to dry it off?

do we really need a warning label that tells you your HOT coffee is HOT?

i mean, seriously... does someone need to hump an alien or something? ;)
we seem to need a brain boost, or a good way to teach people common sense. :D
Click to expand...
Wonko the Sane!!!!:D
 
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