Apple always leads when they first release a product, but they lose it over time because of crappy management, I just hope it does not happen here.
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Scott Blum (buymusic) eats crow
- Thread starter Ambrose Chapel
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I know this is getting off topic but I thought Sony (PS2) still dominated that market. I could be mistaken.
Anyhow, it just goes to show the M$ practices don't always workout.
It goes to show, they are not a hardware company. Maybe they will make a servicable download store that they bundle with Windows to get it on computers, but lately, Apple is about integrating Hardware and Software. The iPod/iTMS is a perfect example. All the iApps are also designed so that you don't need to buy third party software when you get your computer.
They are designed for Apple by Apple.
All the need is a decent Word Processor/Office Suite with and "i" version included in the iApp package (iOffice anybody) and you get 99% of the things an average user needs right out of the box.
M$ is about Windows and Office. Everything else is extra.
It isn't possible to get that seemless integration with another player. Apple doesn't have a plug-in architecture available. iTunes exists solely to sell iPod players. You can certainly export your information to another place and find ways to access it and put it onto another player, but then, you might as well be using another product instead.
I'm glad to see Scott Blum is off his high horse now. I just hope that Apple has plans for the onslaught.
When they do "lose it" it is because of the closed system (ie, fewer resellers, fewer options, fewer programs availible).
Right now, Apple seems pretty happy with it's market share. I am not sure it wants to be the biggest computer company out there.
It tends to happen that the main thing people look at is price before quality. Just ask anyone who owned a Betamax VCR. Whether MAC OS is "better" than Windows will be debated as long as both exist (and probably long after), but no matter what most people are going to buy the cheapest, most availible thing.
The question is can iPod hang on if there is a $50 cheaper alternative that has more songs availible?
Originally posted by iGAV
could you add....
Must... Have... European iTunes Music Store
Must... Have... European iTunes Music Store
Must... Have... European iTunes Music Store
and please add
Must... Have... Canadian iTunes Music Store
Must... Have... Canadian iTunes Music Store
Must... Have... Canadian iTunes Music Store
As soon as they open the iTMS for Canada I'm budgeting at least $1 a day for music... maybe more when albums come out that I want to listen to.
Once iTMS becomes truely international, 25 million songs will look like chump change.
I don't think it's too far off to see other players supporting AAC, but I doubt it'll be the ones that are tied in to other music services (Samsung, Dell, etc.)
I really hope that AAC dosn't die, it's a good format that needs some TLC.
I really hope that AAC dosn't die, it's a good format that needs some TLC.
Its not just as but more a lot more, its a lossy compression. IIRC from reading slashdot; aac for small compression isn't as good..... it needs to be optimized and still has some more to go before it can compete in sound-n-size in those categories with ogg.
If iTunes is just there to sell iPods then...
why isn't Apple trying to license their Fairplay to competing online music stores so the music on these stores will be compatible with the iPod?
Maybe they are and we just don't know. I'm just afraid that Apple may be forgetting that the main goal is to sell iPods. It shouldn't matter if iTMS is #1 or #10 as long as leading stores are iPod compatible.
why isn't Apple trying to license their Fairplay to competing online music stores so the music on these stores will be compatible with the iPod?
Maybe they are and we just don't know. I'm just afraid that Apple may be forgetting that the main goal is to sell iPods. It shouldn't matter if iTMS is #1 or #10 as long as leading stores are iPod compatible.
From the article:
Apple will lose 'cuz soon Dell is going to strike up a deal with Microsoft. Dell will include a DJ with every computer purchased and have it link with the Msoft service. Msoft will rig Windows so that any links, references, searches, apps, etc. related to music will direct the user to Msoft's music service.
hahahahahahahaha, that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. YES Apple's dominance could be changed, BUT if will have nothing to do with 'an incredible Windows player' or ease of use.
Apple will lose 'cuz soon Dell is going to strike up a deal with Microsoft. Dell will include a DJ with every computer purchased and have it link with the Msoft service. Msoft will rig Windows so that any links, references, searches, apps, etc. related to music will direct the user to Msoft's music service.
You are probably correct. I guess Apple has some idea what they are doing. #1 in portable music players and #1 in downloads.
Blum actually expected to sell over 350 million songs annually? Where the heck did he pull those estimates from? And why hasn't the BuyMusic board of directors fired him for gross incompetence?
(I know I read recently somewhere what the number songs sold on traditional physical CDs are, but I can't find it now -- anyone have that figure?)
Re: If iTunes is just there to sell iPods then...
But if the iPod has 50% market share, then they are selling as many players as all other competors combined.
From the comments in the articles recenltly about iTunes, you can easily assume that iTMS is easily selling more songs than all the others combined.
In my opinion, when you are the dominant player in a market, you don't try to concede to the other players, you try to eliminate them from the market and take their market share away.
In the face of increasing competition, iPod and iTMS are increasing market share, not loosing it.
But if the iPod has 50% market share, then they are selling as many players as all other competors combined.
From the comments in the articles recenltly about iTunes, you can easily assume that iTMS is easily selling more songs than all the others combined.
In my opinion, when you are the dominant player in a market, you don't try to concede to the other players, you try to eliminate them from the market and take their market share away.
In the face of increasing competition, iPod and iTMS are increasing market share, not loosing it.
Check out current run magazines - especially those targeted at 18-35 yo men (Maxim, Men's Health, et cetera). Several full-page ads from Rio, Creative, et al touting their players. One of them (the Creative one, IIRC) actually shows a full-size picture of their player with an iPod (turned away from the camera) - its a little bit bigger, but looks about as good. The punchine from the ad? The price (over $100 less, IIRC). And the capacities (up to 60gb) but that wasn't as big of a deal.
Typical Apple - its just like when the 1ghz G4 came out. Wow! It was as fast as, or maybe faster than, the competing 1ghz PIII. Of course, it was also still being sold long after the 1ghz PIII had bit the dust...
-Richard
edit: Found an online version of the ad - the top story has a version of the text and a smaller version of the same picture used in the full-page text ads. Is the Nomad better than the iPod? Probably not. Is it $185 and a good pair of headphones worse than the iPod? Also, sadly for Apple, probably not.
Selected copy from the ad:
- Zen Xtra plays up to 14 hours of music in a single battery charge. iPod claims 8 hours.
- Zen Xtra 40GB holds 16,000 WMA songs. iPod 40GB doesn't support WMA and only holds 10,000 songs.
- Zen Xtra gives you the freedom of choice for your music, with support for the broadest selection of music download services, such as Best Buy® MusicNow, BuyMusic.com, MusicMatch®, and Napster®. iPod is supported by iTunes®.
Spend $185 less* and get more with a 40GB Zen Xtra.
Re: If iTunes is just there to sell iPods then...
Hasn't Apple always said iTMS exists to sell iPods? How do these other stores plan to make their money? Is Napster going to a make money selling Samsung players?
It seems people think this is the future is downloading music, but if the number store is making it's money selling songs. How is some one going to make money selling twice as many?
iTMS sales = iPod Sales = Mac Sales = Apple Profits
I believe this is Apple's plan. So why do these companies think they can just make money selling songs over the internet?
Hasn't Apple always said iTMS exists to sell iPods? How do these other stores plan to make their money? Is Napster going to a make money selling Samsung players?
It seems people think this is the future is downloading music, but if the number store is making it's money selling songs. How is some one going to make money selling twice as many?
iTMS sales = iPod Sales = Mac Sales = Apple Profits
I believe this is Apple's plan. So why do these companies think they can just make money selling songs over the internet?
Considering that AAC is the audio encoding format for MPEG2 and HDTV I don't think it's going anywhere any time soon.
I'm thinking it won't be too much longer before artists start releasing their music exclusively mixed for AAC, thus enabling some really neat features Apple could put in the iPod. Ex: AAC supports up to 48 channels. You could for instance have lead vocals, backup vocals, drums, guitar, bass and strings all on separate channels. You the listener could then decide how to mix the channels on-the-fly. Each channel could have an EQ, volume and balance setting. (for comparison, MP3 supports up to 5 channels).
One Question to all..
What's with the fasination with been able to play some other service music..why?
If you have an iPod and use iTunes and buy from the iTunes music store ...why in the world I would want to play someone else's; as the music store has a pretty good selection if they don't have they soon will and if they don't i could go out you know in the "real world" and buy the CD if I really have to.
This beyond my comprehension the itms is to service the iPod... and by the way there are other players that play aac formats just not the protected ones. it's all about selling iPods if other players can play protected aac's why then buy an iPod ... think about it.
Cheers!!
What's with the fasination with been able to play some other service music..why?
If you have an iPod and use iTunes and buy from the iTunes music store ...why in the world I would want to play someone else's; as the music store has a pretty good selection if they don't have they soon will and if they don't i could go out you know in the "real world" and buy the CD if I really have to.
This beyond my comprehension the itms is to service the iPod... and by the way there are other players that play aac formats just not the protected ones. it's all about selling iPods if other players can play protected aac's why then buy an iPod ... think about it.
Cheers!!
This was under Gil's reign (shudders).
All this did was breed bad computer rip-offs. I think the fact that Jobs pulled the plug on the clone Macs helped Apple.
Re: One Question to all..
That's the theory, anyway.
Is the ability to move to a different music store a big deal? Hmm... probably not huge. But even so, its worth more than $0 to most people, which further increases the apparent value gap between iPod and the rest of 'em.
-Richard
Well, right now people who like online music stores, and have an iPod, have to hope that Apple will keep iTMS up and running -- and relevently updated. What if, for whatever reason, they decide to shut it down? Or give up on adding new music? No more online music store for you. If you were a Creative (or whoever) customer, and one of the music stores shuts down (say, Napster) or stops getting updated, or in some other way displeases you, you just start shopping from another one.Originally posted by Wash!!
What's with the fasination with been able to play some other service music..why?
If you have an iPod and use iTunes and buy from the iTunes music store ...why in the world I would want to play someone else's; as the music store has a pretty good selection if they don't have they soon will and if they don't i could go out you know in the "real world" and buy the CD if I really have to.
That's the theory, anyway.
Is the ability to move to a different music store a big deal? Hmm... probably not huge. But even so, its worth more than $0 to most people, which further increases the apparent value gap between iPod and the rest of 'em.
-Richard
About the iPod/iTunes being open, I can understand making iTunes only work with the iPod, why support competing music players given that that is where the real money is according to Apple. But Apple should certainly make the iPod support EVERY available format possible, make the iPod work with every other music store. That will sell more iPods, and that is where the money is right? Add to that once people get an iPod they'll try the available music stores, see how they all cost the same, and that iTunes is the easiest to use, etc... and use it...
So leave iTunes closed, but open the iPod...
So leave iTunes closed, but open the iPod...
Re: Re: One Question to all..
In a sense true but if the itms goes bust all apple has to do is to open the ipod to others which they can do with an update any time they want, support for the other formats its already built in all they have to do is turn it on.. and even if they go out i would not buy anything that has M$ hands on it I'll just go back to the all fashion way buy actual cd's
In a sense true but if the itms goes bust all apple has to do is to open the ipod to others which they can do with an update any time they want, support for the other formats its already built in all they have to do is turn it on.. and even if they go out i would not buy anything that has M$ hands on it I'll just go back to the all fashion way buy actual cd's