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Sony-iTunes Link?

hope its true. if apple continues to do the same stupid mistakes as it did in the 80s, the itunes success wont last long. apple should, MUST license iTunes to as many companies as possible because or else its dead..
 
Possible options here:
1. Sony figured that iTMS compatibility is more profitible than connect. Why would Apple grant Sony such compatibility? It would be a disaster if Sony pulled its labels from the iTMS.

2. iTunes PSP edition. Yes, the PSP can play music, but its more of a jack of all trades than a true music player. Its too big to act as a flash player, the large capacity memory sticks cost as much as a iPod shuffle, and the capacity is too small to compete against the HD based iPods. However it is better for Apple if the PSP can play iTMS music.

3. PS3. The more closely tied the Mac is to the PS3, the better. Imagine a Mac/PS3 media center combo. The more Sony money that goes into advertising Apple technology the better for Apple. The more publicity the better for Apple.

Sony is one of the top five companies in the world. Apple wants them on their side.
 
BenRoethig said:
Possible options here:
1. Sony figured that iTMS compatibility is more profitible than connect. Why would Apple grant Sony such compatibility? It would be a disaster if Sony pulled its labels from the iTMS.

2. iTunes PSP edition. Yes, the PSP can play music, but its more of a jack of all trades than a true music player. Its too big to act as a flash player, the large capacity memory sticks cost as much as a iPod shuffle, and the capacity is too small to compete against the HD based iPods. However it is better for Apple if the PSP can play iTMS music.

3. PS3. The more closely tied the Mac is to the PS3, the better. Imagine a Mac/PS3 media center combo. The more Sony money that goes into advertising Apple technology the better for Apple. The more publicity the better for Apple.

Sony is one of the top five companies in the world. Apple wants them on their side.
Click to expand...

Its all good what you are saying but the iTunes store and the iPod is as successful as it will probably ever will be... You say that the more publicity for Apple the better but people still buy PCs because they are basically cheaper and about equal in speed with Macs, Apple can advertise all they want but in the long run they better come out with innovative new products (with attractive price points) rather than colaborating with other companies on existing technlogy where they alread are successful without any helping hands...

From what you are saying there wouldnt be a whole lot of benefit to Apple, most people who will have a PS3 probably already have a PC at home that do all the iTunes downloads from (the beginning price of a PS3 will probably be higher than the cheapest Dell you will find)...

So all in all I don't think Apple has a lot to gain just from making iTunes PS3 compatibile, PS3 first and foremost will be a gaming console and secondly a media device... Sony has to offer more than just PS3 iTunes/iPods compatibile....

I believe that Apple, more than anything, is somehow tied up with the Cell chip as it is the most attractive item that currently Sony can offer them, other than that Apple is doing just fine and are showing all the other music "experts" how to run the MP3 world and they certainly don't need anyones help... The more they will colaborate with other companies the more money they will start losing because what once was hot will start to fade away anyway because sooner or later someone will come out with a more innovative product...

Apple is doing fine in the music business, all they need to do is stay innovative... Apple has colaborated a lot of times with a lot of companies and I cant think of one example where Apple would benefit from it over the long run (except the processor manufacturers where they are simply dependant on)...
 
Phat_Pat said:
I remeber Steve saying that Sony and Apple were working close together in one of his keynotes..... maybe this is true.
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Yeah, I have been wondering about that too. I wondered when something would emerge. I was a surprised to see that SE didn't make their latest cellphone (w800i) compatible will iTunes. It has support for AAC though.
PS3 and iTunes...hmm it could work. Not too obvious if you ask me.
 
it's a game of poker

itunes on a ps3 will also need quicktime 7 so they can add the sales of ps3s to the overall market share of quicktime plus add in support for h.264 and things get very interesting.
 
BenRoethig said:
Possible options here:
1. Sony figured that iTMS compatibility is more profitible than connect. Why would Apple grant Sony such compatibility? It would be a disaster if Sony pulled its labels from the iTMS.
Click to expand...
Someone mentioned the Sony NAS-CZ1 (which streams music from iTunes and other music players) as evidence of a compatibility/licensing deal between Sony and Apple.

I think the Sony device just redirects music from the PC speakers to the remote speakers. This way they don't have to worry about DRM.

My reasoning is:
1. the NAS-CZ1 info says it can work in multiple rooms, but iTunes will only work in 1 room at a time. Does the sony device do these rooms simultaneously?
2. The NAS-CZ1 info never mentions the Mac. It says it will play from your PC, from iTunes, WMP, etc.

The press info also says you can tell the device to play least heard songs, random etc - so I'm not sure how that fits in with using iTunes. Press releases are not good indicators of what's really going on so maybe I've got it wrong!
 
How about Sony enabling ports of some of their console games to the Mac? Anyway, it would be kick arse if something does happen with Apple + Sony + PS3.
 
I hold no hostility towards Sony.

Unlike most PC makers, and various competitors, I kinda like Sony. I think an Apple/Sony partnership would be very nice.
 
there is some truth behind this

I am a member of the Playstation Gamer Advisory panel. And a few months ago we were asked about "creating playlists to customize in-game music"
That is all i will mention about the contents of the survey among panel members.
 
Sony has a history of cooperation

Doctor Q said:
Apple and Sony can't be too chummy since they compete in many areas. They have to pick and choose collaborations where they will both benefit. The relationship will continue to develop over time, since they certaintly take to each other.
Click to expand...

I found this post rather interesting because Sony has a history of cooperating with it's competitors when necessary to succeed in an industry. For instance, Toshiba, a huge competitor to Sony is one of three companies collaborating on the Cell processor known as the STI Group (Sony, Toshiba, IBM). This supposedly is going to power not only the PS3 but also future Sony consumer electronics. We also see them collaborating with several competitors to establish and develop the BluRay Disc technology.

Sony cooperates because they create (or co-create) standards. Formats that they need other company's to use in order to sell products from several arms of their business. The thing I don't understand is why everybody calls "Connect" a competitor to iTunes. Since the store opened it has failed to compete with Apple's iTunes. It has generated nothing but bad press, and now, after people have a negative image of it, Sony is finally starting to branch the proprietary Atrac3Plus format to it's other business arms like car audio... too little too late. They should have listened to Ken Kutaragi long ago and opened up their proprietary formats then they wouldn't be in this boat... but good for Mac fans!
 
Interesting, but I doubt this collaboration is going to have anything to do with Sony making iTMS-compatible music players. Apple uses iTMS to push the sale of iPods, so there's no way they're going to license the FairPlay DRM to anybody else. Similarly, Sony is heavily invested in their own music service with ATRAC+, and I can't imagine them supporting a competing format.

If Apple is working with Sony on something for the PS3, it will probably be video-oriented. Apple and Sony already work closely together on video products. Perhaps the PS3 will include the ability to read video off of camcorders and they want to integrate it with iMovie/iDVD when the user has a Mac.

If it is somehow iTunes/iPod related, there are options other than a Sony-manufactured music player. Perhaps the PS3 will be able to connect to a PC/Mac and appear as an AirTunes speaker, allowing you to stream music from a computer into a PS3 (perhaps in liu of a game's background music.) Perhaps in conjunction with some kind of remote-control software so you can control the remote iTunes from the PS3 (perhaps even from within games.)

Perhaps the PS3 will masquerade as iTunes, allowing it to stream audio to AirTunes speakers.

Perhaps it will let you use an iPod (especially something small like a shuffle) as a memory card, so you can transport your saved games on the same device as your music.

I can probably think of a few other ideas that are a lot more plausible than Sony starting to make iPods.
 
pawnstar said:
http://www.mobilegamefaqs.com/newsstory.php?id=121

... Also Apple asked Sony to join them with ITMS
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but in what capacity? Did Apple want Sony on-board as a manufacturer of player hardware, as a supplier of software (perhaps for the Windows version of iTunes?) or as a music publisher?

I think an Apple-Sony collaboration with Sony in the role of music provider makes more sense than them in some other role.
 
the sony audio system compatible with iTunes:

http://www.sony-europe.com/PageView...ection=en_EU_Press&pressrelease=1109586898095

also the PSP can use AAC and the newer SE phones can (also the latest Siemens)

I would imagine any deal between Sony and Apple would have been about content back in 2002. Sony dropped the ball with the iPod and they have MS to worry about in the console arena. Therefore maybe both they and Apple are realising they need to work with other companies to stay ahead. Sony worked with Toshiba and IBM to make the CELL processor.

Also the CELL is supposed to be a collaborative processor, other appliances would have it and they would work together. If the PS3 is going to be media box, a modified PS2 was released in Japan that could record stuff, it needs a way to handle the content.

If you look at the Sony Pres at the Apple Expo he keeps talking about how software is the glue and how Apple make good software - and that they should stick to software :)

I think that Sony knows it needs good software and doesn't like MS, its probably easier to work with Apple than make stuff from scratch.

I think Sony are recognising where they are weak and so is Apple, and they've both learnt enough to see they need to work with other companies - maybe I'm wrong.
 
sony really is not all that weak , that said i use xbox and and an ipod,sony once rules gaming world with ps1 and music with walkman but apple is higher in music, in gameing world i know many people who like ps2 over xbox, and the psp put them on top od the handheld world.
 
zap2 said:
sony really is not all that weak , that said i use xbox and and an ipod,sony once rules gaming world with ps1 and music with walkman but apple is higher in music, in gameing world i know many people who like ps2 over xbox, and the psp put them on top od the handheld world.
Click to expand...

At the SF Expo the the Sony guy kept saying how software was the glue - it let people use the wonderful hardware. Steve Jobs has also previously commented how he admired Sony stuff.

Sony isn't that weak but Sonic Stage isn't supposed to be that hot and MS are going to use Xbox 360 to further their reach into people's homes, at Sony's expense. Therefore Sony have already shot themselves in the foot over iTunes and won't be eager to make more mistakes. Letting MS gain footholds in home entertainment will be bad for both Apple and Sony.
 
Is it just me?

Personally, I don't think the big issue here is even music. Sure it might find its way into the mix but I think the heavy-duty stuff will be video. I mean, as much as I wanted to buy an Airport Express when they first came out, I just couldn't justify it. Why? That crazy device called an iPod dock. (Even without the dock, the iPod can be easily plugged into a stereo.)

Perhaps the PS3 is going to carry some of the load for sending video from the computer to the TV. Can some engineers and/or techies comment on this? Could the PS3's processing power help in this arena?

Could the equation be: iTunes + Airport Express + PS3?

Squire

Afterthought: If Apple planned on somehow getting video (QT7) from the computer to the living room, would they even want to depend on Sony's PS3 to be an integral part? What about the millions of people completely uninterested in video games? Would they plunk down 3 or 4 hundred for a PS3? Probably not. Maybe Apple could launch their own stripped-down version (aimed at non-gamers) for a bargain basement price.

Sorry. Just thinking out loud here. (Out loud? Hmmm...)
 
Maybe Apple could launch their own stripped-down version (aimed at non-gamers) for a bargain basement price.
Click to expand...

The Cell processor is supposed to be a colaborative processor, so it could be used for digital content such as video. As content is becoming more and more digital home entertainment will need something to look after it all. Why not an Apple/Sony 'thing'.
 
shamino said:
AAC support does not mean support for the FairPlay-DRM-wrapped AAC files you get from iTMS.

There are many products that support unprotected AAC, but as far as I know, Apple products (iTunes and iPods) are the only ones that can play iTMS purchases.
Click to expand...

That is very true - but the Sony site does say "among other formats" and specifically mentions iTunes. Wouldn't be very user friendly to buy it thinking it would work with your ITMS tracks and have it not work. I'm not saying it will support ITMS tracks, but Apple have sold 300 million - it'd piss a lot of people off if they can't play them through their NAS-CZ1 (great name :confused: ). Its also a shift for Sony supporting something other than ATRAC.
 
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