iTunes usage overtakes RealPlayer for the first time
Although often considered the de facto choice for music sales, Apple's iTunes media player has just recently surpassed RealPlayer and is now second only to Microsoft's Windows Media Player for streaming media.
Website Optimization cites new research from Nielsen Online that shows the Apple software crossing the threshold in April 2007 and maintaining a near-total advantage over RealPlayer up to the most recent survey in December, which showed almost 35.7 million unique iTunes users versus Real's 27.6 million.
Microsoft's Windows Media Player, which comes bundled with most editions of the stronger-selling Windows operating system, remained the dominant software with nearly 75.9 million users.
But iTunes alone showed any consistent growth, according to the Nielsen results. The jukebox program's overall user base grew by 26.8 percent between December 2006 and December 2007 while all others slowed or reversed course. RealPlayer's use dropped by 17.5 percent, while Windows Media Player was "essentially flat" throughout all of 2007 and slipped by 58,000 users, or less than one percent.
Even Apple's own QuickTime software, which forms the backbone of iTunes' music and video playback, saw its usage for streaming media drop by 8.6 percent over the same timeframe.
A report in early 2007 accurately predicted that Apple's move to second place would occur by mid-2007 but followed an earlier study from a year before which prematurely suggested the changeover would take place in mid-2006. In practice, iTunes traffic grew only modestly until a spike during the holidays -- likely triggered by iPod sales -- put the software within reach of RealPlayer's user share.
Website Optimization cites new research from Nielsen Online that shows the Apple software crossing the threshold in April 2007 and maintaining a near-total advantage over RealPlayer up to the most recent survey in December, which showed almost 35.7 million unique iTunes users versus Real's 27.6 million.
Microsoft's Windows Media Player, which comes bundled with most editions of the stronger-selling Windows operating system, remained the dominant software with nearly 75.9 million users.
But iTunes alone showed any consistent growth, according to the Nielsen results. The jukebox program's overall user base grew by 26.8 percent between December 2006 and December 2007 while all others slowed or reversed course. RealPlayer's use dropped by 17.5 percent, while Windows Media Player was "essentially flat" throughout all of 2007 and slipped by 58,000 users, or less than one percent.
Even Apple's own QuickTime software, which forms the backbone of iTunes' music and video playback, saw its usage for streaming media drop by 8.6 percent over the same timeframe.
A report in early 2007 accurately predicted that Apple's move to second place would occur by mid-2007 but followed an earlier study from a year before which prematurely suggested the changeover would take place in mid-2006. In practice, iTunes traffic grew only modestly until a spike during the holidays -- likely triggered by iPod sales -- put the software within reach of RealPlayer's user share.
Comments
Apple should add small unobtrusive ads a la google adwords to iTunes and use that as a new revenue stream. Thin of the millions of users out there, a small tiny couple words ad somewhere on the side could make alotta dough for the company.
I don't see that happening...
Just like there is no "Intel Inside" sticker on Apple laptops, this too will never happen. SJ is obsessed with aesthetics than ad revenue off iTunes or anything else produced by Apple.
RealPlayer? Do people still use that piece of s***?
I've always found the OS X version of RealPlayer to be not bad.
The OS 9 version really was truly awful, and the Windows version was (still is?) the nastiest piece of control-freak, spyware-ridden crap ever. And the way they try to trick people into getting a paid version over the free version by making the free version almost impossible to find is despicable.
RealPlayer? Do people still use that piece of s***?
I was wondering the same thing
What about Adobe Flash? With the like of YouTube, Flash seems to have obliterated all other solutions for streaming video.
FTA: "...for streaming media." YouTube and/or Flash aren't streaming media. Specifically, this is the "Radio" Library in iTunes.
And YouTube has converted its content away from the craptacular Flash video format.
Note to Adobe: Just because you can use every available CPU cycle doesn't mean you should.
Apple should add small unobtrusive ads a la google adwords to iTunes and use that as a new revenue stream. Thin of the millions of users out there, a small tiny couple words ad somewhere on the side could make alotta dough for the company.
No, that would just make me drop iTunes. What is with this idea that if a lot of people use something we automatically need to add advertising to it somehow.
RealPlayer? Do people still use that piece of s***?
I have some software installed that lets me play Realplayer files without using Realplayer itself. I don't think it's legally kosher, but I'm not installing Real's spyware player.
No, that would just make me drop iTunes. What is with this idea that if a lot of people use something we automatically need to add advertising to it somehow.
I have some software installed that lets me play Realplayer files without using Realplayer itself. I don't think it's legally kosher, but I'm not installing Real's spyware player.
umm... they added little ads to YouTube and nobody is complaining. If a small ad somewhere in iTunes where you wouldn't even look make u stop using iTunes, then you plain and simple are retarded. AppleInsider has lil google adwords and it doesn't stop you from posting here now does it!
Anything to add revenue would be great. Small ads wouldn't ruin the aesthetics of iTunes.
... you plain and simple are retarded. AppleInsider has lil google adwords and it doesn't stop you from posting here now does it!
Anything to add revenue would be great. Small ads wouldn't ruin the aesthetics of iTunes.
I love your choice of words. Really do. I mean can you BE any more impolite ? You obviously do not have handicapped people in your family or within your group of friends (that is if you have any) - else you would not use such a derogative term
And why on earth wold we need more ads to the detriment of our privacy - as one thing stands clear - your iTunes knows who you are and what you shop for in terms of audio/visual content. So yeah - yippieh - lets all give up our privacy so that a company can make more money.
You seem to be missing the point anyway - the difference between YouTube, AI and iTunes is that sooner or later you end up paying for/in the latter one be it through direct purchases or indirect purchases (aka iPod).
As for adding little ads to YouTube ... go figure, it's an entirely different business, and one that's owned by a rather large advertising agency
umm... they added little ads to YouTube and nobody is complaining. If a small ad somewhere in iTunes where you wouldn't even look make u stop using iTunes, then you plain and simple are retarded. AppleInsider has lil google adwords and it doesn't stop you from posting here now does it!
Anything to add revenue would be great. Small ads wouldn't ruin the aesthetics of iTunes.
It's not about the aesthetics. It's about the difference between my own personal computer and the internet. YouTube, AppleInsider, those are websites, not programs on my own machine. Would you wear any t-shirt with a big corporate logo on the front, as long as it's free?
A whole bunch of people use iTunes, that's cool. But you're just looking at it as yet another place to advertise. Does the concept of "maybe there should be some places free of marketing" ever occur to you?
Note to Adobe: Just because you can use every available CPU cycle doesn't mean you should.
IA whole bunch of people use iTunes, that's cool. But you're just looking at it as yet another place to advertise. Does the concept of "maybe there should be some places free of marketing" ever occur to you?
Probably not - mdotdubz most likely was a good lemming and bought stock at 180$ a pop and now fears the margin call of his bank
umm... they added little ads to YouTube and nobody is complaining. If a small ad somewhere in iTunes where you wouldn't even look make u stop using iTunes, then you plain and simple are retarded. AppleInsider has lil google adwords and it doesn't stop you from posting here now does it!
Anything to add revenue would be great. Small ads wouldn't ruin the aesthetics of iTunes.
We don't need more advertising, we need less advertising in this over-advertised world. One of the reasons of success of Apple is that they reduce the clutter in our everyday lives. "Small unobtrusive ads" introduce unnecessary clutter again through the backdoor.