Apple postpones Canadian iTunes music store
In an official statement issued today, Apple Computer conceded that it has missed a self-imposed deadline for launcing its iTunes download service in Canada.
Apple Computer has postponed the launch of its iTunes music download service in Canada, according to a company statement provided to Macworld's news service on Wednesday.
"We said that we would launch the iTunes Music Store in Canada by the end of November, but we're going to miss this deadline by a bit," the company said. "You'll hear from us very soon."
During a music related event in October that saw the launch of iTunes in 9 new European countries, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said that the Canadian store would open for business in November.
Apple provided no explanation for the delay, though sources have recently hinted at impending delays that reportedly began mid-month. According to one source, the Canadian iTunes music store was originally scheduled to launch around November 17th.
Apple Computer has postponed the launch of its iTunes music download service in Canada, according to a company statement provided to Macworld's news service on Wednesday.
"We said that we would launch the iTunes Music Store in Canada by the end of November, but we're going to miss this deadline by a bit," the company said. "You'll hear from us very soon."
During a music related event in October that saw the launch of iTunes in 9 new European countries, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said that the Canadian store would open for business in November.
Apple provided no explanation for the delay, though sources have recently hinted at impending delays that reportedly began mid-month. According to one source, the Canadian iTunes music store was originally scheduled to launch around November 17th.
Comments
Originally posted by schmidm77
Oh well, I suppose this will leave them with more time to protest visiting U.S. presidents or something.
Are you American?
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Are you American?
Alright--Lets not start a holly war here. Back to the topic at hand; whatever is delaying the store is obviously delaying it on a rolling basis. If this were not the case, I do not think Apple would have issued this statement just last week.
The graphics have also been done for a while:
But then again, this was also the case for the Ireland store, which appears to be experiencing similar problems.
Best,
Kasper
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Are you American?
Yes I am, thank God.
I don't really care who you protest, but most of the productive people I know don't have time for such things. That's probably why most protesters here in the U.S. are liberals.
Originally posted by schmidm77
Yes I am, thank God.
I don't really care who you protest, but most of the productive people I know don't have time for such things. That's probably why most protesters here in the U.S. are liberals.
STFU, respectfully. There's another forum here where you can prattle on.
Martin Luther King Jr? Productive?
Nelly McClung? Productive?
It seems to me that the definition of productivity needs to be made clear before you make a sweeping statement as you did above. Productivity for one versus progress and improvement in the quality of life for all - not a hard thing to balance, I would think.
Kicking this whole thing in the tangenitals and moving back to the topic of the thread - I'm wondering if this has anything to do with our more prosperous dollar (well... in relation to all things Greenback) or if it's a copyright issue. Time will tell I suppose.
Lets MOVE ON, guys.
-K
Originally posted by PBG3
Most productive people don't argue on internet message boards.
Touché.
How big is the Canadian market for downloaded music anyway?
Originally posted by grahamw
Kicking this whole thing in the tangenitals and moving back to the topic of the thread - I'm wondering if this has anything to do with our more prosperous dollar (well... in relation to all things Greenback) or if it's a copyright issue. Time will tell I suppose.
Since the labels have seen fit to deal with the other download services in Canada - such as Puretracks, Napster, Bonfire, etc. - I'm sure the blame lies on both sides of the issue.
I don't see the selling price as the issue. I believe that Bonfire have dropped their prices to 89 cents per track.
I expect that the labels are haggling over pennies as it applies to their cut of the cash. Apple are likely standing firm with the allocation of funds that they have applied at their other iTMS stores.
DRM is probably an issue, too. The Fairplay rights assignment that Apple is using for downloads from the iTMS is quite liberal and I'd guess that the labels would like to see it reined in a bit.
Why this is turning into such a long ordeal, considering that there are so many other download services already running in Canada, is confusing. The only real difference I can see between the iTMS and Puretracks is the DRM issue.
I downloaded - or rather, tried to download 4 songs onto my PC. With all the popup blockers and Spyware trashers on my system I had to use the manual download option.
The songs downloaded but to this day will not play on WMP9 or 10. Naturally they won't play in iTunes either.
Hence I'm waiting patiently. I've ripped a massive CD collection - weeding out the crap - but I haven't bought a CD in nearly a month. I can be patient for a few more days.
Originally posted by JimDreamworx
According to hearsay from someone in the legal profession (note the irony), Apple has been rather strict in what they want. Puretracks, et al. seem to have neglected the finer points in their negotiations in Canada.
We're lucky to have Apple standing firm on their commitment to deliver a consistent shopping experience, even if it means a bit of delay. That consistency, although debatable on various levels, is one of the founding principles that Apple is built on.
Originally posted by schmidm77
Back to the topic
How big is the Canadian market for downloaded music anyway?
Considering that Canada has a higher per capita for high-speed Internet access than most other countries, including the US, I'd say that it's pretty healthy.
Now, if you're talking about how much of that market even knows about Apple and/or iTunes, then we have something to talk about. Yes, Apple is starting to make an effort, but it's meager compared to what they're doing elsewhere in the world.
Originally posted by schmidm77
Back to the topic
How big is the Canadian market for downloaded music anyway?
Are you just waiting to get whacked by the 'temporary ban stick'?
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Are you just waiting to get whacked by the 'temporary ban stick'?
is that anything like a memory stick?
Originally posted by curiousuburb
Considering that P2P downloading is legal in Canada...
yes, BUT canada has an ultra-stupid "everyone's guilty of pirating music so let's just add more cost onto every recordable media to compensate" rule, which offsets it. i think ipods are $50 more per unit as a result (someone please feel free to correct this, if i am wrong). and there is an extra tax on EVERYthing capable of holding pirated music, even recordable cd's. in reality, it's been working well for the music industry up there (not much headache), and the initial outcry has died down quite a bit, but it's pretty retarded policy.
and i don't know about the rest of canada, but having just returned from toronto, i can say that city must have the highest ipod-per-capita population i have ever seen (though i have not been to other huge population centers like new york).
all i can say, from my limited exposure and a cross-section of friends who have bought or will buy ipods north of the border, every one of them will use the itunes music store for canada when it opens. it's just a matter of time now. plus, i bet they are trying to figure out if the tracks should be $0.99 canadian, which, lately, is WAY closer to the us dollar than i ever experienced living up there, but it's still trading lower... so how exactly do you prevent someone from buying tracks from the canadian music store with, essentially a 15% discount?