Euro iPhone carrier; iTunes video service; McCartney on iTunes
Vodafone may not be the only European wireless carrier under consideration for Apple's iPhone contract in Europe. Meanwhile, a prominent market research firm says video services like iTunes are just a "temporary flash" along the way to better alternatives. And it's official -- one Beatle is on his way to iTunes.
T-Mobile's iPhone play
Germany-based T-Mobile may become the iPhone's official carrier for Europe, according to those close to the negotiations. Although it had been suggested that Vodafone would win -- an implication the carrier publically denied -- MarketingWeek reported last week that its rival at T-Mobile is favored as the sole outlet for iPhone sales in the continent.
Other Europe-wide providers such as O2 and Orange were said to have been in the running but unsuccessful in reaching the later stages of contract discssions. Terms of a possible deal weren't discussed but may be different than the multi-year exclusivity agreement Apple has signed with AT&T in the US.
"It would be in Apple's best interests to get more than one operator to distribute the phone because the European market is more fragmented than the US," one analyst told the publication.
T-Mobile does not operate in as many countries as Vodafone, and would be locked out of key European countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.
iTunes video service a dead-end?
Online video sites that sell shows and movies such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes will likely peak this year as more programming is made available on free outlets supported by advertising, claims the latest study from Forrester Research.
According to the firm, sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year.
"In the video space, iTunes is just a temporary flash while consumers wait for better ways to get video. They're already coming," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, the author of the study, who also called the paid download video market a "dead end."
The firm estimated that sales growth is not likely to triple or even double in 2008 and beyond, after early adopters and media addicts have already started using the services.
iTunes lands a Beatle
Meanwhile, Macworld UK notes that EMI has confirmed plans to release the entire Paul McCartney solo catalogue through online music services for the first time (as first reported last week by Ars).
EMI Music has retained the former Beatles' solo catalogue and is preparing a comprehensive re-launch, including new digital campaigns as well as physical re-releases.
"Paul McCartney?s post-Beatles catalogue, spanning four decades, is one of the great treasures of popular music," said Tony Wadsworth, chairman and CEO, EMI Music UK. "EMI is proud to be introducing Paul?s music to the digital marketplace."
The catalogue includes Paul?s first solo album ?McCartney? through his releases with Wings to his latest critically-acclaimed studio album ?Chaos And Creation In The Backyard?.
Singles to be released digitally will include: ?Band On The Run?, ?My Love?, ?Let ?Em In?, and ?Jet?.
T-Mobile's iPhone play
Germany-based T-Mobile may become the iPhone's official carrier for Europe, according to those close to the negotiations. Although it had been suggested that Vodafone would win -- an implication the carrier publically denied -- MarketingWeek reported last week that its rival at T-Mobile is favored as the sole outlet for iPhone sales in the continent.
Other Europe-wide providers such as O2 and Orange were said to have been in the running but unsuccessful in reaching the later stages of contract discssions. Terms of a possible deal weren't discussed but may be different than the multi-year exclusivity agreement Apple has signed with AT&T in the US.
"It would be in Apple's best interests to get more than one operator to distribute the phone because the European market is more fragmented than the US," one analyst told the publication.
T-Mobile does not operate in as many countries as Vodafone, and would be locked out of key European countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.
iTunes video service a dead-end?
Online video sites that sell shows and movies such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes will likely peak this year as more programming is made available on free outlets supported by advertising, claims the latest study from Forrester Research.
According to the firm, sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year.
"In the video space, iTunes is just a temporary flash while consumers wait for better ways to get video. They're already coming," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, the author of the study, who also called the paid download video market a "dead end."
The firm estimated that sales growth is not likely to triple or even double in 2008 and beyond, after early adopters and media addicts have already started using the services.
iTunes lands a Beatle
Meanwhile, Macworld UK notes that EMI has confirmed plans to release the entire Paul McCartney solo catalogue through online music services for the first time (as first reported last week by Ars).
EMI Music has retained the former Beatles' solo catalogue and is preparing a comprehensive re-launch, including new digital campaigns as well as physical re-releases.
"Paul McCartney?s post-Beatles catalogue, spanning four decades, is one of the great treasures of popular music," said Tony Wadsworth, chairman and CEO, EMI Music UK. "EMI is proud to be introducing Paul?s music to the digital marketplace."
The catalogue includes Paul?s first solo album ?McCartney? through his releases with Wings to his latest critically-acclaimed studio album ?Chaos And Creation In The Backyard?.
Singles to be released digitally will include: ?Band On The Run?, ?My Love?, ?Let ?Em In?, and ?Jet?.
Comments
Ultimately, people are sick of the commercials, and don't seem to want to watch TV in front of their computer. Fewer, better targeted ads might make ad-supported media work either for free or at a better price point. It does seem clear that no site is going to have exclusivity for video (learning from music's mistakes).
What is really needed is a more logical rental model. Not sure how it would be structured-- limited life and limited plays are both a pain to deal with. Also, bandwidth costs will add up in a way that Music doesn't suffer from-- the download sites need a higher margin.
Time will tell, but I hope Apple does something innovative in this arena soon!
Vodafone (1.8 Mbps HSDPA, being upgraded to 3.6 Mbps at the moment)
O2 (3.6 Mbps HSDPA network already operational, with broadband services launching shortly, and will be upgraded to 14.4 Mbps within 12 months)
Meteor (G3 rollout to begin soon, recently won license)
Hutchison 3G (3) (3.6 Mbps network, upgrading to 7.2 and 14.4 Mbps this year)
DigiWeb (not yet operational, will be launching 4G mobile network @ 870 MHz by December, speeds of up to 100 Mbps expected with near-100% geographic coverage)
All except Meteor operate a 3G network. The other networks operate a dual network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE + 3G/UMTS/HSDPA.
No 3G iPhone, no sale.
So Apple is going to release the iPhone in Europe but not sell it in France, Italy, Spain, .... That doesn't make any sense, so there must be something wrong here.
What is really needed is a more logical rental model. Not sure how it would be structured-- limited life and limited plays are both a pain to deal with.
Um, without either limited play or limited life, wouldn't that be called 'a sale'?
In Ireland, the main mobile operators are:
Vodafone (1.8 Mbps HSDPA, being upgraded to 3.6 Mbps at the moment)
O2 (3.6 Mbps HSDPA network already operational, with broadband services launching shortly, and will be upgraded to 14.4 Mbps within 12 months)
Meteor (G3 rollout to begin soon, recently won license)
Hutchison 3G (3) (3.6 Mbps network, upgrading to 7.2 and 14.4 Mbps this year)
DigiWeb (not yet operational, will be launching 4G mobile network @ 870 MHz by December, speeds of up to 100 Mbps expected with near-100% geographic coverage)
All except Meteor operate a 3G network. The other networks operate a dual network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE + 3G/UMTS/HSDPA.
No 3G iPhone, no sale.
Is anybody else bored with the incessant comments about 3G?
Is anybody else bored with the incessant comments about 3G?
Well, it is boring to wait for web sites to download on your iPhone.
As far as providers, Apple has to pick 2 in Europe. For example, they could go with T-Mobile exclusively in countries where T-Mobile has a network, but than choose Vodafone or O2 as a secondary in other countries like Ireland, where T-Mobile does not have a network, but Vodafone and O2 both do.
They won't be able to go with just one operator like they did with Cingular (oops, I mean AT&T Mobility) in the USA.
For now, I am more than happy with my Nokia E61i. It does everything I want, has a QWERTY keyboard and a decent screen, as well as a web browser based on WebKit/Safari that renders most pages beautifully.
"It would be in Apple's best interests to get more than one operator to distribute the phone because the European market is more fragmented than the US," one analyst told the publication.
Wow! An analyst who actually knows what they're talking about.
T-Mobile does not operate in as many countries as Vodafone, and would be locked out of key European countries such as France, Italy, and Spain.
Which is why Apple would be stupid to go with one carrier for the whole of Europe and why American talk of who the single carrier is is misguided. This isn't America. Single carrier lock-in just doesn't happen here.
According to the firm, sales of movies and television shows are expected to almost triple to $279 million in 2007 from an estimated $98 million last year. But unless the average consumer begins paying for their online video en masse, growth in sales will likely peter out next year.
"In the video space, iTunes is just a temporary flash while consumers wait for better ways to get video. They're already coming," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, the author of the study, who also called the paid download video market a "dead end."
In Europe most of our TV download services are completely FREE so it could actually be Apple's biggest market if they could only get a DRM scheme out there to the European TV companies that they can use. So far they haven't, and the TV companies have used Windows Media.
Paid downloads are already DEAD in Europe before Apple even got started here.
Don't forget Live And Let Die!
That was the Beatles, not just Macca.
So Apple is going to release the iPhone in Europe but not sell it in France, Italy, Spain, .... That doesn't make any sense, so there must be something wrong here.
Most US commentators are presuming there will be ONE carrier, which isn't the way things are done in Europe. Then again, Apple in Europe can be completely clueless at times so if Apple US say one carrier, they'll stupidly follow.
Um, without either limited play or limited life, wouldn't that be called 'a sale'?
Subscription based "rental"/offer could be an alternative...just a thought.
I think the error in the Forrestor logic is the assumption that Paid Video Downloads are used to replace re-runs.
Paid Video Downloads are a replacement for the purchase of DVDs.
Five years down the road, I am not going to want to rewatch Lost with commercials. Also you are at the mercy of the distributor. What if ABC decides that only certain episodes of Lost will be available, at any given time, for download.
The ad-funded programming that Forrestor is talking about sounds like Re-Run 2.0, while the Paid Video Download market is more like DVD 2.0.
Apologies for lame "2.0" references.
That was the Beatles, not just Macca.
Wasn't it McCartney and Wings?
In Ireland, the main mobile operators are:
Vodafone (1.8 Mbps HSDPA, being upgraded to 3.6 Mbps at the moment)
O2 (3.6 Mbps HSDPA network already operational, with broadband services launching shortly, and will be upgraded to 14.4 Mbps within 12 months)
Meteor (G3 rollout to begin soon, recently won license)
Hutchison 3G (3) (3.6 Mbps network, upgrading to 7.2 and 14.4 Mbps this year)
DigiWeb (not yet operational, will be launching 4G mobile network @ 870 MHz by December, speeds of up to 100 Mbps expected with near-100% geographic coverage)
All except Meteor operate a 3G network. The other networks operate a dual network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE + 3G/UMTS/HSDPA.
No 3G iPhone, no sale.
It wouldn't be surprising at all if the Euro version of the iPhone were 3G.
In America, Apple went with 2.5G largely because its carrier partner (ATT/Cingular) had much better coverage with their 2.5G data network as opposed to their 3G network, but Europe and European carriers are a different story.
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Interesting point on the video download. I think the current price structure is a dead end for sure, but I don't think iTunes will be irrelevant.
Ultimately, people are sick of the commercials, and don't seem to want to watch TV in front of their computer. Fewer, better targeted ads might make ad-supported media work either for free or at a better price point. It does seem clear that no site is going to have exclusivity for video (learning from music's mistakes).
What is really needed is a more logical rental model. Not sure how it would be structured-- limited life and limited plays are both a pain to deal with. Also, bandwidth costs will add up in a way that Music doesn't suffer from-- the download sites need a higher margin.
Time will tell, but I hope Apple does something innovative in this arena soon!
A subscription model would put Apple in a position to compete directly with cable and satellite. Otherwise, Apple TV will just be a solid, quality fringe player that a relatively small number of people use to replace or supplement cable and satellite. Not the iPod of video content.
Even with a content subscription, though, I'm not sure Apple offers the value it would have to offer to be a mass product. If Apple had contracts with every current TV show, PPV from all of the movie studios, sports, news and other live content, it's still just a facsimile of cable, and you have to pay $300 for the box.
The one two areas I could see Apple TV having an edge over cable is breadth of content and HD. Then instead of replacing just cable, it replaces cable AND Netflix -- and with tons of HD content. Even then, $300 is still a lot to bite off.
I don't think I will buy an Apple TV until it has a critical mass of HD content, a large catalog of PPV current and catalog movies, a significant amount of HD content, and either a $100 box or a free (or cheap) box with a one-year contract.
By that time, won't Comcast be there too?
"That was the Beatles, not just Macca."
aegisdesign: Sorry, it wasn't The Beatles, it was:
"LIVE AND LET DIE"
(title song)
Composed by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney
Performed by Paul McCartney and Wings
http://imdb.com/title/tt0070328/soundtrack
The Beatles broke up in 1969, Live and Let Die came out in 1973.
Euro iPhone will likely be a 3G. Carve up between Vodafone and T-Mobile. All perfectly fine and logical and nothing to get anybody's knickers in a twist.