Especially with Microsoft Office 2008 splattered on the front page-right?
I am not sure what you mean. I had not visited the iTunes Store site for a couple of days, so I went over to check, based on your comment. I didn't see an ad for MS Office '08? (Unless I was missing something more subtle in your post.......)
What do you mean by "now iTunes"? Are you implying it is dying. The only thing affected will be audio purchases on the iTunes Store. If movie rentals appear next week then the iTunes Store will be getting a nice influx of new customers and revenue that make this discussion passe since Amazon tracks, as stated, will import into iTunes and iDevices nicely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaijaz
Personally I'll happily buy Apple's DRM'ed music over Amazon's every day of the week. Why? Best of the better file quallty of ACC. Even at the 128kbs bit rate, that most of Apple's is, it still sounds better that Amazon's out dated 256kbs MP3 format. Then if you are lucky you might get one of the DRM free 256kbs ACC files.
Better quality audio results a great deal more from a higher bit rate than the use of a newer algorithm. At 256 kilobits per second MP3 trumps 128 kilobit per second AAC by a large margin.
Many years ago, when I worked for a CD-ROM publishing company, the owner said, "Content is king".
Unfortunately without content, Apple is being played by those with. It seems like an "anybody but Apple" strategy to bring Apple down. How soon they forget where they were before iTunes and legal downloading.
Mac world is around the corner and my bet is that Steve will anounce all four record companies opening their DRM free content to Apple.
I think people are getting worked up over nothing. Labels are going with Amazon because they are still evaluating DRM free content.
The whole reason they started with Apple was because they only represented 3% of the market, they didn't want to sell by the song, but figured they could test the concept on the Mac platform.
Well, iTunes is the biggest digital music store in the world and can't be used as a test bed anymore. Sure, the fact that this could help Amazon is there, but the reality is, Amazon can only get so far.
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
I think people are getting worked up over nothing. Labels are going with Amazon because they are still evaluating DRM free content.
The whole reason they started with Apple was because they only represented 3% of the market, they didn't want to sell by the song, but figured they could test the concept on the Mac platform.
Well, iTunes is the biggest digital music store in the world and can't be used as a test bed anymore.
...
Good thoughts.
In any case, while only one next-gen DVD format may survive, multiple music stores can survive. Some people talk as though ANYONE else finding ANY success means that iTunes won't be #1 anymore. In fact, some suggest that iTunes will QUICKLY not be #1 anymore. In fact... some go so far as to suggest iTunes' Doom Doesn't really make a lot of sense.
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
Certainly Apple does comes out ahead of the game. But moving forward, this alliance against Apple may initiate sales of other MP3 devices/phones and perhaps lessen the iPod dominance.
That said, recent reports are that MP3 players are reaching a saturation point. So this "victory" of sorts by Amazon and the big four may be a little to late.
The challenge is to see whether or not Apple can duplicate this success with movies and AppleTV v.2.
I think what Apple should do here is integrate iTunes with the Amazon store in a non-intrusive way. This would allow you to still add the songs dynamically through iTunes while still shopping on Amazon...Perhaps allow one to surf to other music sites from within iTunes...
So you can buy the same song for the same price somewhere else?
So you can buy the same song for the same price somewhere else?
I think he was suggesting you could get a better quality, DRM-free song for a better price at the same place. The iTunes Store is just a proprietary web browser. Apple could connect to Amazon quite easily should Amazon and their contract with the labels permit.
We the consumer win and It started with Napster not iTunes.
What started with the consumer? DRM-free downloads? Yes. But it was Napster (ie: illegal file sharing) that soured the idea for the music industry of selling music downloads on the internet to begin with. Not that they wouldn't have been acted the same way, but they sure made it tough after Napster.
I think what Apple should do here is integrate iTunes with the Amazon store in a non-intrusive way. This would allow you to still add the songs dynamically through iTunes while still shopping on Amazon...Perhaps allow one to surf to other music sites from within iTunes...
A local NPR radio station here in Los Angeles, California (www.kcrw.org), used to directly link songs they played on the radio with both iTunes and Amazon (or a link to the album before Amazon got into selling MP3's); but now their play list links to Amazon.
As soon as you burn those purchases to CD and then rip them back into iTunes. Depending on how many protected AAC files you have, it might just be the work of a single evening. And yet, a month from now, there will still be people asking that same question.
In some sense, it may be good for Apple in case they want to go seriously with movie rental service.
When talking about movie, it is a HUGE file to download, and eats up a lot of bandwidth doing so.
Better to free those low value added content to a higher margin service. Apple gets peanuts from music now a day. Switching to focus more on movie is a reasonable stragegy to find a new bigger cake.
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
Could you clarify this statement. It sounds funny. "They (Apple) never cared about money from music sales". Please. So if Apple doesn't care about "the money" I am assuming that any little bit of money earned is being spent on those less fortunate than us (maybe those reading this topic on a Windows computer).
I am not sure what you mean. I had not visited the iTunes Store site for a couple of days, so I went over to check, based on your comment. I didn't see an ad for MS Office '08? (Unless I was missing something more subtle in your post.......)
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
You must be kiddding-right? Then why offer it for sale in the first place? Apple even wants you to buy more music at Starbucks! Thank god the internet is free. If Apple could, they would sell access to the internet as well.
You must be kiddding-right? Then why offer it for sale in the first place? Apple even wants you to buy more music at Starbucks! Thank god the internet is free. If Apple could, they would sell access to the internet as well.
Nothing's free. You just haven't noticed where you are subsidizing it.
I haven't tried the Amazon MP3 store yet, but one thing that will help them in my book is complete freedom to buy Amazon MP3 tracks with my Hong Kong credit card, HK address, or Paypal linked to those. It's idiotic that I can't just buy US and UK tracks from Apple in HK.
Looks like the Amazon MP3 Store is US only, but it still seems as though we can buy US songs from overseas. Can anyone outside of US verify a successful transaction?
Comments
Especially with Microsoft Office 2008 splattered on the front page-right?
I am not sure what you mean. I had not visited the iTunes Store site for a couple of days, so I went over to check, based on your comment. I didn't see an ad for MS Office '08? (Unless I was missing something more subtle in your post.......)
First HD DVD, now iTunes? What's next in 2008?
What do you mean by "now iTunes"? Are you implying it is dying. The only thing affected will be audio purchases on the iTunes Store. If movie rentals appear next week then the iTunes Store will be getting a nice influx of new customers and revenue that make this discussion passe since Amazon tracks, as stated, will import into iTunes and iDevices nicely.
Personally I'll happily buy Apple's DRM'ed music over Amazon's every day of the week. Why? Best of the better file quallty of ACC. Even at the 128kbs bit rate, that most of Apple's is, it still sounds better that Amazon's out dated 256kbs MP3 format. Then if you are lucky you might get one of the DRM free 256kbs ACC files.
Better quality audio results a great deal more from a higher bit rate than the use of a newer algorithm. At 256 kilobits per second MP3 trumps 128 kilobit per second AAC by a large margin.
Many years ago, when I worked for a CD-ROM publishing company, the owner said, "Content is king".
Unfortunately without content, Apple is being played by those with. It seems like an "anybody but Apple" strategy to bring Apple down. How soon they forget where they were before iTunes and legal downloading.
Mac world is around the corner and my bet is that Steve will anounce all four record companies opening their DRM free content to Apple.
The whole reason they started with Apple was because they only represented 3% of the market, they didn't want to sell by the song, but figured they could test the concept on the Mac platform.
Well, iTunes is the biggest digital music store in the world and can't be used as a test bed anymore. Sure, the fact that this could help Amazon is there, but the reality is, Amazon can only get so far.
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
I think people are getting worked up over nothing. Labels are going with Amazon because they are still evaluating DRM free content.
The whole reason they started with Apple was because they only represented 3% of the market, they didn't want to sell by the song, but figured they could test the concept on the Mac platform.
Well, iTunes is the biggest digital music store in the world and can't be used as a test bed anymore.
...
Good thoughts.
In any case, while only one next-gen DVD format may survive, multiple music stores can survive. Some people talk as though ANYONE else finding ANY success means that iTunes won't be #1 anymore. In fact, some suggest that iTunes will QUICKLY not be #1 anymore. In fact... some go so far as to suggest iTunes' Doom
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
Certainly Apple does comes out ahead of the game. But moving forward, this alliance against Apple may initiate sales of other MP3 devices/phones and perhaps lessen the iPod dominance.
That said, recent reports are that MP3 players are reaching a saturation point. So this "victory" of sorts by Amazon and the big four may be a little to late.
The challenge is to see whether or not Apple can duplicate this success with movies and AppleTV v.2.
I think what Apple should do here is integrate iTunes with the Amazon store in a non-intrusive way. This would allow you to still add the songs dynamically through iTunes while still shopping on Amazon...Perhaps allow one to surf to other music sites from within iTunes...
So you can buy the same song for the same price somewhere else?
So you can buy the same song for the same price somewhere else?
I think he was suggesting you could get a better quality, DRM-free song for a better price at the same place. The iTunes Store is just a proprietary web browser. Apple could connect to Amazon quite easily should Amazon and their contract with the labels permit.
We the consumer win and It started with Napster not iTunes.
What started with the consumer? DRM-free downloads? Yes. But it was Napster (ie: illegal file sharing) that soured the idea for the music industry of selling music downloads on the internet to begin with. Not that they wouldn't have been acted the same way, but they sure made it tough after Napster.
I smell two things. 1. collusion between the record labels "anybody but apple" which I believe is illegal.
Really. thats interesting i did not know this,
Mac world is around the corner and my bet is that Steve will anounce all four record companies opening their DRM free content to Apple.
I suspect this also
Mac world is around the corner and my bet is that Steve will anounce all four record companies opening their DRM free content to Apple.
I agree with you. Let's see what macworld has in store.
I think what Apple should do here is integrate iTunes with the Amazon store in a non-intrusive way. This would allow you to still add the songs dynamically through iTunes while still shopping on Amazon...Perhaps allow one to surf to other music sites from within iTunes...
A local NPR radio station here in Los Angeles, California (www.kcrw.org), used to directly link songs they played on the radio with both iTunes and Amazon (or a link to the album before Amazon got into selling MP3's); but now their play list links to Amazon.
When will my current purchases be unlocked?
As soon as you burn those purchases to CD and then rip them back into iTunes. Depending on how many protected AAC files you have, it might just be the work of a single evening. And yet, a month from now, there will still be people asking that same question.
When talking about movie, it is a HUGE file to download, and eats up a lot of bandwidth doing so.
Better to free those low value added content to a higher margin service. Apple gets peanuts from music now a day. Switching to focus more on movie is a reasonable stragegy to find a new bigger cake.
I...
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
Could you clarify this statement. It sounds funny. "They (Apple) never cared about money from music sales". Please. So if Apple doesn't care about "the money" I am assuming that any little bit of money earned is being spent on those less fortunate than us (maybe those reading this topic on a Windows computer
I am not sure what you mean. I had not visited the iTunes Store site for a couple of days, so I went over to check, based on your comment. I didn't see an ad for MS Office '08? (Unless I was missing something more subtle in your post.......)
Sorry - thought you said the Apple on-line store.
As someone mentioned, it is Apple who wins in the end - they never cared about money from Music sales, they just wanted you to be able to play your content on a Mac.
You must be kiddding-right? Then why offer it for sale in the first place? Apple even wants you to buy more music at Starbucks! Thank god the internet is free. If Apple could, they would sell access to the internet as well.
You must be kiddding-right? Then why offer it for sale in the first place? Apple even wants you to buy more music at Starbucks! Thank god the internet is free. If Apple could, they would sell access to the internet as well.
Nothing's free. You just haven't noticed where you are subsidizing it.
Looks like the Amazon MP3 Store is US only, but it still seems as though we can buy US songs from overseas. Can anyone outside of US verify a successful transaction?