HP dumps iTunes, chooses Real's Rhapsody

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
After several years of distributing Apple Computer's iTunes software with its new PCs, Hewlett-Packard is shifting its allegiances to rival RealNetworks' Rhapsody music service, reports CNet News.com.



The move -- which will likely be announced on Thursday -- has been expected ever since HP decided last summer to stop distributing HP-branded iPod music players.



"Rhapsody will now be the default music-playing software on HP's new PCs and laptops, and beginning in spring 2006, HP customers will get a free 30-day trial subscription to RealNetworks' music subscription service," CNet said.



RealNetworks Senior Vice President Dan Sheeran told the publication his company had been "particularly attracted to HP after looking at the computer company's plans for home entertainment devices," although the current deal extends only to HP's consumer laptops and desktops.



"When we look at HP's consumer product lineup, we get very excited," Sheeran said. "We view that as a great potential opportunity for Rhapsody to flow into other devices."



The first step in the process will likely be to develop a remote-control function that can be used with versions of Rhapsody running on HP's TV-connected Windows Media Center Edition PCs, Sheeran said.



RealNetworks is also expected to announce a separate distribution deal with the Cox Communications cable company, which will allow Rhapsody's monthly fee to be included on a customer's cable bill for the first time.



HP's initial deal with Apple was launched exactly two years ago, at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show .
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    Anybody here use Real's Rhapsody?
  • Reply 2 of 25
    aegisdesignaegisdesign Posts: 2,914member
    The new HP CEO must really hate what the old CEO did to go so far to piss off their previous customers with HP iPods and iTunes.
  • Reply 3 of 25
    elixirelixir Posts: 782member
    somehow i feel this was cuz of steve and apple.





    seriously , this kind of thing needs to stop.



    a lot of people supported itunes and the ipod.



    now things are changing, steve needs to learn to bend a little.
  • Reply 4 of 25
    what HP understands is that nobody used rhapsody and people want itunes and the ipod.



    i mean maybe it sounds a bit shallow, like "omg i'm a machead and i only like ipods and itunes"



    but seriously - itunes and ipod were more popular than the entire cell phone market this holiday season.
  • Reply 5 of 25
    mjtomlinmjtomlin Posts: 2,673member
    Quote:

    somehow i feel this was cuz of steve and apple.

    seriously , this kind of thing needs to stop.

    a lot of people supported itunes and the ipod.

    now things are changing, steve needs to learn to bend a little.



    Honestly, making suggestions based off speculation is pretty stupid. Stop shooting from the hip and wait for the facts to surface before making judgements.



    It is a known fact that when heads of corporations or governments get replaced, some of their policies may get reversed. Whether it is out of spite or a sound financial decision, well, we really can't say.
  • Reply 6 of 25
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    With Rhapsody, HP is probably getting a bigger piece of the profit pie than they did with Apple.



    It's all about the Benjamins.
  • Reply 7 of 25
    forget rhapsody, how many pcs with itunes did hp ship in the last 2 years?



    i don't know but i bet it was in the millions...that's a big lead!
  • Reply 8 of 25
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:

    With Rhapsody, HP is probably getting a bigger piece of the profit pie than they did with Apple.



    This is what makes most sense to me.



    iTunes is only getting more content, functionality, and ubiquity. Sales of iPods are going astronomical.



    There is no stampede of users to Real.



    Most customers of HP will use iTunes anyway.
  • Reply 9 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Robin Hood

    Anybody here use Real's Rhapsody?



    no, but if its anywhere near the phenominal quality of realplayer free or realone then you couldnt pay me enough to install them... actually you could, but i wouldnt use them... actually scratch that, they are full of adware, i wont install them.
  • Reply 10 of 25
    aegisdesignaegisdesign Posts: 2,914member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mike12309

    no, but if its anywhere near the phenominal quality of realplayer free or realone then you couldnt pay me enough to install them... actually you could, but i wouldnt use them... actually scratch that, they are full of adware, i wont install them.



    I haven't seen a single advert in the free RealPlayer in years. It's also miles better than Windows Media Player on the Mac and marginally better on Windows. When was the last time you used it?
  • Reply 11 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aegisdesign

    I haven't seen a single advert in the free RealPlayer in years. It's also miles better than Windows Media Player on the Mac and marginally better on Windows. When was the last time you used it?



    3 months ago. maybe the problem is you havent updated in years? Realone, which ill add you have to PAY FOR certainly was an ad machine and yes there are several different spyware apps and code associated with real. Furthermore even if real has changed its ways (out of necessity not out of legitimate concern for customers) they have proven to me they are a sleezeball company. On top of that, ive seen there coding, its buggy and bloated -- Dont let the GUI fool you, the code under the surface is worthless. If i want a player that can play real format ill download VLC. That format btw now called rsmp or something (used to be .Ram which they changed because it got some horrible reputation for being crappy, go figure) anyway there new thing whatever its called is the lowest res "video" ive ever seen, definately not worth saving -- or even watching.



    I truly am shocked that anyone on a tech related channel would defend real. Next tell me about how great Windows Me was -- no really, it never crashed.
  • Reply 12 of 25
    aegisdesignaegisdesign Posts: 2,914member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by mike12309

    3 months ago. maybe the problem is you havent updated in years?



    I currently have the latest version of RealOne according to 'Check for Update' in RealOne. On the site they've a realplayer v10 though and RealOne is v9.0 so perhaps they've just ditched the RealOne name.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by mike12309

    Realone, which ill add you have to PAY FOR certainly was an ad machine





    It's free. Never seen an advert in it. Haven't paid for anything. Downloaded it as it was that or WMP for viewing BBC content. Maybe the BBC pointed me to a free version that didn't include adverts?





    Quote:

    Originally posted by mike12309

    and yes there are several different spyware apps and code associated with real.



    I run LittleSnitch all the time. Not seen any spyware or callouts to sites I wasn't expecting when running RealOne.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by mike12309

    Furthermore even if real has changed its ways (out of necessity not out of legitimate concern for customers) they have proven to me they are a sleezeball company. On top of that, ive seen there coding, its buggy and bloated -- Dont let the GUI fool you, the code under the surface is worthless. If i want a player that can play real format ill download VLC. That format btw now called rsmp or something (used to be .Ram which they changed because it got some horrible reputation for being crappy, go figure) anyway there new thing whatever its called is the lowest res "video" ive ever seen, definately not worth saving -- or even watching.



    I truly am shocked that anyone on a tech related channel would defend real. Next tell me about how great Windows Me was -- no really, it never crashed.




    That aside, which is reason enough to not use Real, many of the things you were accusing them of just aren't true in my experience today. The fact they've done it in the past is another reason to not use Real but they seem to be cleaning their act up.



    The only problem I have with Real today is that they use a proprietary format and the encoding and broadcast side is too expensive to use, especially when Quicktime is free (QTSS and Broadcaster).



    I still only use it when I have to and often if it's in Real format I don't bother viewing it at all.OS , I'm not really defending it as a product, just pointing out my experience differs from yours.
  • Reply 13 of 25
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    so a buyer of a new HP system will get all the music they want for free... for 30 days. then they'll get the wonderful message (i'm paraphrasing here):



    "i bet you'd like to listen to that song you just double-clicked on, wouldn't you? well, you can... so long as you start paying $9.99 per month for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. in four years, that playlist of yours will be costing ten times more than it would have buying just the old fashioned cd's. and if you stop paying us... EVER... we'll cut you off, and you'll STILL have to go out to the store (if we haven't run them all out of business by then) and buy them on CD. but hey, we'll be glad to keep your money. (insert evil laughter here)"



    hasn't anyone ever told real that only the stupidest consumers don't realize it's always better to buy than rent?



    oh wait, most of the retail market is comprised of "stupid consumers". silly me.
  • Reply 14 of 25
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    The songs CAN be bought if a user so chooses.
  • Reply 15 of 25
    sjksjk Posts: 603member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Robin Hood

    Anybody here use Real's Rhapsody?



    Dave Nanian @ Shirt Pocket does:



    Music subscription services don't always suck
  • Reply 16 of 25
    sjksjk Posts: 603member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by rok

    hasn't anyone ever told real that only the stupidest consumers don't realize it's always better to buy than rent?



    That's the stupidest narrow-mindedly prejudiced generalization I've read here in awhile.
  • Reply 17 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sjk

    That's the stupidest narrow-mindedly prejudiced generalization I've read here in awhile.



    your not around here often i presume? :-)
  • Reply 18 of 25
    objra10objra10 Posts: 679member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sjk

    Dave Nanian @ Shirt Pocket does:



    Music subscription services don't always suck




    he pays $10 a month to do what he could do for free on itunes.
  • Reply 19 of 25
    Quote:

    Originally posted by OBJRA10

    he pays $10 a month to do what he could do for free on itunes.



    Just curious is Rhapsody the same as Napster in that it serves out music in fantastic sub-cd quality of 128 bitrate in the even more fantastic wma format?
  • Reply 20 of 25
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by sjk

    That's the stupidest narrow-mindedly prejudiced generalization I've read here in awhile.



    wow, i beat out ALL of politicaloutisder?



    i suddenly feel all awesome in my power to turn a word. maybe i should get my own fox news show?
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