“Podcasting is taking off, according to recent data from Nielsen//NetRatings and Apple. Unique users of Apple’s iTunes player passed QuickTime in mid-2005, and at current growth rates iTunes should pass RealPlayer by mid-2006. People are tuning in over twice as long with iTunes than with RealPlayer or Windows Media Player,” WebSiteOptimization.com reports based on Nielsen//NetRatings research.
“Despite its late entry into the streaming media arena, Apple’s iTunes player is climbing the charts faster than its competitors. iTunes has eclipsed QuickTime in unique users, and should pass RealPlayer in mid-2006 at current growth rates. Only Microsoft’s Windows Media Player will have more unique users than iTunes. In mid-2006 Microsoft’s player will have about 80 million unique users, while iTunes will have just under 30 million,” WebSiteOptimization.com reports. “iTunes is used over twice as long as its nearest rival RealPlayer (111 minutes versus 46.4 minutes per person, or 2.4 times as long). Besides iTunes, RealPlayer is the only other player surveyed to show growth in usage over the last three years. QuickTime and Windows Media Player are losing mindshare among users.”
Streaming Media Players – Unique Users 2006 (Source: Nielsen//NetRatings)
1. Windows Media Player – 71,112,000
2. RealPlayer – 28,687,000
3. Apple iTunes – 18,568,000
4. Apple QuickTime – 12,817,000
Full article with charts here.
MacDailyNews Take: As iTunes is QuickTime-based, adding the Nielsen//NetRatings for both QuickTime products puts Apple’s solution ahead of RealPlayer already, 31,385,000 to 28,687,000. That’s a lot of Krispy Kremes! Now, these Nielsen//NetRatings QuickTime numbers are always strange to us. Apple, on June 6, 2005, stated that “nearly a billion copies” of QuickTime have been downloaded all-time. Still, by whatever measure, QuickTime use is obviously rising rapidly and those media outlets that insist on streaming in the limited choice of either Windows Media or Real need to rethink their delivery choices. Why would any company that offers online video provide content playable in the third place player and not the second place player that’s growing more rapidly than all others?
We encourage our readers to write to online content providers that offer only Windows Media and/or Real and ask that they include QuickTime. Based on the Nielsen//NetRatings report alone, they should already have done so long ago.
Let’s use the Reader Feedback below constructively by identifying online video providers that should be providing the QuickTime choice and providing contact information. We’ll start:
The Beeb (BBC): offers only choice of Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. Contact info (online form): http://www.bbc.co.uk/feedback/bbci_comment.shtml
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http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Is the link provided by the proper html code used to embed QT content. As the page loads it detects the OS of the visitor and redirects to either a Windows or Mac download.
Removing the check marks (no need to include your email address) or clicking on the “Stand Alone” installer link (on both the Mac and Windows pages) is a user option that shouldn’t be overlooked.
If you don’t want iTunes you can still install just the QuickTime Player.
Weather.com is only Real or Windows Media for their video feeds, they are accepting feed back at this link:
http://premium.parature.com/ics/survey/survey.asp?deptID=1783&surveyID=1056&type=web
MacDailyCrusade
Awesome, thanks Quicktime Kirk! I must have missed that link.
QT for Windows
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone.html
On the BBC website I sometimes click on a news item, and am then prompted to select from Windows or Real. At this point I exit the site hoping that their stats will record my dissatisfaction with their choice. Am I wasting my time? Perhaps we should all be doing this on a regular basis to really skew their stats and hopefully they will realize it is a QuickTime choice we want.
All Classical is unRealMediaPlayer only. 🙁
http://allclassical.org/
I agree. Apple should continue to offer QuickTime for Windows as a separate download without iTunes. I could see some logistical reasons why they might not, but if I had to install a bunch of MS stuff I didn’t want on my system just to get WMP, then I’d pass on WMP also.
Sure Apple saves some and expense by concerning themselves with one catagory of pc user and not having to worry about three different catagories of PC users ( ie. 1. those that want QT and iTunes; 2. those that want iTunes but already have a old copy of QT; and 3. those that don’t want iTunes and only want QT). This keeps their iTunes/QT software updating system simple.
Anyway, can’t PC user simply download and install the Quick Time for Windows 7.02 update offered on the Software Update site or do you need QT on your machine to run the update?
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/quicktime702forwindows.html
It’s at version 7.02. The mac version is at ver 7.03. Do our version numbers track between the two platforms? I’d be curious to know which version of QT is included with the latest version of iTunes for PC.
If only iTunes wasn’t such a freakin’ huge download. Its massive.
Dalls/Fort Worth news station http://www.NBC5i.com shows HER video clips in WMA format with no choice for Real, Qt, or anything else.
Perhaps one additional comment to make when writing is to note that QT Pro (which I own for $29.95) offers a quick “save for iPod” ability what allows a commuter (like on the Dallas-Fort Worth linking TRE train) to watch news clips or what have you as they travel.
webstaff@nbc5i.com
marketing@nbc5i.com
community@nbc5i.com
The Food Network website, FoodTV.com, has great videos whick teach cooking techniques and food preparation, but, alas, only run with Windows Media! Contact them with this link and ask they support QT:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/about_us/text/0,1904,FOOD_9777_9310,00.html
I contacted NPR.org and here is the response I received:
Good afternoon.
For several years, NPR.org offered some of our audio in QuickTime, but in 2003 the arrangement between Apple and NPR expired. Apple and NPR have tried to work out the terms to renew that arrangement, but were unable to come to an agreement. It doesn’t reflect on Apple’s technology — business and legal issues alone have led to this outcome.
NPR.org continues to support Macintosh users with RealAudio and WindowsMedia streams for all programs produced by NPR. You can find more information at:
http://www.npr.org/help/
Also, many NPR member stations offer their FM signals — which normally include many of the NPR programs streamed on NPR.org — on the Web in a number of different audio formats, including Quicktime. You can find local NPR stations at:
http://www.npr.org/stations/
Lastly, you may be interested in our podcasts. Podcasting makes an audio file, typically an MP3 file, available online for downloading via an automatic “feed.” You can then hear the podcast whenever you want from your computer or a portable media player. You may find more information by visiting:
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/
If you’d like to contact Apple for more information, you can e-mail them at quicktime@apple.com.
Regards,
Chantel Harley
NPR Digital Media
MTV’s Overdrive, VH1’s Vspot, & whatever CMT has. Contact them. Make them Macintosh their systems. And like it.
AOL.com, their video supports Macs, their Radio, & IN2TV service does not. Contact them. Make them Macintosh their systems. And like it.
Quicktime, you mean another program to launch at boot time? Another peice of software to update? Another risk of a security hole? Oh and another server software WAY OVER PRICED. No thankyou, WMP has 50K free servers that work with it, and Unreal Media Player has a whole suite of FREE utilities that work with it! Why would anyone PAY for a server program to stream video when UNREAL MEDIA IS FREE and works not only with every type of video/audio format but also streams LIVE TV!! dont believe me, check out tvbydemand.com the future of tv!