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Apple’s iTunes Store back to normal after post-Christmas rush

Thursday, December 28, 2006 · 4:00 pm · 19 Comments

“Apple Computer Inc.’s popular iTunes Music Store appeared to be back to normal Thursday, two days after shoppers wielding new iPods and gift cards faced error messages and long delays while trying to download songs,” The Associated Press reports.

“Four times as many people visited the iTunes on Christmas than at the same time last year, according to online market researcher Hitwise,” AP reports.

Full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: By “visited the iTunes,” they mean visits to http://www.apple.com/itunes – not use of downloadable iTunes client application. Please see related article: Apple iTunes visits skyrocket 413% on Christmas Day – December 27, 2006

Related article:
Post-Christmas traffic surge briefly overwhelms Apple’s iTunes Store – December 28, 2006

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Comment Feed

19 Comments

RC

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:03 pm · Reply

It was back to “normal” by early Wednesday. Monday was the worst, and it was still overloaded on Tuesday. Just goes to show that business is booming at Apple these days.
DreamTheEndless

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:04 pm · Reply

What happened to that iTunes store “downturn”? Wasn’t it supposed to be down 60% or something like that?
war

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:06 pm · Reply

It’s certainly better to have this problem than not having any visitors at all.
me

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:08 pm · Reply

This is shoddy reporting – there was 4 times as much traffic to http://www.apple.com/itunes – not to the itunes STORE – only Apple has those numbers.
R2

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:19 pm · Reply

I still get

iTunes could not connect to the iTunes store. The network connection timed out.

Make sure your network settings are correct and your network connection is active, then try again.
PC Sleuth

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:19 pm · Reply

I suspect the slow-down probably had more to do with Mac-specific adware/malware that is becoming more prevalent with the increased market-share of Macs. Hopefully, leading computer-security firms such as Norton and Semantic can create solutions to these emerging threats before significant damage is done. In the meantime, try to do most of your online computing from a Vista-installed pc (granted it’s not fool-proof, but the new security features should provide the maximum level of security available).
ken1w

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:25 pm · Reply

PC Sleuth – Very funny… Besides, there are more iTunes customers using Windows than there are Mac users. So you might have something there, except it was not caused by imaginary Mac-specific malware.
Jimbo von Winskinheimer

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:29 pm · Reply

I hope Apple releases iTMS sales numbers for the holidays. Might make my stock go up.
AlanAudio

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:30 pm · Reply

I’m feeling slightly confused about what’s actually been said by different people in the article, MDN’s note and the comment from ‘me’. From my reading of the three statements, at least one of them has to be wrong.

Is the story solely about sales of iTunes tracks having quadrupled compared to the same period last year, or is it about four times as many people visiting Apple to download the iTunes application in order to use their new iPods ?

Phrases like ‘visiting the iTunes’ can be interpreted in different ways.
R2

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:31 pm · Reply

Nevermind. Was a proxy issue with IE7.

Not like you bastards were rushing to help anyway.
Wingsy

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:51 pm · Reply

R2 – if you had mentioned you were using IE7 we coulda told you what your problem was right away.
coolfactor

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 5:53 pm · Reply

Yes, there is confusion. Somebody got their wires crossed.

There are two separate issues going on here:
1) visits to http://www.apple.com/itunes
2) visits to iTunes Store using the iTunes software

There was increased traffic to both “sites”. MDN failed to clarify the difference sufficiently.

Most reports of errors messages and timeouts will be associated with #2 (accessing the iTunes Store).

Glad to hear the storm has settled and people can really begin to enjoy their new toy. I want one!!
Randian

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 6:55 pm · Reply

So, we’re “bastards,” R2, because you provided absolutely NO diagnostic or background information concerning your problem?

Crikee, dude, but you might want to remember THIS: YOU are the Winfanboy using the most porous, easily-compromised, badly-written browser known to man inside the most porous, virus-prone OS in the universe! You might just want to mention those facts when you ostensibly troll for help here. (And, on top of that, the problem was all yours to begin with! Jeez.)

Typical of PC users: It’s always Apple’s fault (or ours) when ANYTHING goes wrong with their “PCs” (standing for “Pieces of Crap”) when visiting an Apple-related site.

How pathetic.
iDave

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 6:57 pm · Reply

“Four times as many people visited the iTunes on Christmas than at the same time last year, according to online market researcher Hitwise,” AP reports.

—————–

That’s because all the iPods sold last year came with an iTunes install CD. for currently shipping iPods, you need to download the software from http://www.apple.com/itunes.
LordRobin

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 7:10 pm · Reply

Gee, we’re soooooo sorry for not jumping to your beck and call, R2. Maybe you’d get better service if you posted your question to, oh I don’t know, a SUPPORT SITE??? This is a news site, retard.
Dr. Gecko

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 7:19 pm · Reply

Gee Jimbo, you have STOCKS? How cool.

I can’t wait until I grow up and get some stocks myself!

LOL – probably some pimple popping 13 year old. Who drags and brags about stock…
YankInOz

Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 9:12 pm · Reply

I keep wondering how “over accessed” the Zune Tune site was. Haven’t heard any complaints – and it isn’t because of the ability to handle millions of accesses. Maybe M$ folks are used to slow downs and the blue screen of death.

I know here in Oz (Australia for the uninitiated) that the iTunes store was slow, too. So, it just may be a global phenomenon. Aye?

So, for all of “those” folks who are Zune loosers, you can at leaast brag about how easy it was to dnld muzak from your fav restricted use site.

MDN – those
DJ

Friday, December 29, 2006 - 5:18 am · Reply

…in December Apple denied figures from Forrester research which suggested that sales for iTunes had fallen by 65% in the first half of 2006.

Sales seemed healthy enough when in February a teenager in the US bought Coldplay’s Speed of Sound , which became the billionth tune to be downloaded from iTunes.

TRUST THE BBC TO DISS APPLE

[-(
Masa

Friday, December 29, 2006 - 6:46 am · Reply

iPod nano doesn’t come with iTunes software CD and same goes for the Shuffle which was selling like hot cakes.

They should seen it coming, or maybe they sold lot more flash-based iPods than they expected. I wish I owned some stock.

MW: indeed. I wish I owned some stock indeed.