invisibleSHIELD case for iPad“Contrary to popular belief, Apple’s (AAPL) lifeblood isn’t the iPhone. It’s not the iPod, it’s not the new iMacs, and it’s certainly not the iPad,” Michael Comeau writes for Minyanville. “What keeps Apple going is a little piece of free software called iTunes.”

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“iTunes has evolved from a piece of music-management software into something that 1) manages all your media, contacts, and appointments and 2) activates, syncs, and backs up the iPhone/iPad,” Comeau writes. “In other words, iTunes is now the personal operating system for millions of people, giving them a good reason to stay within the Apple ecosystem. When you buy a new Apple gadget, you plug it into your computer, and voila — iTunes updates everything and you’re ready to go, no thinking or effort required.”

Comeau writes, “It’s the most comprehensive piece of plug-and-play software on the market… iTunes is the glue holding Apple together, and the piece of the puzzle competitors need to focus on if they want to hurt Apple… The idea that an iPhone killer is on the horizon is pure fiction, because while we’re seeing a lot of great mobile hardware being produced, there’s absolutely nothing cooking in software that even comes close to countering iTunes. Until its rivals address the software part of the mobile-devices equation, Apple’s success will only be limited by its agreements with telecom carriers.”

Read more in the full article – recommended – here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Judge Bork" for the heads up.]