“Tech’s big guns are wading into the online music business – and now the big question is whether Microsoft will squash its rivals like a bug, as it has so many others. Industry watchers say this time Bill Gates has his hands full. Microsoft, Amazon.com and Yahoo! are three of the players, along with AOL Time Warner and Viacom’s MTV, according to a story in The Los Angeles Times,” reports Laren Barack for the New York Post.
Barack writes, “While Gates considers a digital music launch, his company will now likely have to face off with the almighty music industry, which he needs to win over if he’s going to succeed. ‘The labels hold the keys to the kingdom,’ said Phil Leigh, an analyst with Raymond James. ‘The reluctance they have to enter the Windows arena is because they are concerned with privacy.'”
“As of yet, no music sites have the freedom the labels have granted to Apple’s iTunes store for Apple-computer customers. But those who own Macs can share the music with two other computers, move songs to a portable device and burn the singles as many times as they want,” Barack reports.
[MacDailyNews note: music purchased from the iTunes Music Store can be shared among a total of three Macs. It would have been clearer if written this way – a quick reading gives the impression that sharing is limited to two Macs total. Updated 10:18am EDT as per feedback from “aFactChecker” below.]
Barack continues, “However, industry insiders and analysts wonder if Apple’s iTunes will give PC users the same freedoms. Apple is developoing [sic] a PC/Windows Media version of iTunes, which the company plans to have ready by the end of the month.”
[MacDailyNews note: Apple is developing a PC version of iTunes based on QuickTime and AAC, not “Windows Media.” Whether it’ll be ready at the end of the month is anybody’s guess, but we’ve heard “by the end of the year” consistently from Apple sources. This is the first we’ve heard “by end of the month” from any source.]
Barack writes, “Still, Microsoft has the brand recognition among PC users – or 97 percent of all computer users.”
[MacDailyNews note: 3% is the last quarter’s market share, not a measure of the installed base. Apple has about 10% of all computer users, as reported correctly by Forbes.com here on June 2, 2003.]
Full NY Post article here.
shoddy journalism at its best, but the new york post isn’t known for its pulitzer prize-winning journalism, now is it?
Actually, the original article is correct that music can only be shared “with two other computers” — three total, including the original! =)
Although the NY Post is a rag I don’t think, from my own perspective, they are way off base. Think about it. What would be the greater coup for Mr. Jobs than to announce that the Windoze version will be out at the end of the year, only a month ago, to make his competitors think they have time to play with, then to launch the software only two months after that initial announcement. You know as well as I do that Jobs wants to stick it to M$. This will make them look totally unprepared and will give Apple the definite advantage in the online music biz. Plus, if the rumor is true about Apple acquiring Roxio then they will have eliminated a potential competitor in the Windoze realm on top of releasing their product early. I hope it happens.
The new york post has won quite a few pulitzer prizes and Apple has to get to the PC market first with iTunes or things get ugly.
Why can’t these unprofessional “journalists” get it? 3% is not Apple’s share of all computer users and Microsoft does not have the other 97%!!!
Over and over – they repeat the same lie until it seems like the truth.
Thanks for pointing this out – keep it up. Maybe some of these idiots will take the time to write properly and research the actual numbers like Forbes did.
While a writer for the NY Times has been accused of plaigirism, I find it interesting that the MacDailyNews chooses to cite another publication because it shows Apple in a more favorable light without further explanation as to why. Apple’s sales percentages have been well below 10% for years now, so even if they had 10% total installed user base at some point in their history, they can’t now. The numbers don’t add up.
jasonM,
The NY Times was NOT accused of “plaigirism.”
And in any case, MacDailyNews has NOT done a thing wrong by quoting Forbes.com – which is surely a more reliable information source than a New York City tabloid rag like the NY Post. (Even though I do love the NY Post).
Enjoy your PC, jasonM, you’re obviously too stupid to be a Mac user.
aFactChecker wrote, “Actually, the original article is correct that music can only be shared “with two other computers” — three total, including the original! =)”
That’s the way I read it also.
jasonM,
Being below 10% for years doesn’t matter much when people tend to keep their Macs longer than do Wintel users. Do the math, genius. And the NY Times was not accused of “plaigirism.” He was accused of making stuff up and passing it off as fact:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082741/
While a writer for the NY Times has been accused of plaigirism, I find it interesting that the MacDailyNews chooses to cite another publication because it shows Apple in a more favorable light without further explanation as to why. Apple’s sales percentages have been well below 10% for years now, so even if they had 10% total installed user base at some point in their history, they can’t now. The numbers don’t add up.
Sure they do. over the last 3 years my father has had to purchase 4 new PC’s, while I’ve purchased 1 Mac. That means Mac has 20% of the sales in my household.
However, his 3 previous PC’s have been thrown out or given away and are thus no longer in use here. That means Macs make up 50% of the computers in use here at home despite only 20% sales. It’s their longevity.
“Apple’s sales percentages have been well below 10% for years now, so even if they had 10% total installed user base at some point in their history, they can’t now. The numbers don’t add up.”
Someone needs to rethink their math– this is clearly possible, especially since Macs are kept in active use for longer than Wintels. I know a newspaper still using a slew of SEs from, what, ’87? How many 1987 PCs are still being used? So a 3% sales share could definitely coexist with a 10% installed base share.
It’s amazing how a news article about Apple possibly releasing iTunes for Windows 6 months earlier than it was originally expected turns into a trivial argument about Apple’s market share and installed base. Stay focused on the issue gents!
jasonM, when you get finished having your arse-hole ripped anew, get on over to you nearest Apple Retail Store and wise up. You only live once, why use second-rate Windows (or anything else for that matter)?
http://www.apple.com/retail/
Matt,
The focus is on the “97 percent of all computer users” comment becuase IT IS WRONG and MILLIONS are reading it right now! This means people will be less inclined to consider a Mac. They might consider a Mac if they knew that somewhere around 1 in 10 use Macs, not the untrue figure of 1 in 33 that’s bandied about by ingnorant, lazy “journalists.”
Steve, I get the point of the argument and I agree with you 100% that journalist always get it wrong. However, if you noticed that of the 100 times journalists get it wrong 99 of the discussion threads turn into battles about the marketshare instead of what the actual article is about. As Mac users we can continue fighting the battle but it’s come to a point where we’re coming across as whining.
I think that if the NY Post is correct, this is a MAJOR development. If Apple does pull this off the possiblity arises that their marketshare/installed base will be going up. Don’t you think?
If Apple were releasing iTunes for Windows in less than a month then they really moved quickly on that, especially considering that job postings 1974677 and 1981522 – the iTunes for Windows Software Engineer and Quality Assurance Engineer – are still up on Apple’s site!
As for the Post: The NY Post is not considered a true news source. It is comparable to the Britsh tabloids – sometimes true news makes its way in there, sometimes they hire good writers, but most of it is sensationalism (not like “Space Aliens in City Hall” or anything…more like Jerry Springer). However, someone has to compete against the NY Times, and the Post is the one that stepped up to the challenge. They didn’t step up well, but they did step up all the same…
Pardon me, you’re all right, I did get my facts wrong about this article. Shows what happens when one doesn’t pay attention. However, I still don’t believe that the average mac remains useful for the avarage mac user for more than five years, and given the level of disaffection I’ve heard from Mac users from Apple since I’ve been one (2 years), I have to believe that Apple’s user base is shrinking.
jasonM, the Mac user base is growing. I’ve seen it just working Demo Days aver the past years. The iMac, iBook and iPod, along with the iApps, are bringing people in who never really thought about Macs before. Hang out in an Apple store for an hour one Saturday. You might find the experience educational.
And, for the record, my 1997 Power Mac 6500/225 still works and I still use it regularly, just as my wife uses her 1998 PowerBook G3 regularly. Your numbers need to be backed-up, man.
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I hate the fact that I’m about to let myself get dragged into this discussion further but here goes:
Jason, you’re wrong about the user base shrinking. All the figures show that Apples user base is actually growing. Do the research yourself and you’ll see. To add to that, with the recent product launches (iTMS, iPod for Mac and Windows, new PowerMacs w/970’s, Quark XPress for 0S X) Apple now has a complete lineup of products for the everyday consumer and the professional. Quarks is HUGE since now all the design houses will begin to migrate. I’ve already read reviews on it and it’s getting 5 stars across the board. It’s rock solid.
Apple is really staring to prove themselves to the general public also. Although it is a slow migration process, it could pick up steam very quickly if they release the iTMS for Windoze.
You cannot not deny that their products are rock solid. Their aesthetic designs are superb and superior to their PC maker counterparts. And, most importantly, the OS is years ahead of M$. The biggest problem is really trying to get people to “Think Different”. Change is always a scary thing for people. Even for something as trivial as a computer.
jasonM,
You can believe that Bill Gates innovates, the sky is green, and a bear lives in your ass. That still doesn’t change the facts:
“Apple’s market share grows”
http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/display_news.cfm?NewsID=2541
Go CTRL-ALT-DEL your POS Windows box and spare us from your insipid, anecdotal “evidence.”
jasonM, never forget, Mac users are richer and better educated than Windows users:
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-943519.html?tag=fd_top
Well, Harshman, generally the well-educated don’t resort to puerile comments. That said, my original point was that I don’t believe Apple’s user base stands at 10% of total currently used personal computers. Your first link doesn’t disprove my point. Current market share != total number of active computers. I have been a couple of Apple’s retail outlets and given that computers are high-ticket items they are pretty busy.
The truly stupid do not realize it. And they keep coming back for more. Out.
The total market share discussion is irrelevant, because the iTunes Music Store is only available for Mac OS X, which IIRC is now running on about 25% of the installed base (maybe that’s too high, not sure).
In any case, the Music Store is only available to a tiny percentage of the market, whatever the exact figure, and that makes Apple’s success an even more remarkable achievement.
FInally, on the topic of iTunes Music Store for Windows, the timing seems unlikely, but let’s not forget that the pieces are mostly in place. iTunes is mostly an interface and file browser tool for Quicktime, which is already fully operational on Windows. The Music Store is mostly a web site, so iTunes needs an HTML renderer, which is already built into Windows. The Fairplay rights management is built into iTunes, not the OS, so again, not a huge big deal.
I would venture to guess that the negotiations over the rights for Windows users will *far* exceed the timetable for readying a Windows iTunes. That will be true for any potential market entrants.
In the last 7 years, I’ve bought a PowerMac 7500, a revision A iMac, a Lombard PowerBook, and more recently two eMacs. They are all running perfectly and daily with little or no hassles except for the eMac that I installed VirtualPC on where the Windows preferences were taking over the Mac preferences for displays. Can any of you PC people say that your old machines are still useful for anything? I use Deck 3.5 on the old 7500 with RCA audio and video inputs and a second 7500 RPM Seagate. On the iMac I run all my OS 9 Photoshop, Bryce, Painter apps and the Powerbook I use for mobility.
My point is that the whole argument about marketshare is null and void and is not a reason to buy a YUGO PC. My long term investments in Mercedes Macs are of far greater worth to me and in the long run much less expensive and much greater user experience for me. Ask yourself why people are so evangelistic, loyal, and cultish about their Macs? There has got to be a reason why they are that way, in the back of your PC minds.
For PC users to switch, it takes submission and humbling of ones pride and admittance and a change from familiarity and the willingness to learn a new and better way. That to me is why it is soooo difficult for people to switch. Pride and peer pressure. Noone is worried about marketshare when it comes to buying cars, and I seem to buy new cars long before I buy new Macs. My two cents.
A better way to phrase it: you can use your music on unlimited Macs–but only three at once! There’s no limit to how many times you change macs, and it’s simple to do. And no limit to how many macs OR PCs you can play the Audio CDs on (or rip to MP3).
Also, Apple’s user base is growing. More peopl euse macs each day than the day before. The only way thet wouldn’t be true is if more people threw away Macs each day than bought new!
You could discuss a number you might call “user base share” however, which would be the % of all users. That number will tend, over time, to drift towards the market share %. So… it will currently be drifting gradually from about 10% towards 3%. That’s just math. That number HAS to be shrinking. For it to increase, Apple’s market share % would have to exceed it’s user base %. And yet even so, the number of Mac users is increasing rapidly–which is all developers (and Apple) really need, clearly.
To sum up the obvious: Mac users are increasing fast. Windows users are increasing faster. I’ll leave it to each to decide whether being popular makes a product better.
Lastly, an iTunes store for Windows so soon would be great, but it sounds highly unlikely–from any company–for legal reasons alone. and Apple posted a position pretty recently on Monster.com that sounded like it would be the one in charge of developing iTunes for Windows. Sounds like it’s a project just beginning. End of the year sounds safe.