“Apple will let consumers download songs from its iTunes music service over Motorola cell phones, the company said late Monday night,” K.C. Swanson reports for TheStreet. “The new technology will become available on all Motorola mass-market phones in the first half of 2005.”
Swanson reports, “In a morning note, Merrill Lynch analyst Steve Milunovich called the deal a ‘net positive for iPod,’ referring to Apple’s portable music player. ‘iPods are the leading portable music player, iTunes is the leading on-line music seller, and it appears Apple understands it has to work with others to dominate the space. Apple could become the ‘Microsoft’ of music,’ concluded Milunovich, who has a buy rating on the stock.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Let’s hope that if Apple does indeed become the ‘Microsoft’ of music, that they do so legally and ethically while maintaining their current high levels of reliability, security, and quality.
To MDN: So far, from the outside Apple seems to be achieving what you say. And in terms of the music technology arena, they are the trailblazers, so it would be hard for them to copy (like Microsoft does all the time) because they do it first or best.
Indeed, let us hope!
Apple should buy the “Harmony” app from Real and attach the tech to iTunes so that people can now convert both DRM and non-DRM Windows Media to play on their iPod. This will give people the “Choice” of music service that people want
Motorola phone ‘for the powerbook crowd’ :
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/28/motorola_v3/
just one point to make why do most mac users love apple? its another business that tries to make money out of people just like microsoft, both companies try to make as much profit as they can.
artiom, most Mac users appreciate Apple because it produces a GREAT product that we love. Apple the company tends to get more criticism from Mac users than anyone else, though. Most of us have criticised Apple’s marketing “efforts” while the pundits hand them awards, for example. It is another business that is out to make a profit, but they also happen to produce a GREAT product that we love, so we appreciate the company for their efforts.
If Apple does become the “Microsoft” of music then expect the stock to be valued at around $100/share…(I just made that number up in my head, but it will slowly go through the roof to be sure)
I often find apple takes ideas that are around already (such as portable digital music players and online music stores) and then improves their form factor a LOT and often their function factor too.
I wouldn’t arbitrarily say that apple is always the innovators of an idea (ie xerox), but I agree that they clearly make superior hardware products, technologically, and improve vastly on ideas. And often know what users want.
“Apple could become the ‘Microsoft’ of music,’ concluded Milunovich,”
I hope this guy doesn’t consider this to be a compliment!
what a cute way to put it.. although Jobs made the reference about 6 months ago…
Buffy – you are sooo wrong! BUY harmony from Real?!? what on earth for? doesn’t anyone get it? why do we need multiple music stores online at this stage? Apple is doing what it needs to do to grow it’s market share as fast as possible. Once it reaches critical mass it can (if and when it chooses) opt to open itself to other online stores OR other hardware players (Motorola). They could even support new Windoze DRM on existing iPods if they see it necessary. BUT NOW there is no point. no other store OR player comes close to the iPod and/or iTMS!!
I wonder if that means that Microsoft will become the Stompin Tom Connors of operating systems.