“What is it that makes Apple’s double whammy of iPod and iTunes impossible to beat? It’s not the perfect cross-platform compatibility – it resists the temptation to reserve special features for Mac users,” Giles Colborne writes for Revolution. “It’s that Apple understands that what really counts is the music.”
“It doesn’t advertise the iPod’s list of features; it just shows people enjoying music and the package lives up to the promise. Software and hardware have incredibly simple interfaces and there is almost nothing to learn,” Colborne writes. “There’s no talk of nodes or sub-directories with iTunes. The software automatically organises your music by genre, artist, albums and tracks. Just the way you would (if you had time).”
Colborne writes, “What’s really interesting is the editorial content – there isn’t any. No reviews, no interviews, no links, no hardware stores, no customer ratings. The nearest thing to editorial is a playlist. If you want to know about music, you’re expected to listen to it and make your own mind up. It all makes for a very pure music-buying experience. Apple is one of the few retail stores I can think of that lets the product do the talking. Anyone considering a ‘value add’ strategy should look at iTunes.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
BusinessWeek review gives Apple iTunes 4.5 stars out of 5: ‘it’s the real hero in iPod’s success’ – June 16, 2005
Report: Apple iTunes Music Store more popular than most peer-to-peer file sharing services – June 07, 2005
Apple’s iTunes Music Store passes 430 million downloads, market share increases to 82-percent in May – June 07, 2005
How Apple’s iTunes, iPod and the iTunes Music Store were born – May 24, 2005
Apple CEO Steve Jobs demos iTunes 4.9, due within 60 days, includes podcast support – May 23, 2005
Enjoying Apple’s iTunes and iTunes Music Store without owning an iPod – May 11, 2005
Frist
sceond
frouth
Third
ffith
Rats! Forth
Thrired
Seexth!
Frifth ???
Scheiße! Sevensth
An interesting debate, what, don’t you know?
oucho
The winning combination of Longhorn, Windows Media and .NET for rapid deployment will become the new standard in digital music once iTunes and the iPod fall out of fashion. Real world IT has already adopted Windows Media and soon the consumer market will follow as well.
Infinity!
Yeah, in about two years from now, Longhorn should be JUST about ready for prime time.
It’s actually a triple whammy. iPod, iTunes, ITMS. No one else even comes close to even beating one of the three, let alone the synergistic dynamo of all three working together seamlessly.
16!!!
Last
MDN: “Colborne writes, “What’s really interesting is the editorial content – there isn’t any. No reviews, no interviews, no links, no hardware stores, no customer ratings. The nearest thing to editorial is a playlist. If you want to know about music, you’re expected to listen to it and make your own mind up … “
Yessss. Listening and making up your own mind is indeed where it’s at. Too bad iTunes only plays one preview track and then stops and waits for you to choose another preview track. If it would just let you listen to your own great big non-interupted playlist of preview tracks like that free ‘iTunes MSP’ doohickey does, that would be way cool.
Ok – I admit it… I’m Bill Gates and I get my jollies from posting inane, ridiculous comments about Apple products.
The truth is that here at Microsoft, we’re screwed – no one likes our new products, Longhorn is a joke both as a functional operating system and with the release dates, and I just want to cry on my platinum lined pillow.
These days the only joy I get is posting deluded comments about the imminent demise of Apple – I know I’m pathetic, but please buy my crappy products so I don’t cry so much
Thanks – Bill
“Yeah, in about two years from now, Longhorn should be JUST about ready for prime time.”
Don’t you mean prime ribs?
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iTunes and the iPod just work. The iTunes Music Store just work together with iTunes and the iPod in perfect harmony. Nothing to learn, no links to click to download. Click buy download starts automatically after you click OK to purchase. Then you can start listening to your purchase right away. It’s so easy is why it’s so good.
eleventeenth & 1/2
gwm,
I’m going to plead ignorance and ask you to clarify your comment. I just don’t get it…
Thanks
oh, I’m so sorry it wasn’t my ignorance, it was your’s and the author of the article… when you both spoke about the iTunes Music Store (iTMS) and referred to it as iTunes is where I got lost. But I know how easy it could be sooooooo confusing since it involves such a seamless integration of iTunes, ITMS, and iPod that they appear to be one. I wish it was so clear for those using other players and music download services…