“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
Please ignore the “how easy” from the second sentance… I need another drink.
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Ok to the user that posted the Microsoft, Longhorn, .NET and w Media Player is the way of the future.
First, Longhorn is taking so long it should be called STILLBORN. Yeah lets see it say around 2008 at the rate they are going. Maybe because they are too busy patching the GREAT XP operating system that is so secure and runs so well. I say 2008 maybe and we all know how great That OS is going to be. Chock full of holes, still related to DOS somehow. Still nameing drives A, B, C, D.
(2) Media Player. What a joke. And you say all the Real World IT guys are using it. Hmm. Didn’t all the “Real World” IT jobs get farmed out to India? Do you think they did this because of poor choices such as Media Player? LOL Yeah I’m going to base my buying power and switch to Media player on a sector that is one of the highest for now for the unemployed.
(3) .NET sure yeah see line 2 if that doesnt explain it then take this. WHY would I trust my financial info to a technology MIcrosoft put out? Reason. Look at the Record for Microsoft for Security holes, shoddy sotware, bloated code, gummy bear patches, and justy poor customer service.
Face it.
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iTunes, iPod, ITM. They work. They are secure. Produced by the LEADING technology company.
Hmmmm.
Oh did I mention that even Intel thinks so as well? LOL
Go Napster boy! Share the Spyware, Adware, Crapware, and all those nasty viruses with all your IT friends while you look through the classified section for a job.
Nice serve…definately in play…
Do you have any “Grey Poupon”?
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CT ======]———– “Give me a MOUNTAIN, Give me a DEW!”r
sentance.–definately.
Where do you guys get these non-words from?
“First, Longhorn is taking so long it should be called STILLBORN.”
I prefer Longshot
Most fads die out eventually…someday…
What he said AND that Volcano…AND all those well
placed ads.
http://www.aboutlronhubbard.org/
I already knew that though…sheesh. Good presentation
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though.
CT =======]———— Who da thunk it?Í
I prefer “the ghost of computing past”
“YOU…are in my system”
“Too hot to handle…too bold to hold…”
Well, you get the idea.
“GEEEEEnie!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”mad” style=”border:0;” />
CT ======]———- Where’s this stuff come from???
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Sizewell:
I was actually talking about iTunes and not just the Store. The iTunes Music store is inside iTunes, in case nobody noticed. And it wasn’t a slam. My reference to iTunesMSP was a hint for you to perhaps go Google yourself up a pretty cool free app which works in conjunction with the iTunes application to cause it to play consecutive iTMS samples/preview tracks without stopping after each track, as is otherwise the default circumstance with those samples/previews.
In my own case, I often gather previews from the iTunes Music Stores of from many different countries and many different genres and load them all up into an iTunes media player Playlist. Then I turn on iTunesMSP and give them all a good sequential uninterupted listen. Try it! It’s nice.
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The whole iPod package almost gives you a second
brain devoted to music you want to listen to…but
this brain runs circles around the part of your real
brain that stores your music.
Is Apple performing brain surgery here, or what???? <•>|<•>
Apple Computer…Brains for Brains
CT =======]———– Chew on this
ok, now-last!?
Nothing to learn in iPod.
Same for macs! Its use is so easy!
sorry for my typographical error… I do know how to spell “sentence”.. like I said in the same post “I need another drink”… it’s been a long week.. again, my apologies.
gwn,
and I apologize to you as well… I had assumed you had the same misunderstanding as is being presented by the author since he can’t or won’t distinguish between iTMS and iTunes. They are unique product/services which appear to be one due to their smooth integration. As you obviously know, iTunes can and is used without iTMS (just ask the people from down under who have been patiently waiting). I just wanted to clear up the fact that even without the music store, the iPod and iTunes are an unbeatable combination (currently).
gwn,
I really appreciate the suggestion. I have a different buying style though. If I like a preview, I buy it using one-click then move on to another track or CD. I do wish the previews were longer. Obviously not long enough to include the full track, but longer to get a better feeling for the music.
infinity + the square root of negative zero.
We pretty much agree, Sizewell. I love iTunes and I work the app way harder than most folks ever bother to do..
Sadly, my usage of the store doesn’t include purchases. Although Apple will recognize my card from the States (I’m in Canada) when it comes to billing for dot-Mac and Apple Store purchases, it will not allow me to use the same card to purchase from the Canadian iTMS, nor will it allow me to instead purchase from the American iTMS. So I look at the Store(s) .. all of nineteen of them .. over and over and over .. but I don’t purchase. I buy CDs instead.
But I do love iTunes, I assure you.
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.”
———-
mark my words.. if the iTunes/iPod combo wasn’t kicking ass these things would be seen as REASONS WHY. What a hindsight= 20/20 bullshit article..
Some things just never change. CRASH!
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That was just music…silly.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cool cheese” style=”border:0;” />
CT ==========]————– French toast anyone? DRIP
MY sleep…you know.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… <•>|<@>
CT =======]————– Wee out.
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