“Apple’s newest version of iTunes, version 4.9… now makes the process of getting a podcast on to an iPod as easy as choosing the podcast and downloading it in the same manner one might pick a song and download it to their existing iTunes library. This is bound to help podcasts become mainstream content and encourage thousands of podcasters to join the podcast revolution,” Tim Bajarin writes for Technology Pundits.
“Apple’s secret sauce, so to speak, is not only the way they make it easy to access and download a podcast through iTunes, but also comes in the way they organize and simplify how a person finds podcasts of interest. Apple’s aim, at least at first, is to only offer free podcasts and will have editorial control of the podcasts that show up on their main podcast site each day. However, they also make it very easy to find any podcast and make it simple to either listen to that podcast or subscribe to it regardless of whether the podcast is on the Apple site. That makes it very easy to add any podcast to a listener’s iTunes library,” Bajarin writes.
“Of course, Apple’s real reason for adding the podcast feature is that by having more content that can easily be added to an iPod, they also get a lot more people interested in buying iPods. And, they continue to distance themselves from their competitors. This new version of iTunes is a very positive move for podcasts and is destined to not only help Apple in their quest to maintain their mobile audio market share, but to also bring more people into the fascinating world of podcasts,” Bajarin writes.
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Jupiter analysts: New iTunes 4.9 ‘will further cement Apple’s position as king of digital audio’ – June 28, 2005
Apple releases iTunes 4.9 for Mac and Windows with podcasting features – June 28, 2005