“Under the current 99-cents-per-song service, Apple is the only winner. ITMS been criticized many times, but you can now understand why Apple doesn’t invest serious effort in improving it. It doesn’t need to. Every dollar Apple invests in improving ITMS, as opposed to engineering even better iPods, is a dollar wasted. As a marketing gimmick, it’s more than done its job. And this also explains why Apple, rather than trying to enrich or broaden its music service, is simply applying the iTMS model to different media. Simple, really,” Andrew Orlowski writes for The Register.
Full article here.
In the full article, Orlowski tries to make some sort of point, but thankfully we’re short the collection of brain tumors necessary to “understand” the convoluted mess. Orlowski uses an old trick: he masquerades opinion as fact. Orlowski wants you to believe the general consensus is that Apple’s iTunes Music Store is not a critical hit, that no new content is being added, and that it’s generally being neglected by Apple. Nothing could be further from the truth. Apple routinely adds new content and features to what is generally considered by most reviewers to be the world’s best legal online music service. It’s certainly the most successful by a large margin. Apple has sold over one billion songs. Yes, illegal P2P songs dwarf that figure, however Apple’s iTunes Music Store sales dwarf all other legal competitors combined.
Orlowski quotes iTMS also-rans using old statistics in his serpentine attempt try to prove something or other. We’ll use independent sources instead: Statistics gathered by Nielsen NetRatings shows that traffic to iTunes grew by 241% in 2005. Between December 2004 and 2005 the numbers of people going to the site grew from 6.1 million to 20.7 million. The figures mean that about 14% of the net’s active population are regularly using the iTunes service. In the seven-day stretch between Christmas and the new year, millions of consumers armed with new iPods and iTMS gift cards gobbled up almost 20 million tracks from iTunes and other download retailers, Nielsen SoundScan reported in early January. In the past year, Apple’s iTunes Music Store rose from 14th largest U.S. music retailer to 7th largest (not even counting Mac users) – and that includes brick and mortar chains, according to NPD Group Inc. Apple Computer’s iTunes music store now sells more music than Tower Records, Borders, and Sam Goody.
Advertisements:
• Apple’s brand new iPod Hi-Fi speaker system. Home stereo. Reinvented. Available now for $349 with free shipping.
• Apple’s new Mac mini. Intel Core, up to 4 times faster. Starting at just $599. Free shipping.
• MacBook Pro. The first Mac notebook built upon Intel Core Duo with iLife ’06, Front Row and built-in iSight. Starting at $1999. Free shipping.
• iMac. Twice as amazing — Intel Core Duo, iLife ’06, Front Row media experience, Apple Remote, built-in iSight. Starting at $1299. Free shipping.
• iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
• iPod. 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video. The new iPod. 30GB and 60GB models start at just $299. Free shipping.
• Connect iPod to your television set with the iPod AV Cable. Just $19.
This guy can go to hell.
“Apple Computer’s iTunes music store now sells more music than Tower Records, Borders, and Sam Goody.”
Wow!!! That’s really amazing.
I read the article.
All I can say is, “Hugh?”
This guy suffers from iTunes envy.
It seems to me that the store is constantly improving. I don’t get it (unless it’s just a hit piece, that is).
Orlowski obviously does not understand “keep it simple.” He must have the M$ mental disorder.
If anyone has read anything Orlowski has written it all boils down to: “I bought music on vinyl and then on CD’s, now I want everything all digital music to be free”.
Bag of gas.
MW: Through. Don’t read anything this guy writes.
Just another “troller”…
Um, the consumer is also a winner.
Not gonna read the article, but from the snippet, but it appears that what he’s trying to say from the snippet is that “Apple needs competition. I don’t like the iTunes interface, but with no competitors keeping Apple hungry, that interface ain’t gonna improve.”
I agree.
they went to an awful lot of trouble to allow us to access all this media and fought the music companies to allow us to have 1 price fits all and how do people thank them – with unnecessary critacism (oops – lost spelling part of brain today)
Not again with the “you have to replace your iPod every three years” nonsense. Apple replaces iPod batteries for $70, even for older models. Others offer DIY options for less.
Maybe someone needs to sign him up for the Weekly iTunes Music Store Tuesday e-mail and he can see for himself just how “static” the site really is…
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
The fact is, iTunes music store could be improved. For example, there should be many more levels of categories. For example I have trouble finding podcasts easily. If you look under higher education you will find a total mess of podcasts that have nothing in common. Putting more order there and in other parts of the store is long overdue.
Updates to the ITMS store happen every Tuesday as scheduled since the store went online. So I don’t understand what this guy is talking about when he says Apple doesn’t touch the store. Everytime iTunes gets an update it relates to the store and the iPods that are sold in some way with new features.
The reason they don’t have to spend much time improving it is because they spent 2 and half years creating it to begin with before ever unveiling it to the public. They didn’t throw together some BS me too kind of service that every other failed msuic store has done since. They didn’t unveil it before it was ready either like MS would do.
When you get it mostly right to begin with, there isn’t much else you can do thereafter.
Ignore Orlowski.
He’s just another Dvorakian crank looking for web hits.
I’m with Big Tex! Go to hell Andrew you f*cker! Aaahhh…cursing is so liberating.
“When you get it mostly right to begin with, there isn’t much else you can do thereafter.”
– That’s obviously not true. Look at the iPod.
“Where’s the money, Orlowski?!”
~ The Big Orlowski
Well Apple have not really made any major improvements to the music store, as in the structure itself (fine by me, I like it). And I read the artcle as he is fishing for subscribtion servces or varied pricing or somethng along those lines. I don’t see that happening until competition gets stronger.
I’m missing something, or the Register has really taken a dive in the last year or so. I’ve read it and been on their mailing list since my windoze days. It really used to be a great, if irreverent, site. It isn’t anymore.
Yeah, apple should be adding new features every day. Features, features, features. I don’t care what they are, I just want them. Everyone knows that everyone loves a myriad of mostly useless features, especially since most people can’t even figure out how to use the help menu of software.
Not that I’m promoting Wikipedia as the source of truth and wisdom, although it is pretty useful for some stuff, but this shows this article up as a crock of s**t.
exactly, what the hell is he talking about? Whatever..
these guys are used to be pounded up the ass by a certain monopoly.. when a decent offer comes along with a big marketshare, they just assume it’s a scam. *shrug
If Apple really cared about consumers they’d add an FM radio and tuner to the ITunes Music Store.
As someone said on the last madhat article from the Register: “WHAT IDIOT READS THE REGISTER?”
I reckon the register is going bust…
Scopi,
You win…funniest post of the day!
“If Apple really cared about consumers they’d add an FM radio and tuner to the ITunes Music Store.”
You could’ve just said radio or tuner, but using both makes it gut busting funny.
Well done!
Well, first, consider where he’s getting his information. He’s at the Digital Music Forum–and area full of iTunes Music Store competitors. So, obviously, the statistics they trot out will be dubious at best.
But let’s look at some obvious ones he brings up.
First, his amusing comparison that it took 3 years for Apple to download one billion songs and P2P services download one billion songs every month. The obvious answer to this is to look at the revenue generated by P2P services versus iTMS. Needless to say, the music industry (which gets about 2/3rds of that 99 cents) probably made somewhere in the realm of 600 million dollars from iTMS. How much did they make off of those P2P services?
Next, he points out that the average iPod owner has 21 songs from the iTunes Music Store. This, of course, is a questionable metric–they did the “divide the number of songs purchased by the number of iPods sold” method, forgetting that not everyone who has an iPod buys from the music store and not everyone who buys from the music store has an iPod. It’s somewhat akin to taking the number of people who buy CDs and drive Mercedes. Sure, you can probably find some kind of link, but does it mean anything?
Oh my god what a poorly written article I am dumber for having read it… Also it might be 15 songs purchased on each iPod but I bet there are a lot more copies of iTunes without iPods that download music and (i don’t know) burn CD’s and play in the car or diskmans etc.
Well, this guy just went to that Digital Music Conference where all of Apple’s roadkill, uh, competitors, but not Apple showed up. So it was conference about envy and jealousy resulting in lots of badmouthing of Apple.
So he’s just a tool being used and abused.
I buy songs and don’t have an iPod. I burn CDs of them and listen to them in my car.
Now my wife has an iPod that she uses for working out only. At home, we usually plug our laptops directly into our stereo and crank out some mix.
“Orlowski uses an old trick: he masquerades opinion as fact.”
Yeah, something the crowd around these parts knows a thing or two about.
Not again with the “you have to replace your iPod every three years” nonsense.
Is that what he’s saying? (I generally don’t read any piece about Apple by Orlowski, since he’s known for harboring an obsessive grudge against them for having DRM in iTMS tracks.)
Who care whether or not you HAVE to replace your iPod? The question should be: “Why wouldn’t you WANT to?!” I just replaced my classic 1st gen 10GB iPod, purchased in May 2002 for $499. The battery was finally fading hard, but could easily have lasted until its 4th birthday. Even then, I could have replaced the battery with a new one from iPodBatteryDepot for $16.99.
But the 5th gen iPod is just soooo damn sweet. It makes my 1st gen model look like something out of the stone age. In 2002, it was state of the art, the smallest high-capacity MP3 player on the market. Now it’s a gigantic behemoth, with a pathetic 10GB, an itty-bitty black-and-white screen, and a mechanical scrollwheel (LOL)! The fading battery didn’t force me to buy a new one. It was an EXCUSE to buy a new one!!
In 3-4 years, the 5th gen iPod is going to look just as lame. I don’t know what Apple plans next for the iPod, but I know in 2010 I’ll be more than ready to replace the old clunker I just bought.
Reverse Thrust, when you stop obsessively reading every post on MDN, you can criticize “the crowd” here. Until then, you’re one of us.
“according to NPD Group Inc. Apple Computer’s iTunes music store now sells more music than Tower Records, Borders, and Sam Goody.”
I think they need to clarify that. What is considered “more music” Single purchases as in body count or complete numebr of songs. If a brick & mortar company sells a CD does it count as, say, 12 songs or a single sale? Depending on how one crunches those numbers it can make a huge difference. I would’nt beleive these numbers unless it is clearly defined as what constitutes a sale. I’m just too much of a skeptic. I can beleive that Apple has more customers than those companys listed though.
Back to hooking my Airport Express back up to my stereo now…