“One thing that could put many [consumers] off Windows 8 slates is the lack of iTunes,” Killian Bell reports for Cult of Mac. “Microsoft knows this, and it knows it’s a real problem that could kill Windows 8 tablets before they’ve even hit the market in the minds of many consumers. For Microsoft to make Windows 8 a success, it’ll need the support of its biggest rival: Apple.”
Bell reports, “A huge portion of Windows users use iOS devices that they sync with their PCs, and the iTunes Store for purchasing music, movies, TV shows, and apps. Of course, they need iTunes to do that.”
“There’s a good chance that Apple — a company famous for playing by its own rules — will decide it doesn’t want to play ball. And if that turns out to be the case, it’s one reason why consumers may decide not to adopt a Windows 8 tablet,” Bell reports. “Rick Sherland, an analyst with Nomura Securities, believes ‘the incentive is for Apple not to do this.'”
Read more in the full article here.
Jay Greene reports for CNET, “Microsoft declined to comment on the matter, and Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment. There’s little doubt, though, that Microsoft has thought about the challenge. ‘We’d welcome Metro-style applications from Apple in the iTunes case,’ Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said during the company’s financial analyst day last September. ‘I don’t know what we’d see there. But we’d certainly welcome those.'”
“It’s also becoming clear that, as Microsoft moves closer to launching Windows 8, users will have two different experiences with the operating system. Those that buy PCs and tablets running the traditional x86 architecture with chips from Intel and AMD will be able to run all the apps they currently do, including iTunes. But users who opt for tablets that use the ARM architecture won’t be able to use all the apps they’ve come to expect on Windows PCs,” Greene reports. “‘This is Microsoft fragmenting itself,’ Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg said.”
Greene reports, “Without the same apps available on all devices, Microsoft runs the risk of confusing consumers. And Apple is likely to be more than happy to muddle that marketing message and not deliver a Metro-version of iTunes. After all, the company has no desire to help Microsoft make any inroads into its tablet dominance. ‘People are lining up in the cold and rain to buy the new iPad,’ Gartenberg said. ‘Is anyone going to line up to buy Windows 8 on ARM?'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Oh, so the “little, tiny, niche guy” needs Apple now?
No iTunes for you!
• “We are in the Windows era — we were, we are, and we always will be.” – Steve Ballmer, November 2011