HP Licenses Apple's iPod & iTMS

grouchomarxist writes "According to the press release here and this article at Forbes HP is licensing Apple's iPod technology for its own MP3 player and use the iTunes Music Store. 'HP and Apple today announced a strategic alliance to deliver an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple's iPod, the number one digital music player in the world, and Apple's award-winning iTunes digital music jukebox and pioneering online music store to HP's customers.'"

Comments

A better article

[destructo666]

Internet News

Re:Just in time for the Superbowl ad

[Phrogz]

From the first paragraphs at zdnet:

Apple will manufacture the player, which will not have the iPod name but will have the same design and features as Apple's third-generation iPod players, Phil Schiller, senior vice president at Apple, said in an interview. Also, the HP music player will come in "HP Blue," he said.

"The way we look at it, HP will be reselling an iPod device," said Schiller, who noted that the device will display the Apple logo at start-up and will work with all of the accessories made for the white-hued Apple varieties.

So it sounds like it'll be blue, but other than that be the normal iPod, running the same OS.

Re:Dear Apple: why?

[frodo from middle ea]

Also don't forget that HP is a much bigger international company than Apple will ever be.

HP printers, desktops etc. are already popular in asian countries and apple, has a better chance of tapping in to these markets, using HP's help than on its own.

Of course this goes only for the iPod or hPod , as itunes currently works only for US customers.

Not sure how it could suck...

[justMichael]

Apple will manufacture the player, which will not have the iPod name but will have the same design and features as Apple's third-generation iPod players, Phil Schiller, senior vice president at Apple, said in an interview. Also, the HP music player will come in "HP Blue," he said.

Found here, props go out to guet for posting the link over on macslash

Re:Attack of the Clones, Part II

[Llywelyn]

Before you get moderated too far up by people who want a Mac clone and have wanted it despite that it would kill Apple, let's look at what this deal actually entails.

The HP_iPod will be the same as a 3rd gen iPod in terms of hardware. That is, AFAIK, the extent of the hardware side of this "cloning." Apple probably gets a percentage of the profit from this (I don't see them as the type to go for a one-time fee).

This either doesn't undercut Apple at all or barely does so. If HP produces them on top of that (haven't read the article yet) it just provides additional iPods when Apple already has trouble meeting demand.

As a plus, HP is also going to install iTunes all HP systems. That's of tremendous value to Apple, since then nobody will need to download them.

This is not cloning, is not vaguely related to cloning (more like Apple licenses the right to produce a specific model of Apple computer with rebranding), and Apple is not going to be undercut or suffer cannibalization of sales as a result of this.

Re:Dear Apple: why?

[Llywelyn]

>Of course this goes only for the iPod or hPod , as itunes
>currently works only for US customers.

Minor correction, the iTunes MUSIC STORE only works for US customers. The software (the ripper/burner/player) works fine outside of the US.

Re:Dear Apple: why?

[Spyky]

No, not *all* of the money is handed over to the record companies, it is not *profitable*, which is different. That means that their hosting/development/advertising costs eat up more than the remaining share, after the record companies get theirs.

As apple sells more and more music, they are approaching profitability, because the cost of development is spread out more. Whether that will ever be enough to actually be truly profitable is another question all together

-Spyky