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Apple Music Store Coming to Europe & iTunes in China
frankie writes "As reported everywhere, Apple is holding a press conference in London on Tuesday June 15. The entirely un-subtle official sound bite is "the biggest story in music is about to get even bigger", not what we've come to expect from Lord Steve." Or read through the Reuters report. In other news, it appears that Apple has struck a deal with China's second larger computer manufacturer to preinstall iTunes.
In related news, Microsoft's appeal to the EU has been leaked to the press. It seems to consist of an attack against Apple. "Hey, if Apple can preload their iTunes "media player", why can't we? We should be able to do it too!", said an anonymous source close to the Microsoft legal team. Many legal experts seem to think Microsoft 5-year old kid "If he can do it, I can do it to" antics will fail miserably.
Hmmm.
I've been using iTunes for Windows since release, and although I can't actually buy from the iTMS, I've found it an excellent tool for finding music I like - being able to listen to the samples directly from iTunes is a godsend. Personally, I don't see the problem with the DRM Apple use - sure, it's restrictive, but it's not as bad as some - and I can certainly see myself buying from the store upon opening.
All we need now is for Pepsi to offer free songs too...
And tomorrow the stock exchange will be the human race
Didn't Jobs say that Japan would be the first non-US country to get the iTMS? Or did that change somehow?
But every machine that ships with iTunes, ships with QuickTime.
The big issue, stated time and again, is that Microsoft has a desktop monopoly, so they can't bundle the same things that others can. If Apple were in a monopoly position, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Slashdot crowd would be hollering just as loud as they do against Microsoft (which isn't, incidentally, that loud).
It doesn't have anything to do with the mysterious anti-Microsoft pro-Apple conspiracy. People just like rooting for the underdog, even if the underdog would be just as Evile as the top dog if/when given the chance.
Dlugar
Computer Go: Writing Software to Play the Ancient Game of Go
Microsoft has already done this with media player, only they didn't strike up any deals, they just said OK yah this will be on your computers now because it's part of windows. They did the same thing with IE. Only what everyone got pissed off with IE about was the fact that they told people, hey you can have Windows with IE but you can't put netscape on your computers. Otherwise you can't have either. Apple isn't telling any companies to take out media player.
There are rumours that Apple may launch iTMS Canada at the same time. I guess that'd allow them to retain the element of surprise! Anyhoo, I've got my fingers crossed. Hopefully songs will run 99 cents CAD.
not quite. Are they running OS X with iTunes? Nope, it'll be a M$ based system with iTunes as a 3rd party software. That is the difference.
Evolution or ID?
I click on that Google News link, and lo and behold: this story on Slashdot is the first article in the list. So naturally, I click on that...
iTunes store may not be accessible but there are over 1 billion people there and iTunes syncs with the ipod so imagine how many ipods they could sell there.
Evolution or ID?
This question has already been asked and answered.
I will be very interested to see how iTMS does in China. That's going into the core of the area where organized piracy has traditionally been the main music and software market.
China has been gaining a large middle class, and a lot of wealth. So, I think there is a big enough potential market that is able to purchase music. We'll see if they are willing to purchase music.
I went to China on a business trip last year, and while walking through an open market in Shanghai I couldn't take five steps without being approached by a kid wanting to sell CD's and DVD's for less than a dollar a piece.
Because "One of several pretty good music experiences" sounded kind of lame to their PR people.
You don't own an iPod do you? Fact is the experience of using the iPod is part of it, and the experience of using iTunes is part of it. Working with Audio mixing tools isn't exactly the best because you're doing all the work. You may not agree. But simply because Apple is saying they're the best doesn't mean they're Microsoftish. It means they've still got a huge ego, which is no news. Watch any MacWorld or WWDC and you'll see Steve and company have some massive ego going on. It's not so bad they do make some really great products and do stuff better than most people in the markets they enter. Apple I think entered the MP3 player market with the iPod because iTunes was going well by it'self and they were getting great feedback but the portable player market was not growing the way they saw it could. And decided to fill it. They did the same thing with the iSight recently. There are no really good web cams out there that people all want to buy to do web cam stuff. Now at least for the Mac Apple has filled that void. Apple has a mentality where they'll let a market get to some point and if nobody has taken the lead they'll just come in and blow everyone away. If you notice they have iMovie and iPhoto and yet they haven't made any ventures into the camcorder or camera markets. Why? Cause Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, HP, Kodak, Samsung, Sony, JVC, and company are all doing very good for digital stuff in these markets.
please tell me the names of artists which apple computer represents as a music label.
oh yeah, there aren't any.
please tell me the ISBN numbers of any CDs which apple computer manufactures for sale.
oh yeah, there aren't any.
apple computer is not behaving as a music label. they are behaving as a website which acts as a 3rd party for music sales.
From your link: That contract stipulated Apple Computer could use the logo for computers, data processing and telecommunications, while the Beatles could retain it for music, according to documents filed by the pop group's lawyers at the High Court.
Apple Computer is providing a massive data processing environment (iTunes Music Store) and allows people to purchase music from -other- labels through this telecommunications link.
Besides the fact that an incredibly common fruit, the apple, being trademarked is absurd in the first place.
MORTAR COMBAT!
Now if only they would stop neglecting Canada...
I still don't understand why they don't have iTMS in Canada yet.
"While I'm sure it's all fine and dandy that Apple is now bringing more capitalism to China"
:)
You're implying that China is communist. It's not truly communist - the country would not have experienced such massive growth in population if it wasn't for western companies investing in textiles factories, etc. in China. China owes a lot to western countries for it's absoloutely massive period of growth after the past fifty years. Considering I just three hours ago wrote a two page essay on it for an A-Level...
Umm. Actually, iTunes can use mp3 natively if you want it to. It can also use unprotected AAC. There is also a plugin to do Ogg with iTunes.
Don't let fears over iTunes' "incompatibility" damn you-- it's not Windows Media, with a click of a button in the preferences you can set it to encode in something you can use in any player that you prefer.
I just discovered allofmp3.com over the weekend, thanks to others mentioning it on Slashdot, so I'm doing my part to spread the word. They have a good selection (though not as broad as Apple's), but the pricing is unbeatable -- $0.01 or $0.02 per MB.
Best of all, the encoding is almost always selectable -- you can choose MP3 (including the LAME alt-preset settings), WMA, OGG, MP4, and a couple of others I've forgotten. You can even get the tracks lossless if you want.
I can't remember getting this excited about an Internet site since the first time I streamed European radio via RealPlayer in 1997. Understand: I've been an AVLA-licensed DJ for 13 years. I rarely spend my own money on music; I get it all from the record companies (whose licensing terms, for DJs at least, are a lot better in Canada than they are in the States -- we can burn multiple copies for performance, are licensed to play directly from MP3, etc.), in exchange for a nominal fee. But last night I spent about US$17 and downloaded about 220 songs. About half of that was replacing CDs I've previously owned but that are now damaged or lost. Another 20% was probably old favorites from the 80s that I remember fondly but am not willing to spend a lot of money on (Sly Fox or Paul Hardcastle for example).
Don't want to give your credit card to the Russians? Fine -- they take PayPal. I paid $10 for 1GB of download, and when it was obvious I was going to blow past that amount, I added another $10. Simple and painless.
iTUnes and all the comparable services (PureTracks, etc.) use DRM-encumbered formats. These are unencumbered MP3s that work great on my 15GB Archos Jukebox Recorder.
In short, allofmp3 is pretty much exactly what I've been wanting in a download service. They claim it's legal in Russia (see the site and some discussion forums), and it's legal for me to download here in Canada (heck, my wife will be burning half the music to CDs that we've paid the CRIA licensing fees for -- most of our CDs are used for backups and/or digital photos), so for as long as they're around they've got my business.
Which begs the question: What will community consensus say if Linux continues on its current trajectory and achieves enough market share to be considered a monopoly in certain markets, like service operating systems? Would the community turn against Linux and root for the underdogs, namely *BSD, Apple, and Microsoft?
Sarcasm and hyperbole are the final refuges for weak minds
What I want to know is if they're going to be making all the music in all regions available to all the other regions that have itms available. I would KILL to be able to buy some J-Pop and local rock and folk music from parts of Europe in AAC (yes, I know, .ogg r0x0rz your s0ckz0rz, but AAC is readily available and still high quality). It would be so easy to access tons of new material (especially stuff that you just can't find in Texas, or most other states for that matter), which is one of the secondary purposes of itms (the first, of course, I won't argue is making money).
You know you're commenting on Slashdot when... you have to make several provisos to be sure you're understood.
Cthulu saves... in case he gets hungry later.
::helping geeks get laid since 1983::
Though AllOfMP3.com is a legally questionable operation
It's not a legally questionable operation. It is legal according to Russian law, and it's a Russian company, so it's legal.
The major difference has been past behavior. Microsoft has shown time and time again that they will happily screw over their customers every chance they get to maintain their power and profits. While Apple is also a for-profit corporation, their history has shown from the very, very beginning a different philosophy of "changing the world" and making it a better place (as lofty a goal as that may be).
For instance, while we agree DRM is a Bad Thing, if we accept that it is a prerequisite for successful online distribution of music, which would you rather have? Apple's terms or Microsoft's? Who has fought as much as possible for liberal licensing terms (and not opened their stores without them)? What about Apple fighting royalties on MPEG-4 licensing and not releasing Quicktime 6 until they were settled?
Apple has a much better track record of working with us and for us than Microsoft, and as such they get our support.
I don't know what kind of crack I was on, but I suspect it was decaf.
You're also not giving a single cent to the artists in any shape or form, instead to some dodgy russian company, may as well just pirate it.
Does that mean you're trained not to play "Wild Thing" or "Mony Mony" more than once per wedding?
Probably not. The sheer number of distros would ensure that, while 'linux' may have majority market share, a single distro would never gain enough to be considered a monopoly.
The other point that I think needs to be made is that we're talking about bundling software. If, ?somehow?, linux manages to bundle some software with a required portion of the OS (kernel wont load without mozilla, lets say) then most definitely there will be an outcry. I would expect riots, defections to *BSD, and lonely men all over the globe having nothing to do on the weekends.
I also expect that this is why such a bundling wont happen. It's bad karma to anger your entire user base.
"I am the Black Mage! I casts the spells that makes the peoples fall down!" ~8BT
If you like stiffing artists that's your business. I'll stick with a system where at least a little money get's back to the artists I like.
Apart from the ability to select music quality, I don't really see where allofmp3.com is any different than downloading a song from P2P.
As for iTunes "Encumberment" - perhaps you missed out on Hymn?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Do not confuse monopoly and monoculture. Both are bad, for different reasons, but they're not the same.
---- Take the Space Quiz!
We still have no sight of the iPod Mini and when Jobs announces a new iPod (which the rumour sites seem to think will happen - anyone got any further information?) then it'll be another six months before we can get our grubby mits on them.
Personally, I'm going to see what the new iPod will be like before deciding whether or not to wait ...
I am of course assuming they are going to announce one that is, however the last update was October 16th 2003, which was a fair while back now - especially in light of all the other entrants to the HD MP3 player market who are all vying for top spot.
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
Your numbers are a bit off.
This report suggests that 80 million of China's 1.5 billion citizens live below the poverty line. I've read reports that the Chinese Middle Class extends to numbers equalling the population of the United States.
On a recent trip to China, I observed a LOT of technology-obsessed youth - the exact target market for new computers and iPods. And in a country where you don't usually have the expense of a car, flashy goods like the iPod go a long way to showing off your social standing.
Understand that your vision of poverty-stricken China holds true for a large expanse of rural China, the urban population in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong live a lot like the rest of us (albeit in slightly more cramped spaces).
In a society like that, where large purchases (houses and cars) are unusual, they're left with things like Rolexes and iPods to show off their wealth.
Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible.
As a test, I sent a giftcard from my account to a friend in Manchester. Worked like a charm, and he never had to use a CC (which is part of the trigger process to kill Euro users.)
ITMS has been available in Europe for a while, you just had to pay from the US.
Apple supports open source and contributes to existing open source projects.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
China, population below poverty line 10%, USA, er, oh, wait, erm, 12.7%. Did I get those the wrong way round, oh, let me check again, aha, oh no. USA has 12.7% of it's population below the poverty line.
So, as I was saying, you're in south central, and you think, tunes or medical provision, what are you going to choose, hmmm... hard choice but I'll download Outkast.
US China (world factbook).
http://jfin.org/jFin pure java open source financial library
Since presumably most of the world does not live in Russia, its legality elsewhere is still in question.
But that's a dumb argument. There are American porns sites that would be illegal in many countries in the world, but that doesn't mean that the sites are of dubious legality. They are legal. Or if you don't like that example, many American web sites share personal data in a way that is not allowed by law in the EU, but again that doesn't mean they are illegal or dubious.
I think what you mean is that it may not be legal for people in the USA to use the allofmp3 web site. That may be the case. But allofmp3 is not "a legally questionable operation", unless you believe that all American porn sites are legally questionable because they would be illegal in certain other countries.
...the urban population in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong live a lot like the rest of us (albeit in slightly more cramped spaces).
Not competely true. Did you only visit the places where tourists go? I've travelled all around China and believe me, and the middle class don't live as good as we do -- not at all. The only places in China where it was up-to-par compared to my home country (Sweden) was the places were tourists go.
I don't expect Apple to sell more iPods in China than the United States for quite some years.
What's so bad about being lazy? What if there was a war and nobody showed up?
If Apple isn't in the monopoly position when it comes to desktops how about in the MP3 player market? The masses keep buying iPods in the face of superior competition from the likes of iRiver, Rio, and even Dell for god's sake, but Apple refuse to let anyone use their proprietary DRM that they've wrapped around the AAC format except themselves. Rumours abound that MS are bringing our their own "iPod killer" but the difference is that MS will licence the DRM in their WMA format to anyone who wants it, including Apple, and have stated this in the past.
I can't imagine it's too far off. The folks at Apple software seem to have their fingers in the OSS candy dish as it is. I can't see them ignoring "the other white meat" too much longer. Probably, more sales of "the OS formerly known as Lindows", and the commercial Linux distros might spark some interest... OR a huge deal with a Chinese company.
I still don't understand why they don't have iTMS in Canada yet.
Two words: Celine Dion.