New iTunes Challenger Emerges

Shark:

First, your comment about the wooden stick: Perfect. You've hit the nail on the head. You're exactly right.


Secondly: The DRM issue. If Apple licensed WMA, then they would simply be locking people into Microsoft. Sure, you could use other players, but at the end of the day, you're still Microsoft's B itch.

And I realize that by choosing Fairplay you become Apple's b itch, but between the two companies, I'd much rather be under Apple. They have a much better track record of not screwing the consumer for profit.

And, as I pointed out, Apple didn't even want DRM in the first place. They do not use it to lock people in. They rely on the product being cool to do that.

Microsoft, on the other hand, would LOVE you to own WMA songs because they can't make a product cooler than the iPod. In fact, MS is going to buy your old songs just to woo you away. That's like the class nerd paying the cool kids to sit at the lunch table with them.

As for flashing an iPod next to a Ferrari with a pimp covered in diamonds: only someone from the SuperSite would have an iPod on them at an event where people showed up in Ferraris escorted by multiple women.

Don't make my analogy into something it's not. You all know that Apple is perceived as cooler and sexier than Microsoft. There simply can't be any argument on that point.

"A Ferrari is sexy. An iPod? I don't think so. But, this is an opinion."

One could even say a Boxster is sexy. iPods are good looking - no doubt about that, but as someone on this forum (or somewhere else - I don't remember) pointed out, Apple can make a wooden stick painted white look desirable. It's the image of the company more than anything else.

What is probably needed is one common DRM across all players and other hardware (as opposed to no DRM). Most of this work needs to be done in Cupertino. Apple is neither licensing its DRM to other stores, nor is it adopting the WMA DRM. If that's not an example of "locking-in" customers, I really don't know what is. Once you've owned an iPod and bought songs (over 50) through iTunes, you automatically become an iPod user for "life", whether you like it or not. Unless, of course, you take the trouble to burn the songs to a CD and then rip the songs from the CD in a DRM-free format.

"The truth is, you are all like Bonch."

"With the exception of Christopher (generally) and tayme (sometimes) no one actually responds to valid arguments backed up with explanations."

Hmm, a little like the pot calling the kettle black? I know that more than Christopher and tayme as well as many others typically offer explanantions to their reasoning. I know I do, and plenty of others do too. It's a holier than thou attitude that you assume you back up all of your points and no one else does.

And I hate to assume that the iPod is sexy. First, it is a product first, and at the end of the day, it's primary function is to play music. I've never thought of that as being all too sexy. A Ferrari is sexy. An iPod? I don't think so. But, this is an opinion. Put it this way. Let's say you pull up to a club with these gorgeous bombshells outside. Now, let's say you flash your iPod, thinking that since it is so sexy, it must be the equivalent of expensive jewelry. The next guy pulls up with a Ferrari with enough diamonds on him that he blinds these women, but he still uses a StarTac and has a Rio MP3 player. Who are those women going home with?

Talking about someone not backing up their opinions, bdk when you say that the fact that Apple's products are sexy is CLEAR, I don't see any kind of evidence to back that up.
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Refreshes: three, and they were slooooooow

"Public perception of products is driven by the media and if a majority of the media touts iPods as the best thing to happen to humanity, people will buy them."

yahoo, I'm with you on this. I bought my wife an iPod mini last spring. It still works great and is build like a tank. It has been dropped countless times and has only ever needed one reset.

I've looked at the nanos and can't get over the fact that, sure they are tiny, but you're paying the same price for a 2GB player that Apple was charging for a 4GB player a few months before.

The nano is a nice looking piece of hardware but I'd rather take the extra 1/4 inch and more drive space than something that looks like it's going to snap in half.

To each thier own though. I have an Olympus m:robe and will use it until it falls apart. Then I'll start shopping for something else. If the next gen iPods are as good as mini's then maybe. If not, I'll see what's on the market...

... First gen Zune? HA! No way! It took Apple a couple of years to get their players running properly. It will probably take Microsoft the same amount of time.

On Topic: I don't know anyone who actually buys music online. Every person I know, including myself, buys the CDs and then rips them to whatever format they want.

That way you don't have to worry about being locked into this or that solution. Upload the music to your player of choice.

Until the Record and Software Companies find away to lock CDs... in which case all of U2s CDs will only play on the iCar Car stereo and CDs put out by Sony music will only play on home steros made by Sony.

Wouldn't supirse me a bit.