View Full Version : MS Answer to iTunes
just saw this today so my apologies if this is a repost
http://www.msnbc.com/news/917682.asp
ArcticGabe
05-26-2003, 09:25 AM
Hmm, another Microsoft initiative. Why should this one be any different than their past attempts to dominate the world? (late, full of holes, poor quality, etc.)
I don't know if this poses any real threat to what Apple has started, but if Apple wants to hedge it's bet, it could:
1) release iTunes for Windows before MS releases their download service. If they can get the Windows crowd early, they may keep them.
2) support WMA format on a future iPod firmware release. This way if the MS service takes off, then people can still chose to buy iPods.
ashawley
05-26-2003, 01:41 PM
Moving this topic to the Future of Digital Music board as that seems more appropriate....
Adam
Why would anyone want to pay a monthly subscription fee for music that's going to time-out, say at the end of your subscription? At least with magazine subsciptions you still get the use of the magazines you did receive during the subscription. With this scheme, which fits in nicely with the way MS handles software in general, you would come away from the subsciption with absolutely nothing to show for the money you paid out..unless of course you just kept paying out. This sounds more like extortion to me.
mattintosh
06-04-2003, 04:58 AM
"Renting" music? That's a horrible idea. If it costs more than one dollar a month, it's too much.
esb9588
07-22-2003, 10:12 AM
They just don't get it. Apple has just shown them a successfull way to do this. Microsoft has an opertunity to take what apple has done and put it out for windows, which would badly hurt Apple's ability to port iTunes to windows. But still, they continue to push this unsuccessfull idea of "renting" music. One would really think they'd learn.
SouthsideIrish
07-22-2003, 01:17 PM
It's not Microsoft that doesn't get it, it's the RIAA and music industry that wants subscription services. Microsoft would be perfectly happy selling tunes at any price that would give them a nice profit, but the folks at the major labels thinks that renting music is a idea who's time needs to come as soon as possible.
They are the ones that don't get it.
Bill McNair
esb9588
07-24-2003, 09:13 AM
Why? So they can rip their customers off?
All:
If you look at the current download services, it is easy to see that the market has already spoken regarding music rental. The RIAA is just too obtuse to see it. Sadly for them, one of the unfortunate side effects of their indoctrination of the masses that music is "property" is that people want to own it, just like they own the media that it has historically been delivered on. As such, they think the idea of renting is stupid (and rightly so, in my opinion).
n
cascius
07-25-2003, 08:04 PM
Well, all I have to say is that since Bill Gates pretty much owns both Microsoft and Apple, he's doing the the right thing.
If you own both the challenger and the contender, you can safely assume you'll get 90+% of the market.
People still feel like they have a choice, but in reality they don't.
Very smart!
Good job Billy boy!
-Cas
Originally posted by esb9588
Why? So they can rip their customers off?
It's called GREED gentleman! :(
NiTRO
08-10-2003, 03:48 AM
Geed? Sure. But, every business strives to be as strong and powerful as they can. Microsoft just plays the game better than everybody else does. They started out as a tiny "mom & pop" business with nothing just like most do.
I don't always like their practices but don't think for a minute if Apple (or any other company) could have their power and marketshare they would turn it down.
P.S. I agree renting music is a lame concept that ultimately will fail. Somebody will get it right. iTunes store is pretty dang close but they should have included Win users from the get go...big mistake Steve. Talk about a way for Apple to get power. Get their wet and keep reeling. Sheesh.
nitro:
iTunes store is pretty dang close but they should have included Win users from the get go...big mistake Steve.
Not Steve's fault. The music companies specifically wanted to make the deal apple only initially, since that alows them a nice, small, controllable test bed. If the situation starts going in a direction they don't like, they have time to rectify the problem or kill the whole deal. If it was open to windows users from day one, the huge number of users would mean that any miscalculation in their business plan might have cost them a dollar or two . . .
n