iTunes Music Store - 'Coolest Invention of 2003' 370
Pingsmoth writes "Time Magazine has just named the iTunes Music Store as their Top Coolest Invention of 2003. Also among this year's favorites are 'fish-skin bikinis, a new love drug, the car that parks itself, and the invisible man'."
Invention ? (Score:4, Insightful)
I remember having the possibility to purchase media online long before this.
Now, if, of course, having these integrated in iTunes is cool, I somehow doubt it is that "cutting edge" (even though I am a Mac enthusiast and I love OSX).
Re:Invention ? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Invention ? (Score:2)
Yeah, that sounds almost as stupid as an easy to use computer
Re:Invention ? (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a bunch of stuff you can't run. There's a bunch of stuff you can. Deal with it.
You heard incorrectly...no breakage here, at least.
That much is true...unfortunately, it's also true about Winamp, Windows Media Player, and most other such programs. Why they all have their own non-native interfaces and widgets is anybody's guess.
Now we're back to falsehoods...while the downloaded files only play in an iPod at this time, converting them to other formats is trivial.
Re:Mac users are FUCKING RETARDS (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Invention ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Invention ? (Score:3, Insightful)
Is the list called "Coolest Consumer Products of 2003"? I though it was called "Coolest Inventions" and if so, iTunes hardly qualifies, because it is not one. It might be a cool innovative product, but it is not an invention.
Who do you think invented the radio? It was Popov [alltheweb.com], not Clear Channel, even though radio was not really used that much in 19t
Hardly an Invention (Score:2, Insightful)
Much as I think Apple have created an amazing proof of concept in the Apple Music Store I am not convinced it qualifies as an invention.. Downloading music off the internet is not new and paying for it is not new either... Now if they radically opened up the distribution to bypass the majors... now that would be rather revolutionary... but we'll have to see how far they take it..
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not that they did it. It's that they did it RIGHT. It's an elegant solution which people actually enjoy throwing money at.
Now if they radically opened up the distribution to bypass the majors... now that would be rather revolutionary... but we'll have to see how far they take it..
Hello, we're Apple and we want to sell your music [gnutellanews.com]
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:2, Insightful)
1. Its hardware dependent.
2. Until recently it was Mac OS dependent too.
3. Terms of licensing are high with the music labels...recent articles suggest iMusic is a loss-run enterprise intended to drive iPod sales (see #1).
I've seen nothing compelling about their 'invention'...I've no reason to go and purchase an iPod or iMusic. (www.magnatune.com is closer to what i'm looking for!)
At $1/song locked into a propietary platform, I may as well stick
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:4, Insightful)
> 1. It's hardware dependant.
If by that you mean that it runs on hardware, then yes. It is dependent on you having a computer. It supports Windows on any supported platform. AMD or Intel. It supports any Mac capable of running OS X. Meaning, G3, G4 or G5.
If you mean iPod dependent then you are full of crap. Perhaps you haven't actually tried it?
> 2. Until recently it was Mac OS dependent too.
This is my favorite complaint. "They did it wrong cause it USED TO have a problem." Jesus, son.
> 3. Terms of licensing are high with the music
> labels...recent articles suggest iMusic is a
> loss-run enterprise intended to drive iPod sales
> (see #1).
And your final complaint is based on an unfounded rumor...
Congratulations! You win!
Justin Dubs
Mod Parent Up (Score:2)
and to further clarify:
point 3: uhm, what exactly is point three? Terms of licensing are high? AS in cost to the customer? Or cost to the record label? Indie's and Majors all get the same treatment (link found elsewhere in this article)- its 99 cents a song, albums for 9.99, songs over 7 minutes are only available as albums. If an album has less than 10 tracks, its number of tracks times 99 cents (5 track ep costs 4.95)
As for driving iPod sales, this is actuall
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:3, Interesting)
What portable MP3/Music player will the ACC format play on other than the iPod?
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:3, Informative)
This one [sanyousa.com], these two [panasonic.com], this one [dealtime.com] (and probably most of Creative's new portable adio).
I'm sure there's a lot more. AAC is an open format, it's based on MPEG4 and the licensing fees are nothing like WMA.
Kneo24 vs Steve Jobs and RIAA not involved (Score:4, Informative)
I'd trust Steve Job's business sense over yours any day unless you've managed to start a company as successful as Apple and then managed to save it from the administrative blunders of the next few CEOs.
The iPod is now Apple's highest margin product. If they sell $2000 of computer or $2000 of iPods, they make more money on the iPods. The iPod is the most popular portable mp3 player on the planet, so Apple must be doing something right with their sales strategies.
The majority of your 99 cents goes to the RIAA. I highly doubt that the RIAA trickles any of that money down to the labels who will spread it out amongst their artists.
The RIAA's cut is exactly $0.00. The money goes to the label, whose job it is to pay the artists. If an artist doesn't want to deal with a big label, they can always use CDBaby and put their music on the iTMS and get a very large cut of the profits.
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:3, Insightful)
Then - in your opinion - does the work made on steam engine by James Watt qualifies as an invention? He had many predecessors, too - to begin with, there was Heron of Alexandria in the ancient times, there was Thomas Newcomen and various other constructors in the XVIIth and XVIII century. However, it was Watt who designed an universal engine that eventually everyone wa
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:5, Insightful)
One unknown record label that seems to be a refuge for bands that aren't good enough for the big time isn't gonna cut it. Imagine a grocery store that only carried generic house-brand items. Wouldn't be very popular or successful, would it.
iTMS is successful because they've made the proper deals with the right product sources, much like any other successful retailer has to do.
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:2)
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:3, Insightful)
Case in point: 90% of the shit that used to be on mp3.com.
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:3, Interesting)
But i doubt that its worse than a lot of the crap that the major record companies throws out.
A large and significant percentage of Wal-Bart brands are in-house or previously unknown brands.
Lidl, the largest grocery chain in Germany carries only their own brands.
90 % of the sucsessful artists on the market produ
Re:Hardly an Invention (Score:2, Funny)
You mean Aldi? There's never anybody in there.....
What, not the Segway? (Score:4, Interesting)
iTunes integrates a music store with a music player. Ooh. Maybe I'm missing something because I'm only using it on Windows, but it doesn't exactly wow me the way I expected the 'Coolest Invention of 2003' to.
Frankly, I'm even disappointed with the Segway. They shouldn't be handing out this invention to anything that doesn't have wings at this point.
Re:What, not the Segway? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What, not the Segway? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What, not the Segway? (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe you missed this.... (Score:2)
I don't think it's as groundbreaking as the hype would lead you to believe. That, and I think it predates 2003 by a bit.
Re:What, not the Segway? (Score:2)
the gyroscope in that use has been around for decades in robotics (yes the segway is to be considered a robot if the remote control cars on steriods that you see on tv are robots.) regenerative breaking has been around for decades. and the polymers are certianly not that innovative... you want innovative polymers look at what the automotive industry are creating.
the segway is the coolest overpriced toy of 2002-2003. and you can build your own for much less as a past slas
iTunes? (Score:5, Interesting)
Look, the absolutely coolest invention of 2003 is the USB wristwatch. My watch holds all the essential stuff I used to keep on a diskette. Nothing helps bonding like showing people that your watch can store porn. Or a PowerPoint presentation. Or your latest baby photos. Whatever they need: my watch has it.
But iTunes? I can't carry it on my wrist.
Re:iTunes? (Score:2)
Of course using it is another thing, but you can carry it.
Re:iTunes? (Score:2, Insightful)
USB watch = cool if it can stand the tortures of living on a human... most regular watches cant.
call me when they make a bluetooth one that is waterproof and shock proof.
Wash my hands? (Score:2)
Actually, and seriously the watch is 'water resistant', and because the USB port is basically dead if it's not connected, I suspect that it can get wet and not care so long as it's dried before use.
It's just somewhat easier than carrying a USB flash drive around with you, and sitting on one's wrist it's probably safer than hanging off a keychain or rattling
Spot the connection (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Spot the connection (Score:2)
Re:Spot the connection (Score:2)
They serve two distinctly different purposes. The guitar you link to simply has a DSP effects processor, and though it does have some kind of digital I/O, that's merely a side-effect of having an on-board DSP.
The Gibson contains an A/D converter, and provides a digital feed via an Ethernet cable. They are hoping to establish this as a new standard for all instruments to con
Re:Spot the connection (Score:2)
Of the top ten listed... (Score:3, Funny)
Still! (Score:5, Funny)
* Especially if you've been facing imminent extinction for some 20-odd years.
Re:Still! (Score:2)
You should be doubly happy, now that you use a BSD-based operating system. The first thread in reponse to Linus announcing that he had just written a little OS and people could play with it was probably a debate about how it was a good thing, because BSD was dying.
Just kidding, of course, but you get my point.
No Drooping or Sagging when Wet! (Score:2, Troll)
Newt-dog
Re:No Drooping or Sagging when Wet! (Score:4, Funny)
Fish Murdering Bastard! (Score:2, Funny)
I wish that you could feel the suffering that our friends in the ocean are feeling every time their skin is being harvested for pure capitalist profit. It tears my soul apart when I hear someone advocating such violent acts against creatures that have brains twice as complex
Invention? (Score:3, Insightful)
iTunes is a store. It happens to be on the internet. That's not an invention, no matter how well executed it is.
Re:Invention? (Score:3, Insightful)
Apple is a company which advertises. It happens to advertise in Time magazine. I'll bet if I spent as much advertising in Time as Apple does, I too could win product of the year for my Ronco Turnip Twaddler 2003 Special Edition!
Re:Invention? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Invention? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Invention? (Score:2)
Whew... (Score:5, Insightful)
Fuck Yeah (Score:5, Interesting)
I am proceeding to rip all my 500+ CDs into iTunes. With one click.
Winamp has served me well for many, years, but it lacks the snazzy playlist/library editor, and the ability to transfer music from CD, to the hard drive, tag it, and add it to my playlist at the click of a button. Literally.
Sure, it's a little slow, but who cares. Its functionality is unmatched. The music store is snazzy, too.
Good move, Apple, with iTunes for Windows. You may see a future Mac / iPod customer soon...
Smart Playlists.. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Smart Playlists.. (Score:2)
Re:Fuck Yeah (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Fuck Yeah (Score:3, Redundant)
It might be different in the Windows version, but on the Mac, I can place an audio CD in my slot loading drive, and it will automatically rip with my settings and spit the CD back out. It makes the process about as easy as it can be without creating a robot to change the CDs.
Re:Fuck Yeah (Score:3, Informative)
I guess its true that the Macintosh's voice recognition capabilities are far better than Windows'. But, that isn't what I was referring to. You can setup iTunes to rip & eject a CD when it is inserted. You can also setup iTunes to start when a CD is inserted. Therefore, all you need to do to rip a CD and have it ejected after it's done is to insert a CD. Zero clicks.
A New Love Drug? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A New Love Drug? (Score:2)
Re:A New Love Drug? (Score:2)
not available... (Score:2)
Simple (Score:2)
Re:not available... (Score:2)
Debian dselect iTunes implementation (Score:3, Funny)
While writing a little multithreaded print workflow app in AppleScript for the client, I struck upon an idea: what if I could expose the functions of iTunes using AppleScript in a client/server type arrangement, and then make those functions accessible across the network to a Debian system running a modified dselect iTunes browser? AppleScript is pretty powerful, as any seasoned Mac user will attest, so it was quick work to create a handy little mutithreaded fully re-entrant AppleScript based server for the core iTunes functions (load song, play song, browse playlist, buy song etc).
The next part was to patch dselect on the Linux side so it could connect to my AppleScript server/wrapper on the Mac. I'd previously extended dselect with a Scheme-scriptable plugin, so it only took me a day or two to modify dselect with some Scheme macros so that it emulated to look and feel of iTunes (using ASCII art of course!!), but accessing the actual iTMS functions though the network exposed AppleScript..errr..script.
It worked a treat!! It is now a simple matter of running dselect on my Debian box to browse the iTMS, as long as the Mac over in the corner running the AppleScript wrapper is turned on of course. I have actually implemented a direct USB->USB cross over connection to get around bottlenecking problems with our Ethernet so I don't have to put up with skipping in iTMS MP3 playback. Now it works great!!!
The final step will be to patch apt-get with iTMS interface functionality...then buying my favorite music legally will only be an apt-get install Justin-Timberlake away!
Which is nice.
Re:Debian dselect iTunes implementation (Score:2)
You plugged in your iPod?
Seriously, nice writing. =)
-Cyc
Microsoft Server 2003... (Score:5, Funny)
Surely that is the coolest thing in the world, I've seen the adverts, its lets me do more with less, I can consolidate all my domains down to just 4. AND I can then slide.
Microsoft Server 2003 is the coolest invention of the year, and MacDonalds are a healthy food option.
Wha' da' ya mean dominated by advertising ? Me and Mary Beth were only on Jerry Springer twice.
It's official (Score:2)
Sorry guys, it's now official. *BSD is dead. Time says so. In fact, so is Linux.
Marketshare NOT equal to installed base (Score:2)
However, Mac OS systems do NOT comprise 3% of the total installed base of all computers. A more likely number of Mac OS systems in use is around 20-25%, if not a little larger.
An installed base of 3% could not possibly support the software sales for Mac developers, particularly games and business applications. It's just not possible. Try not repeating what you hear unless you understand it.
Re:Marketshare NOT equal to installed base (Score:2)
However, Mac OS systems do NOT comprise 3% of the total installed base of all computers. A more likely number of Mac OS systems in use is around 20-25%, if not a little larger.
Are you standing next to Steve Jobs, that's the funniest thing I've read since the last SCO press release.
A fish-skin bikini? I don't think so (Score:2, Funny)
You are kidding! (Score:2)
I'd rather put Open Office 1.1 in there.
Re:You are kidding! (Score:2)
There's nothing particularly original about iTunes. It's music downloading software. Find music and download it. Plenty of people have been doing this before.
outside the USA (Score:2)
hmm sees a business oportunity, if only the various RIAA type organisations around the world could be convinced about non-DRM implementations of this stuff. I mean it's a pain having to go via a couple of phono leads to put the material on a CD I play in my car (via cassette in my case so the quality drops).
Greed (Score:5, Insightful)
"At most, Jobs is left with a dime per track, so even $500 million in annual sales would add up to a paltry $50 million profit. Why even bother?"
Excuse me? A paltry $50 MILLION dollar profit?!?
'Paltry' and '$50 million dollar profit' don't belong in the same sentence.
This mentality is what's screwing the entire downloadable music process. It's not about whether it's profitable, it's about whether it's profitable enough.
Just for them saying that, I'm going to download some MP3s tonight. WTF...
Tal
Re:Greed (Score:3, Interesting)
Good point, we are talking here about a 10% profit margin. Something most businesses would consider to be ample. This also says how dumb analysts are for considering 10% profit margins to be nothing and hyping up people who claim bigger, and less reliable, numbers.
Put it this way, iTunes hasn't bumped up the Apple Share price in any way like the SCO price hike, one has real profits... the other a near suicidal legal case.
Re:Greed (Score:2)
Especially for something that is absolutely Internet-dependent. A good, reliable 10% return would be a very sound investment. Especially since the costs as a factor of production will be even better as they expand the business to include more artists.
Speaking of which, if I were a recording artist, I'd love to cut a deal with Apple where they'd get 25% or more profit in turn for great promot
Re:Greed (Score:2, Interesting)
If you're being sarcastic (I suppose you are), you clearly have no understanding of corporate finance.
Apple, like any corporation, is legally responsible to its shareholders (mostly private US citizens) to
Re:Greed (Score:3, Insightful)
At most != at the least (Score:3, Insightful)
That's why iPod sales are so important. When increased iPod sales, or even sustained iPod sales to Windows
Re:Greed (Score:3, Insightful)
But in the case of Apple, the issue is whether the return on investment is a good business decision. If they spent $50M building the store and they're going to make $50M from it, it's not a profitable venture. Sure there are yearly residuals, but what if they put that $50M into the newest iApp, or into getting the G5 into a laptop.
But, the whole ques
Re:it's business (Score:3, Insightful)
A meaningless question in the real world. You need to look at the downside, or the overall risk. For example, what's the odds of either investment resulting in a -100% result? Most likely the 20% potential return is riskier. There's also questions of liquidity.
There's also the concepts of building a brand image and getting in early to grow a market which is still pretty nascent. *That's* how a CEO serves his long term shareholder
It just works! (Score:4, Insightful)
A product is more than a list of features. It's also about philosophy. Fairness, paying attention to the overall experience, and caring about behind the scenes detail is all part of this. Most consumers aren't likely to know that Apple is paying for the high-quality Fraunhofer IIS MP3 codec to let them use it for free in iTunes. Don't expeect to see things like that from MS/Napster. As any Linux user can tell you, beauty is more than skin deep.
Invention/Idea Forum on SlipHead.com (Score:2, Informative)
2003? (Score:2)
Global Community, Restricted Usage? (Score:2, Insightful)
[Breathes]
Seriously though. One would have thought that, when releasing a product to a world-wide audience, the software would be usuable by said audience. As it stands, when things like this happen, it just demonstrates that the United States still thinks that it's the center of the Universe. Grrr.
Re...Restricted Usage? Real World Contracts (Score:4, Informative)
This doesn't make the U.S. the hub for all music. In fact, there is a considerable amount of international music that never makes it to the States. There are even bands from Canada that don't make it to the U.S.
Re:Global Community, Restricted Usage? (Score:2)
Microsoft does not equal the United States.
Despite what some on Slashdot would want you to believe, the corporate interests do not, in fact, completely run things here (yet...)
Your complaint is misdirected (Score:3, Interesting)
You think Apple doesn't want to sell you stuff because of some center-of-the-universe conceit or other? They would gladly sell you anything you wanted, anything they could convince you you wanted, if their deals with the labels allowed it. They don't -- and this isn't different from any traditional music licensing in t
Re:Global Community, Restricted Usage? (Score:3)
As it stands, when things like this happen, it just demonstrates that the United States still thinks that it's the center of the Universe.
Err, wow. Talk about pent-up aggression. It's not that Apple doesn't give a sh#$ about the rest of the world (they do sell hardware and software outside of the US, you know), nor is it the USA's fault per se (although I agree, much of what we do has a center-of-the-world attitude to it). I think the real issue here is that the RIAA simply does not want to deal with the
Fishy Boobies? (Score:4, Funny)
Ah, those shameless Europeans. :-)
And now, with fish-leather thongs, I can see millions of women saying "no, honestly honey, the smell's from my bikini."
Lots o' bots (Score:2)
Robots have been "the future" for so long, I kinda wrote them off with flying cars and moonbases. But slowly, they are becoming real
Which is cool. Except for that robo-cat, which looks to me like a creepy undead reanimated cat-pelt.
What were they thinking? (Score:2)
What makes this new? (Score:2)
From the way it sounds they are leading in the technology, and have found the best ways to distribute music, but that doesn't mean this style of business is original.
Good for Apple, but Time really needs to pull their head out of their asses if this was the best invention they could find.
iTunes != iPod (once again) (Score:4, Interesting)
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Again, wrong.
You can tell the author of this article never actally used iTunes or the iTunes music store. The iPod is completely optional.
I don't have an iPod and I've been using iTunes for years. I will probably never get an iPod. Still, I'm a daily user of iTunes.
It was my fault for reading this silly article. I mean, this is Time magazine. What do they know about technology? Just enough to write some copy. The harm here is that it really short-sells iTunes AND the iTunes Music Store by harping on an optional component.
--Richard
Water Purifiers (Score:3, Interesting)
There is a much simpler and just as effective way to purify water in tropical or desert countries: place it in a transparent plastic bottle in the sun for a day. The water heats to 80 degrees and after a few hours is totally sterilised. The mud and gunk settle to the bottom, and what's left is clean and drinkable.
I spent a few days on this once, trying to improve the process of separating the gunk from the water: the principle was to extract the gunk from the bottle which could then be closed and carried some distance. My design requires a straw and a bit of clay. But even that's not worth doing: to solve the problem of drinkable water in most of Africa, all one would need is to ship a billion or so used PET bottles.
Sigh. People like complex solutions to simple problems.
Re:Water Purifiers (Score:2)
Re:Water Purifiers (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, it's a technique that has been tested in some of the worst African "shit holes", and produces drinkable water which may not be Evian, but is significantly safer than the alternatives (drinking untreated water).
In most of Africa, electrical means are simply not an option. Sol-air, on the other hand, needs nothing except empty plastic bottles, sunlight (not even direct sunlight), and
Profit Margins (Score:2)
Invention? (Score:2, Insightful)
If I build a mouse (click click, not squeak squeak) that just happens to be the most responsive, comfortable mouse on the market... Does that mean I invented the mouse?
BMW makes very nice cars... Does that mean they invented "very nice cars"? No, of course not.
Maybe if I had something truely original and revolutionary in the new design, I could claim to have invented that part of it. But just because you came up w/ a better version of what's already out.
Nitpicking I know, b
iTunes does *NOT* require an iPod! (Score:3, Informative)
This isn't accurate. I installed Itunes a week ago on my Win2k laptop. I've downloaded about fifty songs (mostly old tunes I loved as a kid), and played them a lot. I don't own an iPod. I don't even own a Macintosh, although that will probably change when I buy my next laptop.
Further, people who have CD burners can burn purchased songs from iTunes onto an Audio CD that will play in any CD player. I *think* the software limits you to making only ten CDs for each tune, but as far as I know that's the only limit.
Apple apparently is using iTunes to sell iPods, but you definitely don't need an iPod to use and benefit from the iTunes service.
Bikinis? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Finally, UNCOMPRESSED online music! (Score:2, Insightful)
iTunes - Apple takes it's (big) cut and then the Artist's (frequently RIAA affiliated) label takes most of the rest.
Magnatune - The artist gets 50%!!!
Again, no contest. Instead of feeling guilty about fueling a powermad monster when you buy music you can feel good about supporting the people who actually made it!
Actually, according to Steve Jobs, Apple doesn't make any profit from the iTMS. Their cut of the proceeds barely covers their costs, apparently, while the RIAA takes the lion's share (
Re:Apple records? (Score:2, Interesting)
he Fab Four's label, and - according to legend - the appleinspiration for the name Jobs and Woz gave their kit computer
I heard the apple of Apple came from the story of Alan Turing's suicide [turing.org.uk].
Re:Bah (Score:3, Informative)
Maybe I shouldn't have provided that figure for the lazy people, since you missed the point. I'll spell it out for you: iPods make up 80% of *all* of the hardw