Apple Music Store Coming to Europe & iTunes in China 219
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.
Japan First? (Score:4, Insightful)
I doubt that Apple plans to launch iTMS China... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: double standards? (Score:5, Insightful)
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
Re:double standards? (Score:2, Insightful)
ipod (Score:5, Insightful)
China will be an interesting experiment (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
You're implying... (Score:5, Insightful)
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...
will we get a linux version of ITunes? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re: double standards? (Score:4, Insightful)
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?
International Music (Score:4, Insightful)
You know you're commenting on Slashdot when... you have to make several provisos to be sure you're understood.
Re:double standards? (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Question of the day : food or music ? (Score:1, Insightful)
Knowing the average wealth of the Chinese population, what in the earth was Apple thinking or what were they smoking up in the Valley when they come up with this brilliant idea I am wondering.
While most people in Chine is on the border of (or may be right in the middle of) poverty in US standarts, what do they expect from this deal. Sell these people digital songs $1-a-pop ?
Hmmm.. I am wondering if I should eat today or shell out my food allowance to download the latest Eminem track ? Hmmmnn... Hard choice, but I'll go with the food.
Re:iTunes or AllOfMP3? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:More news! (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple is cutting independant deals with computer manufacturers based on the quality of its product.
Microsoft is forcing computer manufacturers to ship the Windows Media Player whether they want to or not.
So, no, Microsoft is the only company using the leverage provided by the Windows OS monopoly.
Great if you hate musicians. (Score:5, Insightful)
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 [hymn-project.org]?
Confusion (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Question of the day : food or music ? (Score:5, Insightful)
This report [cnn.com] 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.
Re:More news! (Score:5, Insightful)
Your logic is still incredibly faulty.
Hopefully these questions will help clarify the matter:
Does the fact that Microsoft has a monopoly in the OS guarantee that Apple will be able to install iTunes on all PCs sold with Windows?
Does the fact that Microsoft has a monopoly in the OS guarantee that Microsoft will be able to install WMP on all PCs sold with Windows?
For the record, I am not advocating forcing Microsoft to remove WMP from Windows (I would much rather see them forced to open the codecs). I am just explaining how they are leveraging the OS and why the same argument does not apply to others.
If you can't see the difference you're obviously beyond help.
Re:double standards? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Question of the day : food or music ? (Score:2, Insightful)
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 [cia.gov] China [cia.gov] (world factbook).
Re:More news! (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft can force your hand by raising the price of Windows licenses, or threatening to not sell you Windows licenses, if you bundle a competitor's product. And please note, this has happened to Compaq, BeOS, Netscape, and other companies.
Since when has Apple been able to discourage users from seeking out other media players through legal and contractual means? Microsoft can, through it's monopoly status. Apple can't. Well, they can try, by saying, "If you bundle WMP or Real on your PC, each copy of iTunesPC will cost you $1; if you don't, then iTunesPC will be free."
The difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Microsoft can charge $40 and still get their way, because as a monopoly they can set their own pricing. Apple, as *not* a monopoly, can't set the prices any way they want.
Re:More news! (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft has a monopoly. That has been proven in a court of law. What has also been proven in a court of law is that they abused this monopoly by using anti-competitive practices to make sure that they were in complete control of what was and wasn't installed on top of Windows by system vendors.
Your argument is the same one that Microsoft used. "Poor, poor users - if we let competitors or OEMs change Windows, the poor users won't get the best, most consistent user experience!" Of course this is question-begging: this argument assumes that Microsoft provides the best, most "consistent" user interface, and there's no evidence to the contrary because no one is allowed to rip out chunks of Windows and replace them with Gecko and VLC etc. or just leave those apps out, because Microsoft will revoke their OEM license.
What an end user can do with one PC to tailor it to their needs is not the issue. What an OEM is being prevented from doing on behalf of all of their customers is the issue.
As for Apple somehow having an iTunes monolpoly, you're confusing PC vendors (none of whom have a monopoly, at least in the US) with Microsoft, and anti-competitive practices with competitive practices. If Apple were able to strongarm all PC vendors into not installing WMP or RealPlayer or WinAmp or MusicMatch (etc. etc.) as a condition of installing iTunes, using an iTunes (or other Apple product) monopoly as leverage, that would be comparable to Microsoft's illegal anticompetitive monopolistic practices. Instead, the news that one PC vendor has chosen to preload iTunes doesn't mean that WMP will not be installed, and doesn't in any way give Apple a monopoly on music apps or denote illegal anticompetitive practices.