Ping Could Be Apple's Social Networking Backdoor? 271
rsmiller510 writes "Could Apple's announcement about Ping, a music-based social network be Apple's social networking trojan horse? Facebook might want to be concerned." Of course it is.
Update: 09/02 19:26 GMT by T : Jamie points out this post on Daring Fireball, according to which Steve Jobs blames the non-integration on "onerous terms" suggested by Facebook.
Re:Eh... (Score:2, Informative)
And this is why people should hope it succeeds (Score:4, Informative)
Disclaimer: I'm using iTunes 10 right now. Make of that what you will.
There's a lot to hate about Ping, mostly that it's what I like to call a "Potempkin Shopping Village of the Damned." It's there for little more than to allow people to show off their musical tastes and share with their friends. The fact that once you've shared a favorite song with your friends they can listen to a snippet and buy it on the spot <sarcasm class="eyeroll pshaw">is purely coincidental, I'm sure.</sarcasm> It's using the concept of "social networking" in a way that's so utterly cynical it's shocking, and we've got some primo cynics around here.
So yeah, evil evil evil. Insert as many "fanbois" as you think are necessary after that. (If you stick in two or more "gay"s, though, you're projecting.)
But then, as crovira points out, there's that bit where Mr. Jobs mentioned "discovery." That's the tilt. It's also where Ping could redeem itself if the users are judicious in its application. Yes, Lady Gaga and U2 and Yo Yo Ma and Katy Perry and Linkin Park and U2 (apparently, Apple really likes U2) are featured on the front page in their own box. Think of that as the sponsored advetising. The really important box is on every user's profile page, in the top right corner. This is where each user gets to recommend ten songs that exemplify their own musical tastes. Click one of those, a pop-up comes up allowing you to sample the tunes on that album, go to that album's page, buy it, review it, etc. In that space, artists like Voltaire, Abney Park, and Lemon Demon can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Roger Waters and Madonna, and could even win.
Re:First they laughed at me. (Score:2, Informative)
Look at what they did with Nintendo DS. They sneaked up on it through music. People are very emotionally attached to their music, so associating something else with their music would be a good strategy. The start with this social network for music, building a core group of people. Then these people will form a critical mass such that they can bring in non-music things.
Apple has it's strategy right because they are making money from their social network (through music) and can thus outlive the non-profit social networks in existence.
Look at what who did with the Nintendo DS?
Nintendo? They sold over 132,000,000 of them. And over 575,000,000 games (despite nearly ubiquitous piracy). At an average price of $35, that equates to over $20,000,000,000 in software revenue, and at an average price of about $150 (a low estimate of the average), you've got another $20,000,000,000 in hardware revenue (yes, they make money on the hardware - they do not sell it at a loss).
Steve Jobs can count the number of apps or downloads all day long, but nothing changes the bottom line: iPhone / iPod / iPad games are shitty, and don't amount to shit in terms of cash money when compared to the DS or even the PSP.
Where's the $ figures for iThing games? Is it at $20,000,000,000 yet?
Re:First they laughed at me. (Score:2, Informative)
You don't have to pay Apple a dime (or even a fraction of a cent) to use iTunes and/or the App Store. You pay for what you purchase; there are no subscriptions.