Google's tendency to serve preferential music search results from online services such as Pandora, iLike, and Rhapsody may have little to do with corporate rivalry with Apple, and more to do with the fact that Apple's iTunes content simply does not live on the Web in any meaningful way. Hosting and indexing iTunes Store content online may give Apple an advantage in search, as well. Even under the best circumstances, it's a bumpy ride. Currently, Apple includes listings for much of its media and app content online, however, these pages include scripts that automatically direct users to the iTunes desktop software or prompt users to download the software, if it isn't already installed. Currently, downloading music and media from the iTunes Store to your computer requires a sizable software download (with frequent updates) and a brain-numbing installation process.Ĭompetitors such as, Rhapsody, and eMusic all host their storefronts online, giving them several competitive advantages over iTunes.įor example, online music content is more easily embeddable on artist pages, and links to purchase songs don't bounce users out of the browser. Purchasing media through iTunes is a relatively archaic process that works in spite of the Web, not because of it. The full realization of this dream is probably still a ways off, but we think that Apple may take a big step in the right direction by opening a Web-based music store. We've long imagined a Web-based version of iTunes that could store and organize all our music and media in the cloud without bogging down our computers. Here are some of our thoughts on what we think we might see and what we hope Apple will reveal on Wednesday morning. New iPods? New Apple TV? New streaming-video service? Perhaps all of the above. will touch on the iPod but also talk more broadly about media, including a more evolved iTunes and new ways to watch content in the living room.Īpple's invitation to the event this year featured a picture of an acoustic guitar, complete with an Apple logo, naturally, and, as usual, it has prompted a guessing game. So when Apple convenes a special event in San Francisco to discuss music this Wednesday - as it has every September for the last five years - we think that Steve Jobs and Co. ( CNET) - Long before the iPhone, the iPod was the device that helped transform Apple from computer company into a consumer electronics company.īut today, the ubiquitous music player has become less relevant to the company that essentially owns that product category.Īpple still sells three-fourths of all MP3 players sold, but multifunction gadgets like the iPhone and iPad are getting the most attention from Apple customers, not to mention the rest of the electronics industry, and bringing in more revenue than iPods these days.
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