Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
abrooks said:
Looks like the counter is just throwing out numbers at a set increment, seems to have no relation to the number being bought at all.

Every minute, it grabs the latest download count, but in between it simply counts down based on the average rate of downloading. This is to avoid overloading the server, I guess.
 
pmcaleer said:
So here's something interesting. I read about this story at MacMinute after seeing it here. There's a link that is supposedly to the press release, and that link is to this URL:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2005/jul/05itms_beatles.html

Look at that again. iTMS. Beatles. Beatles? It's possible that this simply refers to the Live 8 performance of "Sgt. Pepper"... but the correct press release URL includes "live8" in the page name instead of "beatles".

The page gives out a 404. I wonder if MacMinute inadvertently jumped the gun on something. It'd be strange for them to simply fabricate a faulty URL.

Let the speculation begin.

hmm..this is odd. i dont see how macminute would get the URL early though. besides, press releases generally come together..not with short gaps between each.

how cool would it be if apple bought jackson's share in the beatles music collection or something like that! :D
 
The prize is just fine, but how on earth can they consider an email a valid entery? You have to buy the 500,000,000th song, so how does an email count as a song purchase?
 
I think when companies offer these promotions they have to offer a chance to win with out purchase. Look at every promotion and you'll see when you can enter without actually buying the product(via mail, etc). I don't know why they do this though.
 
The idea of giving someone ten iPods seems a bit exhaustive. Do they expect the person to hand them out to friends or relatives? Most people are likely just to sell them for the cash, since iPods rarely drop below Apple's asking price.

But, at the same time, I think the prizes are great. This will be just another way for me to spend precious financial resources in hopes of being able to talk to Steve. Plus, seeing Coldplay would be Amazing, especially if it were in London.
 
Figures...the day I get a rebate back from Apple is the day they start a promotion that's sure to put the money right back in their pockets :p
Well, there's always the Tell-a-Friend entries.

So, is this going to become an annual thing with iTunes? Pepsi promotion in January, n-th song download contest in July?

Edit: I've still got my iTunes alert status icons from last year if anyone needs them for their site/widget/tracker.
 
Whyren said:
Figures...the day I get a rebate back from Apple is the day they start a promotion that's sure to put the money right back in their pockets :p

haha... that cracked me up!

They planned this out really well...

... updated iPods
... a week later... iTunes 4.9 w/free podcast support (hurt sales)
... a week later... 500M iTunes promotion (reinvigorate sales)
... later this week... some BIG announcement(s) .... ????
 
The reason they have to offer a entry w/o purchase is to make it so it isnt gambling. At least thats what makes sense. Correct me if i'm wrong.
 
jared_kipe said:
The prize is just fine, but how on earth can they consider an email a valid entery? You have to buy the 500,000,000th song, so how does an email count as a song purchase?

Yeah thats what ive been wondering? When someone sends in a email then it counts as a download??
 
The fact that there is a prize at all is enough for me. Apple doesn't need to do this promotion, so I am grateful for any prize they give away. And the "value" of this year's prize is more than last year's, with the possibility of winning 10 $399 60 GB iPods.

I can't wait for someone to create a widget for this. I surely couldn't so it myself but from this know-nothing it looks like it will be fairly easy.

:)
 
Nice promo, although I couldn't care less about Coldplay tickets.

Now if they could give me front-row seats and a meet-n-greet with Meatloaf (who is performing near me next month), that would be awesome.
 
Not really.

abrooks said:
Looks like the counter is just throwing out numbers at a set increment, seems to have no relation to the number being bought at all.


Actually purchasing is at an increasing rate. Here's how to tell:

1. go to apple.com
2. wait a while and leave the page alone.
3. open a new browser window and take it to apple.com
4. compare the two. The new web page will show you the updated value.

There is probably a number and rate given at the discrete moment you load the page. This number and rate are probably updated, but only for new page requests.
 
Wha?

MacHarne said:
The idea of giving someone ten iPods seems a bit exhaustive. Do they expect the person to hand them out to friends or relatives? Most people are likely just to sell them for the cash, since iPods rarely drop below Apple's asking price.

But, at the same time, I think the prizes are great. This will be just another way for me to spend precious financial resources in hopes of being able to talk to Steve. Plus, seeing Coldplay would be Amazing, especially if it were in London.

Only greedy *%&&$*s wouldn't give them to family and friends (who want them). Cash is better than having it rot, but I'm sure SOMEONE in your family would want one. Send me one - I can't afford one right now.
 
FYI, I am watching the counter right now. See the right portion of the image. The counter is within the Live 8 text. At least I am guessing that it is for ITMS or it could be strictly for the Live 8. I am guessing it is the latter :confused:
 

Attachments

  • ITMS songs counter.jpg
    ITMS songs counter.jpg
    17.8 KB · Views: 352
iBonzo said:
The reason they have to offer a entry w/o purchase is to make it so it isnt gambling. At least thats what makes sense. Correct me if i'm wrong.

correct, otherwise they have to spend $$$ on a gambling license
(plus it would make the rules stricter)
 
fluidinclusion said:
There is probably a number and rate given at the discrete moment you load the page. This number and rate are probably updated, but only for new page requests.

Last time it updated at 5 minute intervals and then there were lots of clever people who worked out algorithms on websites to calculate how many minutes into the next 5 minutes you'd have to order to hit the 00,000 mark
 
Well I'm hoping I win. 50 iPods though I just need 3 - a U2 for me, a photo 20g or Pink mini for my wife, and 1 photo for my pops he's so anti Apple I think it will turn him around. Funny though he got me into Apple back in the IIc days in grade 4 with a friends game disc - Karateka!

The other 7 though I would definately sell them at rock bottom prices, something like $100 Canadian; even though I'm broke & need more coin, I'm not desparate to rip people off when I win something which is less than 3 times at ANYTHING.

Is there anywhere in the iTunes Canadian store to see the counter, cause here we dont get to view the Live 8 page. :(

That concert was a great effort.
 
howard said:
we need those really rockin graphs they had up on the last promo. those were great
YES! Please!

I know I'm not going to win... but I loved watching those stats... and I hope to be able to do it again!
 
Something struck me as odd in this promotion; they are giving away 10 iPods, but if one person were to get one of every iPod currently available, that would only be 9 (iPod 20GB, 60GB, silver, green, pink, blue, 512MB, 1GB, U2).

Is a 10th one coming up?
 
how cool would it be if Apple bought Michael Jackson's share of the Beatles music [Library]...
----------
Too funny.
After all his troubles, he may need to sell them to keep Neverland going.

And besides-if Apple owned 'em-you wouldnt see them used to push K-Mart, McDonalds or AM-PM '2 Corndogs for a buck' ads...
 
Only greedy *%&&$*s wouldn't give them to family and friends (who want them). Cash is better than having it rot, but I'm sure SOMEONE in your family would want one. Send me one - I can't afford one right now.
It is not logical to assume the Grand Prize winner will be as altruistic as we would hope. Many people would likely just sell the iPods instead of handing them to friends or family. In my case, nearly all of the people I would consider friends already have iPods, and the rest of them use CDs as their primary source of music. My comment was not intended to be connotated as a statement that I would sell the iPods, but rather noting that many, many people would rather have cash for them. But if I win, I'll be glad to send you an iPod.
 
Does any one know what are the chances for someone to hit that 500,000,000 mark. I guess a lot of people are going to be waiting for that chance.
 
fluidinclusion said:
Only greedy *%&&$*s wouldn't give them to family and friends (who want them). Cash is better than having it rot, but I'm sure SOMEONE in your family would want one. Send me one - I can't afford one right now.

Unless, of course, they need to recover some money to pay the income taxes for these prizes, which would be several thousands of dollars.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.