iTMS: A vain wish.

[rueyeet]

So in the hopes of catching the vast uncharted pool of Windows users before everyone else copies their fantabulous new music service, Apple has decided that iTunes will follow where the iPod has gone before. Thusly iTunes for Windows is expected late 2003/early 2004, or whenever the rumor sites currently have it.

It's a no-brainer that to capture the mass market, you need to be Windows compatible. Sad, but true. However, Linux is soon to edge out Apple in desktop OS marketshare, according to some pundits and analysts. As long as Linux stays cheap, I expect they'll be right.

Is there anyone else who thinks it might be nice to bring iTunes--or, more pointedly, iTMS--to Linux? Are there issues I'm not aware of, such as opening the source of iTunes Linux leading to hackers circumventing Fairplay? Or is it just that Apple would like to ignore Linux because it would like OS X to be the *nix-y desktop of choice? Wouldn't a Linux port be far, far easier than a Windows one?

(Okay, I admit an ulterior motive. It would be simply uber-cool to be able to authorize my purchased music on my indigo iBook, which is running Yellow Dog. Not to mention that iTunes rocks.)

But seriously--whaddaya think? Should Apple put iTunes 4 on a level with Quicktime, and make it seriously cross-platform?

 

[icetraxxg5]

They are really, really wrong... How could linux EVER have a higher market share then Apple unless Apple screws up? Linux has next to no commercial developers and probably never will; the Mac has pretty much all the medium-large software developers creating software for it (Adobe, microsoft, macromedia, Coral, just to name a few).

I think porting iTunes to Linux is a HORRIBLE idea as there would be way too much to support and virtually no user base.

 

[Pete_Hoover]

Linux is all about being free and open source. I don't think many Linux users would even want an iTunes Music Store when they can get a free file-sharing program. Even though it is illegal, I think it would be more popular than an iTunes Music Store. Furthermore, if Apple were to move the ITMS to Linux before windows, it would give a person more of a reason to go open source. If you want a cheap machine, you can get a new box that runs redhat for 200.00, which is better than the cheapest mac(799.00).

 

[MorganX]

Linux may very well have more markeshare, overall installed base, than Apple soon. But most of those would be servers. Not desktop marketshare.

I don't think too many people, relative to making meaningful money, running Linux care much for the iTMS.

I don't see competition coming from Microsoft for iTMS. They can't seem to get past the DRM and control issues.

I think iTMS for Christmas would do well. The only think that may be a roadblock is AAC. AAC doesn't seem to be going anywhere, I think PC users won't be happy not to be able to play AAC files on consumer devices. Other than that looks like iTMS has clear sailing ahead...

 

[Nermal]

I'm more interested in getting iTMS available internationally. Apparently the UK is next, and New Zealand's not too far behind (according to Sony and Universal NZ).

 

[eric_n_dfw]

Originally posted by icetraxxg5
They are really, really wrong... How could linux EVER have a higher market share then Apple unless Apple screws up? Linux has next to no commercial developers and probably never will; the Mac has pretty much all the medium-large software developers creating software for it (Adobe, microsoft, macromedia, Coral, just to name a few).

I think porting iTunes to Linux is a HORRIBLE idea as there would be way too much to support and virtually no user base.

Linux on the desktop is growing at a very steady pace. You and I may not like it, but don't bury your head in the sand and think it coudn't overtake Apple.

Read this: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-979064.html

I disagree with IDC's predictions, but Apple cannot just ignore their findings.

 

[e-coli]

Yes, but if you look at the numbers, the vast majority of "switchers", aren't from windows at all (see O'Reilly network), they're from Linux.

An increase in Linux user base iss actually good for Apple. Linux will never be an OS for every day use for an average consumer. It's simply too hodge podge.

Many of these users will likely switch to the Mac platform from Linux. Apple has of late been embracing the same open standards community.

Just my $.02

 

[ibookin']

Originally posted by e-coli
An increase in Linux user base iss actually good for Apple. Linux will never be an OS for every day use for an average consumer. It's simply too hodge podge.

I agree. Most of the Linux distros I've played around with had kind of a cobbled together feel about them. While they were obviously powerful OSes with a lot to offer in terms of flexibility and software, the OS on a whole does not feel as polished as the Mac OS.

Linux is also too complicated. This comes from it's extreme flexibility, but it's not good for the average person. Being able to do things like select different window managers is nice for people like me, but such options will simply confuse the average user. Ever installed a ZIP drive on Linux? Not something you'd want to do with limited computer knowledge and a fear of terminal windows.

And I use Red Hat on my PC, one of the easiest distros to install and configure.

Linux is great for power users, but is not the right choice for the average user.

 

[rhpenguin]

I like Linux. If im not using OS X im using Redhat (which explains my name). But screw porting iTunes to Linux untill you take care of your own first. I live in Canada and can not use iTMS which really upsets me. That was one of the things I recently bought my iBook for (not the only thing and I wouldnt switch back for the world).

I say make it available to all users on their own friggin product before trying to make it available to the rest.

 

[benixau]

has anyone ever considered that apple may just make an app for iTMS.

why port iTunes? It is a big reason people come to the mac. Just make an app that lets them access the iTMS and download the music wherever they want on their HDD.
This would seem smarter.

 

[yzedf]

a few things

1. Linux is not about being free, in terms of money. It is about free as in source code.

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt

2. Linux is making huge inroads in the desktop market. HP announced this week (7/2/2003) that they will now sell desktops that can be bought with either Windows XP or Mandrake 9.1

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2003/030702a.html

http://www.mandrakesoft.com/company/press/briefs?n=/mandrakesoft/news/2426

3. Wal-Mart (online store) has sold PC's with various distros installed for some time (Lindows, Lycoris, or Suse).

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=106562&path=0:3944:3951:41937:86796:106562

3a. Lindows PC's are sold in many other places than Wal-Mart.

http://www.lindows.com/lindows_feature_preinstall.php

4. Dell used to offer desktops with RedHat installed (no marketing, pulled the program some time ago).

It is true that the strength of linux today is in the server market (look at the number of webservers running Apache out there). It also appears that linux will become a force (when compared to the other alternatives to Windows) in the very near future. Companies like Ximian are putting a lot of work into unifying the look and feel of the linux desktop GUI experience. RedHat, Mandrake, Suse, and others have noticed and are starting to do the same. Every day there are more programs to use, of a higher quality than 2 or 3 years ago (when it was 'cool' to use linux even though it wasn't really a good alternative desktop solution yet). OpenOffice.org is getting better, and may become a good alternative on the Mac platform as well. Many other current OS X programs are linux based (Rendezvous and Apache are probably the 2 biggest and most used ones).

It looks like linux is here to stay. It is starting to creep into the publics conciousness in ways other than "hey man we are free." You can go out and buy it pre-installed on a computer from a real store, with a warranty, customer service and everything.

As to the switcher phenomenom, it is mainly linux people that want something more, and can afford to buy a Mac. Windows users don't really care to switch, what they have is what they use. They usually want better, but are not smart enough to go out and do something about it (most of the ones I know anyway).

I have strayed a bit here... sorry about that.

 

[rueyeet]

I do agree that most of the people who run Linux because of its open-source ideals will have no use for iTMS, or the Mac for that matter. To some purists, the idea of iTMS or Aqua--proprietary software belonging to Apple--is automatically repugnant, period. These people will never switch to OS X.

Currently Linux does seem to be too hodge-podge, and too complicated to configure, for the average mass-market user. But the open-source community is constantly working on the interface issues, and they've made a LOT of real progress. Real enough that soon, Linux may very well have the same entry wedge into the mass market that Windows and MS Office did: widespread corporate adoption. The seat licenses are cheaper, the IT people like the OS (and get to keep their jobs), desktops can be managed through remote admin, and you're all set.

From there, Linux very well could make enough inroads in the consumer space to overtake the Mac OS. People like using what they're familiar with. If they get used to Linux at work, and it's more stable and usable than Windows, it could really spread at home, too.

And (back to topic!) that's where, if Apple was no longer viewing iTMS/iPod as a Mac-only app, but a takeover strategy for as much of the digital music space as possible, an iTunes port to Linux could make sense...especially if Linux achieves greater marketshare than their own OS. And once Apple has iTunes for both Mac and Windows, it seems kind of odd that they wouldn't make it for the third dominant platform.

I do like the idea of the iTMS as an app separate from iTunes itself, but I do think they've piggybacked too much code on iTunes for the store to be quite the same experience without it--not unless they code in the same seamless iPod connectivity.

My question (despite my long-winded rant above on the viability of Linux) was actually more technical--issues of a proprietary app running on an open OS, app portability, Fairplay under open-source, etc.