What are Apple up to?

[lostcarpark]

Can anyone explain what Apple hope to gain by releasing iTunes for Windows? Is it just to get people to buy iPods? Are Apple planning to launch themselves into the Windows software market? What will er have next, Safari for Windows? Is it a sneaky trick to make us think "I wish all my software was like iTunes. I'll buy a Mac"?

Just wondering.

Comments

[lproven.livejournal.com]

The iPod is indubitably the best-designed and friendliest MP3 player there is (an owner of a rival product speaks) and it's Apple's strongest-selling product right now. However, on Windows, its great weakness is the fairly crappy lash-up that is MusicMatch Jukebox.

iTunes is nearly as indubitably the most superbly-engineered, friendly and powerful MP3 recording/playback software in the world.

Since the target market of Windows users is vastly larger than that of Mac ones, and iPods are now mostly selling to Windows users, then having crap sync software on the PC is a major drawback.

So, iTunes should help sell more iPods: the bundle is more attractive than before.

Giving the software away free makes it a superb advert for the iPod itself.

Secondly: Apple had the first legal pay-for-download music service out there and it's arguably the easiest and one of the best-value ones. It doesn't make Apple much money, but it does make for happy iPod owners. iTunes for Windows brings the iTunes Music Store to a vastly larger market.

Both are good reasons on their own.

Together, they are a very powerful argument.

Next question? :¬)

[daveon.livejournal.com]

Just keeping the long history of Microsoft Apps (not OS) and Apple being hand in hand ;-)