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bergy · 06:20 PM

Is it just me, or is there an overwhelming almost frantic negative response by the media to the new iTunes MusicStore for Windows? I'm writing from Canada, and for the last 2 days the only mention of iTunes on Google.ca .. News .. has been "MicroSoft Exec rips iTunes. Not one positive mention of its obviously superior gui and BURNING! capablility plus internet radio.
Meanwhile, we had a new digital download service premier a couple of days ago, the first of its kind in Canada at puretracks.com.
Nothing but glowing accolades at its announcement and then 24 hrs later their server had crashed and all the media would say was that "due to its incredible popularity, it could not service all the customers trying to log on". You can bet if it was the iTunes MusicStore crashing, they would have been all over it calling it a flop ... which puretracks is .. I managed to sign on for a few minutes and left after I saw the dismal interface and offerings. Most of the albums I saw there only allowed a preview of one tune.
We also had a so called "stock analyst" on tv here lately, when asked to evaluate Apple stock literally foaming at the mouth, spewing invectives about Apples "lousy market share"
"no future as a company" etc etc... it wasn't just an evaluation ... he was almost falling out of his chair warning people not to invest in this "loser" , and you could sense a real level of anger emanating from him.
I will never understand where that comes from, but I am real tired of it.
If you get a chance go to google.ca .... news and see what I mean ... the itunes thing is probably still there.
Anyway, hope iTunes comes here soon, we are all waiting patiently ... all I do is browse the genres for now making lists of what I'm going to buy once it becomes available.
Go iTunes!!!!

OptimusG4 · Oct 18, 2003, 12:50 PM

Well TechTV's 'Call for Help' had a glowing review of iTunes for Windows, as did TechLive yesterday. Sure, MS execs will say its inferior to their apps... but you do understand that Apple claimed iTunes was the 'best app written for Windows' right? Not to mention MS is pissed since WiMP 9 is supposed to be everything iTunes is and more, but it has so much DRM crap in it you can't even rip MP3's without buying a license.

And about the stock analysts, well they can blow me. They're just pissed that Apple isn't dead yet when they should have been 20 years ago. They'll do anything to criticize Apple even if they have to lie about it.

bergy · 06:22 PM

Incredible !!

Here is the latest piece of crap on Google.ca from a "journalist" bemoaning the fact that SEVERAL!! users have had DIFFICULTIES!!

http://arstechnica.com/archive/news/1066506106.html

OH MY GOD how terrible .... several ... that amounts to justifying these negative reviews???
How about the slop that MicroSoft has served to BILLIONS in the form of a COMPLETE OPERATING SYSTEM, not just a few small bugs in one application ...... Ehh .. what about that MR>JOURNALIST? ... hello ... hello....

gator · Oct 18, 2003, 04:42 PM

The Ars notes are more or less observations that IMO are somewhat accurate. I don't count that as a media response or a review as they made few comments regarding actual usage that constitute a review, it's just rehash of what other sites have reported as problems. Arstechnica is a technical site (with good articles I might add) that's pointing out some of the technical aspects that Apple and music player manufacturers will be facing in the future given that there are different DRM technologies at play right now. Something will have to budge one way or the other.

Also, no newspapers have made any comments regarding iTMS that I've seen so far. Wait for articles from NYT (likely from Mossberg, who typically has very positive reviews) and the like, and I'm sure that Apple will be posting those on their Hot News page soon enough.

Just give it a couple days and relax

Horsepoo!!! · 04:55 PM

Ken Fisher aka Caesar is known for his heavy Windows/PC bias. I wouldn't get upset with articles written by Caesar.

I found it clever how he tried to camouflage his bias by throwing in things like "I'm writing this on my 1.8 G5" and other such cute comments as if to make his argument more plausible.

"Hey look at me, I'm a Mac user. Office XP sucks because of this and that...but wait, don't get too angry, I'm writing this article up on my shiny new 3.2GHz P4."

While some journalists might have some points, they blow them out of proportion to make it look like it's a huge deal.

It's not.

MusicalTone · Oct 18, 2003, 05:19 PM

Sometimes journalists and the media shape opinion.

Some times they report it.

Often when they "shape it" they are just reading the writing on the wall.

The word on the street is that Apple and iTunes rocks!

Earth Mk. II · 06:05 PM

as far as the Ars article goes, they're a technical site and the article reflects that. Caesar is right to call apple on it's issues with iTunes and some Win2K CD-R drivers causing some boxes to freeze on reboot. It is a big issue with the software - even if it is a rare occurrence.

The issues of opening up to a wider variety of music formats is also a valid one, and one that will become bigger in the future.

The rest are freature requests/wishes that really aren't that unreasonable and some stuff that windows users migrating from another player would expect iTunes to be able to do. My friend, for example, sat there for 5 mins. wondering why "Get CD Track Names" didn't call a similar feature as MusicMatch's "SuperTagging" feature (which is included with her iPod software)

Most of the response from the media I've seen has been positive, but coupled with some constructive criticism. At least, they are if you exclude Microsoft's comments which are obviously self-serving. It'll be interesting to see what the bigger media (NYT and such) have to say about iTunes for Windows.

BrunoBruin · Oct 18, 2003, 06:22 PM

What I don't get are the stories that Apple is "late" to the party because of the other PC services and the imminent release of Napster 2.0. Does anyone here really think Napster is going to be a big player in this market? I think the analysts have forgotten that Napster was wildly popular because the music was FREE. Do they think people are going to rush back to Napster and overlook the minor detail that they have to PAY?

Earth Mk. II · Oct 18, 2003, 07:03 PM

Originally posted by BrunoBruin:
I think the analysts have forgotten that Napster was wildly popular because the music was FREE. Do they think people are going to rush back to Napster and overlook the minor detail that they have to PAY?

Granted, but in many people's mind, online music == napster.

the name recognition alone makes it a serious competitor, as getting people to realize iTunes runs on Windows now (or that it even exists for some users) will be iTunes' biggest difficulty.