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pwolfe1 · Dec 18, 2003, 10:30 AM

If apple is all anout contributing to open source now, why can't they release itunes for linux?

They give it to thier main competitor, but they can't give it to one of thier advocates?

rediculous.

Busemann · Dec 18, 2003, 10:45 AM

Probably not enough dough to be made on the Linux desktop community.

pwolfe1 · Dec 18, 2003, 10:51 AM

and you think thier making money by releasing itunes free to windows users?

slffl · Dec 18, 2003, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by pwolfe1:
and you think thier making money by releasing itunes free to windows users?

Yeah

pwolfe1 · Dec 18, 2003, 11:03 AM

why is that? are linux users not interested in buying ipods or music through the music store?

You cannot tell me that apple makes 1 red cent by people downloading itunes free.

Turias · Dec 18, 2003, 11:03 AM

Originally posted by pwolfe1:
and you think thier making money by releasing itunes free to windows users?

1) They make money from the iTunes store
2) Since Windows has such a huge user base, introducing them to iTunes will likely result in higher Mac and iPod sales.

Turias · Dec 18, 2003, 11:05 AM

Originally posted by pwolfe1:
why is that? are linux users not interested in buying ipods or music through the music store?

You cannot tell me that apple makes 1 red cent by people downloading itunes free.

Unfortunately, Apple is doing this for the same reason that many companies don't write software for the Macintosh. The Linux userbase just simply isn't big enough for Apple to dedicate the necessary resources to porting iTunes over to Linux.

JKT · Dec 18, 2003, 11:19 AM

Originally posted by Turias:
1) They make money from the iTunes store
2) Since Windows has such a huge user base, introducing them to iTunes will likely result in higher Mac and iPod sales.

Actually, Steve Jobs is on record as saying that they effectively make no money at all from iTMS. All their money comes from iPod sales.

Developer · Dec 18, 2003, 11:26 AM

Linux has an even smaller market share than Mac OS, and I dare to say that 90% of all Linux users dual boot into Windows are run Windows applications within Linux (except Linux servers, but servers aren't buying iPods).

Turias · Dec 18, 2003, 11:37 AM

Originally posted by JKT:
Actually, Steve Jobs is on record as saying that they effectively make no money at all from iTMS. All their money comes from iPod sales.

I know that is what he said, but I find it hard to believe, especially with the recent jump in iTMS sales. I read that Apple gets about $0.27 per song. Much of that goes into storage space, bandwidth costs, R&D, and what-not, but with the amount of songs they have been selling during the past month or so, they must be making something. Maybe it all evened out before windows iTMS, but now...

I'd be interested in hearing an update from good ol' Steve...

absmiths · Dec 18, 2003, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by Busemann:
Probably not enough dough to be made on the Linux desktop community.

Getting Linux users to spend money is like getting a cat to be nice. At any rate, I haven't even heard any Linux users lamenting the absense of iTMS for Linux.

Scientist · Dec 18, 2003, 04:53 PM

I also imagine that supporting iPods and iTunes on linux would be a horrible nightmare. Just think about how many different competing linux configs are out there. Should Apple release iTunes for Linux PPC too?

Then again most linux users I know would never dream of calling any sort of tech support.

voodoo · Dec 18, 2003, 05:00 PM

*wipes tears from eyes*

you guys crack me up!

Yeah the reason there isn't a Linux iTunes is likely the small size of the Linux market and actually the small size of Apple. Apple has to make iTunes work 100% smooth on Macs and gazillions of PeeCees. Even when they narrow it down to Windows 2000+XP PeeCees they are still many and variously set up. Supporting Linux too would probably spread the iTunes engineers too thin between the three platforms. Of course if the iTMS really catches on and becomes the winner of the online music stores it will become profitable to make iTunes for Linux. Open sourcing iTunes is unlikely and out of character for Apple. They only open source things that benefit them too (like Darwin).

Millennium · Dec 19, 2003, 04:34 AM

Because there is no chance of them Open-Sourcing iTunes -to do that, they'd probably have to port and Open-Source QuickTime as well- and if they don't do that, it's very unlikely to do well on Linux. That's just how the Linux market is.

Fothb · Dec 19, 2003, 05:05 PM

Well you certainly don't need to open your source just to distribute software to Linux users. The nVidia drivers aren't open source and lots and lots of Linux users still use them. But I agree that iTunes won't be released until Linux carries anywhere near the same amount of weight volume wise that Windows or even OS X does in the desktop market.

Fortunately, now that iTunes has been ported to Windows, Linux users can run the software with WINE. Granted, iTunes on Windows is more resource intensive than on a Mac and running it through WINE makes it even MORE resource intensive, but it can be done...