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jonnny · Apr 30, 2003, 09:39 AM

its reeeaaall....

http://jobsearch.monster.com/getjob....tware+Engineer

- - e r i k - - · Apr 30, 2003, 09:42 AM

Originally posted by jonnny:
its reeeaaall....

http://jobsearch.monster.com/getjob....tware+Engineer

Well, it was to be expected. Let's see what they make of it. People are not too fond of the QuickTime player for PC and that just hurts Apple's image. So I wouldn't expect them to cripple it too bad :/

Jerommeke · Apr 30, 2003, 10:00 AM

whow it sounds like a strange way to announce such things to me, but could be cool, if that itunes gets rendezvous support too

RevEvs · Apr 30, 2003, 12:41 PM

If the windows version gets rendezvous support etc think how many people we'll have sharing their library.

As much as i want iTunes for the PC, i still think they dont deserve our nice apps..

revs

Scifience · Apr 30, 2003, 12:44 PM

Originally posted by RevEvs:
As much as i want iTunes for the PC, i still think they dont deserve our nice apps..

Agreed.

daftpig · Apr 30, 2003, 12:50 PM

Hmm... Does anyone here think that MS might find a way to cripple it? After all, iTunes on Windows could really be a small but potent Trojan Horse.

KidRed · Apr 30, 2003, 01:05 PM

Charge for it tho!! $49 or free with an iPod or something. I like that, the only way to get it is to buy an iPod.

Lew · Apr 30, 2003, 01:06 PM

Originally posted by RevEvs:
As much as i want iTunes for the PC, i still think they dont deserve our nice apps..

revs

Oh, I don't know. I'd love to be able to leave all my music on the 60GB of disk space on my Dell and access them from my PowerBook. Some Mac users own PCs, remember

RevEvs · Apr 30, 2003, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by GFive:
Oh, I don't know. I'd love to be able to leave all my music on the 60GB of disk space on my Dell and access them from my PowerBook. Some Mac users own PCs, remember

I know, i own a PC and have a load of PC on this network that id want to rendezvous share my music with, it just that I buy my macs for the OS and the iApps, i just dont like all those non mac people to have 1 less reason to be jelous

revs

dfiler · Apr 30, 2003, 01:22 PM

Originally posted by GFive:
Oh, I don't know. I'd love to be able to leave all my music on the 60GB of disk space on my Dell and access them from my PowerBook. Some Mac users own PCs, remember

I guess we better make sure our file names are valid on FAT32 and NTFS...

Hmmm. Is that good or bad?

Nonsuch · Apr 30, 2003, 03:34 PM

Does it strike anyone as odd that Apple hasn't even hired the developer(s) yet? And they're shooting for a release by the end of the year (read: before the holiday buying season)?

Visnaut · Apr 30, 2003, 04:00 PM

Although I do agree that Windows users don't deserve our nicely developed Mac apps after they give us so much damned grief about Apple 'sucking' and all, I am however glad that Apple has finally found a way to make money off of them

In all honesty though, several of my PC-using friends have been impressed by the iTunes Music Store, so I guess that bodes well for Apple.

iTunes for XP won't penetrate as deep into the Windows userbase as much as us Mac folk, but it'll be definitely advantageous for our favorite fruit company to find other sources of revenue to keep feeding us the platform we so dearly love

And furthermore, if AOL did indeed make it their 'default' music distribution method, then we'd suddenly find an unlikely ally in them as well... AOL indirectly supporting the Mac platform? How distinctly odd!

dfiler · Apr 30, 2003, 04:27 PM

Originally posted by Nonsuch:
Does it strike anyone as odd that Apple hasn't even hired the developer(s) yet? And they're shooting for a release by the end of the year (read: before the holiday buying season)?

Except... we don't know that they aren't simply expanding their current iTunes for XP team.

BHD · Apr 30, 2003, 04:46 PM

What's interesting about the job posting is that it seems to suggest Apple is taking this application cross-platform without Cocoa.

Visnaut · Apr 30, 2003, 11:31 PM

Originally posted by BHD:
What's interesting about the job posting is that it seems to suggest Apple is taking this application cross-platform without Cocoa.

Nor would they make much use of it, given that iTunes is a Mach-O Carbon app.

Even if it was Cocoa, i think it would be easier to re-write it as a native XP app than it would be to port all of the NS Frameworks just to make one of their apps run.

icruise · Apr 30, 2003, 11:53 PM

I'm very surprised that they would just blurt out this kind of thing. In the pastthe job ads I've seen just sort of hinted at what the job might be about. Very interesting indeed, although I agree that with the music service it was probably a question of when, and not if, it would come about.

Still, iTunes is one of the big perks for having a Mac. Part of me doesn't want Windows users to have it.

King Bob On The Cob · Apr 30, 2003, 11:54 PM

Originally posted by dfiler:
Except... we don't know that they aren't simply expanding their current iTunes for XP team.

It's Carbon. Carbon runs on Windows already (It's what powers Quicktime for Windows also). I have a feeling there is alot less work than it seems.

l008com · May 1, 2003, 03:27 AM

I think this is a bad idea. Great software and integration is part of what makes Macs so great. Give a PC person one of our sought after tools, and even if it doesn't integrate, thier a PC person, they'll be happy if it only works halfway. Point being I think the Music store will make much more money for apple by enticing people to switch than it will running on windows, so apple can make a few cents a song and millions of people have one less reason to buy a Mac.

l008com · May 1, 2003, 03:28 AM

I felt the same way about the iPod too... however the iPod is a piece of hardware and you do make a fair amount of money selling them, still I'd much rather see apple keep everything for Macs only and use the music store, the iPod and iTunes as just a way to Mac macs better than PCs, so more people will want them.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 1, 2003, 03:41 AM

Shame, I have used iTunes as a selling point for switchers.

SpeedRacer · May 1, 2003, 07:56 AM

Originally posted by KidRed:
Charge for it tho!! $49 or free with an iPod or something. I like that, the only way to get it is to buy an iPod.

$49?! If they release this i hope they charge $299. The iLife suite is the MS Office of Apple. If you're going to give up the crown jewels you dam well better make it worth your while. Apple should milk this for all it's worth.

Still... all very ironic that the one apps in the iLife suite that is Carbon is actually the first to cross over to the other side.

Is Carbon really easier to port over than Cocoa? I thought that was the point of having things written in Cocoa to begin with (portability of code).

BWhaler · May 1, 2003, 08:01 AM

I agree with a lot of the sentiment that it sucks to see Wintel folks getting a piece of Apple's best, but I think this is a very smart move by Apple.

Apple needs to get iTunes and their service on the Wintel platform for two reasons:

1. Economics. This is an expensive service to run, and at 35 cents a song, they will need to push enormous volume through to make this profitable.

2. File format standards. M$ is pushing very hard to control the media formats which, if successful, will extend the Windows monopoly further in a digital hub world. (This is similar to how Office is able to stay dominant while being 5-10X more expensive.)But for Apple, it could be a death blow. Imagine if the studios only release music and videos on WMA or WMV, and it was not available on the Mac. It could kill the platform as a digital hub. Apple needs to ensure AAC kills M$'s plan, an idea the studios are supportive of since they don't trust M$ either, and the best way to do it is offer the best and most used service in the Wintel world.

starman · May 1, 2003, 08:17 AM

UGH!

That job is right up my alley.

I doubt they'd let me work from NJ, though.

Mike

OptimusG4 · May 1, 2003, 08:18 AM

How do we know that iTunes for PC will be the same as the Mac verion? For all we know, it could be used just for the music store as well as the AAC format...not likely, but still..we're worrying too much before the actual product is out again.

BigDaddy · May 1, 2003, 04:09 PM

Originally posted by GFive:
Oh, I don't know. I'd love to be able to leave all my music on the 60GB of disk space on my Dell and access them from my PowerBook. Some Mac users own PCs, remember

You can do that right now. I use iTunes to play the music off my PC right now over my network.

codywalton · May 1, 2003, 04:35 PM

Originally posted by BWhaler:
I agree with a lot of the sentiment that it sucks to see Wintel folks getting a piece of Apple's best, but I think this is a very smart move by Apple.

Apple needs to get iTunes and their service on the Wintel platform for two reasons:

1. Economics. This is an expensive service to run, and at 35 cents a song, they will need to push enormous volume through to make this profitable.

2. File format standards. M$ is pushing very hard to control the media formats which, if successful, will extend the Windows monopoly further in a digital hub world. (This is similar to how Office is able to stay dominant while being 5-10X more expensive.)But for Apple, it could be a death blow. Imagine if the studios only release music and videos on WMA or WMV, and it was not available on the Mac. It could kill the platform as a digital hub. Apple needs to ensure AAC kills M$'s plan, an idea the studios are supportive of since they don't trust M$ either, and the best way to do it is offer the best and most used service in the Wintel world.

You hit the nail on the head. Also, it's good way of giving Win-folks a taste of how Macs work... then you can say "if you like iTunes, you'll love having a Mac."

jokell82 · May 1, 2003, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by SpeedRacer:
$49?! If they release this i hope they charge $299. The iLife suite is the MS Office of Apple. If you're going to give up the crown jewels you dam well better make it worth your while. Apple should milk this for all it's worth.

There's no way Apple could get away with charging for iTunes in the PC World. No one would use it, especially since WinAmp is free and works well. If they want people to use the AMS, they'll give away iTunes and say, "hey, look at all the downloads you can have for merely $.99!"

Besides the amount of piracy that takes place in the PC world is just amazing. I doubt that Apple would sell many copies at all (probably just one copy, then that would be distributed all over).

Apple needs iTunes for the PC to show the PC world how great Apple really is. Putting out a quality product with no bugs for free would really make some PC-luvin heads turn.

ja · May 1, 2003, 05:27 PM

Does it strike anyone as odd that Apple hasn't even hired the developer(s) yet? And they're shooting for a release by the end of the year (read: before the holiday buying season)?

Imagine the development and negotiation work involved to get the music store up and running
Bringing iTunes to windows must be much simpler in comparison but opens up that deveopment work to a huge market

The mac's 2% [or whatever] allows both apple and the music industry to get a 'prototype' before mass production to the windows market

The job advert is probably just a lateral PR stunt
I wouldn't be surprised if itunes is running on XP already

JLL · May 1, 2003, 05:50 PM

Originally posted by ja:
I wouldn't be surprised if itunes is running on XP already

I don't think so - eight months to convert iTunes to Windows isn't impossible.

Apple haven't even made deals with all of the record companies about a Windows version of the Music Store yet - only two of the five have signed.

DeathMan · May 1, 2003, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by Nonsuch:
Does it strike anyone as odd that Apple hasn't even hired the developer(s) yet? And they're shooting for a release by the end of the year (read: before the holiday buying season)?

The fact that they've already got quicktime ported means they're task isn't as great as you would think. A lot of the work is already done.

kmkkid · May 1, 2003, 10:02 PM

I pray that the iTunes port wont be using whatever the hell QT is coded in. QT for windows is slow, unresponsive and causes major system conflicts with various applications. It's probably one of my top picks for "worst ported windows app ever"

Chris

lemondrop · May 2, 2003, 02:05 AM

One positive of iTunes for XP is that if the music store can bring in a lot of extra revenue for Apple they could lower prices on their hardware. I would think cheaper computers would do more to help the platform grow then iTunes as a Mac only app would. Like how Microsoft uses the insane profits from Office to pay for the losses in the Xbox division.

DeathMan · May 2, 2003, 02:47 AM

Originally posted by lemondrop:
One positive of iTunes for XP is that if the music store can bring in a lot of extra revenue for Apple they could lower prices on their hardware. I would think cheaper computers would do more to help the platform grow then iTunes as a Mac only app would. Like how Microsoft uses the insane profits from Office to pay for the losses in the Xbox division.

They might lower hardware prices a little bit, but I think we're more likely to get more in the way of R&D, cheaper software, more aquisitions, stuff like that.

Apple is pretty smart, they know we'll buy at the higher prices. They know we're sick of dealing with MS and their bullcrap licensing, and authorizing, and all that. They'll give us more reasons to buy a mac though.

Maybe they'll make .Mac free again. Okay, maybe not. I shouldn't have said that.

Lew · May 2, 2003, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by BigDaddy:
You can do that right now. I use iTunes to play the music off my PC right now over my network.

I rarely connect to the shares on my PCs as I can't be bothered with all the crap OS X litters everywhere.

jrome · May 2, 2003, 07:02 PM

Well, I bet Apple gets it up & running quickly. I bet most of the work is done; a lot of the iTunes for Mac stuff is reusable, it will probably miss some features at first, and MP3 ripping will cost extra, as it typically does. I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple sell it for $30, and then give a $30 store credit; why give it away to people who don't plan on buying stuff at AMS? I'm sure they'll also give away copies with iPods.

eggman · May 2, 2003, 09:20 PM

Boy, isn't this the worst of both worlds: working for Steve Jobs... and writing an app for Windows.

Either of those is a sufficient PITA all by itself.

l008com · May 2, 2003, 09:21 PM

Originally posted by eggman:
Boy, isn't this the worst of both worlds: working for Steve Jobs... and writing an app for Windows.

Either of those is a sufficient PITA all by itself.

You're thinking of the OLD Steve Jobs, not the NEW Steve Jobs!

velodev · May 5, 2003, 01:59 PM

Originally posted by codywalton:
You hit the nail on the head. Also, it's good way of giving Win-folks a taste of how Macs work... then you can say "if you like iTunes, you'll love having a Mac."

Yep, that worked for me. Now if I can just figure out what to do with these vanilla boxes under my desk.

Mohammed Al-Sabah · May 5, 2003, 03:39 PM

Originally posted by GFive:
Oh, I don't know. I'd love to be able to leave all my music on the 60GB of disk space on my Dell and access them from my PowerBook. Some Mac users own PCs, remember

true true but i still think that itunes should be apple only its 2 nice to go to windows.. plus when i ever burn cd's infront of my frineds with i tunes and show them how simple it is.. they get the wow impresion.. now they will have it on windows.. so that would suck cant showoff with a mac no more when pc users are slowly getting what we have.. nothing against pc users most of my friends and family are using windows but duno i think its a wronge step... if they are going to do a windows version why not a mini app that lets then buy from the music store and listen but not burn? let them use whatever they used to use to burn? what do u guys think?

Eriamjh · May 6, 2003, 07:21 AM

I pray that the iTunes port wont be using whatever the hell QT is coded in. QT for windows is slow, unresponsive and causes major system conflicts with various applications. It's probably one of my top picks for "worst ported windows app ever".

Gee. Just change "QT" to "Windows Media Player" and "Windows" to "Mac" and the statement would still be true!

Perhaps Apple is just getting back at PC users the Microsoft crummily ports its programs to Macs?