iTunes to cease to exists soon?
By fred | September 5, 2007
Just a few days ago NBC announced their content would not be available on iTunes, and now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony plans to launch a video download service to compete with iTunes.
And Sony might be better suited for the job that NBC an their hulu.com is, seeing how Sony - like Apple - has both hardware, with the PlayStation and Bravia television sets, and the content with, you know, Sony Pictures movies and TV shows. That’s not little.
But of course to succeed Sony will need help from others, they’ll have to sign distribution deals with other TV and movie producers. In the mean time, Apple is already there and one can buy content from many different sources, using iTunes. Not to mention that their iPhones are selling like crazy, as reports indicate that 1.8 percent of all phones sold in the United States during the month of July were Apple’s, which is the highest of any smartphone and equal to the sales of the LG Chocolate, the leading feature phone.
In the mean time, another tackle at iTunes made by NBC as they announced that they now plan to sell their content through Amazon Unbox. For sure this will be a boost for Amazon’s digital download store. After ditching Apple and their iTunes, they choose to go work with Amazon and their Unbox, because Amazon will let them adjust prices as they feel appropriate.
And, Amazon has a stronger DRM system. Read, it’s harder to use what you paid for the way you want to.
Because Apple has DRM as well, but many in the business - including NBC - consider it to be “too easy” for the customers. Apple’s terms allow for authorized for playback on as many as five different devices. Furthermore, Apple-approved devices can be authorized to play content purchased from five different accounts.
Unacceptable for some, like NBC, who like Amazon policies better. Unbox allow content to be kept on two computers top, and can be stored on up to two different (approved) media players. Users cannot “mix” accounts, meaning that a PC cannot have authorized content purchased from two different accounts accessible at the same time.
Do you know what’s missing in all this? Any mention of you. Yes, you. You and me, us customers. We are the one using their services in the end, we are the one paying, and instead and trying to force us to use whatever they judge fit cause it will bring them more money and control, instead of trying to restrict our possible use of what we pay for, how about they care that we will, in the end, care to pay for it.
Don’t be fooled by the free giveaways NBC will do - starting September 10, you’ll be able to grab the fall 2007 pilots of Bionic Woman, Chuck, Journeyman and Life. All of this, is bad.
What NBC and Sony and all the others are trying to do here is to impose their portal as the leader in online video. And to do this, they make their content available only on their platform of choice. Again, they are creating friction.
Amazon isn’t the only online store, and you can get your books or DVDs or whatever from them, or any other online stores. Not all of them offer the same services, not all have the same prices, but at the very least all of them have the same content! (or can)
You want the latest DVD box set of the third season of The Office ? Go to a store. Which ever you want, which ever you like best. Doesn’t matter, all DVD stores are selling it.
You want the latest episode of The Office ? Go to the store NBC picked for you. You don’t like it, you already are a customers of a better site you love, or simply you cannot use it ? Who cares, they have the content, so they’re the king, right? (Now who did I hear say “Thank God for BitTorrent” ?)
Because I haven’t mentioned, but not everyone can use Amazon Unbox. Only if you’re a Windows or TiVo (Series 2 or later, with networking) user can you do it. Unbox uses Windows Media DRM, and as such does not support Mac or Linux.
Whether you’re using iTunes, Unbox, hulu or any other download store : Please, don’t you switch.
