[opendtv] FW: News: iTunes, iPod really about Quicktime

  • From: "Cliff Benham" <cliff.benham@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 21 Dec 2004 16:19:44 -0500

I dislike this because of how Apple shoves ipod down your throat=20
when all you are after is the quick time movie player for your PC.=20

It isn't possible to download quicktime without getting the ipod with =
it,=20
and very difficult to kill it and stop it from trying to take over =
playback=20
of ANY AND ALL music files you open. What a pain.
This kind of forced acceptance loses me for Apple. Period.=20

-----Original Message-----
From: opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:opendtv-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Craig Birkmaier
Sent: Tuesday, December 21, 2004 9:18 AM
To: OpenDTV Mail List
Subject: [opendtv] News: iTunes, iPod really about Quicktime


http://www.yeald.com/Yeald/a/32011/itunes__ipod_really_about_quicktime.ht=
ml

iTunes, iPod really about Quicktime

Readers Apple's tactics in music have strengthened the position of=20
the Quicktime media platform in the realm of media consumption. This=20
could be parlayed into a dominant position in video consumption.

A bit of history. Apple was quick out of the gates with Quicktime in=20
the first half of the 90's, and established many of the user=20
interface and software conventions related to time-based media,=20
including the ability to cut, paste and manipulate video on consumer=20
hardware and in normal applications, such as word processors and=20
presentations.

Quicktime has been widely adopted in the content creation industries,=20
and has also been standardized as the core of the MPEG file format in=20
MPEG 4.

Microsoft has positioned its proprietary Windows Media format as less=20
costly and thus more attractive than the standard proposed by the=20
industry itself.

This is partly true because of wrangling over licensing fees for some=20
of the proprietary codecs involved in the MPEG standard.

Apple has vociferously advocated for viable licensing terms with the=20
license holders.

In a familar pattern, Microsoft seems to be acting as though there=20
were no relevant industry standard, and that its client monopoly on=20
the PC establishes Windows Media, de-facto, as the standard. That's=20
fine as long as the PC is the key to the media distribution ecosystem.

With the iPod and iTunes, Apple has opened an explosive channel for=20
establishing its standards compliant media platform on top of the=20
Windows PC client operating system.

Apple has also bought some software, called FairPlay, from a company=20
called VeriDisc, that protects copyrighted material from unauthorized=20
copying, thus encouraging content owners to get involved on a massive=20
scale.

This move has also clearly placated these same owners' concerns about=20
another very relevant fact: iTunes and the iPod leverage by far the=20
most common means of music distribution. These are, of course, CDs=20
and illegal downloads.

Steve Ballmer has said, referring to music, that Apple's market share=20
is so small that it "can never reach critical mass." iTunes music=20
store aside, even if every iPod owner only got music onto their iPod=20
from CDs they bought at a store, they would also in the process put a=20
full copy of the Quicktime media platform on a computer somewhere.

Apple's PC market share is irrelevant.

In fact, it's a safe bet that the majority of computers in question=20
run Windows. And under the iTunes deal, every HP consumer PC will=20
have Quicktime installed even if no iPod comes with it. Apple's=20
market share in music looks like it's already reached critical mass.=20
The dark force to be reckoned with here may be Quicktime.

Here is an article from CNET suggesting that iTunes opens the way for=20
standards in streaming:

http://news.com.com/Apples+music+Microsofts+sour+note/2100-1027_3-998880.=
html


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