Stick a Ford Motor in my Porsche?
If I were to go to a Ford Motor parts dealer and order a fuel injector, should I expect to be able to install it in my Porsche? No.
If I sign up for XBox Live, should I expect to be able to play my PS3 or Wii games on it? No.
If I buy software for Windows, should I expect to be able to install it on my Mac? (Trick question...ignore that one).
How about if I buy software for OSX, should I be able to install it on a XP machince? No.
If I subscribe to HBO, should I expect my Cable Box to be able to decode Dexter from Showtime? No.
If I log on to Star Wars Galaxies, should I expect to be able to use my Blood Elf from World of WarCraft? No. (although that would be really cool if I could!)
Then why the hell should anyone expect to sign up for iTunes and use it on a non-compatible machine?
Consider this guy from the EU....
(excerpt from this story -- http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/25/business/EU-FIN-Netherlands-Apple-iTunes.php -- from the International Herald Tribune ( www.iht.com)
Consumentenbond spokesman Ewald van Kouwen said his group had filed a formal complaint with the Dutch antitrust watchdog NMa asking it to investigate what he called "illegal practices" by Apple's iTunes Store.
"What we want from Apple is that they remove the limitations that prevent you from playing a song you download from iTunes on any player other than an iPod," he said.
"When you buy a music CD it doesn't play only on players made by Panasonic. People who download a song from iTunes shouldn't be bound to an iPod for the rest of their lives."
(Ninja comment - Does that mean that those of us who bought "Long Tall Glasses" on 8-Track shouldn't be bound to an 8 Track player for the rest of your life?)
Currently, songs bought on iTunes can be played only on iPods, and an iPod can't play downloads from other stores with similar premium content from major artists — like Napster Inc.'s service or Sony Corp.'s Connect.
Look, it is simple, if you want to download from the iTunes music store and take it with you, you got to have an iPod. That is the way the world works. If I wan't to play Rainbow Six on Xbox live, I got to have an Xbox and an Xbox version of the game. I can't use a PS 2, PS 1, Nintendo GameBoy, or PSP version...It has all got to be Xbox.
Apple didn't make iTunes to be a Wal Mart of the Internet music world. They built it as a service to their customers who bought iPods. Just like Xbox Live and most other product-specific accessories and services. I can't buy a Yu-Gi-Oh booster pack to use with my Magic The Gathering deck. I can't stick my (PS1) Final Fantasy 7 disc in my Xbox and have it work. And you can't take your iTunes download of the Backstreet Boys do Boys TO Men Video and load it in you Zune (or maybe you can, there has to be something that thing can do.)
If you have an iPod, you don't have to use ITunes music store to download music. Any mp3, and the dozens of variations and similar formats, will load into an iPod. There are plenty of legal download sites were you can get your music in a format that can be imported into iTunes and dumped to your iPod.
You can also rip CDs. I have yet to download a single song from iTunes store, and I have 9 days of audio content on my iPod. (not that much music, but a lot of audio books). Now, I have used iTunes to download podcasts and TV shows, just to be completely honest.
I don't hear this guy saying that Sony or Napster has to make their service compatiable with iPods--which would make more since, considering that the iPod is the #1 media player sold. And that doesn't mean it is the best or the greatest, even though I think it is, it just means more people want iPods than Zunes, Zens or Walkmen.
Of course, what this really boils down to is politics. These socialist political agents and their governments are always out to wipe out any individual or individual corporations that is doning something well and making money off of it.
I have never heard one consumer—a regular guy girl—complain about not being able to use iTunes because they bought a Zune, Zen or what ever failed "iPod Killer" Sony is pimping this week. They know that they should have bought an iPod for that.
Personally, I think someone high up in the EU bought the wrong MP3 player for his kid, and is too arrogant to admit it was his mistake, so he is orchestrating the entire thing so he doesn't have to shell out some Euros for an new iPod.
