iTunes Will Be Wireless By 2008 August 9, 2007
Read more Apple , MP3 , Mobile phones , Music , Online , Wireless , iPhone , iPod
That’s the prediction from telecoms market researcher, Pike & Fisher, which claims that iTunes downloads will be available over-the-air next year.
The company, in its latest report, says that Apple will be forced to offer over-the-air content for the iPhone or create a wireless version of its iTunes download service. The reasoning is that, at least in the US, telecoms providers are starting to offer downloadable music and video directly to phones. Pike & Fischer senior analyst and report author, Tim Deal, said:
“Consumer expectations will advance to the point where they will eschew reliance on a PC and cable to get content onto their iPhones and other portable devices. Apple will therefore be forced to offer over-the-air downloads to remain competitive.”
Nokia is also rumoured to be launching a download service for mobiles at the end of this month. Just last week it signed a deal with Microsoft to use its PlayReady DRM technology for its Series 40 and 60 mobiles. This would allow the phones to receive copyrighted music, games and videos.-Martin Lynch
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
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Comments
That's ridiculous: you need a Mac or PC with iTunes to activate iPhone in the first place, ergo you will already be using iTunes and therefore – should you choose to use it – the iTMS as well.
Yes, it says in the report that users "will" "eschew reliance on a PC and cable to get content onto their iPhones", but is that necessarily so? The whole portable music player market is already used to a "middle man" system, and there is no evident reason to change. One could argue – I suppose - that Apple is likely to pioneer such a system to help aid the notion that iPhone is a revolutionary product. But why bother when there's only one potential competitor, when over-the-air download rates are so expensive only a tiny market will take the concept on board and when you can find so many cheaper, faster, easier and more versatile ways (eg, the MP3 codec everyone unjustifiably loves so much) with a computer that it's just not worth the effort right now? Just because more companies are offering over-the-air downloads, it doesn't necessarily mean it's working. If this ridiculous notion goes ahead, it'd have to be a Wi-Fi version to be even remotely successful.
Analyses such as this are almost invariably wrong – look at that "only art fags and emo kids use MySpace" "report" (I hesitate to use that word), the pre-launch "iPhone will balls up and nobody will ever buy one" dross and the inexcusable "Windows Live will see the end of Google". Just look at the "anal" in the name.