Once again, Apple's iPod is expected to be the hottest gift of the holiday season. That should be great news for the recording industry, right? After all, many of the 10 million or so new iPod owners surely will rush to Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL ) iTunes Music Store to load up on songs.
Not necessarily. As has been true since the start, iPod owners mostly fill up their players from their own CD collections or swipe tunes from file-sharing sites. Now legal downloads may be losing their luster. According to Nielsen SoundScan, average weekly download sales as of Nov. 27 fell 0.44% vs. the third quarter. Says independent media analyst Richard Greenfield: "We're not seeing the kind of dramatic growth we should given the surge in sales of iPods and other MP3 players."
Which brings us to a grand irony: Apple, which launched the digital music revolution, may now be holding it back. Critics say Apple's proprietary technology and its refusal to offer more ways to buy or to stray from its rigid 99 cents a song model is dampening legal sales of digital tunes. "The villain in the story is the iPod," says Chris Gorog, CEO of Napster Inc. (NAPS ), which sells both subscriptions and downloads. "You have this device consumers love, but they're being restricted from buying anything other than downloads from Apple. People are bored with that."
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how is that apples fault.but they're being restricted from buying anything other than downloads from Apple. People are bored with that."
people are too stupid to buy any one of the other great (and much better) mp3 players out their they are sheep who see people with ipods and so they get one too, been too ignorent to read about what their buying before they buy it.
apple churns out white plastic lumps of shit at high prices and people run out and buy them without knowing jackshit about them they just see the ads on tv and want to be trendy too and to be honest who can blame apple they have a great business model.
Rest in peace mother
16.1.2006
You will always be with me.
Amen, I saw a 20gb Samsung Mp3 player that was video capable at Frys Electronics, regularly 279, but on clearance for 149! because the guy said people were mainly buying iPOD's.............who wants a piece of shit that controls your movements every step of the way, from having to use all the iTunes bullshit, to limited control over how the unit itself functions........Jobs is a true dictator
One of the reasons iPods got to the point where they are today is because they are good. Right now theyre more popular and sure, a bunch of people will always buy the most popular items.
iPods have gotten great reviews by many sources out there. Although there are many great alternatives, its not fair, and is a bad argument, just to say that they are "white plastic lumps of shit", etc.
iPods have the best interface of any mp3 player I've seen -- and by far the worst software and firmware. Forcing people to use iTunes just to put songs on a device is nuts! And built in batteries? What were they thinking?
yea your damn right about plastic lumps of shit and trying to force people to buy music from itunes when theres plenty of other free songs out there
I've even herd they make these ipods for about AUD$50 and then sell them for a crazy price i rekon there a bunch of wankers
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