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MP3 Searches
There's a nice tool Overture provide for seeing how many people search on particular words.

If you search for MP3 the result is "mp3" 1727390 (I think those are searches/month done on Overture).

If you search WMA (MS's hard pushed audio format), the highest phrase searched for with wma in it is "wma mp3" with 27685 searches (i.e. it mentions mp3 aswell). The second highest is "the wma".

Well MP3 could be a "generic" word, people could be searching for Mp3 when they actually want WMAs.

But then the third highest is "convert wma to mp3" with 11949, yes the third highest search including "wma", is a search for how to get away from WMA, even though its supposed to be a better quality format.

If you look for the buy words:

"buy mp3" 3514
"buy wma" No Suggestions

MS has pushed WMA extremely hard, yet thats not what consumers are searching for.
I understand that the big 5 record companies want DRM controls in place over the customer, OK, but again, thats not what the *consumer* is looking for.

Since commerce is a flow of money from consumer to seller all these complicated DRM schemes are doomed to fail.

Sure iTunes was successful on the Mac, but then Mac users bend over backwards for Apple - there's a trust relationship, Apple doesn't have that on Windows.

What I'm suggesting is this:

I doubt Apple will do well on Windows with their download service, really it had to take a step further in reducing the DRM and they didn't do that. So I don't exactly expect big things because you don't deliver MP3s and thats what 'Joe Windows Public' wants.

Perhaps the better solution was just watemarked MP3s without any DRM.

Watermarking is good enough, if someone breaks the watermark, you change the method, don't tell them, and catch them next time they pirate.

Perhaps if the download service does badly, Apple should try selling that instead.
Posted by: Nigel Johnstone   Posted on: 10/18/03 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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iTunes works on Win2k Pro for me  sargon_z | 10/17/03
win2k here too  blahblahblah | 10/18/03
iPod on Windows and Macs  tlyon | 10/18/03
win computers  cvos | 10/17/03
Time to upgrade  lmaxwell | 10/19/03
Time to upgrade  d_jedi | 10/19/03
W2K Pro for games  dscherf | 10/20/03
what he said...  toadlife | 10/20/03
Actually  Arrg | 10/20/03
Microsoft doesn't even support Win98  BitTwiddler | 10/19/03
Why would anyone care what MS supports?  mds_z | 10/21/03
Windows iTunes problems  tom_markel@... | 10/17/03
RE: Windows iTunes problems  CooCooCaChoo | 10/17/03
No problems here  Rick_K | 10/17/03
The fix...  iKenny | 10/17/03
Re the fix/win problems  applelover | 10/19/03
Format support is limited!  spydrlink@... | 10/18/03
WMA  tlyon | 10/18/03
why...  spydrlink@... | 10/20/03
re: why  JakAttak | 10/20/03
wma  ctk76 | 10/18/03
So True re WMA...  The Real Bitch | 10/18/03
Also...  The Real Bitch | 10/18/03
You know little of WMA  KTLA | 10/18/03
Your ears are your ears  BitTwiddler | 10/19/03
Then you must be using Ogg Vorbis  d_jedi | 10/19/03
Best news yet  Rick_K | 10/18/03
WMA Proprietary  mgescuro | 10/18/03
MP3 and AAC are "proprietary"  Fred Fredrickson | 10/19/03
proprietary but open  tic swayback | 10/20/03
Just use both  Anthony Frausto-Robledo | 10/19/03
WMA has no future  Anthony Frausto-Robledo | 10/19/03
re:WMA has no future  flynnclu | 10/19/03
Fair enough  Fred Fredrickson | 10/19/03
Correct!!!  mjsla | 10/20/03
MP4 is open source????  Iain_Peters | 10/21/03
It's not Open Source...  dscherf | 10/21/03
MP3 is better than WMA!  d_jedi | 10/19/03
MP3 Searches  Nigel Johnstone | 10/18/03
well  doh123 | 10/18/03
Reread what you just wrote  Nigel Johnstone | 10/18/03
No problems on XP Pro  issthatso | 10/18/03
ITunes: completely unimpressed  Unicornrider | 10/18/03
ITunes: completely unimpressed  cjohn17 | 10/18/03
Wrong atitude  Anthony Frausto-Robledo | 10/19/03
Wrong atitude  cjohn17 | 10/19/03
ya  Arrg | 10/20/03
Who are you to judge  d_jedi | 10/19/03
Must be your computer  Rick_K | 10/18/03
Boy, this is weird  Anthony Frausto-Robledo | 10/19/03
Yes, odd  Mikael_z | 10/19/03
You are absolutely right  BitTwiddler | 10/19/03
You are forgetting one thing...  toadlife | 10/20/03
I agree...  cjohn17 | 10/19/03
Well, then fix your system  BitTwiddler | 10/19/03
iTunes  cjohn17 | 10/18/03
I-Tunes screwed with my sound drivers...  toadlife | 10/18/03
I-Tunes screwed with my sound drivers...  cjohn17 | 10/19/03
ABMer alert!  d_jedi | 10/19/03
Defensive, aren't we.  frgough@... | 10/20/03
Never thought of that...  toadlife | 10/20/03
but then there is still...  toadlife | 10/20/03
Newer iPods  Rick_K | 10/20/03
Sorry  toadlife | 10/19/03
Yes there is  frgough@... | 10/20/03
(NT)FreeBSD not OS X  toadlife | 10/20/03
iTunes is great  MYOB | 10/18/03
itunes fine on XP  JonArnold | 10/19/03
Worked great for me on WinXP  Anthony Frausto-Robledo | 10/19/03
Worked great for me on WinXP  cjohn17 | 10/19/03
Crashes Windows? What's new.  rkadowns | 10/19/03
what?  lmaxwell | 10/19/03
Doesn't matteer....  Rick_K | 10/19/03
Crashes Windows? What's new  d_jedi | 10/19/03
OS shouldn't let apps crash system  dscherf | 10/20/03
It's a driver issue  toadlife | 10/20/03
Agreed  dscherf | 10/21/03
Works great here  BitTwiddler | 10/19/03
Another thing I-Tunes did to my PC  toadlife | 10/19/03
Mate, get a Mac!  JonArnold | 10/21/03
Almost as good as the Mac Version  Len Rooney | 10/20/03
Yawn, since u think Windows is evil,  FilledOut | 10/20/03
iTunes locks up frequently  jeff_c_brown | 10/20/03
Not Dell's  tic swayback | 10/20/03
Not ready for prime time  apoor | 10/20/03
One of biggest drawbacks of iTunes  FirstNLastN | 10/20/03
tough call for apple  tic swayback | 10/20/03
Politics  FirstNLastN | 10/20/03
just my opinion  tic swayback | 10/20/03
Apple goes under  bobbyw | 10/20/03
not a problem  tic swayback | 10/20/03
Non-issue  frgough@... | 10/20/03
All these "What If's"  Rick_K | 10/20/03
a few things  alpha11@... | 10/20/03
Huh?  Rick_K | 10/20/03
Installation, WMA, User Experience...  Predrag Vasic | 10/20/03
Why the iTMS exists  tic swayback | 10/20/03
XP and 2K  mjsla | 10/20/03
XP Pro/Norten Internet Security  A Consumer | 10/20/03
Over 1 million downloads  Len Rooney | 10/20/03
iTunes for Windows...  mlindl | 10/20/03
Yes, it is true  MarcB_z | 10/21/03
holding out for roxio's napster service. it always  afterbrnr | 10/20/03
it's not napster  tic swayback | 10/20/03

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