Apple unveils iTunes, Music Store for Windows

MacCentral ^ | October 16, 2003 | Peter Cohen

[HAL9000]

At a special event held today at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the long-awaited iTunes software for Windows. The service provides not only digital music playback features for Windows users, but also offers them access to the iTunes Music Store. Both iTunes and the iTunes Music Store have hitherto been limited for use by Macintosh users.

iTunes for Windows is identical to its Macintosh counterpart. And like its Mac counterpart, iTunes for Windows is available for free download from Apple's Web site. (The site hadn't been updated as MacCentral posted this article.)

iTunes for Windows sports the same features Mac users have grown accustomed to in their software -- the ability to burn their audio files to CDs and rip files from CD to MP3. What's more iTunes for Windows supports Rendezvous file sharing. Rendezvous is Apple's term for an open zero-configuration networking standard. As it's deployed in iTunes, users can access each other's playlists through the iTunes software as long as they're working on the same physical subnetwork as each other (ostensibly, a local area networking environment in a home). Music can also be shared between Macs and Windows computers.

Accessing the iTunes Music Store through the Windows iTunes software is the same process as well -- in fact, Jobs noted during his presentation that both Mac and Windows versions of iTunes access the iTunes Music Store the same way, through the same servers. As a result, files purchased from Mac or Windows iTunes software is identical: the music is encoded using Dolby Advanced Audio Codec (AAC) and has the same Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology deployed, with the same restrictions: iTunes allows users to rip their Music Store-bought files to CDs as many times as they want; they can also share music on up to three computers, or synchronize their music with an iPod.

System requirements for iTunes v4.1 for Windows call for a PC equipped with Windows XP or Windows 2000. Use of the iTunes Music Store requires a valid credit card with a U.S. billing address.

[HAL9000]

The Windows download seems to be working now. Apple's web servers are going to get crushed today.

[basil]

Love my iMac! Love my iTunes.

If you don't have it, get it---LOL!

[smith288]

Does it support firewall blocked folks?

[BrooklynGOP]

Down with iPod! Boooo! Nomad Zen rules! :P

[ThinkDifferent]

Does it support firewall blocked folks?

It should, it runs over HTTP.

[basil]

I have no idea. I don't need a firewall with my Mac.

[smith288]

You do if you sit in front of a company pc.

[ThinkDifferent]

I don't need a firewall with my Mac.

I'd recommend getting one. Yes, OS X is pretty secure, but nothing's 100%. Plus with a firewall/router you can easily let multiple machines share the connection.

[BSunday]

I have no idea. I don't need a firewall with my Mac

Ouch!! touche..

[BSunday]

In this Itunes store, can you buy tracks individually, or do you have to buy the whole CD?

[ThinkDifferent]

In this Itunes store, can you buy tracks individually, or do you have to buy the whole CD?

Individually, $1 each (well, 99 cents plus tax). Complete albums are usually either $10 or $1 per track, whichever is less.

[El Conservador]

You can buy individual songs for $0.99

Which is far better than buying from the RIAA crime organization...

F*** RIAA!!!

Althoug I expect RIAA to fight Apple once iTunes for Windows catches on...

[Question_Assumptions]

Some songs are album only. Some albums are only partial. It's a bit of a mix, actually. I think the album-only sales are to help push albums that only have one or two key songs on them. The Fugees version of "No Woman No Cry", for example, cannot be bought individually. Annoyed the heck out of me. There are also some noticable holes in the catalog (for example, I can find live versions of certain songs but not their studio versions). Otherwise, it's a really great service.

[Middle Aged White Male]

Firewall is built into OS X, one just needs to turn it on...

[k2blader]

Excellent!!!

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll likely download this evening. :-)

[Yossarian]

I was watching the presentation (I find Jobs reality distortion field entertaining...) Here are the things I noted (iTMS = iTunes Music Store):

• Song selection will be up to 400,000 by the end of the month;
• Apple is teaming up with Pepsi for a promotion starting on SuperBowl Sunday: Buy a bottle of a Pepsi product, and you have a 1 in 3 chance of winning a free song on the iTMS. Total giveaway: 100,000,000 songs;
• Apple has sold 13 million songs so far, has a 37% market share of all MP3 players, and a 70% share of the revenues in the MP3 market;
• Apple is adding gift certificates and "allowances" so those too young for credit cards can buy a certain amount of music per month;
• Apple is teaming up with AOL: The AOL Music site will have links to preview and purchase the music on iTMS;
• Apple is putting Audible Books right on the iTMS: You can preview and purchase spoken books, and they synchronize the latest point you've reached in the book between your computer and your iPod;
• The iPod has two new functions it can perform: Downloading images from your digital camera's memory card, and voice recording. This is a combination of an iPod software update, and hardware from Belkin;
• iTunes for Windows is just like iTunes for the Mac. Complete feature parity.

All in all, I think it's pretty cool. (I'm developing some software for this stuff, and so the more legal stuff, the better.) They had Bono, Dr. Dre, and the Mickster himself on iChat AV links pimping the iTMS, and Sara McLaclan perform two songs at the end

HOWEVER the nasty part of the presentation was Steve pushing Hillary's audio book, and the new large NPR archives during his demo. I love the guy's stuff, but his politics can shine through these days.

[Yossarian]

As it's deployed in iTunes, users can access each other's playlists through the iTunes software as long as they're working on the same physical subnetwork as each other (ostensibly, a local area networking environment in a home). Music can also be shared between Macs and Windows computers.

I'm not sure if this works for music purchased through the iTMS. I think this might only work for "regularly" ripped mp3 or mp4 files.

[avg_freeper]

...the nasty part of the presentation was Steve pushing Hillary's audio book,

And that's not all look at their "Top Ten List":

1. Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream (Unabridged)
Doris Kearns

2. The DaVinci Code (Unabridged)
Dan Brown

3. Why Not Me?
Al Franken

4. Living History
Hillary Rodham Clinton

5. Stupid White Men...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!
(Unabridged)
Michael Moore

6. Pure Drivel
Steve Martin

7. Science Fiction Favorites (Unabridged)
Isaac Asimov

8. Bleachers (Unabridged)
John Grisham

9. Charlotte’s Web (Unabridged)
E.B. White

10. Shopgirl (Unabridged)
Steve Martin

They praised Jemmuh Carter on the front page of their web site, ridicule G.W., hire Gore, and push liberal authors refuse. Apple does not want my business anymore.

[CheneyChick]

It does work over an AirPort (wireless) network.

[CheneyChick]

Love the product, hate his politics.... What do you expect from a guy who hosted Bill Clinton in his home?