Would Apple benefit from opening iTunes to other devices?

[heard03]

My 2nd gen iPod Nano recently bought the farm and I entertained the thought of replacing it with a Zune or other device. Since I listen to podcasts and audiobooks primarily I decided I couldn't part with iTunes and the ease of use in managing my content. We consumers would obviously like iTunes to work with all devices, but what impact would that have on Apple? I think it might expand their sales in the iTunes Store more than it lowers sales of hardware.

[johnastovall]

No, not given their record stock price...

[heard03]

Hard to argue with not fixing what ain't broke. Hopefully someone will put out a store to rival iTunes like the new phones that are finally competing with the iPhone.

[DeLeon]

My Palm Pre works great with iTunes. However, iTunes is one of the "clunkiest" pieces of software on my system...besides Vista of course.

[engstrom]

Originally Posted by DeLeon

My Palm Pre works great with iTunes. However, iTunes is one of the "clunkiest" pieces of software on my system...besides Vista of course.

iTunes worked OK when I had a PC. It works very well on my Mac.

As for opening it up to other devices that completely goes against the Apple way of doing things. They like to control the horizontal and the vertical (hardware and software). I personally like that as their stuff works seamlessly. Some people dislike the lack of choice and the increased cost. To each their own.

[venchka]

Redneck Rules apply: You said it. It ain't broke. Don't fix it.

[KD5NRH]

Originally Posted by engstrom

As for opening it up to other devices that completely goes against the Apple way of doing things.

I keep waiting for them to Betamax themselves to death.

[photonewb]

Originally Posted by KD5NRH

I keep waiting for them to Betamax themselves to death.

Apple's following is really just too big to do this. There are millions who will run out and buy whatever Apple puts on a shelf, just because it says Apple. I don't see Apple going the way of the dinosaur anytime soon.

[ChuckW]

I don't think that I would short Apple stock right now due to any poor decision making on their part! The only possibly questionable Apple decision that I can think of is restricting the iPhone to one carrier, and they appear to be about ready to change that.

[dbphotos]

Absolutely. Anytime a company can expand their buyer pool they will make more sales. It is kind of like Onstar. You are not going to choose a GM product solely because of Onstar but you would choose Onstar on another vehicle if offered. GM is missing a huge sales potential by not selling Onstar to all who want to buy.

Apple's evidence is when they switched to Intel processors and their sales rose from $13 billion to $19 billion - PRE iPhone!

[laanba]

I don't see Apple opening it up. Once they do that then they have to provide tech support for all those other devices and make sure the software is compatible with all those other devices. That is one of the things that Apple fans (I admit to being one) like about the experience. It is seamless and as engstrom says they have much more control over the experience when they run the hardware and software.

The Zune has podcast management on it and also takes audiobooks so that shouldn't stop you if you would like to try it out.

[knowimagination]

im going to go on a limb and say its never going to happen. It seems like the majority of people still have no moral dilema with illegally downloading music. iTunes is already the top source for digital music and other items so they don't have much to gain from it.

Also as a sales person at an electronics retailer I think it would hurt hardware sales more than you would think. If someone could use great software on a device that costs less than half what an iPod costs do you think that many would stick with apple devices?

As for those complaining about iTunes as a software it must be a windows thing. Also I have read that iTunes 9 is much nicer on windows than previous versions, but on my mac they have all been pretty flawless.

[janikphoto]

Apple has stated before that the amount of money made on itunes sales is not huge - though, I'm sure much of that complaining is to keep record labels from demanding more of the profit. It sounds like they still depend on hardware sales as their driving force, so it wouldn't make sense to open itunes up to all devices...

[deep_creek]

The only reason I've avoided the ipod is because of it's reliance on itunes. I say free up the ipod and allow it to operate like most other portable players.

[engstrom]

Originally Posted by deep_creek

The only reason I've avoided the ipod is because of it's reliance on itunes. I say free up the ipod and allow it to operate like most other portable players.

Have you given these a try?

10 Alternatives to iTunes for managing your iPod – Simple Help