3 ms·

I think you and Kottke are both right. I commented a couple of weeks ago on a thread where I talked about brand equity, and iTunes is a perfect example of this

I think you and Kottke are both right. I commented a couple of weeks ago on a thread where I talked about brand equity, and iTunes is a perfect example of this -- it hasn't been solely about music in years, it has a half dozen bolted-on functionalities and it's in desperate need of a refresh. And yet the iTunes brand is so strong that none of that matters.

pavel_lishin 15y ago
It's only strong for distributors. Have you ever met an end user who said, "Gee, I love iTunes! So fast, so responsive, so awesome!" The only reason I still use it, really, is because the last time I tried using something besides iTunes to sync my music to my iPod, it nuked the whole library. As far as I know, it's the only fool-proof way of synching my iPhone with my iTunes library (which actually lives on my iPod, because its audio jack died.)
- guygurari 15y ago
  I love iTunes, both on Windows and on the Mac. It's reasonably fast on Windows (and very fast on Mac), it does a great job organizing my collection, it makes sharing and streaming between devices extremely easy (Mac, PC, Apple TV, iPhones etc.). It let's me easily subscribe to podcasts, shop for music, and sync with iOS. I'm not aware of another media program that does half these things half as well. But feel free to enlighten me.
silvestrov 15y ago
iTunes is like a web browser, not for the complete internet, but for a curated garden. Safari is the browser for "all weird stuff out there" and the iTunes app is the browser for "media shop and media I have bought".
babar 15y ago
I wouldn't say the iTunes brand is so strong - I think the iPad and iPhone brands are strong, and Apple forces you to use iTunes to use those products. I've never heard anyone say they love iTunes, either. I'm surprised Android and Microsoft haven't exploited this weakness more - I don't have faith in Motorola or Nokia to create good desktop integrations, but a software company could do it.
- atacrawl 15y ago
  It's software, and a music store and an app store. (Plus podcasts and TV shows.) Having a strong brand doesn't mean everyone loves it. It means everyone knows it.

pavel_lishin 15y ago

It's only strong for distributors. Have you ever met an end user who said, "Gee, I love iTunes! So fast, so responsive, so awesome!" The only reason I still use it, really, is because the last time I tried using something besides iTunes to sync my music to my iPod, it nuked the whole library. As far as I know, it's the only fool-proof way of synching my iPhone with my iTunes library (which actually lives on my iPod, because its audio jack died.)

guygurari 15y ago
I love iTunes, both on Windows and on the Mac. It's reasonably fast on Windows (and very fast on Mac), it does a great job organizing my collection, it makes sharing and streaming between devices extremely easy (Mac, PC, Apple TV, iPhones etc.). It let's me easily subscribe to podcasts, shop for music, and sync with iOS. I'm not aware of another media program that does half these things half as well. But feel free to enlighten me.

silvestrov 15y ago

iTunes is like a web browser, not for the complete internet, but for a curated garden. Safari is the browser for "all weird stuff out there" and the iTunes app is the browser for "media shop and media I have bought".

babar 15y ago

I wouldn't say the iTunes brand is so strong - I think the iPad and iPhone brands are strong, and Apple forces you to use iTunes to use those products. I've never heard anyone say they love iTunes, either. I'm surprised Android and Microsoft haven't exploited this weakness more - I don't have faith in Motorola or Nokia to create good desktop integrations, but a software company could do it.

atacrawl 15y ago
It's software, and a music store and an app store. (Plus podcasts and TV shows.) Having a strong brand doesn't mean everyone loves it. It means everyone knows it.