RSSiTunes Preview doesn't go far enough to create Web-based option for store
By Tim Conneally | Published November 13, 2009, 2:50 PM
Yesterday, Microsoft launched Windows Marketplace for Mobile's Web component, a version of the store fully accessible through any browser.
I lamented that Apple had not yet created a similar face for the iTunes App store, even though it is the most popular download shop among the smartphone competitors. Users who want to browse the contents of the iTunes store, be it music, videos, or applications, must have the iTunes desktop software installed or otherwise browse it on their iPod Touch or iPhone (in which case they're almost guaranteed to have iTunes installed on their PC anyway.)
So the problem was that there was really no way to browse the iTunes store if you didn't use the iTunes software.
One reader was quick to point out that I didn't cite iTunes Preview, a Web-based iTunes store which was rolled out less than 24 hours after Microsoft's announcement.
So in the interest of fairness, let's talk about what Apple has brought to the table with iTunes Preview.
As I said before, iTunes Preview is a Web-based iTunes storefront which finally begins to address the accessibility gap created when Apple's downloads are only browsable within iTunes itself.
So now, users can browse the entire iTunes catalog by genre or artist name, and read album reviews as well as customer reviews and ratings.
But things run into a bottleneck very quickly when it comes to actually consuming music. There is no way to preview songs within iTunes Preview (ironic, I know), and no way to purchase and download music. These can only be completed if the user hits "View in iTunes," which launches the desktop software.
So iTunes Preview creates a sort of "look, but don't touch" window into Apple's downloadable music library if you don't have iTunes installed.
While it's currently for the music portion of the iTunes Store and not the movie/tv or app sections, iTunes Preview is actually a step in the right direction that arguably should have been taken long ago.
Title is spelt wrong, but nobody has noticed, or felt the need to inform. It has also appeared mispelt in the International Business Times xD
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|Well, I did. Several days ago.
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|Why hasn't BN banned this prom dresses account?
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|It's not even a preview. It's a non-functional mockup. There is still an awful lot of work to do to make it nearly usable. iTunes Web simply can't touch the user-friendliness and overall superiority of 7digital.
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|The only reason why there will never be such a feature is crystal clear:
They will not be able to force you to use an iPod/iPhone. Hell. How could they left out Palm Pre if not?
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|itunes is desktop bloatware.. very close to spyware.
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|Technically it is spyware when it is reporting back to Apple.
Especially when you import movies that you didn't buy from iTunes and Apple asks your ISP to take action and you get a nice letter about illegal downloads.
The sad part is that it doesn't JUST happen to users that are torrenting movies, some in our investigation were simple DVD rips, and still got a 'threat' from the ISP based on what iTunes reported as 'suspect' content.
The trick is not to let iTunes see anything you didn't buy from iTunes that is Movie/TV Show related. Music or random MP3s don't create the same threats, and I assume because MP3s are too common and no way to track them even if they are 'suspect'.
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|I don't know where you came up with this.. but it is pretty much .. yah legally actionable in this country to make unfounded statements like this publically... given apple's hair trigger with the lawyers... you may wanna refrain from these sorts of posts.
But yah, go on believing that spreading nonsense such as this will help whatever crusade you are on..
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|This is a blog for godsakes, he can say whatever he wants, we aren't living in nazi germany.
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|The trick is not falling for the trick of installing itunes.
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|Hey, TC do you see anything wrong here? "iTunes Preview deson't go far enough to create Web-based option for store"
Just wanted to point that out to you.
No I have not read the article and most likely won't.
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|iTunes Preview is just meant to show people who don't have iTunes installed what is available, as far as music goes now.
While iTunes for Windows doesn't work as well as it should, iTunes is a seamless piece of the iPod experience. There doesn't need to be a browser-based anything. If you have an iPod or iPhone, you're covered. If you don't, you shouldn't care about it.
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|its not a store, its an information center, pretty much useless.
now if they created a web based store you could buy from minus any software/addons, that would be News
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|I have to ask, why do we need a browser based itunes store? I mean i have itunes on my iphone and on my pc. I really dont need a browser based solution. Just cause microsoft did it doesnt mean anyone else has to. I mean really it's not that big a deal to install itunes. I only use it for my phone. I don't see why anyone should care about this topic cause I dont see a need for a replacement for itunes.
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|A lot of the reason is simply because a lot of times people want to search and/or purchase software from any of these "markets" from the comfort of their computer rather than being constrained to a small screen.
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|iTunes is a touchy piece of software for many people, and people don't trust it.
1) Windows support - runs poorly, especially compared to Zune, WMP, WinAmp, etc...
2) iTunes has been linked to users importing 'movies' to the iTunes media database and then having this information reported to their ISPs. (Many of the Comcast and Charter 'threat' letters have been traced to iTunes users downloading or even rippin a DVD and loading it into the iTunes database. This information is seen as 'suspect' by Apple and passed on to the user's ISP, often resulting in threat letters.
3) There are people that would consider an iPod if they weren't forced into iTunes. (Yes there are ways around this for 'techie' people, but the average user is not going to bother with hacks to not have to use iTunes.)
It would be in Apple's interest to make iTunes a 'web application', not only for performance/portability but to also remove some of the invasive features iTunes does. Even if just the 'purchasing/browsing' features of iTunes are turned over to a browser interface.
They could even offer a Windows Media Player Store plugin so that they don't have to even bother with the device portion of the software development, and it would be iTunes, and not require all the plumbing currently required to load the iPods.
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