Ars Technica has basically endorsed the Wall Street Journal theory I mentioned earlier today. One of my favorite lines:
“Of course, there are times when we simply aren’t able to connect to a network, so a method of transferring songs for local storage when needed would also need to be addressed.”
In other words, Apple already has a system in place for storing all your music, but they’re going to ditch that in favor of a system that doesn’t store your music, and then you’re going to have to figure out when you’ll be without connection ahead of time and plan accordingly?
Do I really want to go back to a place where I have to decide BEFORE I get on the plane which music I want to take with me? That was one of the best things about ditching CDs for the iPod.
Why are people imagining that Apple has a music problem it needs to solve?
Here’s another gem:
“Still, transforming iTunes into a Web-based service will give Apple several ways to fend off encroaching competition from streaming and subscription services, as well as online distribution from the likes of Amazon MP3.”
Really? Apple had encroaching competition in this space? Last time I looked, Apple’s market share is still trending upwards. Subscription-based services have all failed, one after another. Pandora doesn’t have a sustainable business model.
Again, you’re solving a problem Apple doesn’t have. And your solution isn’t even a good one.
These authors are really not thinking this through. Cloud services will play a role, for sure, but completely uprooting the entire iTunes universe in favor of some browser-based method is not only not likely, it’s just a flat-out bad idea.
