The Zune Pass is in big trouble now, here why!

[BlindBandit]

Unlimited iTunes Subscriptions?
Apple to offer unlimited iTunes purchases for a monthly fee, reports suggest.

When it comes to digital distribution, iTunes has shaped one of the most successful business models in the home entertainment industry, with over 10 billion songs and 2 million movies sold, as well as over 3 billion apps downloaded. Since it began, the service has been based in per-item purchases, but now it seems Apple may be considering an alternative, subscription-based model for iTunes.

According to New York Post, Apple is in talks with major music labels in regards to a new subscription-based pricing structure for iTunes that would allow unlimited access for a monthly fee. Pricing for the new service could be broken down into tiers, ranging between $10 and $15, though what limits would be imposed on each remains unknown.

The talks involved iTunes executive Eddy Cue, and may have been as recent as a few weeks ago, says the New York Post. The negotiations are also believed to be the result of slumping song downloads, which have been surpassed by purchases of whole albums.

For more on iTunes, stay tuned to IGN.com.

Source: http://gear.ign.com/articles/112/1126807p1.html

Apple just kill the Zune & the Zune Pass for good. the Zune did put a good fight but Apple always had the upper hand because of the Ad's but Microsoft was lazy with the Ad's & now they are paying the price.

[CrowdAds]

[Marvin the Martian]

Yeah, if this happens, sayonara, Zune.

[BlindBandit]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

Yeah, if this happens, sayonara, Zune.

I was shock when i saw this, Apple is not playing around here & what mess up about this is Apple knew that Microsoft is going to launch Windows Phone 7 in a few days & what to piss them off is that they put this news before Windows Phone 7 hit on stores. not only Microsoft is piss about that but Verizon is coming out with the iPhone 4 with there network in 2011.

[terminalx]

Originally Posted by BlindBandit

I was shock when i saw this, Apple is not playing around here & what mess up about this is Apple knew that Microsoft is going to launch Windows Phone 7 in a few days & what to piss them off is that they put this news before Windows Phone 7 hit on stores. not only Microsoft is piss about that but Verizon is coming out with the iPhone 4 with there network in 2011.

The Iphone is not coming in 2011 to Verizon unless there is some weird clause in the contract that Apple & At&t signed. Its exclusive until 2012 and why would they make a CDMA phone when Verizon is rolling out LTE to 38 cities? It seems its just hype to get people to hold onto their current phones and hope and pray the iphone is coming.

Also I can't see Apple doing a subscription service as less people would be buying music causing the music companies harm. Its the same reason why only a few companies are embracing their new rental model as its going to cause them to lose money. I've been wrong before but it would defeat the whole concept that apple has in their current model. The zune was built with the pass in mind and it integrates with everything seamlessly, Itunes would need to change a lot for this to be just as seamless. Apple doesn't just tack on features because it would harm their elegant image...

[JoshRead]

Microsoft needs to lower the Zune Pass price to 5-10 dollars a month, IMO.

[BlindBandit]

Originally Posted by JoshRead

Microsoft needs to lower the Zune Pass price to 5-10 dollars a month, IMO.

$5 is not going to happen knowing Microsoft lol & $10 well that can happen but they going to take away some things off like 10 free songs every month or just no more 10 free songs every month. if Microsoft do take out the 10 free songs every month & you only pay $10 then it's ok but if iTunes pass for $10 give you way more songs then the Zune Pass, this is going to hurt Microsoft very bad.

[Stujoe]

I will be honest. I love the Zune HD (and we have 7 Zunes in the family right now and 2 Zune Passes) but if Apple goes to a Zune Pass clone on all their devices, we will probably end up with iPods eventually.

And that also means that I would no longer be interested in WP7 at all.

An iTunes Pass would have a very bad effect on Zune and WP7, I think. And it looks like Apple is smart enough to realize that.

[lip]

MS is in this to win...they took out Sony in the game space which was unthinkable at the time...they view the mobile space as the new desktop...they will lose money hand over fist to win...
You are all assuming MS is going to sit back and not market WP7 (and Zune)...they are spending literally billions on WP7 with a huge portion of that in marketing...don't look at their previous zune marketing efforts for any indication of what is to come...look at how MS marketed XBOX and XBOX360...
Counting out MS before they even start is foolhardy at best...

[Stujoe]

WP7, though is just a side note to me for a subscription music device. I am not going to buy 5 WP7 phones to replace our 5 in use Zunes...and pay 5 Data Plan charges as an added bonus.

As it is right now, if my kids' Zunes die (and they are 2nd Gen models), I would hesitate to buy HDs for them. But, if Apple had an Apple Pass on all their devices, suddenly the Shuffle a great option for a kid's mp3 player. And a Touch for each of the Parents.

So really, the success or failure of WP7 is not of that much interest to me as a subscription music family member.

[Stujoe]

Two things I will add are that 1. If it is available only on the Touch and iPhone/Pad - I will not be interested. And 2. If this ends up just being a 'cloud music service', I will also not be interested.

It has to be an unlimited downloads service like the Zune Pass and available on all their devices before it becomes of interest to me.

[BlindBandit]

Originally Posted by Stujoe

Two things I will add are that 1. If it is available only on the Touch and iPhone/Pad - I will not be interested. And 2. If this ends up just being a 'cloud music service', I will also not be interested.

Apple is not that stupid as you think, they will add that service to iTunes on both iMac & Windows & even on iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone.

It has to be an unlimited downloads service like the Zune Pass and available on all their devices before it becomes of interest to me.

Well it's up to Apple which device they want to add that support to because iPod Touch 1G is not getting it, iPhone 1G is not getting it but maybe 2G, 3G is getting it.

[Stujoe]

Originally Posted by BlindBandit

Apple is not that stupid as you think, they will add that service to iTunes on both iMac & Windows & even on iPad, iPod Touch & iPhone.

There was talk when Apple bought Lala that they would just be a 'cloud' type service. Basically, if you already owned the songs, you could stream them anywhere through wifi or 3G. I guess those rumors have changed to a Zune Pass type service. We'll see.

Originally Posted by BlindBandit

Well it's up to Apple which device they want to add that support to because iPod Touch 1G is not getting it, iPhone 1G is not getting it but maybe 2G, 3G is getting it.

Well, if it isn't available on all the iPods (Nano, Shuffle and Touch), I might as well stick with the Zune until there is no other choice.

If they just put it on the Touch...well, I am not buying young kids touches until they are quite a bit older. They will stick with their second Gen flash Zunes until they no longer work.

[clubdirthill]

If Microsoft did a $5-10 streaming-only Zune Pass, I would jump. When I had my Zune Pass, I never once downloaded a song. And with 3G smartphones getting the Zune software, offline storage isn't that important. It would also help them stay competitive.

Regardless, Microsoft still would have the advantage of working across PC, web, phone, and TV.

[Moonrakerone]

I must say: i love zune. I have loved each generation of zune. If this happens though, the ipod touch is starting to look mighty sexy.

[medion]

The Iphone is not coming in 2011 to Verizon unless there is some weird clause in the contract that Apple & At&t signed.

There's been no confirmation on the length of Apple and AT&T's contract, though there has been endless speculation. Over the past year, most of the final exclusive carrier contracts for the iPhone have dissolved. AT&T is preparing for a future without iPhone exclusivity. While I don't see Verizon getting a CDMA iPhone in January, it's a possibility.

Its exclusive until 2012 and why would they make a CDMA phone when Verizon is rolling out LTE to 38 cities? It seems its just hype to get people to hold onto their current phones and hope and pray the iPhone is coming.

Because LTE chips are ridiculously expensive right now. The first on Verizon to use it are supposed to launch in the April/May time frame. Apple could launch a CDMA version in January for some early adopters, and then hit the LTE version in the summer. Or, for all we know, their AT&T contract was 3 years of exclusivity, plus 2 years of limited exclusivity. An example would be that AT&T gets the iPhone 5 in July, and then the Verizon version launches in January of 2012, giving AT&T 6 months of exclusive sales. We've certainly seen this before.

Also I can't see Apple doing a subscription service as less people would be buying music causing the music companies harm.

It's only a matter of time. Apple has been preparing for it and hinting at it for a good year now. They're going to offer a subscription service, and it looks like they're considering some cloud-based options for music storage as well.

[Olley]

Knowing Apple, they would open up subscrition long enough to kill off the Zune market, then close up their own subscription service and blame it on the music industry.

[BlindBandit]

Originally Posted by Olley

Knowing Apple, they would open up subscrition long enough to kill off the Zune market, then close up their own subscription service and blame it on the music industry.

They just can't do that, if they do that can be sue from the music industry because they made a contract.

[ItsLasher]

http://www.theindychannel.com/index.html

The key word here on the Apple Verizon comments is "VERSION" They are in talks for a "version" of the iPhone. The above artical is from The AP and the main words that jump out again "A Version" so it may not be a 100% true iPhone4 but a more entry level device or a slightly lessor model.

[Olley]

Originally Posted by BlindBandit

They just can't do that, if they do that can be sue from the music industry because they made a contract.

Contracts expire. No contract I know of is for eternity.

[BlindBandit]

Originally Posted by Olley

Contracts expire. No contract I know of is for eternity.

That very true but iTunes do have a lot of songs then Zune marketplace. i just hate the point system that Microsoft use. *look at the Xbox 360 marketplace *