[hencpu]

S’pore to get Apple’s iTunes Music Store...finally

Strait Times
By Grace Chng
Deputy News Editor

SAN FRANCISCO - APPLE Computer has news that will be music to the ears of iPod owners in Singapore. The company plans to open an iTunes Music Store here by the end of next year, a reliable source told The Straits Times.

More than 850 million songs have been sold through Apple’s online music stores since the first one was launched in the United States 2 1/2 years ago. But while the stores have spread to more than 20 countries, including Australia, Luxembourg and Japan, they have not made their way here yet. Currently, only those with credit card billing addresses in the countries
with the stores can access them.

Opening a Singapore store will allow iPod users here to buy the more than two million songs available, which cost 99 US cents, or about S$1.60, each.

Songs are downloaded over the Internet onto a user’s computer before being transferred to their iPods. Users can buy single songs, or entire albums.

Also on the cards for Singapore: an Apple Store, a retail outlet opened and managed by the iconic computer company. These stores, which are separate from Apple resellers, are known for their cutting-edge architectural design and so-called Genius Bars - customer service centres manned by Apple experts who can help buyers with any problems they may have.

Apple’s move to open an iTunes Music Store here comes hot on the heels of blistering sales of iPods. Last year, 40 million people worldwide bought iPods. Although, Apple does not release unit sales in specific markets, it is understood that the iPod market in Singapore grew in the triple-digit per cent range .

Expansion might have been faster if the iTunes Music Store had been available in Singapore, as it enables people to choose songs they want to buy and listen to, rather than purchase whole albums, as they have to with CDs.

[lulu]

$1 per download, pleeease!

[d23]

woo! Waiting for this for a damn long time! Hopefully our silly gahment can seperate p2p software from iTunes and not send us warning letters for d/ling songs of iTunes.

[xiao`meow]

yay! finally iTunes music store coming... i remember reading it in straits times recently, but was rumor so didn't post it... finally confirmed liao..

[cloud77]

2007 ? thats still a year from now, ya ? :angle5:

[PeA_NuTz]

Wait till long neck liao :sleep1:

[PiNgPiNg]

2007 i think alot of users in singapore might have a total database bigger than iTunes liao.. hahahha a

[dr_disciple]

Wah this is good news, but tooooo loooong!!

[bobohalo]

lols what are the chances of it stoppin piracy?

[Hairyworm]

Originally Posted by bobohalo

lols what are the chances of it stoppin piracy?

0% for me.

[hencpu]

Originally Posted by bobohalo

lols what are the chances of it stoppin piracy?

i would say very slim...unless they price it really low like $0.99 per song.

but tat will only useful for iPod owners, doesn't make any difference for non-iPod players...

[dr_disciple]

Originally Posted by hencpu

i would say very slim...unless they price it really low like $0.99 per song.

but tat will only useful for iPod owners, doesn't make any difference for non-iPod players...

Maybe non-iPod users will start dumping their mp3 players and get iPod now. I wonder how successful is Creative's onlne music store. Till now i still buy CD and rip to my Nano, dont really like the selection of other online stores.

To hell with Apple and their inferior iPods

[hencpu]

Originally Posted by dr_disciple

Maybe non-iPod users will start dumping their mp3 players and get iPod now. I wonder how successful is Creative's onlne music store. Till now i still buy CD and rip to my Nano, dont really like the selection of other online stores.

yeah, wonder if wat happen Japan will also happen to Creative...Sony was defeated in their own backyard especially after the launch of iTunes Music Store Japan.

[bobohalo]

Originally Posted by hencpu

yeah, wonder if wat happen Japan will also happen to Creative...Sony was defeated in their own backyard especially after the launch of iTunes Music Store Japan.

In Singapore? No way, iPod in singapore too exp so as to speak.
Unless the Mcdonald Hello Kitty start again. :