|
Move over Sony, Apple's iTunes has won the online music battle. As a result, Sony will surrender and close its Connect Music Store as early as March 2008. Although Connect's official ending is certainly big news, the vultures have been circling for months. Back in June, suspicions arose when Sony Connect Inc. announced that it was eliminating positions. The reason the company gave for this layoff surrounded shifting its resources to other online services such as its PlayStation video game system. Officially, Sony denied any connection between these changes and a possible closing.
For those experiencing Connect withdrawals, Sony wants to help. The Japanese company will gradually phase out Connect operations stating, "This gives customers greater flexibility in their music software approach. As a result, Sony will be phasing out the Connect Music Services based on Sony's ATRAC audio format in North America and Europe." (Source: forbes.com) What happened? Connect was unsuccessful because most consumers never warmed up to its ATRAC technology. Therefore, its new line of Walkman digital music players will feature Windows Media Audio DRM instead. Also, new Sony music players will users to download songs from third-party music sites including HMV and Napster. The downside: The improved gadgets will not work with Apple's iTunes store. Since iTunes commands at least 80 per cent of the market, it looks like Sony may be fighting yet another losing battle. (Source: technology.timesonline.co.uk) In North America and Europe, March is scheduled as shutdown month. However, specific timing for each region is not yet known. Customers who purchased ATRAC-encoded files will only be able to access them with older Sony devices. In addition, the company suggests that audio files be saved on audio CDs in case future Walkman models do not support their format. Those using Connect's e-book service are warned not to worry, the program will remain active.
-- Related newsletter articles:
2007/06/19 Will Sony Slash PS3 Price with Workforce? (sony)
2007/06/14 Sony to Slash US Workforce (sony)
2007/07/16 Sony Repents for Virtual Blasphemy (sony)
2007/08/10 Sony Recalls Continue to Mount (sony)
2007/07/05 Sony Begs Gamers Not to Give Up on PS3 (sony)
2007/08/28 Wal-Mart Wows With $0.94 Music Downloads (itunes)
2007/06/20 Sony vs. The Church of England (sony)
2007/05/29 Sony and Blu-ray Concoct Lawsuit (sony)
2007/06/13 Sony Sued for Stealing Security (sony)
2007/08/21 LimeWire Soon to Launch Paid Music Store (music)
2007/07/16 Will Microsoft Reduce the Price of its Xbox 360? (sony)
2007/06/11 Sony Woes Continue in Japan (sony)
2007/07/18 Sony Puts PSP on a Diet (sony)
2007/07/23 Microsoft DRM Hacked, Again (music)
-- Recent articles (from all channels): 2008/05/12 Today in History: for Monday, May 12, 2008
2008/05/12 [ShellX 20080512]: 'Remote Manager', and 'Cyber Bandwidth ...
2008/05/12 Video Gaming Trade Group Struggling
2008/05/12 T-Mobile Finally Joins 3G Phone Race
2008/05/12 Apple Slammed by Environment Watchdog
2008/05/09 [ShellX 20080509]: 'Advanced Run', and 'Diver Windows Manager'
2008/05/09 Texas Refuses Facebook Friend Request
2008/05/09 Photo-Enforcement Technology Replaces Officers On Patrol
2008/05/09 Cuban Government Says 'Ok Computer'
2008/05/09 Excel Can E-Mail Your Weekly Reports For You!
2008/05/08 [ShellX 20080508]: 'Shell Enhancer', and 'Lansweeper'
2008/05/08 Xobni: MS Outlook Social Networking Technology for your Inbox
2008/05/08 Music Companies Jump on GTA IV Bandwagon
2008/05/08 Fascinating: Memristor to replace Binary
2008/05/08 Adobe Hopes To Make Flash Master Of The (Mobile) Universe
2008/05/08 Spiffy Envelopes and Labels in MS Word
2008/05/07 [ShellX 20080507]: 'Winbin2iso', and 'Loop Typer'
2008/05/07 Yahoo Adds Security Warnings To Search Results
2008/05/07 Apple to Lose Money on iTunes Movie Releases
2008/05/07 Amazon.com takes New York Tax to Court
2008/05/07 Need Glasses for the Slide Sorter View in MS PowerPoint?
2008/05/07 After Winning The DVD Format War, Blu-Ray Sales Tank
2008/05/06 [ShellX 20080506]: 'Visual Basic 6.0 Portable', and 'Double-...
2008/05/06 Yahoo Outsources to Jajah
2008/05/06 New HP Circuit Could Change Technology Forever
2008/05/06 Movie Downloads To Match DVD Release Dates
2008/05/06 Microsoft Ends Yahoo Bid
2008/05/05 [ShellX 20080505]: 'Ie7 Pro', and 'Desktop Ok'
2008/05/05 The WB Network Hops Online
2008/05/05 Microsoft Slashes Price of Xbox 360 Overseas
2008/05/05 Google CEO Wants YouTube to Take More of Your Money
|
