Embracing Chaos

Back in 2007, I predicted that Apple would launch a subscription music service probably around 2010. My logic was based on how long it would take to get enough connected iPods into the world. Having spent a bunch of time with an unconnected mp3 player with a subscription music service I knew this was necessary. I had been using a Sansa mp3 player, which was playing content from Rhapsody’s subscription service. The device was designed to essentially brick itself every 30 days unless you plugged it into a PC. This was necessary to ensure that you were still paying for the music that it had stored, since it couldn’t connect itself. The experience sucked.  Jobs would never let this fly. But now there’s a whole slew of media devices (iPhones, iPod touches, and the new slate) which have their own connection to the outside world and wouldn’t need to be plugged in every month to verify that you’ve paid up.

iSlate is rumored to have a bunch of new content associated with it.  Particularly print content.  Print publishers will probably want consumers to sign up for subscriptions.  So Apple’s probably going to be introducing people to the concept of content subscriptions on their portable devices, likely with iPhone OS 4.0 which probably will run the iSlate and old iPhones and iPod touches too.  So I wouldn’t be surprised if you can get an all-you-can-eat music subscription service available too.  We’ll see.  It’s pure speculation, but it would make sense.  I’d be particularly tickled if my off-the-cuff prediction of dates from 2007 turned out to be right.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 4:00 PM and is filed under Analysis, Apple, Gadgets, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.