>>Yes, and although I'm still using my Mac, I've officially stopped >>encouraging colleagues to support and buy Mac until I'm given reason >>to believe that Apple are any different when it comes to 'screwing' >>the end-user. > >To paraphrase this week's MWJ article, Apple's in a financial crunch >at the moment, because costs are up, hardware sales are down, and >things are generally in the doldrums in the PC hardware industry. >They can improve this quarter's profits by getting some income from >iTools users, and at the same time reduce the cost of running iTunes >by encouraging the leeching users (warez dudez, people with multiple >accounts, etc) to go elsewhere or pay up. > >And of course selling iPods to Windows users :) > >Have fun, >Shay >-- I sent the following message to TidBits following their latest Newsletter Prompt reply (about 10 minutes) is appended
Hi there -- >Have I got it right > >iTools is estimated to cost Apple between $10 and $15 million > >If all the current subscribers pay $99, the return would be of the order of >$220 million > >If all the current subscribers paid $20, the return would be $40 million Yep: that's about right. And if 10 to 15 percent of iTools users convert at $50 (as our poll may or may not indicate), the first year would bring Apple from $12 to $16 million. Conversion from "free" to "paid" online services has typically been around ten percent; if Apple can convert fifteen percent, they'll be ahead of the industry. In theory. gd -- Geoff Duncan TidBITS Technical Editor <http://www.tidbits.com/> You've been warned! <http://www.mp3.com/geoffduncan>
