News on iTMS Europe / Windows

[Cat]

Jobs, dressed in his trademark jeans, sneakers and black sweater, said Apple's popular iTunes Music Store on the Internet would not be launched in Europe this year.

"We're clearly working on it (but) I think we'll do it next year," he told journalists on the fringes of the annual Apple Expo in Paris. He said it took time to sort out distribution rights with the music publishers who own the songs.

Jobs reiterated that, before the end of the year, Apple would bring iTunes and the online music store which has sold 10 million songs since its launch four months ago, to owners of personal computers that run on Microsoft's Windows operating system.

"We're very much on track to execute iTunes for Windows," he said.

Let's hope that means *early* next year for Europe, as in January / MWSF.

[senne]

ahbah! Not only AMERICA is important, Steve!!!

(iTunes for Windows in mid-October)

[uoba]

Even though annoying, I can't really say Apple are neglecting Europe (even by having the Windows version out first). We're made up of quite a few countries with differing copyright and protection laws. More admin.

[senne]

and what about Australia and Azia?

[porteous]

Apple have always neglected Europe, especially the UK - it's never been high on their list of profits - er, I mean priorities - and nothing has changed since Jobs took control back, sad to say.

[senne]

Originally posted by porteous especially the UK

Haha, do you really think that the UK has been neglected more than other countries of Europe? You're wrong on that one!

[uoba]

Yes we have, we have to use German Mac OS X because they haven't done an
English version for the UK yet.

[gwynarion]

Originally posted by senne
ahbah! Not only AMERICA is important, Steve!!!

Oh come on, you can't blame Apple or Steve Jobs for this one, any more than you can blame them for not having the Windows version out yet. The only way the big record companies would sign on in the first place was if it was Mac only (so as to keep the "test" user base to a low number). As for US only, as Steve says in the quote and as someone else pointed out here there are many different and often contradictory copyright standards around the world that Apple must deal with before any service can be launched in those countries.