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Apple Scores iTunes Bundling Deal For Chinese Market

Apple Scores iTunes Bundling Deal For Chinese Market

by , 9:00 AM EDT, May 18th, 2004

Apple announced today a new bundling agreement for iTunes in the Chinese market. The company inked a deal with Chinese PC vendor Founder that will place iTunes on every PC that Founder sells in China. The deal doesn't specifically include the iTunes Music Store, as that service has yet to be launched outside the US.

"Digital music is becoming very important in the Chinese PC market, and Apple's iTunes is the runaway market leader," said Wei Xin, chairman of Founder Group and Founder Technology today in a press release issued by Apple. "As the first Chinese company to bundle this innovative software with our PCs, we are excited to provide our customers with the world's best digital music experience."

The Chinese market is one of the fastest growing PC markets in the world, with most of those sales going to Windows and Linux-based systems. Apple's penetration of that market for the Mac remains low.

You can find more information about Founder at that company's Web site.

The Mac Observer Spin:

This is a pretty big deal for Apple, at least as far as the music business is concerned. In addition to spreading its name, as well as QuickTime and AAC, Apple is sowing the fields for if and when it brings the iTunes Music Store to China. This way Apple gets a head start by having potentially millions of copies of iTunes already in the market when and if that does happen.

With China largely being an untapped market for Apple, any progress can be considered good. We'd have been happier with a newly announced deal involving China and the Macintosh, but the music industry itself is obviously important to Apple's future, too.

Apple

Observer Comments

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Close Name:Guest
Tue May 18, 2004 9:49 am Subject: Picky Error

Sorry but that should be "sowing" not "sewing" : "Apple is sewing the fields..."

But I agree, this could be huge for at least iTunes/iPod and hopefully Apple/Macintosh.


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Close Name:jfbiii Posts: 109 Joined: 06 May 2004
Tue May 18, 2004 10:01 am Subject: Office of State Security: Dept. of Propaganda

I feel sorry for the poor bastard that has to listen to all 700,000 songs to determine which ones people can and can not purchase.

Still, I bet they'd let us listen to more than our civil liberties hating AG (whose name I can apparently no longer accurately mispell lest it bring down the wrath of the FBI on TMO) would if left to his own devices.


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Close Name:Biff Posts: 1479 Joined: 08 Apr 2004
Tue May 18, 2004 10:19 am Subject:

Dude where's your tinfoil hat!?


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Close Name:Guest
Tue May 18, 2004 10:41 am Subject: Stay tuned for more Chinese insults

The United Hates just doing their job of trying to be the best terrorist on the planet.


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Close Name:jfbiii Posts: 109 Joined: 06 May 2004
Tue May 18, 2004 10:58 am Subject: Dude!?

It's covering the breast of the statue behind the $30K set of curtains, preventing the mind-control rays that eminate from all oversize marble breasts from affecting the only person capable of saving us from old men who try to sneak through airport security with nail clippers.

My tinfoil hat and the sweet love of our dearest lord jesus, celebrated in daily Justice Department sing-a-longs, are the only things protecting this great country from the perils of free speech, public access to government, and non-christian psycho cultists.


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Close Name:Guest
Tue May 18, 2004 2:10 pm Subject: Road Warrior

jfbiii, what great country are you talking about? China?


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Close Name:Bryan -   TMO Staff Posts: 7340 Joined: 11 Jun 2001
Tue May 18, 2004 2:57 pm Subject: Re: Picky Error

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
Sorry but that should be "sowing" not "sewing" : "Apple is sewing the fields..."


Ack! I hate that particular typo, on which I will blame being very, very tired when I put this piece together, not that this is an excuse.

The story has been edited; thanks for the note, Guest!

For the record, my other least favorite typos include peak/peek, and its/it's. In all three cases, I know full well what's what, but occasionally read over them during the editing process.


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