Apple iTunes U marketing plan
p2p news / p2pnet: America’s famous Stanford may have been among the first of the major American universities to be sucked in by one of Apple’s cleverest marketing ploys for iTunes.
But it won’t be the last, not if Steve Jobs can help it because Apple has launched a, “nationwide expansion of a service that puts course lectures and other educational materials online and on-the-go via Apple’s iTunes software,” says the Associated Press.
Jobs’ thinking may have been, “Since we’ve already talked a few of them into adopting our iPod music player as ‘essential classroom technolgy,’ who knows, maybe we can get away with it with iTunes as well?!”
Not that the underlying theory behind using teaching institutions and their staffs for corporate sales and promotions is anything new. The entertainment cartels have been doing it for years.
It seems Apple has been working with six universities on the “educational program” and is now, “inviting other universities to sign up”.
The University of Missouri was already offering lecture podcasts through the school network, says the story, “But ‘Tunes U’ offered a software and service package – in Apple’s reputedly easy-to-use interface – all for free, said Keith Politte, the development officer at the university’s School of Journalism.”
For free? Heh
Apple is also using Stanford as a promotional vehicle.
“For instance, Stanford University, which joined the pilot program last fall, gives the public free access to not only some lectures but also audio broadcasts of sporting events through its iTunes-affiliated site,” says the story, adding:
“And it only takes a slight movement of the mouse to go from a university’s section of iTunes to a link to the commercial site, where songs are sold for 99 cents apiece, and TV shows and music videos are sold for $1.99 a pop.”
And therein lies the tale.
Also See:
sucked in – Stanford, Apple love-in, January 25, 2006
Associated Press – Apple’s iTunes expands podcast service for universities, January 27, 2006
doing it – Big Music university shill report, September 21, 2005
January 31st, 2006 at 1:11 am
You’d think that these universities would have people around who are smart enough to get podcasts up an running on free/GPL software.
But hey, why genuinely save money on educational costs when you can get a massive corporation to provide the service for you at the expense of your independence?