iTunes: Over 3 Billion Served

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

01 Aug 2007 02:07 PM

Do you remember years ago when it was fun to watch the McDonald's sign change to show how many burgers were sold. Somewhere along the line, they just couldn't keep up any longer, and those signs changed to the line "billions and billions served.

It is a very different world now, and success is measured in music downloads rather than patties with special sauce.

Yesterday, Apple announced that more than three billion songs have been purchased and downloaded from the Apple iTunes store. "We'd like to thank all of our customers who have contributed to this incredible milestone," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes, in the announcement.

I wonder if the folks at Apple were all standing around their virtual counter, much as you try to catch that elusive moment when your speedometer is about to turn over to register 100,000 miles. Or perhaps these days, that number is something less miraculous, such as 33,333?

In that same sort of vein, I'm having a hard time mustering up enthusiasm about this latest announcement. I suppose I should be impressed by three billion, but I'm just not. Perhaps it is because I'm not really surprised. ITunes has made some innovative moves. There are cutting edge features, as Apple admits, such as Cover Flow, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, and an easy integration with the iPhone.

And don't forget the biggest accomplishment, the fact that Apple took a demand for online music, wrestled it away from the illegal arena, and made it easy (and legal) to discover, purchase and download new music from the comfort of the keyboard. And it works for both Mac and PC users.

The only thing it is missing, ironically, is a theme song.

"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun."

Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com, where she shares money saving tips for today's families.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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