Actually, the latest Economist has an excellent survey on telecom convergence that (for me at least) makes clear how unequipped telecom companies are (and will always be) for delivering compelling services of any kind.

This is not about music (or video, etc.). There are significant fundamental structural (cultural, economic) barriers within these companies that prevent them from doing something as obviously desirable as a mobile music service.

Steve Jobs would do it himself but as he has said (scathingly) before he doesn’t work well with “orifices”. Link: http://www.brianstorms.com/archives/000574.html and search in the piece for the word orifice.

Of course, Steve Jobs is busy constructing a shiney white orifice called iTunes, but I digress.

-Doug

Having said that, iPod sales from last quarter were only 600,000 units up, worldwide which doesn’t seem such a spectacular increase to me – actually 7% from last quarter. So Apple’s great results can’t really be attributed to the iPod.

This isn’t Apple bashing, by the way. I love Apple gear and no one is more pleased than me to see Apple’s great progress in recent years. However, you can’t fight market forces and the iPod (and all the other stand alone MP3 players) is doomed, I’m afraid.

But this is a long term trend and there will false dawns like this along the way. Or maybe I am wrong, we’ll see.

Spencer – I agree with you in many instances, but the Walkman range is a pretty good user experience in my opinion. And they come with arguably the best ear buds available on any phone *or* MP3 player.

Russell

were *you* off.

shares up 5 bucks after-hours, beat the street, and sales up.

that has to hurt.