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Pre-empting the release of the long-anticipated iPhone on local shores, the local iTunes "app" store currently only offers the software for the iPhone and iPod Touch. No music or video content is available through the store.
While some applications are available for free download, others vary in price between US$0.99 and US$9.99.
The applications available through the "app" store are tiny, purpose built pieces of software resembling the widgets and gadgets available on-line for both Windows- and Macintosh-based computers.
The variety of applications is vast, spanning calculators, instant-messaging clients, information managers, sales-force automation tools, social-networking widgets and games like MooCowMusic's Band, which is a collection of virtual instruments that's allows the user to create his or her own music.
Since the iPhone's arrival date has not yet been confirmed by Vodacom, who through its relationship with Vodafone has secured the rights to make the iPhone available on its packages in South Africa, the usefulness of the store is limited to owners of the iPod Touch for the moment.
While the opening this South African iTunes "app" store will no doubt continue fuelling the hype and the excitement already in the market, the mere fact that an iTunes presence now exists in South Africa suggests that Apple might be poised to bring a full-service iTunes store to South Africa in the months to come.
While the company has not confirmed or denied this rumour, sources close to the Apple camp have inferred that the groundwork has already been laid for the transition to a full-blown 'music and video' store to take place, and furthermore that Apple would literally have to flick a switch to do so.
A cursory look at the current license agreement users have to agree to in order to sign up for the store also suggests that a slight rewording of the "legalese" would make it applicable to the sale of content.
The important part however is that Apple now has a billing model in place and a mechanism to deliver content to the iPod Touch and upcoming iPhone.
With the iPod by all accounts cited as the most popular portable media device in the South African market, it's safe to assume that all iPod users are also active users of the iTunes software (which allows for content to be synchronised with the portable device).
It's thus a perfect storm - Apple has a captive market and the ability to service it.
All it will have to do is sort out the bickering and fighting that generally surrounds the rights to content and ensure that the local rights holders get their share of the revenues.
If it can grapple with the hardball international record labels and Hollywood, we're convinced the local rights holders won't present even the slightest challenge to Apple's model.
- Fin24.com
