
Apple could have simply manufactured its popular iPod MP3 play-
ers. Instead, it created iTunes—a music, and later, multimedia service
completely removed from Apple’s core business, computer device
manufacturing. iTunes enables the iPod to become a personal content
service (and with the iPhone, a personal communications tool), not
just a content playback mechanism.
According to some estimates, iTunes and the App Store account for
over $3.5 billion in revenue for Apple
5
—and drive consumer purchase
decisions on who knows how much of the $40 billion Apple makes on
its computers, iPods, and iPhones.
6
Amazon’s Kindle, meanwhile, is essentially an iPod for ...