Cyber-infrastructures and iTunes 10

Internet and world wide web have made a huge difference in the world. There is no doubt about that. Today we are worrying about internets capacity to grow and the horror vision from the future is the moment when the whole system falls apart. If it does. I am optimistic. I believe in the human creativity and innovations.

We are also experiencing how we get connected to new kinds of networks and maybe some of them are growing to become so big and strong that we almost can talk about new kinds of infrastructure. Facebook has more then 500 million active users. Can you visualize the amount of people sitting by their computers… It’s really impressing. And the use of Facebook develops. Today it is rather common that people I know get in touch through the facebook chat. One advantage with that function is the ability to see when people are on-line. That function is of course nothing new, but together with over 500 millions active users, it’s really powerful.

Yesterday I watched Steve Jobs demoing Apples latest products and iTunes 10. These new iPods are really delicious, like candy. But iTunes 10 with its new music social media Ping is combining over 160 million iTunes users with a way to communicate with friends and artists and to get updated about new music, concerts etc. ITunes already had an amazingly strong marketposition, but what will happen now?

There are a lot of musicians who have used MySpace and then Facebook for getting in touch with their friends and promote their music. Now iTunes is offering them a brand new social media with a natural connection with music. A new way to build relations and market their products. It’s brilliant.

But, some musicians are not happy. Maybe iTunes is getting too dominate that it gives them no choice? Or maybe they just don’t like Apple? Or maybe they feel that they are forced to entering a new world with new demands and that they never got the question if they wanted to participate in this world?

I don’t know. But I get the feeling that Apple is building a kind of musical infrastructure that will grow and set the standard for decads to come. I have been a mac-user since april 1989 and I am proud and happy that I have had this opportunity to follow Apples super development. Thank you Apple!