No, but you will say it does, but then who listens to any advice about Apple from any Fortune writer.

They also predicted the stock wouldn't do so good either and we know that's not the case.

FACT, all these providers, from the ones developing hardware, to those writing the software, to those selling content, to those bundling it all together under a service are FOR PROFIT BUSINESSES, so to argue that one is better than the other without considering the fact that the main incentive of all these business is to return the most money to its shareholders is simply in dilusion.

The real argument then is one who provides the best experience, and that has an easy answer, even for those that don't particularly drink the Apple koolaid … Apple does have the best user experience, period.

iTunes is not even the best written piece of software, from a technical perspective, but it is friendly enough, and it is accessible enough, but more importantly, it is well integrated with the entire experience of owning an iPod, synchronizing your own content, or accessing content from iTunes. It just works, and it works well.

Yet that is not even the actual differentiator. What made the Apple the company that it is? SIMPLICITY. They made an interface that used to have about 9 buttons into one that has ONE wheel, and with that level of simplicity they took the market by storm. I no longer need to look at the damn player to make sure I have it pointing in the rigth direction so that my touch feel memory would push FFWD or FRWD correctly, or that the small PAUSE button wouldn't be pressed instead of the PLAY button. THAT is what defined Apple's success in the portable music space, nothing more and nothing less.

This same experience is now being brought into the iPhone. Try to save a contact with your smart phone and you learn how many damn clicks and menus you have to go through before you can actually save the contact. Or try to dial a number that happens to be hyperlinked in your internet connection. THAT is what Apple has done so well and THAT is what Microsoft and all others have failed miserably at.

There is an interesting story out there about Bill Gate's getting a preview of the Apple TV a few years back. When he save that Apple's remote control for the Apple TV he questioned how it was possible that it only had 3 buttons versus the 35 buttons or so that the Media Player remote control that Microsoft developed uses. Apparently the product manager for Media Player said … "Well, ours can do a lot more."

That's is just techno-geek talk. Sure, it can do more, perhaps, but it doesn't do it well, and it doesn't do it in a way that makes it stick with the consumer. That is again why Apple is winning this.

To end this email, one has to remember that a Mac is now the only 'PC' that can be both a MAC and a Windows machine, so much for being closed right?

All of this is coming courtesy from a guy that has been using Microsoft products since the days of DOS, so don't think I am an Apple fanboy. They simply have the better interface and that just cannot be denied.

I steal music.

I have a bootleg version of Windows XP.

I steal videos.

I see no problem here.

Apple has certain control over its products to create and maintain a very simple user experience which is the foundation of this company. We don't want to go the Ctrl+Alt+Del=Reboot way now do we?

Ya don't mess with success.

As for record label execs who think $0.99 isn't enough? To hell with them, the greedy idiots.