Google's Andy Rubin says iTunes is "not the right experience"

Yesterday's announcement of Google Books was another sign that the internet powerhouse intends to compete with Apple on all levels. If a comment that was made yesterday at D:DiveIntoMobile by Andy Rubin, Google's Vice President of Engineering, is any indication, Google has plans to create an online music store to compete with iTunes.
D:DiveIntoMobile is a conference sponsored by the Wall Street Journal's AllThingsDigital, and it features panels with a number of mobile computing notables and the AllThingsDigital staff. During his talk yesterday, Rubin quickly demoed Honeycomb, the tablet version of the Android OS that is designed to compete directly against the iPad. At the prompting of a moderator, he discussed Google's plans in the music space.
When asked if Google would start off with some "simple" download store like iTunes instead of a planned cloud-based subscription service, Rubin reportedly said that "We could build that 10 times over... (it's) not the right experience." Rubin said that he wants the Google music service to have an "intimate connection," reminiscing that he still remembers album titles that he and a date were looking at in a record store when he was 15 years old.
What do you think, TUAW readers? Does Apple need to change the model and the experience for iTunes in order to compete with whatever will eventually come from Google? Leave your comments below.
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Yesterday's announcement of Google Books was another sign that the internet powerhouse intends to compete with Apple on all levels. If a...
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My reply to Rubin is simply this: the show me your better. Because until I see what he thinks is how it should be done I am not siding for or against him.
As for some of the iTunes naysayers, I offer you the same. Show me your better ideas. Make your software, make your store etc. I don't mean describe it to me. I want fully functioning software.
Considering how Google sucks as a search engine (actually, all the search engines I have used suck most of the time), it is difficult to believe they will come up with anything that comes close to iTunes in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and ease of use. That being said, there is a lot of room for improvement in iTunes.
December 08 2010 at 10:45 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyNot the right experience, indeed......and, he wants an "intimate..... girlfriend" experience with a computer program. The mental contortions some of these competitors of Apple come up with defies normal reality. I think too many of these people buy into the Jobs Reality Distortion Field Theory and are trying to put their own from of the theory into practice.
Hey (expletive deleted).....design and build a better product and they will come. Barring that, keep your little insanities to yourself.
Let's first see what Google is gonna bring. Google Chrome is not such "a better experience" at all. I don't believe they can do all better than Apple: a better browser, a better iTunes, a better Phone OS and Smart Phone, a better computer OS, a better Google TV, a better eBook store... Pfff. I've been always a fan of Google, but that faded away last year. And I think that many people feel same.
December 08 2010 at 3:58 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhen will Android have Arabic Language support?
Salman
Next week Andy Rubin will announce that Facebook isn't a good experience and announce their plans for a competitor. (buzz v2)
December 07 2010 at 4:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWTF, Mr. Rubin? iTunes is what? Because Chrome Web Store is a blatant ripoff of iTunes store!!!!!
December 07 2010 at 4:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyRubin probably thought Google Wave was a great idea....Google has many products in beta that are not so good....competition is good, as it keeps developers on their toes...not sure that iTunes is so bad....it gets the job done, but certainly is due for a refresh....not sure what I'd like to see....
December 07 2010 at 4:13 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyiTunes frustrates me, but there isn't anything better IMO. I certainly don't like anything Google comes up with. They lack polish and attention to detail.
December 07 2010 at 3:28 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySyncing of iOS devices should be over the air. Their should never be a reason to have to use any computer to transfer anything to an iOS device.
I hope when the NC facility is announced it will include over the air syncing and software downloads.
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