You need to use a Mac, you need to have iTunes 4 (out only a week), you need to have OS X, you need to be in the U.S., and you generally need to be into music. If you checked off those boxes, you are part of a tiny sliver of the computing public.

That sliver has now purchased more than a million songs via Apple’s new music store. In addition, Apple has received orders for more than 110,000 iPods since they launched a new line-up last week.

A small population, but one certainly into anything new and cool they can do with their hardware, and (forgive me for saying it) usually addicted to doing whatever Steve Jobs says they should. (Especially in the aforementioned bleeding-edge group of Mac Users.)

You need to use a Mac - Check (work pc)
You need to have iTunes 4 (out only a week) - Check
You need to have OS X - Check
You need to be in the U.S. - ::looks around:: Check.
You generally need to be into music. - Check

If you checked off those boxes, you are part of a tiny sliver of the computing public. - Check (gotta love public education)

Yet somehow I've missed the stampede for the iPod and the opportunity to pay for downloading music.

Stop the bus! I wanna get on! Not.

I'll casually return to my PC with KaZaA this evening, and all will be right in the universe again.

~Robert

The reason it's US only at this point is because of the maze of licencing laws for music everywhere else.

It'll be Windows compatable later in the year.

I don't use Kazaa or Morpheus or Limewire or Gronster or whatever any more because I can't EVER find what I want.

I've not found anything I wanted on any of the services in months.

For example, I like the Classic Rock, Classic Punk, Classic Industrial. On Limewire last night, looking for around 45 minutes on the PC, I found nothing from Ministry before 1993's Psalm 69 except for 1 track. Apple had every album EXCEPT the one I was looking for, but I found a couple tracks from the live album that worked out for me.

I'm not going to get into the whole logistics of sharing services and the Home Copyright Act legality of backing up and trading media you own, but the RIAA people are going to start getting obnoxious towards the home users of sharing services.

This post really smacks of envy to me. itunes 4 is simply the coolest pay for music service i have seen with the possible exception of emusic.com. there are plenty of apple projects that have tanked, and your criticism is really unwarranted in this case.
I think the service is slightly overpriced on a per album basis.
one argument I think people have not made enough is that mp3s are basically a response to the deregulation, the consequent sucking of radio, and a near complete lack of free exposure to decent music.
even if you are a p2p downloader I hope you can recognize the ideological importance of having options for commercially downloadable music. it is critical for musicians, and ultimately serves everyone who loves music