Click here for images of the new Walkman players Sony has announced that it is shutting Connect, its online music store, admitting defeat at the hands of Apple'" />
Enter our Snapshots of Summer photography competition

Click here for images of the new Walkman players
Sony has announced that it is shutting Connect, its online music store, admitting defeat at the hands of Apple's iTunes.
The service - which sold songs in a proprietary format that prevented them from being played on non-Sony devices - will close in Europe some time after March next year, depending on demand, the company said in a statement.
Officially, the explanation given by Sony was that it had "listened to its customers," but sources at the company said that selling songs in the 'ATRAC' format - which was used only by Sony - went against the tide of making devices more compatible with a range of download services.
The next generation of Sony Walkman digital media players - details of which were released simultaneously with the Connect announcement - will use the Windows Media Player platform. The switch means that the new Sony devices will be able to download songs from third-party music sites, such as HMV and Napster, the company said. They will not work with Apple's iTunes store, however, which commands as much as 80 per cent of the market
"Customers don't want to be constrained in their music choice, and to fear that if they change computers or their device, they won't be able to use certain types of services," a source close to Sony said. "ATRAC was a a great codec [a type of audio format] and it served its purpose for a time, but the world has moved on."
The two new series of Walkman - the NWZ-A810 and the NWZ-S510, which will be available from October - will be able to download movie trailers, songs, and music videos from "a range of websites" that are Windows-compatible, Sony said in a statement. They will also be able to connect wirelessly with other Sony devices, such as the PlayStation 3.
Sony launched Connect in the UK in July 2004 as part of an attempt to provide an integrated music service that incorporated both the online platform and the device in a proprietary format, much in the manner of Apple's iPod-iTunes system.
The company has always been tight-lipped about how many customers the service had, but in 2005, Sony's vice-president for network services in Europe said that Connect had "done a lot of sales."
Ultimately, however, the service struggled to gain a foothold against Apple's iTunes store, which is by far the dominant player in the digital download market.
Today shares in Sony were down 1c, at $46.10.
Win a luxury weekend to Newcastle and its neighbour Gateshead, find out more here
Risk, resilience and embracing new technology
Industry sectors news at a glance. Interactive heatmap, video and podcast
Discover the collective power of smart thinking. Submit a solution and be in with a chance to win a Flip MinoHD Camcorder
The inside track on current trends in the charity, not for profit and social enterprise sectors
Everything the Business Traveller needs to know to make a better trip
Make the most of the summer and enter our fabulous photographic competition, you could win a £5000 holiday
Corsica is an island of beauty and contrast, an ideal holiday destination
Enjoy further reading from Travel to Fashion, Business to Sport, discover more
Shortcuts to help you find sections and articles
The clever way to lease a new car is with Car leasing made simple™
2009
42,945
2008
71,450
Car Insurance
Not Specified
MI6
UK-based
£60,000
The Environment Agency
Bristol
Up to £90K
Boots
Midlands
OTE £85k
Credit Protection Association
Nationwide Opportunities
Completely London
Luxury Condo's in Manhattan with NYC views
The best new homes in Wimbledon?
Nationwide
Save up to £1,000 per couple with Elite Vacations at the five-star Constance Lemuria Resort
and do the British Isles this Summer.
Save up to 60% with Oxford Hotels and Inns
Try our inspiring luxury holidays to the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia.
Great offers available
8 fabulous Canadian cities ...you won’t find cheaper
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times, or place your advertisement.
Times Online Services: Dating | Jobs | Property Search | Used Cars | Holidays | Births, Marriages, Deaths | Subscriptions | E-paper
News International associated websites: Globrix Property Search | Property Finder | Milkround
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
The free LAME encoder using variable bitrate settings is much better than ATRAC, and the MP3 files it creates will play on pretty much anything, including iPods.
If you want to download music, open an account at eMusic. There are no proprietary formats there - all downloads on eMusic are standard MP3s. More than 2 million tracks from 13,000 independent labels.
Baxter Tocher, Edinburgh,
Actually, the device will work with Apple's iTunes store. Apple now sells songs in the open AAC format, DRM-free. Sadly not all record companies can stop accusing their customers of being pirates and they alone hold the responsibility of their songs not being responsive the customers legal rights.
Not all songs downloaded from the iTunes store then are indeed compatible, but that would not be because of the store. Instead the fault is with the "dusty minded" music industry who continue to push financially and for more constraint in the market place. These are the people who continue to "protect" media on the most popular online music store in the world and in doing so make it incompatible with such devices.
Matt Hoult, Cheltenham, UK
Yes this is realy bad news. Sony Atrac is so much better than Mp3 etc...the audio quality of my A805 is just great using Atrac. I dont know why Sony dont continue with Atrac and also make their players fully compatible with other formats.
Mark, Nottingham, UK
Sony shot themselves in the foot with this one. It's tough to see a company that brought us the Walkman provide such poor products. I downloaded one song and couldn't do a thing with it except play it on their player. I tried to convert it but the quality was poor.
David Waddell, Houston, TX
It's so sad. SONY always offered superior audio quality. iPod and iTunes are bullcrap in comparison. Long live ATRAC I say.
Van Dam , LONDON, United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland