Apple Introduces iTunes Music Store, iTunes 4, new iPod 1775
The store also offers exclusive music, music videos, and other multimedia, all in the main iTunes window. iTunes 4 will be available now (along with QuickTime 6.2), and the music store will be available today. It is Mac-only now, but will be available for Windows by the end of the year.
As a compromise to help prevent piracy, you must change your playlist every 10 CD burns, and you may share the music with only three other Macs (you may modify the list of computers that the music may be shared with at any time). There was no word on the technology used to handle this DRM.
The iTunes playlist sharing allows sharing of playlists, and the streaming of music from one machine to the other, though copying is not supported ("that would be verboten," Jobs added).
The new iPods will be $299 (10GB), $399 (15GB), and $499 (30GB). The dock holds the iPod upright, and has a line-out. The FireWire port is now on the bottom of the unit, and the buttons have been moved up higher, just below the screen, in a row. The improved screen features a backlight. The new units will be in Apple stores on Friday.
And tucked right at the bottom of the info... (Score:3, Informative)
Oh well. Back to P2P for me then.
(Note - The above is a joke. Well, both bit's are a joke really. When will US media companies learn that breaking the world into regions is a terrible idea?).
Re:Wow (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:4, Informative)
IIRC eMusic was doing this several years ago.
Re:should be per MB or per song minute charge (Score:5, Informative)
They do right now. $9.99/album.
Re:Still kinda expensive... (Score:5, Informative)
Obviously, it wouldn't make sense to charge for "filler" tracks that you probably wouldn't download if you wanted to buy the whole album track-by-track. Also, what about those techno albums that only have four 20 minute songs?
Disappointed that Apple doesn't take the lead... (Score:2, Informative)
You would think that with so many audio engineers using Apple exclusively, Apple would have offered higher-quality music downloads. I don't care if it's better than a 128K MP3... 128K MP3s sound incredibly bad on any decently nice speakers. (For reference, try playing some classical music at 128K, and then play the CD, on any decent speakers. You'd be amazed at the poor quality of the MP3.)
If I'm going to be paying for music, I'd like it to at least sound as good as a CD! I will say that even on my nice floorstanding speakers, I can't hear much difference between a 256K+ MP3 and a CD. So why not rip the audio at a higher bitrate?
I've been begging for a low-cost download option for songs for a while now, but I'd like to feel like I got a better-quality track for the same price. My reference point is a CD (and soon, it will hopefully be DVD-Audio [dvdaudiopreview.com] or a similar 5.1/6.1 format.) Those with the cheap $10 speakers aren't going to notice the difference anyway, but those of us with $1000+ sets hooked up to our home audio jukebox computers sure are.
you still pay for porn? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The *really* obvious question (Score:2, Informative)
-uso.
Finally somebody gets it.. (Score:3, Informative)
This is exactly what people have been waiting for. Too bad the industry couldn't have come up with this rather simple (and unrestrictive) process back in 1998 when mp3's started gaining popularity.
I fear that this new venture is doomed to failure now that people are so accustomed to getting their stuff for free. Too bad the industry didn't come up with this sooner.
Re:The *really* obvious question (Score:3, Informative)
Well, this isn't exactly the unfuckAAC program you're talking about, but it's close: On Windows I use a program called TotalRecorder. This program records the sound that other programs plays. I use it to record DRM protected WMA files I buy from online music stores.
TotalRecorder quite good, and _very_ reasonably priced (around $11). You've got to do a little manual work, though. If you want to encode the music in MP3 you've got to download BladeEnc or LameEnc separately. And for each song you play, you manually have to save the file and add ID3 tags yourself.
I don't buy too much DRM protected music, though, so I can live with the somewhat manual process.
Re:Older iPods? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Why USB??? (Score:2, Informative)
The number of computers with FireWire (be it on-board, add-on card, DV card, sound card, etc.) available on the market is increasing, but not as fast as USB 2.0 since almost all new chipsets include USB 2.0 support natively.
Re:On independent artists and the iTunes Music Sto (Score:2, Informative)
Is the iPod the greatest gadget ever ??? (Score:5, Informative)
This article [macworld.com] at MacCentral brought me to a conclusion:
The iPod may turn out to be the most useful piece of computer hardware ANY computer or electronic hardware company has ever developed.
That is a very general, seeming overly biased, statement coming from an Apple Computer Consultant; I'm sure.
Apple created a wonder in ease of use and portability with the iPod. Until the iPod was intrduced not only were Creative and Archos Jukebox series bulky, but 10, 15, and 20 gigs was impossibly slow to load to download to the units. They were also about as easy as a car stereo Mp3 player to navigate. Apple came out with a unit that essentially put a miniature iTunes (one of the easiest, most elegant MP3 players on any platform) on the iPod, made it a hard drive to boot, but added a firewire interface. This allowed the full 5, 10, and 20 gig transfer in minutes rather than the 3.3 hours it would take for the 20 gigs through USB.
The iPod is becoming a status symbol. Shaq uses one and CONSTANTLY talks about his in interviews. He made everyone on the team purchase one before they went to the playoffs last year.
The iPod is also versatile beyond it's intended uses:
iPod as a remote control [griffintechnology.com] The beauty linked here was ORIGINALLY planned for the iPod and is being redeveloped now
iPod as a mouse [slashdot.org]
iPod with FM radio [slashdot.org] and here [griffintechnology.com]
iPod as a gameboy [macitynet.it] and game controller [slashdot.org]
Some of the coolest accesories have popped up for the iPod too. Some are linked here. Check out the transpod and of course the cool iTrip and iFM availible from Griffin.
Here are two great resources for iPod info:
http://www.ipodlounge.com
http://www.ipodhacks.com
I have already seen future incarnations and "in development" iPods. Apple is planning for it to change the future direction of the company!
To answer a question common in the forums, there WILL be an update to allow 10 and 20 gig rev 2 iPods to work, it will be released sometime next month.
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:5, Informative)
The big difference is that Liquid doesn't have the $$ to promote like Apple.
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Disappointed that Apple doesn't take the lead.. (Score:3, Informative)
AAC at 128 easily surpasses MP3 at 256kbit. The kbit is not a representation of quality when you are comparing between two different methods. It's a representation of size.
So basically with AAC people will be downloading files no larger than the ones they are accustomed to but the quality will be worlds better.
Re:Does Apple Get A Cut? (Score:3, Informative)
Apple provides a firewire cable with the 'dock connector' on one end and 6pin firewire on the other so you do not have to use the dock, but you will need the cable.
Best part (Score:2, Informative)
APPLE SELLS WHOLE CD's for ONLY $9 !!!!!! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Initial observations on AAC (Score:2, Informative)
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
Listen to AAC samples here (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.epicrecords.com/mpeg4/?qt [epicrecords.com]
No stardard Firewire port on new iPod! (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.apple.com/r/store/gallery/ipod3/6.ht
Apple says that only the 15 and 30 GB models come with a dock. So, I guess the 10 GB model must come with a special cable.
Re:New CDs about a dollar a song, or this (Score:3, Informative)
Re:iPod dock == less portable (Score:2, Informative)
Yes: Most albums will be $9.99 (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Mod parent down (Score:2, Informative)
Thank God or actually Rogue Amoeba Audio Hijack [rogueamoeba.com]
Re:Best part (Score:3, Informative)
HTH
Chris
Re:Streaming != copying (Score:3, Informative)
Re:No, and nor should they be able to (Score:3, Informative)
I can sell 10,000 Britney songs at a $.50 profit each or I can sell 10 of your songs $1 a shot. Not really a hard choice...
Ironically, a search for Britney Spears in the iTunes Music Store brings up nothing...
re: iTunes 4 (Score:1, Informative)
1. The songs are 99 cents each, but an entire album is $9.99 USD.
2. You can burn MP3 Discs.
3. You do get artwork.
4. Steve Jobs himself said during the product announcement that they were bringing it to Windows by year's end.
Deal with it folks. Apple got something right.
Re:eMusic (Score:3, Informative)
Problem is, it's all 128, so you have to buy the CD anyway. Seems Apple's attempt is to eliminate the quality hole and AAC sounds pretty good to me (way better than OGG at same bitrate, so don't be all smug and bring up that wavelet BS).
Re:It's all in the volume (Score:2, Informative)
Prince.
As he has said himself, that's what happens when you cut out all the middlemen.w
Re:Food For Thoughts (Score:5, Informative)
Never heard of someone going to court for pirating porn?
Penthouse busts newsgroup user over copyright theft [apic-adult.com]
A porn producer goes after violators...
Suze Randall hunting cyberthieves [suze.net]
And gets results...
$338,171 in damages awarded [apic-adult.com]
Re:Not an Apple user? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:3, Informative)
There is a review at [kuro5hin.org].
Links to mov files regarding the new Apple Music (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:2, Informative)
That is equivalent to no DRM as far as I'm concerned.
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:2, Informative)
No DRM on the music is evident.
There are some minor limitations in Apple's software for the Mac but they are completely unobtrusive for real world fair use.
I'm very happy with Apple. They've done it right.
Re:And tucked right at the bottom of the info... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:ACC to MP3/OGG Converter (Score:1, Informative)
So, iTunes won't do the AAC to MP3 conversion.
It works beautifully... (Score:2, Informative)
The tracks where then downloaded to my library, after which I burned a copy of the disc, and had it transfered to my iPod. Sound quality is good so far, though I haven't gotten to listen to it on my good speakers at home yet. The album cover art and such is downloaded with the album and displayed with the tracks in iTunes. Not the same as the physical thing, but it's something.
The selection could definitely use some work (hopefully it will expand to include more indie lables and such over time), but as for the service in general it works very well. The protection is minimal when you think about it - unlimited cd burns means you can re-mp3 it easily if you desire. There's no way the big labels would've let them do something like this in a totally opened way, so this is not too bad.
My usual procedure when buying a cd is to bring it home, throw it in my cd-rom and wait for it to rip, then do the iPod transfer, and if it's a cd deemed worthy I put the disc in my car changer. This cuts out the whole ripping step (replaced with downloading though), and saves the trouble of having to go to a store, or wait for an online place to ship to me. I can't see myself using it too much right now honestly, but if the selection improves it will be a good way to grab songs.
ExInferus
Re:AAC Format Same Size as MP3 (Score:2, Informative)
Re:No stardard Firewire port on new iPod! (Score:3, Informative)
Though, I'm not sure I like this "dock" idea. I hope there's no LED on that dock. At night, my bedroom is lit by LED's, you could almost read a book there
Re:Bulk discounts? (Score:3, Informative)
If I'm going to pay $15 for 15 tracks, I want glossy cover art and a pressed (aka UV resistant) CD.
Most albums are available from Apple's download service for $9.99. They include cover art.
Re:It's just like a cd, except without the cd (Score:4, Informative)
That's a little uninformed. This is AAC. 128kbps in AAC is equal to 256kbps in MP3 encoding.
And this does not cost the same or more as an album. It is $9.99 per album regardless of how many tracks it has. You find me one record store where you can buy any new, decent album for $9.99 (save the bargain bin). How the crap is even $.99/song too expensive when you have to pay nearly $4.00 just for a CD single in a store? The logic in this argument just ain't there.
Where are you people buying your CDs?! (Score:2, Informative)
Circuit City and Best Buy, among other stores, carry new releases and even a lot of catalog titles at $13.99 or less...am I the only one aware of this?
Re:Crap Font (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:3, Informative)
The songs I see are $0.99, not $0.25, and AAC is not a lossless format (it just sounds better than mp3 at the same bitrate). The selection really isn't that good imo, most of the things I've searched for so far were not available (I mean, one album from radiohead? And zero search results for Squarepusher or Aphex Twin?)
As for the DRM:
I haven't bought any tracks yet (see: selection, above), but I have downloaded one of the short sample tracks (I sniffed the url while shopping in iTunes). I downloaded this 30 second clip of NIN [apple.com] from several different hosts, and they all got the same file. Finder shows the file as being an "AAC Audio File (Protected)," but I transferred the file between several computers and played it without problem. I'd like to see some more info about what "Protected" means in this instance.
I was a little worried about the phone-home potential. The data I sniffed so far is largly text/xml with gzip encoding, but I don't think it sent back nearly enough data to have told them about everything in my library. It very well could have, however, sent back unique identifying information about my machine. If I give them my creditcard number, will they be able to tie my RealName(tm) to my Airport's MAC address? Or can they already, from my machine's serial number, and the software update queries I've run since I installed it? Ah the sacrifices we make for use of candy coated commercial unix goodness....
Re:Its about farking time! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Best part (Score:2, Informative)
This is a nice and simple way to get music!!! (Score:2, Informative)
Downloading them as fast as my DSL line can go, I may spend myself into the red
iTunes sharing works OUTSIDE of your local subnet! (Score:4, Informative)
In order to activate this, turn on sharing in the iTunes preferences. Also be sure to open port 3689 in your router or firewall (this is iTunes' port for sharing). Then, tell your buddy across town to open iTunes 4 and choose "Connect to shared music" from the Advanced menu. Then he types in your public IP address.
Voila! S/he will have full interactive access to your music library, as well as any playlists you decided to share. (The collection shows up in the left column, the same way local machines would show up via Rendezvous.) Let me reiterate, this is *not* merely a stream of what you are playing... this is your full library, with full listening priveleges. They can pick any song, pause, play, etc.
I imagine that some folks with the largest MP3 collection and a nice fat broadband pipe will share their libraries with friends this way!
(For those not already trying this, the iTunes sharing preferences allows you to select any or all your playlists, as well as dictate a password.)
Note also that this only works with current MP3's, as any purchased (AAC) files are authorized to work on up to 3 machines with your account only.
Now, once you enable sharing in your iTunes 4 preferences, create a playlist, and control-click it. Select "Copy Sharing URL."
Paste this into an email, and change the part after "daap://" to your actual external IP address.
Now you can send this *particular* playlist with a friend. Instruct them to paste this into "Connect to Shared Music" and they'll have immediate and full interactivity with the songs in that playlist. This works with individual songs too. Basically it's like emailing a "bookmark" to a particular playlist or song or your Mac, so you don't have to direct them where the song that you want them to check out, is.
This is a very big paradigm shift. I can't believe how easy it is. Too good to be true?
The Mac Observer has list of Kbase Articles (Score:3, Informative)
The Mac Observer [macobserver.com] has a list [macobserver.com] of Apple Knowledge Base [apple.com] articles which are essentially a fragmented FAQ for iTunes 4 [apple.com] and the new music download service [apple.com]. Have at it!
How to Keep Music Store From Appearing [apple.com] Don't want the Music Store to show up in your iTunes sidebar? Apple explains how to disable it.
How to View Purchase History [apple.com] If you're trying to remember what you purchased, here are instructions on how to browse your purchase history.
Issues Purchasing Songs From Music Store [apple.com] Apple offers troubleshooting tips if you are unable to complete a purchase at the Music Store.
About Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) [apple.com] What's this AAC stuff? Apple gives a definition.
AAC and MP3 Codecs Compared [apple.com] Apple explains the difference between MP3 and AAC.
About Authorization and Deauthorization [apple.com] Authorization, deauthorization, and what it all means in regards to Apple's new music service.
About Interrupted Downloads [apple.com] Dialup users take note: Worry not about your modem dropping out. Your song will be waiting for you when you return.
Burning Playlists with Purchased Songs [apple.com] Yes, you can burn your playlists to a CD. But the same playlist will only burn ten times.
How to Use The Shopping Cart [apple.com] Trying to keep your credit card statement short, or want to lump all of your downloads together? Check out the shopping cart.
How to View Album Artwork [apple.com] Miss taking a gander at the case of the CD you're currently listening to? You can now do so virtually.
About Apple ID and Password [apple.com] Apple explains what your Apple ID is and how it pertains to the Music Store.
Buying Music Requires U.S. Billing Address [apple.com] Unfortunately, you're out of luck for now if you live outside the United States.
Playing Purchased Songs on Your iPod [apple.com] Your 99-cent tunes are as mobile as you are, thanks to the iPod!
How to Purchase Songs With 1-Click [apple.com] Jeff Bezos may have patented it, but that doesn't mean you can't use it to get your music!
Some AAC Files Won't Play [apple.com] In some cases, iTunes 4 or an iPod won't play an AAC file. Here's why.
Music Store Connection Speed [apple.com] For best results, use the fastest internet connection you have.
How to Contact Music Store Billing Support [apple.com] Didn't buy it, but got charged for it? iTunes will help you work it out.
iTunes Music Store: All Sales Final [apple.com] Once you've bought it, it yours. No refunds.
System Requirements [apple.com] Sorry, that old Quadra isn't going to cut it. Here's what will.
About Music Store Parental Advisories [apple.com] Some %&*#!&@ music may not be $%*&@%# appropriate for children. Apple can help you decide.
About Third-Party MP3 Players and AA [apple.com]
Re:Can anyone answer... (Score:2, Informative)
you pay the full album price, even if you've bought individual tracks already. found it out the hard way (only lost
Re:Note to Apple... Independent Artists need you! (Score:3, Informative)
you can check the article here [time.com], towards the bottom, third from last question