Slog Comments
Is Cook the Next Ballmer?
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@2 Facts don't matter to Chuck. He just likes to hold forth on topics he obviously doesn't know anything about beyond anecdote and personal preference.
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I'll buy from iTunes when it's my only option, which happens on occasion. The rest of the time, I'll happily go elsewhere.
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Jesus Christ people.
iTunes has been DRM-free for years. You can thank Apple for knocking down that barrier to distribution. Amazon rode in on their coattails, and the labels let them have DRM-free MP3s in order to foster competition and play the two against one another.
Amazon does not have a higher bit rate. Both iTunes and Amazon now use rate of 256 kbits/second. Amazon's bit rate is variable (VBR) and their format is MP3. iTunes uses AAC, a newer codec. It is conceivable that the better understanding of psychoacoustics developed between MP3 and AAC could give a quality edge to AAC at identical bit rates.
However, iTunes movies, books, and apps ARE protected. I presume your precious Amazon sells you unlocked films and Kindle books?
iTunes has been DRM-free for years. You can thank Apple for knocking down that barrier to distribution. Amazon rode in on their coattails, and the labels let them have DRM-free MP3s in order to foster competition and play the two against one another.
Amazon does not have a higher bit rate. Both iTunes and Amazon now use rate of 256 kbits/second. Amazon's bit rate is variable (VBR) and their format is MP3. iTunes uses AAC, a newer codec. It is conceivable that the better understanding of psychoacoustics developed between MP3 and AAC could give a quality edge to AAC at identical bit rates.
However, iTunes movies, books, and apps ARE protected. I presume your precious Amazon sells you unlocked films and Kindle books?
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Charles, I'm not normally one of those people who reaches for the hammer every time you post, and in fact enjoy a lot of your writing. But...
Don't write about the tech industry, just don't. This is embarrassing. Everything you just wrote about Amazon and the iPod is so far away from correct that you might as well be writing science fiction.
Don't write about the tech industry, just don't. This is embarrassing. Everything you just wrote about Amazon and the iPod is so far away from correct that you might as well be writing science fiction.
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@7, i actually stopped buying from itunes because of the locks they put on their files. are you telling me i was crazy. there have been no locks on their music files? this is pure science fiction? if this has changed, it happened recently. but i agree, tech is not my thing.
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@6, i just realized that my files are locked because they are old files. i have not downloaded from itunes since amazon opened shop. i immediately switched at that point as i wanted to use a smartphone that wasn't an iphone.
i will promise to keep my posts about tech to a bare minimum.
i will promise to keep my posts about tech to a bare minimum.
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@8: Apple stopped putting DRM on itunes music files well over five years ago now. It was also never Apple's choice to do so in the first place: it was a condition placed by the music labels who owned the music.
Amazon beat them to market with DRM-free music; Apple followed a few months later when their existing contracts with the labels came up for re-negotiation.
Amazon beat them to market with DRM-free music; Apple followed a few months later when their existing contracts with the labels came up for re-negotiation.
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I think it's also worth noting that Amazon tracks have always worked on the iPod just fine through synching. They provide a cloud player now so you can access tracks without synching, but Spotify and other "radio" services have been doing that for years.
I try to buy from Bleep or direct from artists when I can, but the choice of whether to buy from Amazon or Apple seems arbitrary. Go with whichever is cheaper or more convenient.
I try to buy from Bleep or direct from artists when I can, but the choice of whether to buy from Amazon or Apple seems arbitrary. Go with whichever is cheaper or more convenient.
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@11, i actually believed you guys. i just downloaded music from my itunes cloud, tried to play them on my amazon player on my samsung and no go. i think you people only use apple.
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I still prefer buying MP3s from Amazon. Every device ever made for playing digital music files supports MP3. Not so for iTunes AAC.
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@13: Let me get this straight: Apple's competitor's music playing app doesn't support the open AAC format?
How curious.
But if you must, use iTunes to convert your compact AAC into an mp3 and enjoy it as needed.
How curious.
But if you must, use iTunes to convert your compact AAC into an mp3 and enjoy it as needed.
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@13: again, seriously, you have no idea what you're talking about. Amazon's player uses MP3. Apple's files are in AAC format. These are both open formats, but they are incompatible. This is like trying to thread a reel-to-reel tape into a cassette tape player and complaining when it doesn't work.
The AAC files can be played on your samsung phone if you add them directly and use the built-in android music player. Just not with the Amazon cloud player.
In my daily life I work with computers from Apple, Dell, IBM, SuperMicro, Sun and occasionally Samsung and Fujitsu. (And not necessarily in that order.) The problem isn't that I'm an Apple partisan, the problem is that you don't know what you're talking about. Which is fine: this shit is complicated. I don't pretend to be able to cogently discuss Marxist politics; you should stop writing about tech issues.
The AAC files can be played on your samsung phone if you add them directly and use the built-in android music player. Just not with the Amazon cloud player.
In my daily life I work with computers from Apple, Dell, IBM, SuperMicro, Sun and occasionally Samsung and Fujitsu. (And not necessarily in that order.) The problem isn't that I'm an Apple partisan, the problem is that you don't know what you're talking about. Which is fine: this shit is complicated. I don't pretend to be able to cogently discuss Marxist politics; you should stop writing about tech issues.
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@17, the nature of consumer products is to be simple. i do indeed convert the files from aac to mp3. it was just i was tired of doing this. what's new to me is what @14 pointed out, that amazon player does not support aac (and nor does google player--i use both). all along i thought it did so, and so thought apple was the problem--here, finally, i see my error.
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Maybe someday after Tonderai learns to drive, he'll figure out iTunes. Until then, he can sit on the bus and sing rap music a capella with the rest of the homies.
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@20: in the same way (only much, much, much worse) that Charles shouldn't write off the cuff about tech issues, you need a hobby other than trying to troll slog threads. You are the single most incompetent troll ever. You couldn't troll a police station with the help of all members of NWA living and dead. You couldn't troll a NAMBLA convention with the help of the entire Mickey Mouse club. You couldn't troll a bridge if you lived under it. You suck at this more than anyone else ever. Give up.
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@19, I buy most of my music in iTunes and upload it to the Google Player. I've had no issues. It appears that my AAC iTunes files get converted to MP3 when I upload them to Google. You may be having issues uploading your OLD music. If you bought it way back when iTunes had DRM then that music still has DRM and there's no way to get rid of it (besides buying it again). Newer, non-DRM iTunes music works fine with the Google Player though.
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Charles, yes, I almost exclusively use Apple products. I have a Roku for my TV because I favor the flexibility it gives me over an all-iTunes solution, though AppleTV is adding more vendors (I doubt it will ever support Amazon, though).
I too switched to Amazon's MP3 store as soon as it opened. When Apple dropped the locks, I would buy iTunes if I got gift cards or something, but generally favor Amazon for their prices. The sound quality for either file is good enough.
I agree the point of electronics is to be simple (which is at odds with them being repairable). I did not consider there would be recently made devices capable of playing music which do not support AAC (it's such an old format by now it seems inconceivable not to just support it).
Clarification to some of the above commenters: Neither AAC nor MP3 are "open". They may be standardized, but implementing a decoder typically requires a licensing agreement, no? Perhaps I've answered my own question regarding companies choosing not to support AAC…
I too switched to Amazon's MP3 store as soon as it opened. When Apple dropped the locks, I would buy iTunes if I got gift cards or something, but generally favor Amazon for their prices. The sound quality for either file is good enough.
I agree the point of electronics is to be simple (which is at odds with them being repairable). I did not consider there would be recently made devices capable of playing music which do not support AAC (it's such an old format by now it seems inconceivable not to just support it).
Clarification to some of the above commenters: Neither AAC nor MP3 are "open". They may be standardized, but implementing a decoder typically requires a licensing agreement, no? Perhaps I've answered my own question regarding companies choosing not to support AAC…
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When Apple stopped selling DRMed music and upped the bit rate they called it "iTunes Plus." For a time you could pay a small fee to replace your DRMed files with clear files, so you didn't have to repurchase everything. Their answer now is to pay $25 for iTunes Match, if anyone still has old iTunes DRM sitting around. This all went down four years ago, not five.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1711
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1711
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@24: What amazes me is how fucking stupid you would have to be to suck so much at trolling. It is like being "bad" at walking.
If you can not even muster enough nonsense to piss off a bunch of Northwest liberals, you really have no imagination.
If you can not even muster enough nonsense to piss off a bunch of Northwest liberals, you really have no imagination.
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