http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/17/is-cook-the-next-ballmer Comments On: Is Cook the Next Ballmer? by Charles Mudede en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Sun, 26 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Sun, 26 May 2013 00:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
If you can not even muster enough nonsense to piss off a bunch of Northwest liberals, you really have no imagination.
Posted by Theodore Gorath]]> Fri, 18 Jan 2013 11:06:03 -0800 The Stranger More music - less evil.
Posted by NotSean]]> Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:24:16 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Digitocalypse]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:41:45 -0800 The Stranger
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1711
Posted by senor chris]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:41:44 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Westlake, son!]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:58:52 -0800 The Stranger

Posted by Charles Mudede]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:16:49 -0800 The Stranger
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…
Posted by Jason Petersen]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 19:13:53 -0800 The Stranger

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:57:09 -0800 The Stranger Posted by eric59]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:37:38 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Doctor Memory]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:21:25 -0800 The Stranger Posted by skagitron]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:17:57 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Jack D]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:15:09 -0800 The Stranger Posted by skagitron]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:14:22 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Stranger'sWorstNightmare]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:13:43 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Charles Mudede]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:13:09 -0800 The Stranger Posted by nador]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:08:08 -0800 The Stranger 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.
Posted by Doctor Memory]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:52:19 -0800 The Stranger
How curious.

But if you must, use iTunes to convert your compact AAC into an mp3 and enjoy it as needed.
Posted by tiktok]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:31:19 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Stranger'sWorstNightmare]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:26:03 -0800 The Stranger Posted by decidedlyodd]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:23:47 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Charles Mudede]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:13:22 -0800 The Stranger
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.
Posted by fletc3her]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:12:35 -0800 The Stranger 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.
Posted by Doctor Memory]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:02:37 -0800 The Stranger Posted by pfffter]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:59:19 -0800 The Stranger
i will promise to keep my posts about tech to a bare minimum.
Posted by Charles Mudede]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:58:19 -0800 The Stranger