iTunes updates always seem to come with some
growing pains, and yesterday's release of iTunes Plus and iTunes 7.2 doesn't look like it's any exception. We're hearing reports that the new iTunes Plus "Upgrade My Library" feature doesn't work as expected (when it works at all), that Plus downloads are incredibly slow and frequently time out, and that the preference to always see iTunes Plus tracks when they're available occasionally resets itself. On top of all that, the intrepid Apple sleuths over at
TUAW have discovered that while iTunes Plus tracks might be DRM-free, they still contain your name and account information -- which seems like a fair piracy-prevention compromise to us, but has apparently rubbed a few people the wrong way. We're not sure if the various iTunes Plus problems are in iTunes 7.2 itself or just the result of pent-up demand for DRM-free EMI tracks overwhelming Apple's servers, but you can bet that Steve's minions are busy getting iTunes 7.2.1 ready as we speak.
posted May 31st 2007 7:22PM
Some people forget or do not know but this information is encoded on all itunes tracks since the store first opened, it was emi that decided (with some prompting from Jobs) to remove drm from their tracks and apple agreed to provide the platform, other online stores will follow suit.
Everybody who uses this service clicks on an agreement before they can upgrade their tracks so should know these tracks are for their own personal use. Its great I can now transfer these tracks to my mobile or windows media center etc...Not sure the sound quality has improved much (at least through headphones, need to check on hifi) but thats a different debate..
Clearly stated in itunes terms below, for personal use only. Also this has always been there forget grep etc, click on get info for each itunes track and behold your name & email address included, no problem if you only use these for your own use...its not spyware or drm just an embedded watermark in the file. Agree there is an open question if these files escape onto the web without your agreement (ie stolen ipod or other device containing your files), maybe someone can answer this?
(xii) iTunes Plus Products do not contain security technology that limits your usage of such Products, and Usage Rules (iii) – (vi) do not apply to iTunes Plus Products. You may copy, store and burn iTunes Plus Products as reasonably necessary for personal, noncommercial use.
LOL. ^_^ No, I meant the comment on "do not use iTunes for the creation of nuclear weapons" stuff that someone posted further up, stating that this was in the iTunes TOS.
Calm down, everyone...Can't we just have a nice civil discussion on this blog without resorting to insults?
Personally, I love the idea of DRM free music from Apple and was pleased to find that over 200 of my tracks were now available DRM free. I paid the $50 and upgraded my library. There IS a big difference between the 128k DRMed AAC files and the 256k non-DRM files.
As others have mentioned, I am also having issues with downloads timing out but only certain ones. My guess is that Apple has a couple of servers that are getting hit pretty hard right now due to the demand for upgrades. It will soon pass and the upgraded DRM free music will be flowing like water.
I just pause those files once I notice they are stalled and will let them resume later. Yes, it's annoying to have to "babysit" my iTunes downloads in this case but it's a small price to pay for DRM free music from the ITMS.
I had the same problem with downloads timing out (which caused me to close and reopen iTunes twice to finally get all 7 of my updated songs). The tags with name, etc. as part of the file are not fair. DRM free should be free, period. If Jobs was making the point that people can buy the CD and rip them anyway, and the new DRM-free tracks end up costing about the same price as a physical CD, then we should be where we would be with a ripped CD. This is kinda like tagging animals in the wild...
Gee, I wonder why the servers are moving slow on the very same day (or day after) iTunes Plus becomes available? Big surprise. Waah! Waah! My name is embedded in my DRM-free files. I'm pissed because I still can't pirate my iTunes tracks and I'm too lazy to go to the store and buy a CD so there is no other alternative. Oh, pity me. Oh, curse Apple. Waaaaahhhh!!!
(ducks and covers)
"We're not sure if the various iTunes Plus problems are in iTunes 7.2 itself or just the result of pent-up demand for DRM-free EMI tracks overwhelming Apple's servers"
I'm betting the latter. When iTunes Plus had _just_ become available (i.e. mere minutes after the press release went out and they flipped the proverbial switch to make the link show up in iTunes), everything was perfectly snappy and worked fine. No delay in downloads whatsoever, it just took a little longer because the filesize is like twice as big compared to the old DRM-ridden song.
Now, however, the 300+ million iTunes users (or, well, at least the percentage of whom that have an iTunes Store account) all know about it and if the response online after the EMI-deal was announced in April is anything to go by, there has indeed been some serious, Serious pent-up demand for this.
want to share your songs p2p? or get rid of your name on it? Burn it to a cd and then re-rip it...morons...its the same way you can get rid of the DRM on the .99 cents songs, best yet. iTunes burns the CD-Text Info to the cd, so get from apple scrips the CD-Text retrevial script, get your track info, re-rip the cd, and viola, no info on the songs...I don't even care that the songs are DRM free, because ive been using the DRM rip trick since day one (ya i waste alot of CDs) I'm just happy the songs are finally at 256k other then that crappy 128 encoding.
if you people would stop and think for a minute before pissing yourselfs that the goverment can't get your info then maybe you can stop and think for a minute. If you don't want your personal info on the net, you have but one choice, don't go on it...stop being so fucking paranoid, your not that important to care about.