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CNN/Money: praises new iPod; questions compatibility

updated 01:05 am EST, Fri February 20, 2004

CNN/Money on new iPod

CNN/Money columnist Patrick Regnier says "Steve Jobs just . And that ticks me off." Regnier offers praise for the new iPod Mini, which he says "packs a lot of power into a simple, clean package." Regnier comments, however, that by already owning one iPod, and by using Apple's iTunes store, he was "locked" into Apple's product family, because of compatibility issues. When asked why a more open-platform approach could not be followed, Apple says it's a "quality issue" -- the company wishes to maintain control over the quality of the content from its store.

by MacNN Staff

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02/20, 01:19am | report spam | close Reply |
RIPE

This guy is just RIPE to buy another 10-15Gb iPod.

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02/20, 02:12am | report spam | close Reply |
My car

just made me by another tank of unleaded gas too, and that ticks me off.

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02/20, 02:49am | report spam | close Reply |
What exactly is open?

"When asked why a more open-platform approach could not be followed"

I guess my question is: Of the three audio formats in most common use (MP3, AAC and WMA), which is the most (and more to the point, least) open audio format? None of them are by definition "open." MP3 is Fraunhoffer (though since LAME hasn't been challenged I would say is the most open...) AAC is owned by the MPEG4 consortium which is comprised of, I'm not sure the exact number, but I believe over 20 companies, or WMA, which is Microsoft... Only...

So, Apple supports the two most "open" of the commonly used formats, but is scorned for not using "open" standards such as WMA. If I'm going to scorn Apple it will be for not supporting a truly "open" standard like OGG.

Basically of the three formats in common use, Apple supports the most commonly used (MP3), and one of the other 2, neither of which are particularly ubiquitous.

-=(Lord Crosis)=-

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02/20, 02:57am | report spam | close Reply |
c***

"locked" into apple products because you're restricted to AAC and MP3? MP3 started the whole digital music revolution for christ's sake!

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02/20, 03:31am | report spam | close Reply |
Huh?

From the article:
"That said, the gap between Apple and the competition is closing. The new Mini maintains the Apple advantage, but just barely. Memo to Mr. Jobs: Keep your techies working late to stay ahead of the curve. I've spent nearly a grand on your digital music revolution. If you make me regret it, you've lost a customer for life."

For life? What if other companies "make you regret it?" Will you banish them for life, too? Keep that up and you'll have no where left to go.

Don't be such a drama queen.

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02/20, 04:59am | report spam | close Reply |
Big pile of bullsh!t

OMFG.

If people have to use Windows because software vendors only support Windows nobody says anything. Pople even try to feel good about it.

If Apple doesn't support WMA, but MP3 and AAC (which are most widespread actually) they are accused of "locking" people.

Stupid author. Stupid article. And shame on MacNN for calling this "news".

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02/20, 06:00am | report spam | close Reply |
Is that what he means...

When he talks about "open?" I thought he meant that the iPod only works with iTunes... so if someone wanted to use another popular windows jukebox application (name one, I don't know any of them, personally), they wouldn't be able to use their iPod with it. But, from what I hear (and have seen), iTunes is the best player out there. Maybe if the author could explain exactly what he was missing with the other apps that he isn't getting with iTunes (yeah, right. good luck), he might have more of an argument.

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02/20, 06:27am | report spam | close Reply |
Wait til I get you home

The point, which seems to escape the author of the article, is that buying music locks you into a format. Unless you can transcode your music without losing quality, you are locked into Mpeg4(AAC) or Microsoft's WMA format.

Conclusion:
If you want to avoid getting locked into formats, use MP3 and don't buy music online.

If you want to get locked into the best products and and open standard, use iTunes Music Store and an iPod.

If you want to buy something cheap so you don't have to share your iPod with your wife, get her the cheapest MP3 player on the market and imply that the reason she can't get it to work well is because she's just not smart enough.

Patrick, please don't make this like last aniversary when you bought me the diamond necklace and then complained so much about how much it cost, and how there are man made diamonds that are the same quality but cost 95% less, and the exploitation of peasant miners...

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02/20, 08:27am | report spam | close Reply |
Support our troops...

Microsoft must have the same PR company as the Bush administration. "Locked into a non open platform" is a dummy comment about a very complicated issue. Get enough lazy reporters to repeat it often enough and it ends discussion and any real investigation into the facts.

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02/20, 08:56am | report spam | close Reply |
"locked in"

I'll bet this assh*le never once complained about being "locked into" buying Wintel stuff.

You work for CNN, you ape!! Yes, they covered up Saddam's villainy so they could stay in Iraq, but I'm sure they pay you enough that you can afford to be (ahem) "locked in" to using Apple products. What a cheapskate idiot.

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02/20, 08:56am | report spam | close Reply |
Speaking of formats...

...none of them offer audiofile reproduction, so sticking with AIFF is about my only option - now if the music store offered that...?

And I'd love to see a 2.5" HD based device with even more storage capacity, at lower cost, perhaps with plug-on HD modules...

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02/20, 09:05am | report spam | close Reply |
Re-Rip the songs...

Do these people not realize that they can burn their music to CD's and then rerip them to whatever format they want to use?

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02/20, 09:30am | report spam | close Reply |
Reripping

Causes significant quality loss. That is not a solution. I find iTMS to be a locked solution, since songs purchased with it can only be listened to via iTunes or a iPod. I don't know if its the case, but WMA users probably could listen to their music on any program that supported WMA and and player that supported WMA.

Of course, locked is not necessarily inferior, as is the case of the iPod vs any other MP3 player. But to call iTMS not locked is like saying there is no sky.

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02/20, 09:58am | report spam | close Reply |
I understand

A friend of my sons got a RCA Lyra 20G for Christmas. He loves iTunes and got all his songs onto his new player. Then, he was real excited about the Pepsi iTunes promotion...until he found out he has to shell out another $250 for an iPOD to make the songs portable. Now he doen't give a c*** about Pepsi and it's free song promotion (I wonder how many people will just throw those caps in the trash). Apple's refusal to allow others to play their music is going hurt Apple in the long run and they better face up to this FACT!

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02/20, 10:08am | report spam | close Reply |
f****** IDIOT

ima come out with my own anti-dumbass f****** cnet article site- hello fuckface, i just got locked into buying a new computer because i need more power, so f*** apple....this guy is a fuckign weinie d***.

im getting a mini also, i dont need 10000 songs in my pocket- and it ssssssooooooo tiny.....yum!!!

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02/20, 10:09am | report spam | close Reply |
Re: reripping

Causes significant quality loss. That is not a solution. I find iTMS to be a locked solution, since songs purchased with it can only be listened to via iTunes or a iPod. I don't know if its the case, but WMA users probably could listen to their music on any program that supported WMA and and player that supported WMA.

You want to talked 'locked solution', let's talk, then. Most WMA music is locked to your computer. Sure, you have different software or MP3 players to play them, but don't plan on upgrading your PC anytime soon...

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02/20, 10:11am | report spam | close Reply |
AAC is Open & widely used

WMA vs AAC - Who cares?

2 out of three media players push AAC (Real Audio & QT/iTunes)

Reripping issue is the same for WMA wrapped songs or AAC wrapped (DRM wrapped).

Name off the digital music players -- All of them are about MP3 first except for WMP which has caused the ruckus in the first place.

huh? what? Yeah - since the average install base that uses Windows didn't know any better and converted their music library using WMP to only later find out that it encoded only in WMA --- these are the folks that complain about using the iPOD or even iTunes. They are complaining because they didn't know about choice (MP3s) and are now concerned they cannot use the best digital device from Apple.

It's all kind of funny -- really. HP sells the iPOD and iTunes will be default on their computers. At least half of all the PC buyers next year will find a choice to WMP on their computers and maybe make a better choice to use MusicMatch or iTunes than WMP.

LOL

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02/20, 10:50am | report spam | close Reply |
Feh. MP3 rulez!

I'm no Apple or Microsoft zealot. This truly shows how idiotic and clueless the average computer user it. Whenever I buy songs from the iTMS, the very first thing I do is to burn it into a CD-RW and then reimport it as a 192kbps MP3. I then put the original AAC files in a safe place and delete them from my iTunes library.

And I've got a script to do (almost) all of this.

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02/20, 10:52am | report spam | close Reply |
quality

steve just wants to be able to control everything. Hes a control freak!

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02/20, 11:00am | report spam | close Reply |
I hate it when

Steve Jobs comes to my house and forces me to buy some new mac hardware. Actually, I dont mind so much, but my wife does.

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02/20, 11:24am | report spam | close Reply |
WILL YOU SHUT UP!

"ima come out with my own anti-dumbass f****** cnet article site- hello fuckface, i just got locked into buying a new computer because i need more power, so f*** apple....this guy is a fuckign weinie d***.

im getting a mini also, i dont need 10000 songs in my pocket- and it ssssssooooooo tiny.....yum!!! "

You're the same a****** who keeps coming in here spouting trash from that useless cakahole. Why don't you shut the f*** up and stay out of this message board. Better yet, take a couple of d***** and shove them into every oraface. Maybe you'll be satisfied for a while.

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02/20, 12:15pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: reripping

-Most WMA music is locked to your computer.

The DRM is transferable between computers. You can upgrade your machine and preserve your music.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;265473

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02/20, 01:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: reripping

--Most WMA music is locked to your computer.

-The DRM is transferable between computers. You can upgrade your -machine and preserve your music.

-http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;265473

From the article:
"You must also restore a license file to another computer to play back the protected content created on another computer. You can use these steps to back up the license files to a floppy disk, and then restore those files on another computer to play back the files.

The number of times that you can restore a license is limited. When you reach this limit, you cannot restore the license again. You must contact the content producer to restore them."

The number of times that you can restore is limited. Nice. You'll have to contact the content producer to restore the songs. Nice. Sounds like the typical windows world of phone tag - "No, not my problem, you want the windows support group" - "Hello, windows support group. No, not my problem, you want the EMI support group" - "Hello EMI. Yes, we sell music. Want to buy some?"

How does iTunes handle it? An unlimited number of computer authorization/deauthorizations allowing three simultaneously authorized computers at a time:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93014
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93035

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02/20, 02:56pm | report spam | close Reply |
For

For the friggin last time, AAC is not an open standard. It is not open and it is called a standard by the organization that created it - not unlike how MS would call WMA a standard or Real calling Real a standard or Dolby call DD a standard (what about DTS?), etc.

I, the consumer, say what the standard is, not an organization.

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02/20, 04:00pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: I understand

"Apple's refusal to allow others to play their music is going hurt Apple in the long run and they better face up to this FACT!"

The FACT is that the music purchased through iTMS can be played through iTunes as well as burned to CD so your "FACT" is WRONG...true, you need an iPod to move them to a portable player but that is NOT what you stated -- please see a doctor to get your cranial rectitis taken care of.

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02/20, 04:20pm | report spam | close Reply |
more on MS DRM vs iTMS

One flaw in iTMS is the lack of ability to handle the right of first sale, as was documented last year. In theory I imagine the WMA backup/restore method could be used to transfer the music from one person to another. Right now the only way to do that in iTMS is to give another person your Apple ID info, but with that info they probably could purchase songs from iTunes if your credit card info is linked to the Apple ID.

http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5072842.html

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02/20, 04:20pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: reripping

From the article:
"You must also restore a license file to another computer to play back the protected content created on another computer. You can use these steps to back up the license files to a floppy disk, and then restore those files on another computer to play back the files.

Ummm, what's a floppy disk?

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02/20, 06:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Lock in

Let me see: this guy complains about iPod not supporting WMA and WMA somehow being a "standard" because it works on more MP3 players?

Gee, that's the same draconian mid-90s logic that gave us today's Microsoft monopoly. Sure, I can buy a lot of computers to run Windows, but all my software is locked in to Windows and I have to use Office to read all my documents. As it is, a full version of Windows and Office now costs more than the hardware to run it!

Journalistic integrity does not exist as far as coverage in the tech industry (ok, David Pogue is cool). That's why I totally support consolidation in the media.

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CNN/Money: praises new iPod; questions compatibility

updated 01:05 am EST, Fri February 20, 2004

CNN/Money on new iPod

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f****** IDIOT

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quality

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