11-21-2015, 02:26 AM
silvarios wrote: What about switching to Android? That's no an edge case. That's 85% of the market.
Oy. The "market"... you must be referring to sales of new smartphones for that number. There's a ton of reasons that's not accurate to use here, and I can list those out if you like. I have an Android phone, and I wish it was easy for me to get my iTunes music over there. And if you think Apple should have already fixed that issue, this is where you're not understanding me.
Almost all of my comments were based around the roots of why Apple is where it is. There's a complex story behind it all. Not supporting Android is more so a gap in their follow through than a strategic plan.
Your description about adding music on one computer and then adding it on a different computer being complex if not impossible is exactly my point.
Yes, I was attempting to provide a personal example of how I agree with the struggles you mention. I'm not trying to say they don't exist, but to make clear the alternative.
Most, if not all of the music is DRM free, yet Apple is still preventing you from accessing it. That has nothing to do with the record labels and everything to do with Apple.
It has everything to do with the labels. Like I mentioned, I worked for a company who fought this battle before (and after) Apple even entered the game. And listening to the discussions as the iTMS rolled out, it's all because of what Apple had to do to get the content.
Again, the iPod predates the iTunes Music Store, yet the transfer limitation has always been there. Go figure. I have a bunch of other non Apple devices that don't have the same limitation. Weird, eh?
I remember being able to easily copy music on and off a friend's iPod... one of the originals, with a firewire port. So, no, it hasn't always been there. Plus, here http://www.wired.com/2015/11/itunes-alternatives/ you'll read That changed with iTunes 4.0 in 2003. “You got the music store, and that was awesome,” he says. But the iTunes Store introduced a new set of concerns and UI decisions. To prevent piracy, Apple made it impossible to move music from an iPod or iPhones or iPad back to a computer.
P.s. Even if a music publisher that didn't want DRM, Apple for years prevented you from opting out of FairPlay on your own content. Again, this is an Apple issue, why else would Apple make all publishers use DRM? I'd switch over to eMusic and the same music would be DRM free (from the small guys, all DRM free well before Apple).
I ran into this same issue at my former employer. The issue is both a logistical and technical one. It was simply much easier to make everyone follow the same process. And if a bunch required something, they all got it. Apple did it simply to make it easier for themselves.