Amazon’s Mp3 service has become the second largest online music service in the world. Bold statement, but when you consider that it has been estimated to have sold around 130 million tracks compared to iTunes’ 2.8 billion, suddenly we start to see the reality of the situation. 

I’m not saying in any way that Amazon’s Mp3 service is a bad thing, for the experience is very good for something as disconnected as Amazon is. Of course, what goes against Amazon is the tightly knit store that iTunes has, which makes buying so much easier. I mean, with Genius you can buy tracks right from your sidebar! Or while on the move with your iPhone or iPod Touch. People much too much prefer the iTunes way than something that involves a step 2. 

Of course, iTunes DRM is hardly crippling. With upto five authorised computers and as many iPods as you can afford, FairPlay really is fairplay. You can burn as many CDs as you want, and possibly rerip them to break the protection. It is just the arrogance of DRM that makes a paying customer look like a thief, while the real thief can in fact move around freely with music. And the fact that the record companies choose to treat their largest customer base like this is a sad thing.

All is not lost however, as we’re seeing more and more ‘rumours’ about iTunes going DRM-free, one of which claimed that iTunes was definitely going DRM-free last tuesday. And when we see such an increase in rumours, the possibilities of it being true are very high. Macworld, perhaps. 

Personally I’ve never bought music from Amazon, being an iTunes Store user myself, but looking at the interface I would much too much prefer to buy music from the iTunes Store. Any SA readers buy music from Amazon? What’s your opinion on buying music from Amazon? Would you ditch Amazon if iTunes went DRM-free?

[Full report on Yahoo! News]

After more than a year that EMI released DRM-free 256kbit or “iTunes Plus” tracks in the iTunes Store, Universal, Warner and SonyBMG have joined the game. Well it isn’t exactly an official press release from Apple, but several cases have been reported where music from these labels is available with the iTunes Plus tag. With no solid evidence however, we’re keeping this as a rumour.

This news is not surprising considering we did see a rumour on CNET that Apple was in talks with these record labels to have DRM-free songs in the store. Considering that the Amazon Mp3 store sells DRM free music, the move was very much expected. 

Note that not all of the tracks have been upgraded, only a few in and between. I personally couldn’t find any non-EMI tracks going iTunes Plus but if you have a lot of store purchased music, the Upgrade to Plus [iTunes link] option should offer to upgrade your tracks for $0.30 a piece. 

We’ll have some more info when Apple issues the official press release… Till then, happy hunting!

[Via Distorted Loop]

Back in September, at the ‘Let’s Rock’ special event, where Apple introduced the new range of iPods, we also got the announcement of introduction of HD TV Shows through iTunes. iTunes 8 came along the ability to buy HD shows at $2.99 along with regular TV shows at $1.99, and boy has it been welcomed by the masses.

According to a press-release issued by Apple today, the total number of episodes purchased through the iTunes store has topped 200 million. While a substantial figure in itself, it’s even more surprising to know that the number of HD episodes since the launch has touch the 1 million mark. If I take little help from whatever mathematics I know, that’s about 27,000 downloads each day.

The press release also announces the addition of additional networks to the catalogue. While only NBC, ABC, and Showtime were available since September 9, today’s announcement marks the arrival of CBS and Fox onto the HD bandwagon.

Someone over at Techradar has posted a piece [link] on how iTunes has become a bloated piece of crap, and offered beautiful suggestions on how Apple could change iTunes. From what it looks like however, the author is either a Windows user or has just switched over. Let’s go over the points he makes. 

1. Clean up the interface
What’s wrong with the iTunes interface? The author clearly wants only the list view, and if that’s the case, use the list view! No one is forcing anyone to use the Grid view or Coverflow. Both may be gimicky, but they work just fine for the rest of us.

I will however say that the Grid view does bring an inconsistent UI into the application, which Apple seems to be just testing out. In the next version a cleanup of the grid view would be appreciated.

2. Bar the Genius
Okay hold of a minute. The main feature of genius is playlist generation, and one that works fine. The tracks that are recommended are not necessarily those available in the store as it uses user data to generate playlists. Apple is not making any money out of Genius playlist feature. The Genius feature is also a fantastic addition for the iPhone/iPod and is something I use on a daily basis.

The Genius Sidebar on the other hand is just the rebranded mini-store and can be left out of this discussion.

3. Better file handling
While we would all like to play our pirated content in iTunes, Apple is not going to let that happen because of the record deals. So hopes of iTunes being able to play x264 and all that jazz isn’t going to get them to allow that media. Deal with it.

The author then wants iTunes to seamlessly convert video files as and when needed while syncing an iPod or iPhone instead of you having to manually convert those files (resulting in two of the same on your hard drive). This is insane! A single 200MB video file takes 15 minutes to convert! Imagine the hue and cry that will follow when people find their iPhone takes six days to sync up!

For those confused, to convert a video file (say a HD quicktime video) to iPhone format, just right-click and select “Convert for iPhone”. This creates a new file in your library leaving the original one as it is. 

4. Better handling of Multiple libraries
This is absolutely rubbish. Most users are content with a single library. And for those who want a second one, hold down the option key at startup! How much simpler can it get? The author is also aware that there are plugins for this purpose at dough’s scripts. Since this is a more advanced feature, script hunting is fair game. 

5. Better file tracking
In all my years of using iTunes with the “manage my music folder” checked, I have never faced a problem of file tracking. This is only two Windows geeks who prefer to manage their music in custom folders and then end up crying about it on the web.

And, on the Mac there’s no such thing as losing a file. iTunes will keep a track of your file if you move it or even change its name. Unfortunately, Windows is a little backward in technology hence there is no way to do this. 

6. Better database handling
Why do we have to care? iTunes is always running on my Mac, and it hardly uses 200MB to do the same. Even the startup, with my 8000 song library is very fast. I wouldn’t care if iTunes used a MS Word document as a database.

7. Better codec support
The author suggests iTunes should support WMV. Nuff said.

8. Multi-room support
The Airport Express, AppleTV and iPhone are more than capable tools at extending your iTunes library outside of the computer den.  

9. Cheaper iTunes Store
How does this apply to iTunes? In any case, 256kbps tracks are more than enough for anyone who listens to music. Simply making uninterested users download heavy CD-quality tracks does not make good sense. And at $1 per song, Apple has proven that it is a very good business model. Case to point: 5 billion songs sold already.

10. iTunes Pro
This I will partially agree with. Just as iPhoto has Aperture, and iMovie has Final Cut, iTunes should have a pro version. Something that is totally detatched from the free version of iTunes (no ads for the pro version please!), that has a lot of powerful features and expandability for those who want a little more than the basic version. This will of course never happen as there is no way Steve Jobs will allow a pro version of iTunes to be released.  

So what does Apple need to change then?
For one, it needs to improve the code. Snow Leopard is going through the shredder, and so should iTunes. Especially the Windows version (have you used iTunes on Windows lately?). Making iTunes blazing fast, optimised from the ground up, will make this application the more preferred music player on Windows, as it is on the Mac. 

I’d also like to see some improvements in the interface of the iTunes store. Tabbed browsing would be nice, wish lists, and a more responsive search (Store > Search…) feature. 

Any gripes with iTunes? Share them in the comments.

Amidst the process of making their revolutionary open source phone OS, a direct competitor to the iPhone, Google has forgotten one important thing—the desktop part of it! 

Let’s back up to the iPhone and see what role iTunes plays in it. To put it in a single word, everything! First of all, it manages your music, movies, and TV shows and synchronises them with your iPhone in a manner unmatched by any other application from any other phone manufacturer. Secondly, it manages your applications, makes sure your contacts are sent to and fro, and manages the rest of your iPhone settings with the the trademark Apple touch firmly in place.

Let’s draw a real world example here. I have a bunch of Podcasts set to automatically download new episodes when available. Whenever I dock my iPhone, it automatically syncs any unplayed episodes to my phone. If I watch/listen to the podcast on my desktop or my iPhone, the next time I dock my iPhone it will delete it and transfer a new one instead. If I watch it halfway on my iPhone, it will transfer that info on the next sync, and resume playback at the exact same position. This is just one example of the big role iTunes plays in the working of the iPhone. 

Truth be told, I was a bit skeptical about Google’s being able to pull this off in the first place. I expected something poor and shabby, with a shabby interface to begin with. Something even half as good as iTunes would have been sufficient to impress the likes of me. But Google had to prove me wrong. Instead of making a shabby application, they have totally done away with it. 

To sum up the the Android platform, what we have is the phone (HTC G1) and the Android OS, but no software to back it up. You have to manage your contacts and emails using a Google account (Tell me, have you checked the mess in your Google contacts recently?) It is inevitable that this will result in a multitude of vendor specific software, which will confuse the hell out of the end user. Think about it: you not only have to choose among a variety of different shapes, sizes, and features from the phone perspective, you also have to ensure that the software backing it all up is up to the mark (if at all there is any in the first place). This, of course, is just one of the gazillion problems I can think of with regard to this platform, but I will refrain from venting them all out in one article (be thankful, be very thankful).

The Android platform may be in its early stages right now (the phone isn’t even available for the general public) and Google may be planning on something for later, but if this is the way things are supposed to be, it will turn out to be just like Linux was to the desktop (very powerful software but one most people, the “average” folk, choose to stay away from). And we wouldn’t want that, now, would we?

Radiohead was forever against the idea of customers being able to purchase individual tracks rather than the whole album. And they resisted putting their music onto the iTunes Store for a long time. But, as it goes, their ‘pay as much as you feel like’ project didn’t turn out to be an astounding success (well, they didn’t say it was a failure, but who would?), which led them to succumb to the pressure of the iTunes Store.

As it turns out, Radiohead seems to be loving it here, because they not only have their entire collection [iTunes link] on the store, but have now provided the stem tracks for a popular track from their ‘In Rainbows’ album, ‘Reckoner’ [iTunes link]! ‘Stem tracks’, by the way, are separate tracks for each of the instruments/voice. These stem tracks, six in total, include the lead vocals, bass, drums, guitars, piano, and backing vocals. All this is in 256kbps DRM-Free iTunes Plus format, as a $0.99 ‘Album Only’ download. That is, you cannot download a single stem track individually. And, if you purchase the track on the iTunes store, you get a special ticket that will allow you to download the garageband version of the same. We’re totally digging the Mac love, guys!

Fans are encouraged to remix the track, add in their own instruments if they so choose, and post them on a special page created for the purpose. Listeners can then vote up their favourite remixes and play them on the page itself. There’s a section for most popular tracks as well as widgets for gathering votes on your Facebook or MySpace profile. You can also check out the previous project for the track Nude. Note that mixing the tracks does not give you any rights to the song. You still need permission to use the tracks commercially.

Looks like a new trend has started on the iTunes store, with free HD shows being offered of the season premiere episodes. Or maybe this is NBC having their way with iTunes. NBC has not only got variable pricing for their episodes ($2.99 for HD, $1.99 for SD, and $0.99 for old shows), they have also made available new episodes of their TV shows as free downloads. Everyone seems to be happy with this deal. 

The season two premier of Chuck [iTunes link] is being offered as a free download on the iTunes Store, pre-air. Hear that? Before even the rest of the world gets it, you can enjoy the episode right on your iPhone (and for free). And while Chuck gets the SD treatment, the episode of crime and drama TV show Life [iTunes link], again a pre-air season premiere, is given in crystal clear high definition.

So if these two shows mean anything to you, go grab ’em already. And if they don’t, then I’d highly recommend you check them out, because both shows are very entertaining in their own way. [Ed note: Of course, as is usual, you need a U.S. iTunes Store account to be able to enjoy these freebies.]

With the advent of iTunes 8, you must’ve noticed that the new Grid view has effectively replaced the Album view. Well, Apple has cleverly incorporated the Album view into the UI, but it might go unnoticed so we’re here to point it out in bold.

Although iTunes 8 doesn’t list Album View as one of the main viewing modes, you can turn it on by any one of the following two ways:

Via List View

Hit the small arrow at the extreme left (see the screenshot). Clicking it again will bring it to List View.

Via Grid View

Double clicking any tile in the Grid View will bring up the Album View. Once you’re in, you can navigate to other Albums with the left and right arrow at the top extreme right. Revert back to Grid view by clicking All Albums/Artists (numbered 1 in screenshot). You can also go to the List View by clicking the small arrow (numbered 2 in screenshot).

All you Album view gypsies (yes, I have no idea what that means), it’s time to rock with iTunes 8. If you’ve any iTunes query or want to share a tip or two, sound off in the comments.

iTunes has picked my favourite genre and an awesome song this time round for the single of the week. ‘Buildings & Mountains’ by The Republic Tigers is a must listen for any alternative rock fan out there. 

A relatively unknown artist, The Republic Tigers released “Keep Color” back in May this year. So even though this track has been out in the market, the iTunes Store at least, for a couple of months, hats off to Apple for bringing it as the free single of the week. The track is a mix of old and new, with excellent sound production and vocals. Perfect for those times you take a walk on the beach at twilight. 

So grab the song for free from the iTunes Store, within this week. There’s also some other miscellaneous content there, including some HD TV shows you might want to check out. The page will be updated next on Tuesday the 23rd.

Having recently had this application rejected, Fraser Speirs, developer of the popular iPhone app ‘Exposure’ has quit the App Store business. Apple recently rejected his application “Podcaster” because it “replaces a feature in Apple’s own software”. Fraser has gone through what must be countless days creating this application only to have it rejected at the last moment.

The application in question downloads podcast episodes directly to the iPhone over Wifi, eliminating the need to dock the iPhone to the computer for the same. It is a non-malicious application, non-pornographic, and it isn’t a bandwidth hog as it uses Wifi for data transfer. 

One might defend the case of Apple, that the SDK documentation clearly mentions that the App Store will not allow any applications that are competitive to that present on the iPhone, and podcasts is part of those applications. But lo and behold, as there are a hundred different weather applications that clearly take the case of Apple’s own weather widget. Then there’s the Calculator apps, the notes, and a lot more if one puts some time in. So how is a developer supposed to know that the application is acceptable or not?

The App Store, at least when it comes to developers, is broken. They cannot speak about the apps due to the non-disclosure agreement of the SDK, they cannot moderate the reviews on the iTunes store, they have to wait weeks before updates are worked into the store, and, they have to bank on Apple’s good mood before starting to write new applications. 

Frasier will continue to provide support and updates for Exposure, but as for creating something new, he’s out. 

Frasier Speirs - The App store: I’m out.