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iPod Microsoft's latest ad: iTunes and the iPod are crazy expensive
- Thread starter gibbz
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Time to break out audiohijack...14-day free pass to unlimited music 
EDIT: wuh...iTunes is bloated? The Zune software is 130mB??
EDIT: wuh...iTunes is bloated? The Zune software is 130mB??
From my understanding, as soon as you stop paying, you no longer have the rights to play the music you downloaded. You're effectively renting it.
Even though I don't use the iTunes store too much (i'm more of a CD kinda guy), I'd much rather pay per song/album than pay per month.
Even though I don't use the iTunes store too much (i'm more of a CD kinda guy), I'd much rather pay per song/album than pay per month.
This must be their strategy. Saying, "Ok the iPod is great, but it is expensive to load with music using iTunes. Our Zune Pass is much cheaper. If you agree, just grab a Zune from us and there you go."
You know what, I wouldn't really mind this option with iTunes. It would certainly get me listening to new music more often.
Keeping ten tracks a month on the plan is good too, $360 over three years and getting to keep 360 tracks is cool.
Problem is, remember "Plays For Sure"? What happens if the Zune falls over? Does everything disappear like before?
Keeping ten tracks a month on the plan is good too, $360 over three years and getting to keep 360 tracks is cool.
Problem is, remember "Plays For Sure"? What happens if the Zune falls over? Does everything disappear like before?
This makes just about as much sense to me as the "Macs are to cool for their customers" thing. Which doesn't make sense at all.
Really, I might have wanted a Zune if it worked with Macintosh. But even with all the Zunes extra features like the radio that iPod Classic doesn't come with out of the box, I would rather pay 2.49 for 120 GB storage and an all metal music player then pay 2.49 for 120 GB of storage and a half metal half plastic case. But that's just me. And are the Zunes all metal now?
I would rather pay money and own a song on iTunes rather than rent them.
And for me, click wheel > trackpad
Really, I might have wanted a Zune if it worked with Macintosh. But even with all the Zunes extra features like the radio that iPod Classic doesn't come with out of the box, I would rather pay 2.49 for 120 GB storage and an all metal music player then pay 2.49 for 120 GB of storage and a half metal half plastic case. But that's just me. And are the Zunes all metal now?
I would rather pay money and own a song on iTunes rather than rent them.
And for me, click wheel > trackpad
Microsoft are really getting pathetic now, and they're quickly losing track of a lot of facts in the process.
Steve Ballmer can claim he's not worried about Apple all he wants, but the truth is far clearer.
The majority of peoples iPod/iTunes music is made up from their existing CD library or CD's borrowed from friends/relatives, regardless of the legal standpoint.
Steve Ballmer can claim he's not worried about Apple all he wants, but the truth is far clearer.
The majority of peoples iPod/iTunes music is made up from their existing CD library or CD's borrowed from friends/relatives, regardless of the legal standpoint.
Oh please, I have more than 120GB of legit music ripped from CDs I own (let alone the stuff I've downloaded) and I have NOT spent $30,000. They also don't account for the quality of the files (but seriously, what MP3 player company does these days...or ever)
I love Windows 7, I'm not a Microsoft hater. This ad is ridiculous.
I love Windows 7, I'm not a Microsoft hater. This ad is ridiculous.
I like the sound of that- Spotify is a great application- try checking out play.com as well for mp3s
As for a microsoft- it's a cheap shot really- they have picked the largest capacity ipod and assumed that the user has no music and then fills up their whole ipod from purchases from the itunes store. They seem to forget...
-there are other smaller capacity ipods
-users don't just download from the itunes store (cheaper alternatives)
-People already have music (CD collection etc)
If it is true that, you have to keep paying the subscription fee to keep the music with a Zune pass, then ultimately that will be more expensive- $14.99 a month or a few $0.99 a month, using itunes...
Or you could buy 1 CD a month for $14.99 (or less), and have about 540 tracks after 3 years. And the music will be better quality.
There are a lot of great free podcasts and internet radio stations for hearing new music and deciding what CDs to buy next, without paying a subscription fee.
Like a lot of people mentioned, I already own hundreds of CDs, so my iPods are half filled before I even hit the iTunes store. Again, without paying a subscription fee.
Edit: I'm clearly biased against subscription services. I really hate the idea of paying another monthly fee, with little to show for it down the line.
This article exposes the holes in the MS story
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/05/12/microsoft_launches_assault_on_apples_ipod_tax.html
With cd clubs the average cost of a cd is under $5 each.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/05/12/microsoft_launches_assault_on_apples_ipod_tax.html
With cd clubs the average cost of a cd is under $5 each.
The whole story is garbage anyway.
If you bought a CD player for $20, how many CDs would you have to buy to "fill it"? Enough to fill your living room? If you have a bigger living room, do you have to buy twice as many? What about the hidden cost of a Terabyte drive; I can buy an external Terabyte drive for around £100 pound, even if I use it to store DVDs ripped with Handbrake, I need to buy about thousand DVDs, costing me around £10,000.
And if you want to buy enough music to fill your iPod, here is a tip that will save you $27,000: Instead of ripping your CDs with AAC, 128 kbit, why not rip as AIFF at full 1411 kbit/sec, so your average song is about 45 Megabyte. Please send me five percent of the money I saved you with this tip.
I think the subscription based service is nice, I use it all the time..and for someone like me that once a song gets old I never go back to it it makes perfect sense. Plus the 10 free song thing is good for songs that don't run under the zune pass [which is few and far between].
The only downside to me is perhaps future record label changes will stop some of my tracks from working, and the lack of a clean interface/selection in the Zune Marketplace. For the most part I can find what I'm looking for.
I also use iTunes Store, but I'm feeling pretty shafted being a early DRM adapter I have well over 750 songs that are still protected and apple wants to charge me 300-ish to upgrade my library to DRM free, while someone else can just get the song for a $1.
I still use iTunes and my iPods but I'm not willing to pay $300-ish for my files to be upgraded nor am I willing to pay $1.29. The subscription works fine for people like me.
All that being said, The ad is ridiculously stupid they could have approached it much more intelligently than they did.
The only downside to me is perhaps future record label changes will stop some of my tracks from working, and the lack of a clean interface/selection in the Zune Marketplace. For the most part I can find what I'm looking for.
I also use iTunes Store, but I'm feeling pretty shafted being a early DRM adapter I have well over 750 songs that are still protected and apple wants to charge me 300-ish to upgrade my library to DRM free, while someone else can just get the song for a $1.
I still use iTunes and my iPods but I'm not willing to pay $300-ish for my files to be upgraded nor am I willing to pay $1.29. The subscription works fine for people like me.
All that being said, The ad is ridiculously stupid they could have approached it much more intelligently than they did.
what perverse logic this ad runs on
videos, photos, apps, songs, emails, yea.........
not to mention libraries on cd's
to assume people only get their music from the itms is stupid
what a dumb ad
videos, photos, apps, songs, emails, yea.........
not to mention libraries on cd's
to assume people only get their music from the itms is stupid
what a dumb ad
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The ad isn't that dumb. The majority of the predictable negative responses in this and other related threads are.
More Appleinsider nonsense - written by drooling fanboys, for drooling fanboys. Seriously, the fact that anyone links to any of their 'articles' is indicative of their total reasoning deficiency.
The permanent keep tracks can be downloaded in MP3 format if available. Like iTunes but a bit later to the table, Zune is transitioning to a DRM-free format for purchased tracks.
What it boils down to is simple: Assuming you buy at least ten bucks worth of tracks a month, for an effective 5 bucks a month you can download anything you like onto your player, without the hassle of torrenting, borrowing / ripping CD's, being stuck with PC-based streaming, etc - unlimited preview in other words, and you can elect to buy only after you haven't got sick of the song after a few plays.
If you like a track, you pay for it like iTunes. You don't need to join Zune Pass to use a Zune - you can buy tracks a la carte just like iTunes. Given the disposable nature of a lot of music, why not have a subscription model alternative?
I would give my eye teeth for iTunes to have this. Or for Zune to be available in Europe.