iTunes 5?

[illumin8]

Re: my .02

Originally posted by 1macker1
Just because ACC is the superior format, doesn't mean it's the more widely supported format. If i was a window user, i would stick with the format that more mp3 players support.

What, like MP3? I will never voluntarily use WMA. Not only does it sound like crap, it's full of DRM as well. MP3 is open, and works fine on every player there is.

Apple will use AAC on the Windows iTMS.

 

[deejemon]

*

 

[donely]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth to support stereo sound.

That's why all the bluetooth headsets have only one earphone not two.

No, that's because of battery requirements

 

[iamtiger]

There will be no WMA for all you hopefuls. Why go to an inferior standard WMA just to satisfy Bill Gates craving to control the format for computer audio. And why would Apple make WMA just to satisfy all those drooling hordes of people who want our beloved itunes on their windows computers. Listen, Apple decided to use AAC for a reason, its far superior and the best sounding. If windows users want the best player around "itunes", then they better convert to OUR format the AAC . Its better stronger and faster kind of like the bionic man, obviously the best encoder ever made. Apple will make AAC the standard codec to be used until at least the 22century hehe. There will be no kissing up to our competitors so they can use our itunes and buy music from another online site. They will buy AAC only, and they will buy an ipod too. Time to throw away all those other wma mp3 players and get on board to the worlds best audio player the IPOD!!!

 

[F/reW/re]

Originally posted by bitfactory
this isn't about a grudge, its about quality. and WM doesn't have 95% market share.

the logical extension of this is that the iTMS would offer WM files... NOT GOING TO HAPPEN... file that next to "OSX on Intel chips!"

IT's not about quality, it's about FREEDOM! Let the user choose whats best for themself!

iTunes should be able to play wma, but not encode them.

 

[displaced]

Not sure how valuable this argument is, but I can't help dipping my oar in..

It's in WinTunes' best interests to support as many filetypes as possible. iTunes isn't just about the Store. Being a drop-in replacement to any existing media manager for Windows will greatly help with getting it accepted by users.

Remember also, that Apple has to do absolutely zero work to support Windows Media files on Windows (DRM or otherwise). Just as QuckTime can simply be dropped into any application, the Windows Media control can be harnessed by iTunes for WMA playback.

In fact, all that's really needed to be done is to create an AAC codec to hook in to the WM system. Put the codec into the system, and handle the autorisation stuff for the file in WiniTunes itself, and you're done.

Now - the thorny question of the hardware. Should the iPod support WMA?

Who knows

 

[bipto]

iTunes for Windows is likely to be Apple's best hope of pushing the adoption of AAC

I don't think Apple is as interested in the adoption of AAC as it is in selling iPods.

Why go to an inferior standard WMA just to satisfy Bill Gates craving to control the format for computer audio.

It's not about moving iTunes to WMA, it's about allowing iTunes and iPod owners to play the files. No doubt Apple will continue to use AAC. No reason not to support both (in fact, lots of reasons to support both).

iTunes should be able to play wma, but not encode them

Hmm. Yeah, that sounds about right. The important part would be the playback. Windows users could always use thier Media Player to encode...

As I see it, WMA support is about fielding competitive products, not some some audio format holy war. It's about selling lots of high margin iPods. Apple should do whatever accomplishes that goal.

 

[1macker1]

iTMS

MS users just dont know what they are missing. I requested a song to be added, and it was added within a week. I didnt expect them to add it. GREAT JOB APPLE

 

[september29th]

Wouldn't record labels be a little hesitant about iTunes for windows being anything but AAC? This format is the reason that labels signed on to the project.

.mCr.

 

[OutThere]

Originally posted by bitfactory
Windows Media? hahahaha - that blows the credibility of this report... i find it hard to believe they would do that - especially if the iPod doesn't support it (and hopefully never will). dream on.

Obviously you have never seen the package contents of iTunes 4:

 

[asphalt-proof]

my .02$

I don't profess to channel "steve" but I doubt that Wintunes would support WMA simply because its not an open standard. They might provided some sort of simple to use converter that would enable existing WMA files to be transfered to AAC. On the other hand, competing against Microsoft is very tricky. SOme companies have died by promoting a different standard and others have died by using Microsoft's standard. Microsoft is so huge that they can afford to take a loss or give something away for free in order to become the defaulted product in the catagory. If APple tries to go head-to-head with them in a standards battle they could get roundly trounced and 5 years form now we will all be reading articles about a great mp3 player that died because it only played a little used file format. (I know that its use us growing but...) On the other hand, if Apple does support WMA, we could all be reading articles in 5 years that talk about how much better Mmp4 was but was never adequately supported and died on the vine because it became irrelevant.

BUT... What if there was some very cool feature that the iTunes for Windows has that is a musthave... ease of use
, may not be the ticket. (windows users are used to things being slightly hard to use). 100 free tunes with the purchase of an iPod... very good start.
What are some other features that could make AAC very attractive. (DRM doesn't really count because iTunes has a very watered down DRM feature set.)

 

[Djehuti]

New iTunes UI

I noticed in the screenshots of Expose on the Panther info that two of the windows they show are iTunes windows. (Note the F10 mode where it exposes the windows in one app.)

I saw that and tried to find a way to display multiple windows in iTunes 4. Couldn't find it. Did a Google. No go.

Perhaps this is one of the new UI features in iTunes 5.

(I have no opinion on WMA; I want Ogg Vorbis. I have the Ogg Quicktime Components so at least I can convert in iTunes for export to the iPod in AAC, but it would be nice to natively play Oggs on the iPod.)

 

[Stella]

Re: New iTunes UI

Don't get excited.

You can do that in iTunes 4.. have multiple windows open.

I would tell you how you do it, but I've forgotten at this moment in time! :-D

Originally posted by Djehuti
I noticed in the screenshots of Expose on the Panther info that two of the windows they show are iTunes windows. (Note the F10 mode where it exposes the windows in one app.)

I saw that and tried to find a way to display multiple windows in iTunes 4. Couldn't find it. Did a Google. No go.

Perhaps this is one of the new UI features in iTunes 5.

(I have no opinion on WMA; I want Ogg Vorbis. I have the Ogg Quicktime Components so at least I can convert in iTunes for export to the iPod in AAC, but it would be nice to natively play Oggs on the iPod.)

 

[F/reW/re]

Re: New iTunes UI

Originally posted by Djehuti
I noticed in the screenshots of Expose on the Panther info that two of the windows they show are iTunes windows. (Note the F10 mode where it exposes the windows in one app.)

I noticed that too. I just thought it had something to do with the possibility to have the MusicStore link in the Source-panel or not. And if you dont have it there and choose MusicStore from a meny, the music store would open in a new window.

I can't find this feature in iTunes4 so I guess it's something new and cool

 

[dth21]

Re: Re: New iTunes UI

Originally posted by F/reW/re
I noticed that too. I just thought it had something to do with the possibility to have the MusicStore link in the Source-panel or not. And if you dont have it there and choose MusicStore from a meny, the music store would open in a new window.

I can't find this feature in iTunes4 so I guess it's something new and cool

Don't get too excited. Just double-click on a playlist in iTunes 4 and tada... multiple windows.

 

[F/reW/re]

Re: Re: Re: New iTunes UI

Originally posted by dth21
Don't get too excited. Just double-click on a playlist in iTunes 4 and tada... multiple windows.

jepp, double click on the "playlist" icon and a new window reveals.

 

[boobers]

Re: Re: playback of movies

Originally posted by WM.
WTF???? You mean you got video to display on the screen somehow?

I don't think so...

WM

No, the disk spins fast enough to watch it on any old monitor.
So it is capable of playback.
i don't know if the pod's processor is fast enough to capture and compress mpeg4 though.
The mediadock sounds like a good idea to me.
i'd buy one.

 

[LinuxGigolo]

Originally posted by paulwhannel

Bottom line: adding WMA support would cut into Apple's profits in the iTMS. NOT adding it would perhaps make a few people buy other players... but it wouldn't be nearly the loss that Apple would suffer if they abandoned the iTMS.

pnw

Apple IS NOT really trying to make money off of the iTMS. Apple makes money by selling iPods. The store runs at a defecit (which will get larger once Windows users are added to it -- imagine how much Apple will be spending in bandwidth costs for all of those Windows users 'previewing' songs.) Adding compatibility for a format that most mp3 players support (i.e., WMA) to the iPod will only broaden its potential buying audience and increase sales of the iPod which will make Apple money. It will also allow users to purchase music from Napster, Buymusic, Musicmatch, etc and play it on their iPod. This is not a problem because the bottom line is Apple will sell more iPods!

 

[chickengrease16]

my opinions

WMA
i think itunes will just support playing back WMA files. why on earth would they want to allow ripping CDs to WMA, when they have the pretty-darn-decent AAC? and itunes music store in WMA is out of the question. i cant believe some of you actually thought they would do that. especially considering that the ipod doesnt support WMA.
The Interface
i seriously hope it doesnt suck as hard as quicktime STILL does for windows. man, its so ugly. the menus, everything. it looks half done. so i hope they find a way to make a nice brushed metal interface on windows. also, i hope they have the cool visualization still. it wouldnt be too hard because it's openGL, but i could be wrong.
Price
i also seriously hope that they dont decide to charge for itunes or have gay little popup windows when you start it saying "Upgrade to iTunes Pro" like quicktime. hopefully the music store will cover the cost of allowing itunes for windows to be free.
iPod Video
might be neat, but think about it. unless if they make an ipod with a color screen so you can view it directly on it, it does little good to most users. anyone with an ibook or powerbook knows how easy it is to hook it up to a TV anyways, and you can do a lot more with a laptop hooked up to a tv than an ipod. i just dont see it happening, unless it gets a color screen. and the camera attachment, also unless if they get a color screen. i would like to see the user interface on a color screen, though. an aqua interface would look better than the newton-esque interface on the current ipods
Bluetooth
bluetooth is given way too much credit. its slow, the range sucks, and its only good for syncing phones/pdas (but even then just barely) and keyboards/mice. a bluetooth dock, like others have said, is pretty much out of the picture, and would be close-to-utterly useless, not to mention slow. firewire is so fast, and only takes one small cable. come on people, you're getting way too lazy.
and bluetooth headphones. any of you out there wanting bluetooth headphones own an ipod? the headphones are great. small, good sound, and lightweight. not a problem at all. not to mention, they're tethered to your ipod! realize that bluetooth headphones aren't going to be the tiny little buds you're used to. they're gonna be a bit larger. plus, they'd have to wrap around your ear so they dont fall out easily. and they'd have to have a battery, which would be a royal PITA. i own an ipod, and i would never want/need/use wireless headphones. the range sucks, you'd probably lose them at one point or another, and you're shooting unneccesary waves through your body. cant be good.

 

[bertagert]

Look, this is real simple.

1. Apple will not support WMA DRM in either the ipod or itunes anytime soon. For those of you that think windows people won't be able to play these songs on the ipods. The windows poeple DON'T listen to wma files anyway. How do I know...because they have mp3's playing on the ipod. Some of you think windows users have hords of wma files laying around. I just checked with 5 friends (all windows users) and not a one has ever ripped into wma nor do they even have a song downloaded in wma. There all mp3's. Heck, regular joes don't even know what AAC or WMA is. They know MP3. That's why I think Apple should have listed this new format as MP4 (I don't know if they could have legally or not). People would have assumed it was the next step of MP3.

2. If Apple did support wma drm, why would they have bothered putting up a store and ripping all their music into AAC? Apple has made a stance against wma. If Microsoft wins this file format for distributing and the playing of music, we as consumers are screwed. Why in the world would you want one company telling you how and when you can play your music? Apple is trying to fight this.

3. As for most mp3 players supporting wma drm. This is not true. Most do not support it. They suport wma, but not wma with drm. there is a big difference between the two. Wait till people find out about this compatibilty problem. The ipod is the market leader and will be for some time. No need to support a few songs from services that will go under (Rhapsody, Buy Music, Dell to begin with).

Why music match, buy music, dell, napster, etc. have chosen wma support is beyond me. I think it all has to do with the AAC liscense. If so, the MPEG people need to reconsider they're pricing and do it quick.

Ahhhhh......

However, I think Apple has won this race already. They have the total package. Open music player, open music store, buy music, transfer to ipod seamlessly, or rip to CD. No other company can offer this. I think in a year or two it may happen for either Napster or Music Match but all the rest will die a quick death.

my 2 cents

 

[oskich]

Bluetooth support for iPod is a good idea...

Imagine a wireless LCD-remote control showing the current playing song

 

[bertagert]

Originally posted by oskich
Bluetooth support for iPod is a good idea...

Imagine a wireless LCD-remote control showing the current playing song

Go one step further and have a remote that looks like the ipod (but thin) that lets you do all the smae functions as the ipod, all from the lazy boy. I wanted someone to make this when I got my new 15 gig. The bluetooth would be in the dock and the remote and would only have to tansfer the song info, not the whole file, to the remote. Bluetooth could easily handly that.

I bet within the year it's available through either Apple or a third party.

 

[illumin8]

Originally posted by LinuxGigolo
Apple IS NOT really trying to make money off of the iTMS. Apple makes money by selling iPods. The store runs at a defecit (which will get larger once Windows users are added to it -- imagine how much Apple will be spending in bandwidth costs for all of those Windows users 'previewing' songs.) Adding compatibility for a format that most mp3 players support (i.e., WMA) to the iPod will only broaden its potential buying audience and increase sales of the iPod which will make Apple money. It will also allow users to purchase music from Napster, Buymusic, Musicmatch, etc and play it on their iPod. This is not a problem because the bottom line is Apple will sell more iPods!

Where did you hear this bull****? Apple is already profitable with the iTMS. They're not raking in money, but they are profitable.

 

[Djehuti]

Re: New iTunes UI

Originally posted by dth21
Don't get too excited. Just double-click on a playlist in iTunes 4 and tada... multiple windows.

Hmm. I SWEAR I tried that. I guess I double-clicked the playlist name instead of the icon, because sure enough, double-clicking the playlist icon opens it in a new window. And indeed that is what appears to be happening in the Expose screenshot.

 

[illumin8]

Re: my opinions

Originally posted by chickengrease16
any of you out there wanting bluetooth headphones own an ipod?

I own a 30GB iPod and I would love to have Bluetooth headphones. It would be great for exercising not to have to worry about getting tangled up in a cord. I could also have the iPod sitting in my bag somewhere and still be able to hear what's going on. I think they should add one more thing: A Bluetooth remote control for it as well. This would be awesome and would really make the iPod the perfect peripheral. Especially if the remote had an LCD display and a scroll wheel on it... but then again, it would be almost as bulky as the iPod itself so that wouldn't be so good.