Big Kitty In Stores Soon

Discussion in 'Gear' started by maximus, Oct 17, 2007.

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  1. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    Can you use Windows Media Player with an iPod?
     
  2. No, basically just iTunes (there are a few 3rd party apps that also work)
     
  3. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    Will it work just through a file explorer? For instance, if I have MP3 files on my hard drive, can I plug in the iPod, have it show up as an external drive and then copy and paste audio files to it?

    I think the answer is no and that has been my rub with the iPod. I believe its interface is great. Something just irks me about having to install another player and reindex my 10,000+ song library.

    If the answer is yes, I'd buy an iPod.
     
  4. No, you can use a HD iPod to store files on that way, but you can't copy music on like that. It is designed to sync your iTunes library directly onto the iPod. And it doesn't have it organized on there in such a way as you can access it directly like you can the iTunes music directory on the computer.

    There may be a 3rd party solution to copy your WMP playlists as they are into iTunes, but I don't know of one offhand. But the music would have to be in mp3 or aac format to play on the iPod.

    You can always download iTunes for free and play with it before you bother buying an iPod.
     
  5. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    Yeah, I've played around with iTunes some and I don't like it as much as Windows Media Player. That is due in part, I'm sure, to the fact that I'm used to WMP.

    WMP isn't the deal breaker as much as the inability to copy/paste files to it is. That's the thing an iPod won't do that nearly every other single portable digital media device will do and the only reason I can see for them to lock down that functionality is to force people into using iTunes.
     
  6. There are certainly people who don't like iTunes. I happen to like it, other than being a bit of a resource hog.

    You could try this one, though admittedly I've never used it myself:
    http://www.yamipod.com/

    As far as Apple locking the iPod down, I don't think that's the intent. They want to make it easy to use as well as being stable (that philosophy has carries over to the iPhone). iTunes has been a great way to do that. But you can still put any music you want into the iPod through iTunes and you don't have to pay a dime (other than the iPod itself).
     
  7. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    One side of the coin is that Apple is insuring stability by only interfacing with iTunes, but the trade-off is that iPods lose some very fundamental functions in doing so.

    I've had 4 different brands of portable audio and/or video players and every one of them allows you to copy/paste files. Even the cheap-o "Mega" brand player I had could do that without bugging out. Every "thumb drive" or flash card or external USB drive out there can do it. I know it's not beyond the programmers at Apple to make it work effectively.

    My opinion is that if Apple wants its product to be simple, they should allow users to employ one of the simplest methods to transfer data. Even my 60 year old mother understands copy and paste, but I'm not sure she could download iTunes, set up a library and transfer data without some help.

    At any rate, it's just a rant. I like Apple products. I just wish they'd open it up and play nice with the rest of the world. I have the same problem with Sony. Sony makes phenomenal hardware. Their cameras are great, but I don't want to have to buy a Sony brand memory stick that I can't plug into my PDA to view, or plug directly into one of the hundreds of printers or laptops out there with CF and SD slots.
     
  8. iTunes is actually pretty simple. You just have to get used to the differences.

    Apple has actually started opening up the music they sell, which is the only real complaint about interoperability. In the past, the music purchased on the iTunes store could only be played on an iPod (and inside of iTunes). Now they are selling mp3 files with no DRM. The only problem, ironically, is that most of the major labels refuse to let Apple sell their music without DRM despite the fact they are new letting Amazon and other sources sell it.

    So now there is no technical reason people can't move from an iPod to another player. It does take a bit of work to organize your music over again, but it can be done.
     
  9. Broken Record

    Broken Record Biscuit Eater Staff

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    yeah, I'm sure I could get used to iTunes easily enough, I just don't like the notion of being forced to in order to use an iPod. Two or three years ago I bought a Linksys "boombox" that had a wireless card in it. The idea was that you could use the boombox to access your library anywhere in the house. Once I started setting it up I realized that Linksys had jumped into bed with MusicMatch and the player would only recognize a MusicMatch Jukebox library (talk about crappy software), so back went the unit.

    Wonder what the deal is with the preferential treatment for Amazon? I realize they're the Wal Mart of the Internet and all, but jeez.

    One way or the other, I'm glad we're finally seeing the end of DRM. Will this be the death knell for the "rental" type services like Napster To Go?
     
  10. Basically, the studios decided that Apple wielded too much power in the music industry. Apple was, actually, the world's #3 music seller (behind Wal-Mart and Best Buy). So they are trying to cut Steve Jobs down to size.

    But really, I don't think this makes much difference. They are more likely to hurt themselves more than Apple by not allowing their best internet sales people sell their product. Especially since they wanted to increase their price and Apple wouldn't let them, yet now they are selling it for less on Amazon than Apple does. Dumb...

    And frankly, Apple did the music store to sell iPods, not to make money selling music. Any mp3 song without DRM plays fine on an iPod. So it's not like Apple will have their hardware sales go down any because of it.
     
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