iTunes and the Apple Music Store

iTunes 4 (may no longer be timely)

Technical details about iTunes 4 Files.

Steve Jobs blesses DRM, and nothing happens: links to important Apple KnowledgeBase articles and a refreshing perspective in this Register article.

Good discussion of the problems and pitfalls inherent in the deliberately crippled music tracks available from the Apple Music Store, by John Kheit.

iTunes v. 5 & 6

Turn off iTunes Plugins: Is your system bogged down when listening to music using iTunes? You might want to try turning off "Volume Logic" or other sound enhancing plugins. Jon Hicks noticed that iTunes was using 31-60% of the CPU on his Powerbook and wrote about it on his excellent Hicksdesign website. Acting on a tip in his comments, he disabled the "Volume Logic" plugin and saw CPU usage drop "dramatically".

Why EMusic gets it

Apple Spies on Your Listening Choices: iTunes 6.0.2: "every single time I play a song the information is sent back to Apple."

The Consumer Council of Norway had lodged a complaint against iTunes Music Store for breach of fundamental consumer rights. Norway's Consumer Ombudsman has now (6/6/2006) decided that the terms of agreement demanded by iTunes are unreasonable with respect to Section 9a of the Norwegian Marketing Control Act. It is also deemed unreasonable that the agreement the consumer must agree to is regulated by English law, that iTunes disclaims all liability for damage the software may cause, and that it may alter the rights to the music. iTunes must now alter their terms and conditions to comply with Norwegian law by June 21. The Consumer Council seems particularly concerned about digital "rights management": "The widespread use of DRM and its legal protection have upset the normal, balanced regulation of copyright."

Update: Aug. 1, 2006: Apple Computer has replied to Norway, meeting a deadline set by consumer agencies in Scandinavia. The contents of their reply could determine the future of the iTunes music store in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, which have similar laws.

Update: Aug. 3, 2006: The Consumer Council of Norway is not very happy with Apple's response, but negotiations continue. A least Apple has agreed that it may not change the terms of sale after a purchase, an egregious business practice to which U.S. customers are still subject.

Overlooked iTunes UI Elements

Cory Doctorow on Apple's DRM: An insightful article explaining the real purpose behind the restrictions Apple places on iTunes downloads.

When abbreviations go bad