Woman sues Apple for not letting iPods play WMA files. [Cnet]
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Hmm, maybe I should sue Microsoft because my Zune won’t play iTunes AAC files.
I’m suing everyone for not supporting my extensive beta tape collection.
Hello nirvana through useless lawsuits!
This newbie sure can file a lawsuit, but can’t use a less-terrible file format?
JUSTICE IS SERVED
/who cares?
@madanthony:
well, the Zune I bought (and quickly sold) wouldn’t play WMA files either. But my happy little Sansa does.
@mamacat49: Lol! The Zune doesn’t even play M$’s PlaysforSure format.
Her Apple iPod, which she willingly purchased, doesn’t work with a proprietary Microsoft file format.
No doubt filed with the mentality of, “…but I’m a victim! You owe me money for the hardships you’ve forced me to endure!”
What the hell has happened to personal responsibility?
Sell the iPod then go buy a Zune, but not before doing a bit more research about the product.
What do you seriously expect from an Apple product?
Certainly not any amount of freedom.
But goddamn it looks sexy when riding the train. That’s what matters, right? Not silliness like format versatility.
It’s hard to beat the Cnet article’s title… “Yes Virgina, any idiot CAN file a lawsuit!”
Stupidity knows no bounds. Especially not the bounds of sensical use of law. I have an iPod. I understood going in that I would either have to rip CDs on to iTunes, buy from iTunes, or – simply place any MP3 format song from my machine into my iTunes library.
Her lawsuit will quickly go the way of the Dodo bird obviously because she purchased an MP3 player that was already this way. It’s not that after she purchased it Apple somehow changed things to make more trade hindering.
This is kind of like suing a burger joint for selling you fat laden burgers and fries. You know going in what you get, and you pay for what you get!
WTF no laser disk = teh lawsuitx0r.
But seriously, I think you’d get a lot farther suing because iPhone and iPod touch do not work on 64 bit Vista, even though on the box it says “Vista”.
Apple should counter-sue for defamation of character… Trying to play such a decrepit file on its glorious product. I don’t know if I’m kidding or not. I guess I am. Kinda.
@mightypen: Simple: you expect any product to work as advertised. That feature is not on the spec sheet. Why is Apple the villain for actually making products that do what eh spec sheet say they will?
I really don’t know how any sane lawyer took this case.
@Buran: The ad for the lawyer read “Works on contingency? No, Money Down!” and “Cases won in 30 minutes or your pizzas free”
So how’s she getting WMAs to put on her ipod? Did she buy protected files from MS? If she did, that’s just plain ignorant. Did she incorrectly import cds? I mean, iTunes will import cds as anything but MS proprietary software. You can even customize bitrate. So she had WMAs from before she had iTunes or she is importing her music with something other than iTunes. Either way, I am told that windows iTunes will convert unprotected WMAs, and barring that, there are plenty of quick easy converters that will make those unfortunate files into something that can be played on anything. Anyway you look at it, there are so many easy work-arounds, that this lawsuit is on really shaky ground.
I smell a publicity stunt. Everyone wants to make Apple look bad.
@ mightypen
Freedom on Apple products is as available as you want it to be. A little research will reveal how versatile they really are.
@mightypen: Please explain how the iPod doesn’t offer freedom. Because it does. So what if I can’t play WMA files? Who the hell has WMA files?
@yg17:
I don’t know, but whoever they are, they take their files very seriously.
THAT JUST HAPPENED.
@Witera33it: Agreed.
She already has a computer and an iPod. The next step for her is to find some audio conversion software. Even Winamp does it on the fly.
*Scratches head* WMA files? Why do you even have these?
If I have WMA files the first move I do is convert them to MP3…
When I try and load a WMA into iTunes, it automatically converts to AAC. What’s the problem besides the sheer stupidity of it all?
someone push her under a bus.
@chutch:
No, I think a better analogy is suing McDonalds because they don’t sell Whoppers.
@Buran: Simple, Apple has $$$. I’ve read that if a lawyer takes 10 cases and only wins 1 case, they’ve paid their rent for the year. That means (if that’s true) that they can file 9 frivolous cases for every legitimate case (or just get lucky with one of their bs cases) and still come out ahead. Hmmm, MDs can’t really do that. Neither can legitimate business people. Hell, I don’t know WHO else can get away with such frequent f$#@ups, ‘cide the government!
I wonder which WMA-pushing con job is funding her lawsuit.
It amazes me how much whining occurs about Apple when, reallly, there are scads of good portable music players; people ignore the Sansa and the surprisingly competent new Zunes in favor of the iPod because their friends have one and then the whining begins.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m an early iPod adopter and use Macs for everything other than work. There’s, what, five online music stores I can buy major label goodies from instead of one? I mean, what next, suing Apple because the iTunes Music Store doesn’t work with your Zune?
@esthermofet:
Except that every other MP3 player under the sun supports WMA.
@mightypen:
Judging by the number of Blu-Ray fanboys, the only important thing is pleasing our corporate masters by allowing them to tell us what we’re allowed to do with the products we’ve purchased.
@RvLeshrac: So that’s a reason to sue Apple? Apple’s website ([www.apple.com]) clearly states what formats the iPod supports and WMA isn’t listed. If the buyer didn’t do their research by making such a large purchase, tough shit.
@RvLeshrac: Really? EVERY other MP3 player supports WMA?!?? Don’t believe it. Still doesn’t mean that Apple should be required to support that other company’s proprietary format.
My DVD player won’t play VHS tapes. Whom should I sue?
Actually, my iPod won’t play them either. You guys work on figuring out the right company to sue, while I sue Apple.
@Sudonum: But the do, or at least they did a couple years ago. It was called the Big ‘n Tasty.
@freshyill: Sony
I’ve heard stories (no references, sorry) of idiots buying gas cars and then trying to run them on diesel to say money. The old jokes about men not reading instruction manuals has changed to cheapskates and technology.
I was disappointed that my MP3 player wouldn’t play MP2s (one would expect backward compatibility), but I didn’t sue the company over it. I converted the files, something the woman is clearly too clueless to do.
It’s a good thing nobody told this gem about all the VIDEO formats/codecs the iPod will not play. “Yukk-yukk-yukk”.
@RvLeshrac: … and?
@RvLeshrac: Nice. So those of us who obey the LAW are “fanboys”. Good grief. What the heck? They haven’t done anything illegal. The whiners want to do something illegal. Awww. News flash: you never had the “right” you want under regular DVD either. So why do you all not blast owners of regular DVD players too?
I’m waiting for your explanation.
Admittedly, i don’t currently own an iPod now, but when I did not only did iTunes import / convert the files to ACC or MP3 there were a BILLION free and well known products that would convert it for me. I can’t STAND WMA files, they have to be THE worst audio file format I’ve ever come across.
But, the suit is just outright insane. The iPod was formulated to work on a MAC first then it was given PC “compatibility” afterwards. Besides.. with everyone DUMPING DRM, there’s no REASON to continue to use WMA files anyway.
The ipod supports MP3, a more or less “open” format, arguably the closest thing we have in digital audio to a standardized format. Sure, there are better “open” formats available at this point, but the point is nearly every player that can play digital files supports MP3 at this point. What requirement does Apple have to support and pay fee’s for other companies proprietary formats?
When I illegally (according to the RIAA) copied all my CD’s (well in excess of 500)into MP3 about 7 years ago I looked at all the formats and the pros and cons of them. I went with MP3 because it had the widest support. Sure other formats could have saved me some space or been higher fidelity, but in the end my biggest decision was universal compatibility.
This lawsuit is pants on head retarded, of course if the litigant wins I’ll be sure to start my lawsuit for Apple not supporting Real Audio’s proprietary format. I’ll then move on to suing for compatibility for Ogg-Vorbis, FLAC, WavePak, Shorten, TTA, dvf and any other oddball formats I can find!
@BuriedCaesar:
Even my years-old CompactFlash Diamond Rio MP3 player supports WMA.