If you’re planning on buying an iPhone, make sure you won’t have buyer’s remorse because if you do, it’ll cost you 10%. AT&T has released a PDF of “pre-purchase understandings” that read like warnings:
itunes
iTunes DRM-Free Music Selling Like Crazy?
By 6.20.07
According to the Inquirer, sales of “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon increase by between 272 and 350 percent… OK Go’s Oh No increased 77 per cent. Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head jumped 115 percent.”
Bought a Song on iTunes? Don't Pay For it Twice
By 3.30.07
Until yesterday, iTunes users who bought a single song, and later decided they wanted the whole album, ended up paying for the same song twice. Not anymore!
Warner Music CEO Says Jobs' DRM Free Proposal Lacks "Logic or Merit."
By 2.9.07
Bronfman said the proposal was without “logic or merit.”—MEGHANN MARCO
CompUSA: Buy a Zune, Get Free iTunes Gift Card
By 2.8.07
So, I work at the Spokane CompUSA,and every Saturday night, we print out all the new advertisement tags to put up on products that are going to be on sale for the next week and put them out.
Steve Jobs Open Letter On The State Of DRM
By 2.6.07
It seems that with legal challenges to Apple’s iTunes DRM flying at him left and right, Steve Jobs just can’t ignore it any longer. He’s penned an open letter addressing the state of DRM, and it contains some interesting news:
iTunes + Netflix = Cancel Cable?
By 1.24.07
A blogger over at ZDNet realized that he could cancel part of his cable, order his shows on iTunes, watch movies on Netflix and save $300 a year.
iTunes Lawsuit: iPod Software is “Crippleware”
By 1.4.07
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has posted a PDF of the complaint in the iTunes/iPod lawsuit. Here are some choice quotes:
Is iTunes an Illegal Monopoly?
By 1.3.07
Has Apple done this? Have they placed “unneeded and unjustifiable” restrictions on iTunes music? Have these restrictions kept you from or convinced you not to use iTunes? Let’s hear about it in the comments. The lawsuit seeks to “an injunction that would force Apple to make the iPod compatible with other online music and video purchased elsewhere.” What do you think? —MEGHANN MARCO
Consumers Buy Only 23 Songs Per iPod
By 12.26.06
USA Today has an analysis of the supposed iTunes meltdown that was widely reported at the beginning of the month. The author thinks the trouble isn’t with iTunes, it’s with DRM. “Since iPods went on sale people are consistently buying about 20 iTunes per iPod. There’s been a small uptick to 23 lately, but that’s it.”
Apple: Sorry About South Park
By 12.21.06
Apple is trying to set things right with customers who complained after they bought a “South Park Season Pass” that was only good for half the season. According to MacNN, “Comedy Central had decided to ‘split’ the season into two halves for $11.99 each, confusing many customers who thought they were purchasing the entire South Park season.” Apple changed the name of the download to reflect the two halfs of the season, and is offering customers who purchased the first half under the confusing title the opportunity to download part B for free. Let us know how that turns out. —MEGHANN MARCO
AVIS Gives Free iTunes With Rentals
By 12.1.06 — Updated: 9.8.16
Get free iTunes downloads every time you rent directly from AVIS. 1-4 days = 5 tracks, 5+ days = 10 tracks. More Than Points tells us how it’s done:
iTunes 7 Breaks Your iPod
By 11.2.06
It seems that iTunes 7 breaks older iPods, and no one at Apple believes it. We believe it. Here’s the deal. You have a slightly older iPod, a Nano, or a Shuffle. You update iTunes. Your hardware stops working. Apple doesn’t give a shit, and they tell you it’s time to buy a new iPod. The general feeling seems to be that if your iPod is sort of old, it broke on its own. Very suspicious.
iTunes Edits Questionable Playlists
By 9.5.06
Gayer Mechanic Wales first brought to our attention some oddities in the iTunes back to school playlists. Now he points out those oddities have been removed. See the original and revised versions below.
Blogobitchin!
By 8.31.06
• If you run an email promotion, Cingular, make sure the products are being offered for less than what people would pay by going to your very own website. [eCommerce Cache]
UPDATE: Comcast Censors Critical Nightline Story
By 7.19.06
Reader Jason reports that a fishy cut of last Friday’s Nightline was also heard in their podcast of the show. Listen here. Missing on both the internet-over-tv service and the podcast was a segment containing an infamous clip mocking the cable operator.
Singing Eyeballs Encourage Fans To Burn Their Own CDs
By 6.27.06
Leave it to a singing negro skull and three gelatinous, bloodshot eyeballs dressed in tuxedos to finally put the absurdity of DRM in perspective: my favorite band, the Residents, are selling a double album on their website for $14.99 that contains nothing but two blank CDs. Over the next 40 weeks, those who have bought the blank CDs will then download the album in pieces over iTunes and assemble the album themselves when it’s all over.
iTunes Makes Weird Al Broke
By 6.20.06
If Chinese sweatshops or locking yourself into an anti-competitive DRM format aren’t enough reasons to stop you from buying songs from iTunes, at least take pity on polka’s favorite rockin’ freak: Weird Al Yankovic says he makes a lot less money if you buy a song from iTunes than if you buy one of his CDs.
