iTunes Question

[Steppenwolf]

I'm considering signing up for an online service to download songs in MP3 format and would be grateful for any advice. iTunes sounds like a popular choice. I don't mind paying 99 cents or so per song, and the ability to pay via PayPal is definitely appealing. I'm a little troubled by their vague security agreement terminology, which states:

"Usage Rules may be controlled and monitored by Apple for compliance purposes, and Apple reserves the right to enforce the Usage Rules with or without notice to you."

I'm concerned that it might either authorize them to install spyware on my PC or allow them to otherwise scan my PC, neither of which are acceptable. There seems to be no possibility to contact Apple via email to ask for clarification unless you have an account with them. What has been your experience with iTunes or similar sites?

 

[QuakrBoi]

As far as I've noticed, nothing else had been installed on my computer or had gained acces to my computer since I got iTunes. I've had no problems at all with it! Don't worry.....nothing bad's gonna happen

 

[GL]

As far as I've noticed, nothing else had been installed on my computer or had gained acces to my computer since I got iTunes. I've had no problems at all with it! Don't worry.....nothing bad's gonna happen

Same here! I've been using iTunes for several years now and just love it.

 

[cowboy87]

:"Usage Rules may be controlled and monitored by Apple for compliance purposes, and Apple reserves the right to enforce the Usage Rules with or without notice to you."

I'm concerned that it might either authorize them to install spyware on my PC or allow them to otherwise scan my PC, neither of which are acceptable. There seems to be no possibility to contact Apple via email to ask for clarification unless you have an account with them. What has been your experience with iTunes or similar sites?

Yeah, they won't install spyware on your computer, and I doubt they scan your PC, but they do monitor your buying habits, and songs that you select to listen to, etc. iTunes is my favorite online music store, and I've never had problems.

 

[gaddou]

i agree with the two previous posters I have not been bothered withI tube but i use a mac

 

[mojoe54]

iTunes is great! I've been using it for over a year and a half with no major problems. As Cowboy87 said they do monitor your buying habits but that is just so that they can recommend other tunes you might like. I did have one problem at Christmas,though--I had downloaded a video of golf tips to give a s a gift. My friend was able to download it into his computer but could not view it as it was protected and he did not have an iTunes account. I don't have a superdrive on my mac, otherwise I could have just burned him a dvd of it.
Another benefit to iTunes is that once a week (on Tues.) they offer a few free downloads. Not all of the freebies are to my liking, but I have gotten several good tunes that way. bb

 

[cozmik]

With regards to the compliance. When you download music from any legal service like this, you aren't downloading MP3's, you're downloading a file (in iTunes case, AAC, in many other's, it is WMA) that has a security system built into it. It's called DRM, or digital rights management. It basically tell the computer or whatever you're playing it on what you can do with the file. DRM'd files are not compatible on all devices. So when they talk about compliance, what they mean is that they have a right to enforce those rules that you agree to when you download the music from them. Basically, the files will not play once you have exceeded your allowed number of devices.

 

[_AJ_]

if you plan on getting a mp3 player other than an ipod use a different download service as the encoded AAC format will only play on ipod's where as WMA plays on most players

i have an ipod and love itunes and ipod btw

 

[hotguy12345]

itunes is the best, truly easy, great value for money, and heck its the digital music that influnces the official music charts thru itunes

 

[WYSIWYG]

I think when you download an AAC file from iTunes, that file cam be changed in iTunes to MP3 or other formats. Yo can then burn your songs on a CD, and then you do not have to worry about AAC or the numbert of devices you can use to listen to your paid song. Once burned on a CD you can transfer those songs to any MP3 player!

 

[mavenue]

I have an iPod and use iTunes and love it.

I say, if you're gonna use iTunes you might as well get an iPod, and you pretty much have to. Unless you want to burn every single song you buy onto a cd, then transfer it to a mp3 player.

You can also try Urge, which I believe is a Microsoft thing. They do have some good payment options, especially if you are a music lover and buy a lot of music.

 

[Steppenwolf]

Thanks guys. My main goal is to burn my own Music CDs to play on any CD Player, and reading your comments, it sounds like iTunes will work fine for that.

 

[GL]

Thanks guys. My main goal is to burn my own Music CDs to play on any CD Player, and reading your comments, it sounds like iTunes will work fine for that.

Just bear in mind that iTunes only allows you to burn a song up to 3 times. If you are prone to making a whole bunch of CD's with different play lists and such, you may come up short. Invest in an iPod. The current Shuffle model holds up to 1 GB of music and is a bargain at $79 in my opinion.