Apple activates iTunes downloads over 3G, with a caveat
Add new songs to your iPhone over 3G.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)Though the addition of DRM-free music is grabbing the most iTunes headlines, there was more music news at the Macworld 2009 keynote on Tuesday.
Apple Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller also announced that beginning Tuesday iPhone users will be able sample and wirelessly download iTunes tracks over AT&T's 3G network or EDGE. Previously, iTunes song downloads, unlike apps, were available only over a Wi-Fi connection.
The process works relatively well, though we encountered a couple of hiccups. Like with the iTunes Apps store, you must use Wi-Fi or a wired connection to your computer to download songs over 10MB. When we tried downloading a longer song, we received a warning message advising as such. During our first download, our connection was interrupted once. We were able to reconnect and continue the download
We tried downloading a 6.4MB song over 3G. It took about one minute and 15 seconds, which is about the same as a Wi-Fi download. We then downloaded a 7.2MB over EDGE. As expected, it was painfully slow--after all, EDGE basically is dial-up speed. It took about 20 minutes to get our song, which is too long to bother in our opinion.
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent. 
Then why go with DRM free music? That, by default, makes iTunes compatible with other players not manufactured by Apple.
The iTunes format that you get from the iTunes store is not an MP3:
Users would still have to read up on the entry to convert to MP3.
You don't always have to convert to MP3... Yeah, MP3 will play on just about anything, but there are still quite a few players (especially newer ones in recent years) that will play the non-DRM'd AAC files that iTunes sells...
im glad you have a good phone, but to explain the iphone you need to explain the apps. they add a level of functionality that you would never expect from a phone.
really? the apps?
so what, the apps are nothing. most of the apps are based on software you can use on windows mobile for free.
so before you brag about the apps, remember that apple isn't the first company to make software people can develop software for. and there is no oppressive app store to stifle any real innovation and sanitize free speech.
Apple's app store, on the other hand, provides a nice uniform interface for ALL software available for iphone. And I haven't downloaded one that doesn't work well yet, even the free apps are cool. While it's not enough for me to ditch my BB because I write a lot of emails, but I do think the iphone is the best smart phone out there. Far superior and more fun to use than Windows Mobile too which I've played with quite a bit.
Regarding App Store being oppressive...well order and structure always come at a cost and I think in this case the benefits are well worth it.
Sometimes certain people just don't get it, or refuse to acknowledge the reality. Seems the RDF works reversely for them.
Some people just like the ITMS better.. personal choice. I'm glad we still have it.
Sanitize free speech? I would love to hear how you think apple is doing this? I am pretty sure that your ramblings about free speech would give me a headache. Yours is by far the most ignorant rant I have seen yet thrown at apple. Do you even understand how free speech works. Go down to your local newspaper and demand they print what you want them to. I dare you to try and dictate to ANY company in the US to do what YOU want them to do. I wish that you people would just shut up. I can make this plain and simple for you. If you hate apple don't buy their products.
I wonder if you have noticed that 50% of the people buying Macintosh computers are buying a Mac for the first time. You should understand that it indicates that people are switching from Windows and LINUX ( I switched from using LINUX as my base OS with windows in a VM for my MacBook Pro) to a Mac. How many people are switching from a Mac to a windows or linux box? I don't know of anyone that willingly uses windows once they switch to a Mac. I only use windows when I have no other choice. Apple products just work.
I do agree that the bluetooth audio profiles need to be added to the iPhone. I also agree that cut, copy, paste is a necessary function that needs to be added. I am disappointed with apple for leaving these things out.
It has become troll-like how these people come to comment sections like this just to trash Apple or to spout something out of left field like this "sanitize free speech" thing.
I've been in IT for 25 years and am not what one might term a "MacHead" or an "Apple Kool-aid drinker", but after switching at home to a Mac in 2004, I would NEVER consider going back to Windows. Apple has some problems, but as said earlier, their products just work.
I remain convinced that people trashing Apple are people that either 1) have never really used an Apple product, 2) are looking for any attention they can get or 3) are just stupid.
Kidding! That was fun though.
- by sarb2008 January 7, 2009 12:49 PM PST
- dtunes anyone. Cydia
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