iTunes For Windows is out!

[Joe D.]

I'm going to download it tonight.

Joe

[Grant]

I'll have to check it out.

Also, Napster premeres Oct 27. These two are gonna do battle!

[PMC7027]

This is no news to me, as I don't listen to music stored in compressed audio file formats.

[chrischross]

Originally posted by PMC7027
This is no news to me, as I don't listen to music stored in compressed audio file formats.

Agreed -- I've always had a hard time getting enthused for $.99 per song downloads for 128K MP3's. Now, if they want to sell uncompressed .WAV files for a bit more, that's another story. I'll gladly pay $1.29 per song for the .WAV. or .APE file.

Are you listening music industry?? I'm not buying anything new lately, so here's your chance to get some incremental revenue from us folks with high speed internet.

[Irwin Mainway]

Originally posted by PMC7027
This is no news to me, as I don't listen to music stored in compressed audio file formats.

Thread crap! :D

The iTunes program is not just a music store, its also an MP3/MP4 file manager/encoder/decoder/streaming/file tagging/cdburning program. And it's free too!

I downloaded it last night but haven't had much of a chance to try it yet. I liked the Mac version a lot, and hope that the Windows version is as successful.

[Grant]

Originally posted by PMC7027
This is no news to me, as I don't listen to music stored in compressed audio file formats.

It's worth it to me if I can get that one currently popular song without having to buy a whole CD. Why worry about the sound so much if the regular CD was compressed to hell, anyway?

[Grant]

Originally posted by chrischross


Agreed -- I've always had a hard time getting enthused for $.99 per song downloads for 128K MP3's. Now, if they want to sell uncompressed .WAV files for a bit more, that's another story. I'll gladly pay $1.29 per song for the .WAV. or .APE file.

Are you listening music industry?? I'm not buying anything new lately, so here's your chance to get some incremental revenue from us folks with high speed internet.

They will most likely be .wma files for the Windows version. They have copyright restrictions embedded in them.

[Irwin Mainway]

iTunes does not support .wma files in either version.

The iTunes Music store sells AAC/MP4 files.

[Tyler]

I don't buy anything from the itunes store, but I love my Mac version of itunes! It's so easy to rip a cd into your library. I always rip my files at a high bitrate (more than double the standard 128). Mac's AAC files sound pretty good for listening on the go.

itunes is a great way to archive your music and take it on the go. I'll never get rid of my vinyl, or CD collection, but itunes has helped me organize and enjoy my music. Transfering songs to my ipod is a snap, I can take thousands of songs with me wherever I go, it's fantastic.

[Grant]

Originally posted by Irwin Mainway
iTunes does not support .wma files in either version.

The iTunes Music store sells AAC/MP4 files.

I read somewhere that the Windows version would offer .wma.

[Irwin Mainway]

Here is a link for the Redmond spin.

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2003/oct03/10-15musicservices.asp

[Grant]

I don't use .wma protable devicses. All i'm interested in is burning stuff to CD.

I couldn't find any info on the iTunes for Windows on the Apple site. I'll look again.

[Irwin Mainway]

www.itunes.com

http://www.versiontracker.com/redir.fcgi/lid=363703/iTunesSetup.exe

[Metralla]

Originally posted by PMC7027
This is no news to me, as I don't listen to music stored in compressed audio file formats.
Me neither.

However, I was well aware of the news, being as it was on the front page of the business section in today's Mercury News. It is of significance from an Apple viewpoint, considering Microsoft stopped making some products for the Mac O/S, but here Apple make software for WinTel.

Regards,
Geoff

[Joe D.]

Well, I like great sounding audio too, but it's kinda hard to carry a SCA-35 on the train every day. I bought an iPod back in May to lighten my bag a little bit I'd say. No more lugging CD's around.

Anyway, back to the thread....

I just wanted to let the Windows users who have an iPod know about iTunes.

I downloaded it and am ripping CD's in the AAC format, something that MusicMatch did not support!

Joe

[-=Rudy=-]

MP3's fine for me...as long as I rip 'em myself. My car CD changer supports MP3. I load it up with 10 MP3 discs, and I have 100 or more albums at my fingertips all the time. :) 128k just doesn't cut it for me...bare minimum lately is 192k. MP3 might not be the perfect compression, but it's the most widely supported, if current disc players are any indication.

[chrischross]

Originally posted by Irwin Mainway


Thread crap! :D

The iTunes program is not just a music store, its also an MP3/MP4 file manager/encoder/decoder/streaming/file tagging/cdburning program. And it's free too!

I downloaded it last night but haven't had much of a chance to try it yet. I liked the Mac version a lot, and hope that the Windows version is as successful.

OK -- fair enough;)

To me, iTunes has always been branded as a music service. As a player, I'm intrigued, as I've never been totally happy with WinAmp, and Real and Win Media Player truly suck for audio. So thanks for setting me straight:thumbsup:

[Ted Bell]

Originally posted by Joe D.
Well, I like great sounding audio too, but it's kinda hard to carry a SCA-35 on the train every day. I bought an iPod back in May to lighten my bag a little bit I'd say. No more lugging CD's around.
I just wanted to let the Windows users who have an iPod know about iTunes.


Joe,

Thanks for posting this. I just downloaded itunes and love it. Even made my first online music purchase. I-tunes kills ephod, which was easier than MMJB. I have a dedicated audio room upstairs, a modest home theater with multi-room speakers downstairs, a decent office system and a car system. Still I need my Ipod-even though MP3s are compressed, you have to have something to listen to while travelling and exercising. Gotta have music!

Jay

[Tyler]

I use AAC files ripped at 256K. I'm not concerned about MP3 files, because if I'm not listening to music on my ipod, or my powerbook, I'm listening to the compact disc.

256K AAC files seem to be the best combination of quality, and file size. I've got a 40 gig ipod, so I've got room to have better sounding files.

[Grant]

Well, I downloaded and installed iTunes for Windows. The installation went without a hitch.

Quicktime gets downloaded along with iTunes if it isn't already on your PC.

I don't like the way iTunes and Quicktime replace your Windows Media icon in your toolbar

I had considerable trouble registering, but made it after five attempts

iTunes would not let me in the store because I kept getting error messages saying I was low on memory. I have 512 MB of memory, with almost 400 of that available!

I went to their message board and was kindly informed by another iTunes for Windows user that he had to disable his Norton firewall and antivirus to get in. I did that and got in just fine. Once I was in I could safely turn things back on. That's one little thing they could fix.

I bought two songs and downloading and purchasing went without a hitch! If a download is interrupted, you can do it again later.

I don't know exactly what format downloaded to my PC but I had to burn the song directly to a CD-R with the program as a .cda file, which can be played on a CD player. Afet copying the song to CD-R, I just opened up Adobe Audition and ripped the track into the program and saved it as a .wav file.

The sound quality was very high. I am impressed!

Actually paying for a quality download makes me feel good, and there is no worry of not being able to get the whole song, having a hacked-over file, or getting a virus. All a song costs is .99, or $9.99 for a whole album. A bit more work, but it's just like buying a 45 back in the day.

I understand that even Kazaa is seriously considering charging for using the service or to charge for downloads. If this business of selling files on the interen grows, it will drive the file-sharers back underground and back into the news groups. And, if Napster takes off like I think it will, it's a whole new world for music, and the recoed label;s are sitting on a cash cow, just like my man mikey has been saying for a long time. For the music lover with a credit card, this is the future! All we need are more songs!

For a person with a high-speed connection, it's gonna be quite easy to spend money!

[Claus]

One Million Copies of iTunes for Windows Software Downloaded in Three and a Half Days

One Million Songs Purchased by iTunes Users in Three and a Half Days

CUPERTINO, California—October 20, 2003—Apple® today announced that Windows users have downloaded more than one million copies of its new iTunes™ for Windows digital jukebox software in just three and a half days since its launch last Thursday, and over one million songs have been purchased and downloaded by iTunes users in the same period.

“iTunes users have purchased over one million songs in the first three and a half days since our launch last Thursday, which compares with one million songs in the first seven days when we introduced the original iTunes for Mac users last April,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We're off to a great start, and our competition isn't even out of the starting gates yet.”

The iTunes Music Store has revolutionized the way people legally buy music online. An astounding 14 million songs have been purchased and downloaded since the original iTunes Music Store launch in April, solidifying the iTunes Music Store’s position as the number one download music service in the world.

The second generation iTunes Music Store offers Windows users the same online music store as Mac® users with the same music catalog, the same “gold standard” personal use rights and the same 99 cents-per-song pricing. The second generation iTunes Music Store launched last week includes online gift certificates for family and friends; Apple’s innovative and patent-pending online “Allowance” feature which allows parents to automatically deposit funds into their kids’ iTunes Music Store account every month; more than 5,000 audiobooks which can be purchased with one click and listened to on any Mac or Windows computer as well as on iPods; Celebrity Playlists; and new exclusive tracks from more than 60 artists. With music from all five major music companies and over 200 independent music labels, the iTunes Music Store catalog is growing every day and will offer more than 400,000 songs by the end of October.

[Claus]

But I also have heard... Apple makes no profit with their online-store.

They make $$$ with selling their iPods...

[Grant]

One hint for looking foe classic songs: It seems that tracks are just ripped from CDs, so if you want older music, just look for an older CD made in the 80s or early 90s. That way, you can be sure you aren't getting some mastering that compresses the hell out of the sound. I ordered a track off of a Stax/Fantasy CD by the Emotions. I opened it in Adobe Audition and all the dynamics are there, and it looks like the peaks go no higher than about 98%.

[Claus]

Time's vote: http://www.time.com/time/2003/inventions/invmusic.html :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Grant]

I wonder how Napster's doing. I never hear anything about it.