News Archive for 05/03/14

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iTunes sharing limit

03/14, 10:25pm

iTunes 4.7.1 quietly brings sharing restrictions

With the update to iTunes 4.7.1, Apple has quietly introduced a limit to the number of users who can access your iTunes shared music per day, according to several posts on websites and Apple's own support area. The limit applies to the number of unique machines that can access the iTunes library via the built-in sharing feature and is separate from its iTunes music license agreement, which allows playback of purchased songs on five different computers. The sharing limitation prevents more than five different machines from accessing a users' shared playlist, regardless of whether the song is purchased from iTunes (protected by Apple's FairPlay DRM software) or whether it is a standard (unprotected) MP3 file. "This applies merely to the Rendezvous sharing feature of your music library and playlist... even if they are non-protected AAC's or MP3's and/or CD's you've ripped yourself."

Napster CEO vs. Steve Jobs

03/14, 9:50pm

Napster CEO on Jobs, iTunes subscriptions, WMA DRM

Napster CEO Chris Gorog, touting the "Windows Media Audio world", says that Steve Jobs must "pretty frightened of the Napster To Go technology," following Jobs' "petty" email to top record industry executives, alerting them of a security gap in Napster’s service: "Frankly, that’s what I think the impetus was for him to fire that off. It was really pretty silly. He was claiming we had some sort of security gap, and of course we didn’t. That technology — like recording something off of a radio broadcast — had been out there for 10 years. Certainly his service is susceptible to it as well. We saw it as a sign of weakness, that he’s very concerned about a technology that makes his hardware and his software irrelevant in our view." The interview notes that Napter's Gorog countered with an email defending Napster's security and pointed out "how trivial it was to unlock 'a large collection of iTunes music in seconds.'"

Apple hires MS exec

03/14, 9:35pm

Apple hires MS exec for iTunes subscription service?

Apple has hired ex-Microsoft XBox Live executive Julia Miller, suggesting that the company may be planning to introduce a subscription-based iTunes music download service, according to an AppleInsider report. Miller, formerly the Director of Marketing at XBox Live, was responsible for worldwide marketing and sales for XBox Live, the world's first broadband-only online gaming service. The online gaming service based on a monthly subscription model. "She brings to Apple more than fifteen years of consumer sales and marketing background, including extensive experience with SegaNet, the first online console gaming service." Phone calls to Apple confirmed her employment, but in a brief phone conversation with MacNN, Miller declined to provide her title or job description at Apple as well as refused to confirm her former employment.

DLO TransPod

03/14, 4:50pm

DLO intros new black and silver TransPods for iPod

Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO) announced today that it is now offering the TransPod all-in-one car solution for iPod in Black and Silver. The DLO TransPod lets owners transmit, charge and secure their iPod in their cars using one compact device. The DLO TransPod works on any frequency and is "consistently rated one of the best sounding transmitters available for the iPod." The new Black and Silver TransPods now match most car interiors and work equally well with the 20G iPod, U2 iPod, iPod photo as well as the new iPod minis. The DLO TransPod also charges the iPod while cradling it in an adjustable, easy to position dock that attaches to any standard 12V cigarette lighter. Both colors are available immediately for $100.