iTunes DRM-free, Blessing or curse to already-purchaser?
Since the Apple announced that Itunes Music Store was going to DRM free, the net boiled up with all kinds of arguments, even controversies flooding over. Here we put aside the commercial motives that forwards iTunes DRM-free, let's just focus on the effects that are going to exert on our iPod consumers, especially for the already-iTunes-music-purchaser, after Apple promoted the pay-to-upgrade policy.
Apple's newest policy already known (from Macworld 2009 keynote)
1. The new price per song ranges 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 based on market demand, 10 million songs added up are going to be DRM free untill April, DRM songs are still on-sale by then end of this quarter.
2. DRM-free songs can be accessed through new version iTunes Plus, the pre-purchased DRM songs need extra fee to upgrade to DRM free, as well as the album and music video. Singles charge 30 cents, albums 30 percent of the current price, and 60 cents for music video.
3. All the DRM-free songs are going to play, (with 256Kbps higher quality rather than DRMed 128Kbps), in AAC format which is compatible with most of the popular digital devices(as what they claimed).
4. As to iTunes DRM video and movie, Apple gave no infomation, which probably means they will keep being DRM-shackled within a long unknown period.
Pains consumer have to swallow
1. The upgrade is a all-or-nothing prospect, which means you can’t choose which tracks to upgrade.
2. Upgrade is according to the history purchase of your iTunes account but the contents of your present library.
3. The previous free downloaded DRM songs are not "eligible" for upgrade according to Apple's FAQ
4. The upgrade cost, which is also the biterest to swallow. For example, if you have 1000 DRM songs, then you have to pay Apple $300 extra, which means you have to pay $999 + $300 = $1299 to get DRM-free songs that people could have with money $690---$990 now. What a suffering.
What to do then
Just as what the folks said, that's the typical Apple, either Apple's way, or no way!
While matter to consumer is, how long we have to wait Apple to oblige us a satisfing answer rather than focus on its pocketbook.
Fortunately there is not only the Apple to rely to remove DRM, the traditional way is burning the DRMed tracks to a CD, then rip them to DRM free, but the shortcoming of which is time & money costing.
The alternative is the bunches of Google-handy converters, most of them are shareware, $20-$30 priced with month less-or-more free trial period, easy and convenient to remove DRM.
For example, Aimersoft Music Converter
http://www.all-media-co...
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