Apple iTunes

Posted on 2 Sep 2010 at 15:48

Apple’s iTunes Music Store comes in for a fair amount of stick, and there’s no denying that Apple’s approach effectively ties you to using Apple software and hardware.

You can access the store only from within the iTunes application, and while Apple has moved almost totally to DRM-free, 256Kbits/sec AAC files, these still aren’t playable on many non-Apple smartphones and media players.

The new iTunes LPs, with additional visual content and notes, are a nice idea, albeit underexplored

Worse still, the greedy iTunes app takes up a whopping 70MB of system memory, and has a nasty tendency to become the default player for many file types and install additional helper applets, unless you specifically tell it not to. We could also do without DRM-free tracks that are watermarked with personal data.

On the other hand, the music store is actually pretty good. Apple set down the standard early on for visual interface design, and the iTunes store makes it very easy to search for tracks, albums or artists, browse through the catalogue and make purchases.

Discounts aren’t as extensive as Amazon’s, but there are bargains to be had, and the site does a good job of taking you from an album you like to other, similar music. The selection is exemplary. Everybody wants to be on iTunes, and with more than 11 million tracks from every major label and most independents, it’s a struggle not to find what you’re looking for.

The new iTunes LPs, with additional visual content and notes, are a nice idea, albeit underexplored, and the close integration with the iTunes player can work in your favour. There’s no messing around – you just download and play.

However, we still have a couple of quibbles with the operation. First, you can download a track only once, and if you lose or delete it, there’s no guarantee whatsoever that Apple will allow you to re-download it.

Second, while iTunes isn’t particularly expensive, it isn’t anywhere near as cheap as services such as Tesco, Play.com or Amazon, particularly on new chart music or classics.

iPod/iPhone users could do worse than check iTunes, particularly as you can still find some strong deals on the site for less mainstream music, but these days its rivals offer a similar choice, greater freedom and a more attractive price.