So I’m starting to warm up to the iTunes distribution model. I know, I’m late. Lately, I’ve been seeing some really good music at the iTunes Music Store, beyond the typical commercial stuff. You know those “artists”, recycled, here today, gone tomorrow corporate stars. I’ve seen the latest from Victor Wooten and Marcus Miller. And buying music from the iPhone can be addictive, mainly because of the novelty and simplicity of it. And buying individual tracks for 99 cents just makes sense. Purchase what you want.
So here’s my first gripe that I would love to see addressed. Being able to download music in open lossless formats, mainly FLAC, so I can put on my fileserver and play on my Squeezebox. I’m sorry, but the apple format does not do my B&W’s justice. Also, remove the DRM please, it’s annoying.
Now, onto the AppleTV. I haven’t gotten one yet and don’t think I will until they change their model. First, I don’t buy movies, well, I’ve purchased a couple. But for the vast majority of movies out there, it’s not worth purchasing for something you may watch once or twice a year, then maybe never again. Also, renting per movie is so 90’s. That model is out the window. That’s why I have Netflix, I pay a flat monthly price and can have three movies at a time. so my cost is predictable. But the use of the post office is getting stale. I bought the Roku box and I have to say, it’s a good start no HD, but online streaming is where it’s at. When Apple supports 1080p on the AppleTV and has a subscription service for movies, say having three movies cached at a time, I’m in, big time. Would probably drop Netflix, unless Netflix gets their catalog updated on instant watching and does HD.
L u k e n . o r g 