MERGED-->U2 and ipod + *custom U2 iPods*+u2 ipod version

[u2bonogirl]

shite, just another think i feel like i have to get because its related to U2 *rolls eyes*
Im such a fiend for anything thats even remotely related to them. happily I havent jumped into the ipod culture yet so i dont have to feel bad about getting one
maybe though if its a lot more expensive I will just wait until I can get a used one on amazon

 

[Chrisedge]

A couple comments on various posts...

The Battery on any iPod can be replaced when needed. They cost between $20 and $40. A typical battery with normal use will last about 4 years. The hoopla about lower lasting batteries was wrong. It was the firewire connnector, not the battery that was having trouble in a few older models.

The iPod plays WMA files, just not protected WMA's.

The iPod, at anytime can play OGG files, its just up to Apple to release the change. (or updated firmware - in geek talk)

The iPod plays FULL CD quality files if you choose the Lossless format.

A program called Audio HiJack on the Mac will allow you to put ANY audio file on your iPod.

It's EASY to move your CD collection to an iPod. Just use itunes.com to do it.

U2 and Apple have MUCH in common. Apple is more of a "social movement" than a "corporation", so rest assured U2 is not selling out. Both "groups" are on the cusp of the way Music will be distributed over the next 30 years.

All for now, Macdrew

Quite a bit wrong with this post:
"The hoopla about lower lasting batteries was wrong."
Wrong, terrible battery life on 1g-3g models. You can replace them, but void the warranty.

"The iPod plays WMA files, just not protected WMA's"
Don't know where you got this from.
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/02/20040220102320.shtml

"The iPod, at anytime can play OGG files"
lol, as long as Apple changes their firmware. WHICH THEY HAVEN'T lol

"The iPod plays FULL CD quality files if you choose the Lossless format."
OK, that's one right. But almost everyother player does that too.

"A program called Audio HiJack on the Mac will allow you to put ANY audio file on your iPod."
No, that can CONVERT any audio file, so you can make it a AIFF or ACC file so your Ipod can then play it. Not the same as playing any audio file on your Ipod.

 

[macdrew]

Ah, I've watched these iTunes shows from the very beginning and chances are high the U2 iPod and the new U2 Album will be available at launch tomorrow. Certainly they will be available for order minutes after the Apple Store goes back online after the show is complete.

The U2 Songs will be the same as any other iTunes song, you can burn them to your own CD's all you want. Apple isn't going to make a special set of rules for a few U2 songs, it's just not going to happen. The songs will be in the high quality AAC format, not MP3. If you want to downgrade them, just burn them to a CD, presto! They are now in the older MP3 format.

And yes, if you go the old fashioned route you could rip them as AAC Lossless with no difference in quality than the actual songs on the actual CD, but in your iPod. Most people can't tell the difference, unless you play them on a regular stereo.

apple.com/itunes/import.html

You still get the cover art with iTunes, liner notes probably soon, if not tomorrow. I can see the reasoning behind going the old fashion route but putting U2 at the top of Internet Downloads will be increasingly important.

Anyway, the BIG SHOW starts at:

10am California Time, Oct 26th

apple.com/itunes/

foodisworse.typepad.com/this/2004/09/california_thea.html

My guesses are:

New Stores in Canada, Australia, additional European Countries.

$99 or $149 Flash Based iPods. MicroPods?

Version 5.0 of iTunes

60GB iPod

and ???????

Macdrew

 

[ramblin rose]

MacDrew:

Please don't play with us.

You're dealing with a group of folks (as Bush would say) that are extremely edgy after all we've been through waiting for this album to be released.

To think I could download this album tomorrow is just too much for me to take. Too many disapointments to name.

We still haven't even seen the f***in video for Vertigo for crying out loud.

Why even bother releasing the single on nov 8th.

 

[macdrew]

Quite a bit wrong with this post:
"The hoopla about lower lasting batteries was wrong."
Wrong, terrible battery life on 1g-3g models. You can replace them, but void the warranty.

"The iPod plays WMA files, just not protected WMA's"
Don't know where you got this from.
macrumors.com/pages/2004/02/20040220102320.shtml

"The iPod, at anytime can play OGG files"
lol, as long as Apple changes their firmware. WHICH THEY HAVEN'T lol

"The iPod plays FULL CD quality files if you choose the Lossless format."
OK, that's one right. But almost everyother player does that too.

"A program called Audio HiJack on the Mac will allow you to put ANY audio file on your iPod."
No, that can CONVERT any audio file, so you can make it a AIFF or ACC file so your Ipod can then play it. Not the same as playing any audio file on your Ipod.

No, it was all accurate. Most batteries were fine in first 2 generations of machines. The battery failures were finally traced to weak firewire solder joints on those models. Resolder and the Batteries work again. After a year, who cares if your warranty is voided. The batteries weren't the issue, that was media hype! I have one of the first 1000 iPods, and it still gets about 4 hours of battery life, fix the joints and you are fine.

iTunes plays WMA files and has for many months. iTunes has had this ability since early builds, it's just been hidden. OGG can be played too, with conversion. Sure, Apple hasn't added this via firmware, but I mentioned that in my notes.

info on playing wma is right here:

apple.com/itunes/import.html

Fine with Lossless.

Audio HiJack allows you to perfectly record ANY sound coming from a mac, protected or not, then encode it as AIFF or MP3, etc. Again correct.

The poster that attempted to correct my notes doesn't seem to have deep knowledge of the iPod or encoding. I'm sorry for his post. Nice try though!

Regards. AEE

 

[macdrew]

MacDrew:

Please don't play with us.

You're dealing with a group of folks (as Bush would say) that are extremely edgy after all we've been through waiting for this album to be released.

To think I could download this album tomorrow is just too much for me to take. Too many disapointments to name.

We still haven't even seen the f***in video for Vertigo for crying out loud.

Why even bother releasing the single on nov 8th.

I'm not trying to mess with you I'm just a hard core geek.

I've downloaded the full version of the Video and have already burned it to DVD to watch on my TV.

Here's the trick: (instructions, mac only)

Go to iTunes, watch the large extended version of the U2 Vertigo Video.

Then: Hit Apple F or "Command F" search for items that are "invisible" PLUS items from "today", find the rather huge, cache file... named 0939292929293 (or something similar) drag it to your desktop.

Rename it Vertigo Video.mov (or whatever)

Drag it into iDVD or DVD Studo Pro, make normal adjustments, then Burn...

Now you have the full video (or as much as has been released) on DVD.

-

I really think tomorrow we'll see the full release. Steve Jobs doesn't do deals "half way". Bono will get maximum exposure by having Apple help launch the Album. The vertigo single was exclusively released a week ago, the full album online tomorrow and in stores Nov 8th. Sounds about right, we'll know for sure in about 17 hours.

AEE

 

[ramblin rose]

The album isn't being released until the 23rd of nov. Only the single is being released on the 8th.

And we haven't seen the real Vertigo video (I've downloaded the IPOD one).

Any chance this show tomorrow will be webcast?

 

[gorman]

The album isn't being released until the 23rd of nov. Only the single is being released on the 8th.

And we haven't seen the real Vertigo video (I've downloaded the IPOD one).

Any chance this show tomorrow will be webcast?

I'm wonder about the webcast as well. Sometimes Apple provides live feeds of their events, sometimes archived video is posted after the event, and sometimes there's nothing. With that said, given the fact Bono & Edge are there, it seems like they'd want to milk this all they can. I suspect we will see a live web broadcast. If there is, it'll be here: http://stream.apple.akadns.net/ (it's not up at the moment, but that's usual)

 

[macdrew]

No webcast. We'll probably see a replay later in the day. Steve has gotten pretty cheap about live webcasts. This will be similar to the John Mayer event and the Alicia Keys / Europe Launch is my guess.

Yeah, if there is firm word that the old fashioned album won't be released until the 23rd then that's probably correct.

My gut feeling is Bono and Steve will still release the iTunes based U2 album tomorrow to shed maximum light on the store AND the "deal" with the new U2 iPod. It just wouldn't make sense to have the old fashioned method hold everbody up, or sell a Black iPod with only 1 new U2 song when you could just buy it with 30 U2 songs or download the entire new album for $10 and have it tomorrow. We'll know SOOOOOON.

AEE

 

[womanfish]

Ah, I've watched these iTunes shows from the very beginning and chances are high the U2 iPod and the new U2 Album will be available at launch tomorrow. Certainly they will be available for order minutes after the Apple Store goes back online after the show is complete.

The U2 Songs will be the same as any other iTunes song, you can burn them to your own CD's all you want. Apple isn't going to make a special set of rules for a few U2 songs, it's just not going to happen. The songs will be in the high quality AAC format, not MP3. If you want to downgrade them, just burn them to a CD, presto! They are now in the older MP3 format.

And yes, if you go the old fashioned route you could rip them as AAC Lossless with no difference in quality than the actual songs on the actual CD, but in your iPod. Most people can't tell the difference, unless you play them on a regular stereo.

apple.com/itunes/import.html

You still get the cover art with iTunes, liner notes probably soon, if not tomorrow. I can see the reasoning behind going the old fashion route but putting U2 at the top of Internet Downloads will be increasingly important.

I don't even know where to start with this crazy post.

The album will not be available tomorrow. That would be about the dumbest thing that U2 have ever done. Have it spread across the internet for people to download for free for a month before the album comes out. I don't think so.

As for getting the songs already loaded on the iPod -
There is no rule changing going on. If you get songs on an iPod, they are stuck there. You cannot upload them to iTunes on your computer. When you download them from iTunes store onto your computer then you can transfer them to your iPod, but if they start on your iPod, they are staying right there. (they can be pulled off through external recording devices but this also results in poor quality)

Also you say they will be "high quality AAC, not mp3s". AAC's and mp3's are the same quality! They are both lossy compression formats that strip away about 85 to 90% of the information. And AAC is most certainly not lossless as you stated.

Then you say that people can only tell the difference between lossless and cd quality when it's played on a stereo? Man LOSSLESS is LOSSLESS. There is no difference between a lossless file (like Apple Lossless, WAV Lossless, Monkey's, etc...) and a cd version of a song.

Then you state that it's important to keep them at the top of the download chart. I disagree. It's more important to help them on the Billboard album charts because that in turn will increase their airplay and visibility given to them at retail during the holiday season.

Also, you can print out the cover art on iTunes. this is in no way a replacement for a full Cd booklet.

Go to the store people!

 

[gorman]

I don't even know where to start with this crazy post.

The album will not be available tomorrow. That would be about the dumbest thing that U2 have ever done. Have it spread across the internet for people to download for free for a month before the album comes out. I don't think so.

As for getting the songs already loaded on the iPod -
There is no rule changing going on. If you get songs on an iPod, they are stuck there. You cannot upload them to iTunes on your computer. When you download them from iTunes store onto your computer then you can transfer them to your iPod, but if they start on your iPod, they are staying right there. (they can be pulled off through external recording devices but this also results in poor quality)

Also you say they will be "high quality AAC, not mp3s". AAC's and mp3's are the same quality! They are both lossy compression formats that strip away about 85 to 90% of the information. And AAC is most certainly not lossless as you stated.

Then you say that people can only tell the difference between lossless and cd quality when it's played on a stereo? Man LOSSLESS is LOSSLESS. There is no difference between a lossless file (like Apple Lossless, WAV Lossless, Monkey's, etc...) and a cd version of a song.

Then you state that it's important to keep them at the top of the download chart. I disagree. It's more important to help them on the Billboard album charts because that in turn will increase their airplay and visibility given to them at retail during the holiday season.

Also, you can print out the cover art on iTunes. this is in no way a replacement for a full Cd booklet.

Go to the store people!

There is a lossless version of AAC, which is called "Apple Losless" in iTunes. It's called lossless, because the bitrate is higher than that of a CD. Technically it isn't lossless, since it goes through the normal AAC encoding process, but nothing is lost when encoding from a CD source due to the very high bitrate.

At the same bitrate as an MP3, AAC does produce better quality. It's simply a more efficient codec.

There are programs that directly pull the AAC/MP3 files off of an iPod, and the quality remains the same as the srouce.

I do fully agree that it would be a poor move to release the album this early on iTMS. Perhaps they'll release the full single CD though. That would at least give us one more fully new song

 

[gorman]

Just so everyone knows, the event starts at 10AM pacific time (11AM mountain time, noon central time, and 1PM eastern time).

 

[macdrew]

I don't even know where to start with this crazy post.

The album will not be available tomorrow. That would be about the dumbest thing that U2 have ever done. Have it spread across the internet for people to download for free for a month before the album comes out. I don't think so.

As for getting the songs already loaded on the iPod -
There is no rule changing going on. If you get songs on an iPod, they are stuck there. You cannot upload them to iTunes on your computer. When you download them from iTunes store onto your computer then you can transfer them to your iPod, but if they start on your iPod, they are staying right there.

Also you say they will be "high quality AAC, not mp3s". AAC's and mp3's are the same quality! They are both lossy compression formats that strip away about 85 to 90% of the information. And AAC is most certainly not lossless as you stated.

Then you say that people can only tell the difference between lossless and cd quality when it's played on a stereo? Man LOSSLESS is LOSSLESS. There is no difference between a lossless file (like Apple Lossless, WAV Lossless, Monkey's, etc...)

Then you state that it's important to keep them at the top of the download chart. I disagree. It's more important to help them on the Billboard album charts because that in turn will increase their airplay and visibility given to them at retail during the holiday season.

Also, you can print out the cover art on iTunes. this is in no way a replacement for a full Cd booklet.

Go to the store people!

You haven't been watching the Vertigo Single on the networks have you? Basically they've blocked it's distribution so far. Launch LimeWire, just try and download it. You'll find 20-40 versions. All Silent. You have to keep in mind this is in PROTECTED AAC. It's not like there is a way to cheat that system, unless you use Audio HiJack.

You have it BACKWARDS, if U2 is SMART they will release it on a protected system first... THEN do the launch on old fashioned CDs, since that is when the piracy will begin.

You clearly have NO idea on how iTunes works. I have Vertigo on 2 Computers and NO iPods at this very moment. You've ALWAYS been able to have the purchased songs on your Hard Drive, up to 5 machines at any one time. and UNLIMITED # of iPods. Those are the rules. It matters little to where the songs are, computer or ipod... nobody locks you out of playing them anywhere.

Maybe I'm in the wrong group. Isn't anyone technical here? AAC is FAR better than old fashioned MP3's. It's the endoding format for MPEG-4 for god's sake! AAC Lossless is just that, LOSSLESS. AAC is a modern audio format, Protected AAC is the DRM used with FairPlay. Those are the new rules in Audio.

Not sure how you got confused on Lossless. Sure, encoding as AAC Lossless is the same as a CD. No disagreement there.

YAWN about the Charts. If your still hanging on to the past I can't help you. Who really cares if U2 gets old fashioned "airtime" or not. The last time I listened to Music Radio was years ago. That era is over. It just doesn't matter.

God is everyone this ignorant about printing booklets? There are plenty of Mac programs for building these from iTunes. Apple even has free scripts you can do it from iTunes.

versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/23800

maybe you are using windows? and not familar with all the printing abilities of the mac world? you can easily replicate the paper materials if needed. again, in the ipod world you don't need any of that since it's all on screen.

AEE

 

[gorman]

You haven't been watching the Vertigo Single on the networks have you? Basically they've blocked it's distribution so far. Launch LimeWire, just try and download it. You'll find 20-40 versions. All Silent. You have to keep in mind this is in PROTECTED AAC. It's not like there is a way to cheat that system, unless you use Audio HiJack.

You have it BACKWARDS, if U2 is SMART they will release it on a protected system first... THEN do the launch on old fashioned CDs, since that is when the piracy will begin.

You clearly have NO idea on how iTunes works. I have Vertigo on 2 Computers and NO iPods at this very moment. You've ALWAYS been able to have the purchased songs on your Hard Drive, up to 5 machines at any one time. and UNLIMITED # of iPods. Those are the rules. It matters little to where the songs are, computer or ipod... nobody locks you out of playing them anywhere.

Maybe I'm in the wrong group. Isn't anyone technical here? AAC is FAR better than old fashioned MP3's. It's the endoding format for MPEG-4 for god's sake! AAC Lossless is just that, LOSSLESS. AAC is a modern audio format, Protected AAC is the DRM used with FairPlay. Those are the new rules in Audio.

Not sure how you got confused on Lossless. Sure, encoding as AAC Lossless is the same as a CD. No disagreement there.

YAWN about the Charts. If your still hanging on to the past I can't help you. Who really cares if U2 gets old fashioned "airtime" or not. The last time I listened to Music Radio was years ago. That era is over. It just doesn't matter.

God is everyone this ignorant about printing booklets? There are plenty of Mac programs for building these from iTunes. Apple even has free scripts you can do it from iTunes.

versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/23800

maybe you are using windows? and not familar with all the printing abilities of the mac world? you can easily replicate the paper materials if needed. again, in the ipod world you don't need any of that since it's all on screen.

AEE

Don't worry, you're not the only technical one I'm a fellow Mac geek.

Actually, as of iTunes 4.5, you can print directly from it without using any extra scripts.

The only reason I disagree about releasing the album so early is the hype factor. In a few weeks, there will be tremendous hype around the album (as if there isn't already), and people will crowd around their local music stores waiting for the doors to open. If you put the album up on iTMS now, you won't have the same level of hype, you'll have fewer full album sales, and overall you'll have less revenue from the album. If someone is forced to download from iTunes because there's no physical album, they may end up just getting the few tracks they like the most. When the album does come out, they may not buy it at all. However, if both the physical album and the iTunes album come out at the same time, more people will decide to pick up the physical copy.

I love the iTMS, and I've spent far too much money there, but I think putting the album up there now would hurt the potential revenue from HTDAAB.

 

[ramblin rose]

Don't you think it might defeat the purpose of the custom U2 IPod if they were to release the album tomorrow though?

I would think it would be to apple's benefit to have the IPOD available before you could actually download the songs, no?

 

[macdrew]

Don't worry, you're not the only technical one I'm a fellow Mac geek.

thanks for the notes on itunes, acc, etc yeah I looked for the script menu but forgot it was recently added directly into itunes. nice!

and also for the explanation of why traditional album sales makes for even "more" sales.

I'm pretty pure "Apple", like many here are pure "U2", so the knowledge of the computer can bump into the knowledge of "how things are done" without meaning any harm...

Anyway... can't wait for tomorrow!

AEE

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Is Macdrew the Edge's cousin???

Interesting discussion here. I will definitely be interested in hearing what the big announcement is. I have to say I'm leaning in the favor of something big and spectacular. Why have Bono and the Edge in San Jose to announce a merger of U2 and Apple for a U2 iPod when simple press announcement with the boys there via satellite would suffice?

Something big could be up in 15 hours!!!!

 

[PowerSurge]

Whats an Ipod?

















just kidding, but seriously I think I may buy one anyway

 

[Chrisedge]

No, it was all accurate. Most batteries were fine in first 2 generations of machines. The battery failures were finally traced to weak firewire solder joints on those models. Resolder and the Batteries work again. After a year, who cares if your warranty is voided. The batteries weren't the issue, that was media hype! I have one of the first 1000 iPods, and it still gets about 4 hours of battery life, fix the joints and you are fine.

373,000 hits when you type in Ipod+Battery+life on Yahoo. It was an issue and created a whole industry around user replaceable batteries.

iTunes plays WMA files and has for many months. iTunes has had this ability since early builds, it's just been hidden. OGG can be played too, with conversion. Sure, Apple hasn't added this via firmware, but I mentioned that in my notes.

info on playing wma is right here:

apple.com/itunes/import.html

Fine with Lossless.

Audio HiJack allows you to perfectly record ANY sound coming from a mac, protected or not, then encode it as AIFF or MP3, etc. Again correct.

The poster that attempted to correct my notes doesn't seem to have deep knowledge of the iPod or encoding. I'm sorry for his post. Nice try though!

Regards. AEE

Nice change on both those issues. You said IPODS can play WMA, they can't. Not even the HP's (PC company) IPOD can play them. iTunes can, but that doesn't mean an Ipod can. Your original post said ""A program called Audio HiJack on the Mac will allow you to put ANY audio file on your iPod." Again wrong. (you might be able to "put it on there" doesn't mean that the IPod will play it.) However I did state you can convert it using Audio Hijack and you repeated what I said, and said "Again Correct"

You corrected yourself in the above post, but your original post was/is wrong and I have a better grasp of the Ipod than you. Nice try to you...

 

[macdrew]

373,000 hits when you type in Ipod+Battery+life on Yahoo. It was an issue and created a whole industry around user replaceable batteries.

yeah, looks like you bought into the "hype" too. trust me. it was broken solder joints. you are just playing into the media stories that were later proved false. search engines like yahoo and google can't fix these errors in retrospect.

Jef Raskin, inventor of the Macintosh, calls these "holes in the histories".

pdasmart.com/products/AP08ipodpartscenter.htm

I will say the gen3 ipods had a smaller battery, but again... any mass failures were HIGHLY exaggerated.

Nice change on both those issues. You said IPODS can play WMA, they can't. Not even the HP's (PC company) IPOD can play them.

What was there to "change"? I was correct both times, and am again in saying iPods can play WMA files. It's right on Apple's import page! You are probably confused on "protected" WMA, which of course, Apple won't allow.

iTunes can, but that doesn't mean an Ipod can. Your original post said ""A program called Audio HiJack on the Mac will allow you to put ANY audio file on your iPod." Again wrong. (you might be able to "put it on there" doesn't mean that the IPod will play it.) However I did state you can convert it using Audio Hijack and you repeated what I said, and said "Again Correct"

You corrected yourself in the above post, but your original post was/is wrong and I have a better grasp of the Ipod than you. Nice try to you...

I'm not against changing file types for the iPod to play them, I'm a master at it. So I stand by saying you can play ANY file on your iPod, you are probably try to split hairs and forgetting the conversion process, but I'm including it. So that's where the disagreement may be...

AEE

 

[chocky]

I will say the gen3 ipods had a smaller battery, but again... any mass failures were HIGHLY exaggerated.

Well I bought a 3G ipod 6 weeks ago (brand new) and I get almost exactly the same battery life every time I use it: 3 hours and 40 minutes. All the literature claims it will have 8 hours life. No exaggeration.......

 

[Chrisedge]

What was there to "change"? I was correct both times, and am again in saying iPods can play WMA files. It's right on Apple's import page! You are probably confused on "protected" WMA, which of course, Apple won't allow.

Ipod's cant play WMA files, you might be able to convert a WMA, to a MP3 and play it, but that is not the same as native ablility.

I'm done with you.

 

[macdrew]

Well I bought a 3G ipod 6 weeks ago (brand new) and I get almost exactly the same battery life every time I use it: 3 hours and 40 minutes. All the literature claims it will have 8 hours life. No exaggeration.......

Yeah, the 3G's had a smaller battery, personally I would of skipped the 3G for a 4G. Or sell it on eBay and get a 4g. But I digress...

head on over to the ipod lounge. it has all the goods on batteries.

(no www)

ipodlounge.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=19556

-- (and this isn't intended for you)

It's important to correctly write "iPod" or ipod... not IPOD or IPod... same with Mac. It's not MAC, or IMac. It's a Mac, iMac, iBook, iSight, etc... Made by Apple. NOT made by Mac... there is no such thing.

Also a bit of trivia: pod stands for Piece of Data.

And a comment: A Mac is exactly 14.6 times more exciting than an iPod. Mac users will understand, but non Mac users won't until they start using a Mac.

AEE

 

[gorman]

Well I bought a 3G ipod 6 weeks ago (brand new) and I get almost exactly the same battery life every time I use it: 3 hours and 40 minutes. All the literature claims it will have 8 hours life. No exaggeration.......

Have you tried calibrating your battery? This can _vastly_ improve your battery live. This is done by letting the battery drain entirely, until the iPod has so little power it shuts itself off. Once this is done, charge it back to 100%. Make sure there's no interruption while that happens. I can almost promise you'll see another 2 or 3 hours.

It's important to correctly write "iPod" or ipod... not IPOD or IPod... same with Mac. It's not MAC, or IMac. It's a Mac, iMac, iBook, iSight, etc... Made by Apple. NOT made by Mac... there is no such thing.

Thank you! That bugs me to no end

And a comment: A Mac is exactly 14.6 times more exciting than an iPod. Mac users will understand, but non Mac users won't until they start using a Mac.

That's very true.

 

[womanfish]

You haven't been watching the Vertigo Single on the networks have you? Basically they've blocked it's distribution so far. Launch LimeWire, just try and download it. You'll find 20-40 versions. All Silent. You have to keep in mind this is in PROTECTED AAC. It's not like there is a way to cheat that system, unless you use Audio HiJack.

You have it BACKWARDS, if U2 is SMART they will release it on a protected system first... THEN do the launch on old fashioned CDs, since that is when the piracy will begin.

You clearly have NO idea on how iTunes works. I have Vertigo on 2 Computers and NO iPods at this very moment. You've ALWAYS been able to have the purchased songs on your Hard Drive, up to 5 machines at any one time. and UNLIMITED # of iPods. Those are the rules. It matters little to where the songs are, computer or ipod... nobody locks you out of playing them anywhere.

Maybe I'm in the wrong group. Isn't anyone technical here? AAC is FAR better than old fashioned MP3's. It's the endoding format for MPEG-4 for god's sake! AAC Lossless is just that, LOSSLESS. AAC is a modern audio format, Protected AAC is the DRM used with FairPlay. Those are the new rules in Audio.

Not sure how you got confused on Lossless. Sure, encoding as AAC Lossless is the same as a CD. No disagreement there.

YAWN about the Charts. If your still hanging on to the past I can't help you. Who really cares if U2 gets old fashioned "airtime" or not. The last time I listened to Music Radio was years ago. That era is over. It just doesn't matter.

God is everyone this ignorant about printing booklets? There are plenty of Mac programs for building these from iTunes. Apple even has free scripts you can do it from iTunes.

versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/23800

maybe you are using windows? and not familar with all the printing abilities of the mac world? you can easily replicate the paper materials if needed. again, in the ipod world you don't need any of that since it's all on screen.

AEE

You are either misinformed or not able to understand what i'm saying.

First - I also have vertigo on 2 of my computers. I got it from iTunes. if I wanted to, i could put this on other computers, burn cd's or download to my iPod. Everyone knows this. BUT if the song comes already on an iPod - I REPEAT - ALREADY ON AN IPOD, like the album would be with the new U2 version iPod, then it would be stuck on there and not able to be uploaded to iTunes. Like I said, it CAN be done, but the everyday Joe is not going to do this.

Second - AAC is NOT LOSSLESS and it uses the virtually the same perceptual coding that mp3's do. Some argue that they sound slightly better, but you're still cutting out almost 90% of the audio data to compress the file much like an MP3. It is not CD quality. The main point with AAC is to get better quality with lower bitrate than Mp3 (ie. a 64bit AAC sounds similar to a 128bit mp3) which is nice and useful for storage and saving bandwidth, but they both are inferior to CD.

Yes you can get lossless from iTunes, with Apple Lossless (not AAC Lossless). I just stated that they haven't said if this is the format they will use or not with the U2 songs on the iPod. I would think fans would want the quality of a CD that they can then choose to put on computer, iPod, etc... than to get a special iPod that will limit their possibilities of what they can do with the new songs and be of inferior quality.

Other than that, why in the hell do you want to go to the trouble to print out a booklet on your computer? So when all is said and done you'll have spent more money and time on an inferior product than if you just went to the damn store.

And even though you're such a technical genius, it doesn't occur to you that even with protected AAC's that the song can be copied by being played through outboard recording gear and bounced back down to an Mp3 to be put out for the general public. (My roomate also got Vertigo off Limewire by the way). And the downoading market for a single that is readily available on the radio is much different than the security for an entire album that is being strategically released on a huge pre-holiday sales week. It means millions and millions of dollars.

You may think that the "charts" are old-fashioned but it is still the heart and soul of what drives continued sales and airplay. you seem to think that the download chart is important, so why not the sales chart? Some people still enjoy leaving their home once and a while. Fresh air and all...

 

[U2ITNOL]

I bought one of the new 4G click-wheel iPods back in August, the 40GB model. I love it! Best purchase I've made all year. I'm not really disappointed I missed out on the custom U2 iPod coming out next month. I already have my entire cd collection of U2 albums and b-sides on my iPod in mp3 format. Having a custom iPod with a U2 logo sounds cool, but you'll likely end up convering up that logo. One thing I learned about iPods early on, is that they get scratched VERY easily. The front, back, screen and clickwheel are all scratch-prone. My new iPod had a couple tiny scratches on the screen after just 2 days of use. I ended up buying a $30 protective iPod case by Countour Design which protects it from scratches and provides additional shock support in case it gets dropped. There are also iPod "skins" available which will protect your iPod from scratches. You can get them in a variety of different colors, including black.

 

[macdrew]

You are either misinformed or not able to understand what i'm saying.

Or I'm giving you a hard time...

First - I also have vertigo on 2 of my computers. I got it from iTunes. if I wanted to, i could put this on other computers, burn cd's or download to my iPod. Everyone knows this. BUT if the song comes already on an iPod - I REPEAT - ALREADY ON AN IPOD, like the album would be with the new U2 version iPod, then it would be stuck on there and not able to be uploaded to iTunes. Like I said, it CAN be done, but the everyday Joe is not going to do this.

I'm simply saying Apple isn't going to make a special case for U2. If the songs are preinstalled on your iPod, you own them (or at least the rights to listen to them) so when the iPod syncs to your Mac or PC, it's going to look at the Music store and confirm, then copy them to your hard drive.

Second - AAC is NOT LOSSLESS and it uses the virtually the same perceptual coding that mp3's do. Some argue that they sound slightly better, but you're still cutting out almost 90% of the audio data to compress the file much like an MP3.

Yes, I'm mixing the all the AAAA's... Apple's Lossless is "lossless"... no difference... AAC in the format you are describing is lossy.

It is not CD quality. The main point with AAC is to get better quality with lower bitrate than Mp3 (ie. a 64bit AAC sounds similar to a 128bit mp3) which is nice and useful for storage and saving bandwidth, but they both are inferior to CD.

Yes, I agree.

Yes you can get lossless from iTunes, with Apple Lossless (not AAC Lossless). I just stated that they haven't said if this is the format they will use or not with the U2 songs on the iPod. I would think fans would want the quality of a CD that they can then choose to put on computer, iPod, etc... than to get a special iPod that will limit their possibilities of what they can do with the new songs and be of inferior quality.

Now I'm understanding what you are saying. But no, Apple won't put Lossless U2 files on the iPod, they will be protected AAC, just like everything else.

Other than that, why in the hell do you want to go to the trouble to print out a booklet on your computer? So when all is said and done you'll have spent more money and time on an inferior product than if you just went to the damn store.

Yeah, but the entire point is to get rid of all the brick and mortar stores. They just aren't going to be around in 10 years, at least selling "cds". They'll morph into coffee shops, but the days of selling a physical "cd" are pretty much over.

Get 100Mps to house and you'll see the U2 videos bundled with the songs.

Want to see what 1 million songs looks like today?

apple.com/xserve/raid/

In ten years that will be in your pocket for $399. The entire recording industry in your pocket... think about it... why would anyone still be using CD's at that point???

Apple is going to blast the world with hardcore change. They did it to businesses in the early 80's with the spreadsheet, the middle 80's they eliminated entire printing companies with the Laser printer, steve's NeXT box brought us the world wide web in the early 90's, (what you are viewing right now) and it's going to totally alter the recording and video industries next. Tomorrow's U2 announcement is the shape of things to come... faster and faster...

iTunes is only Audio...

Take a look at Apple's QuickTime Page

for a look at...

"iMovies" in the years ahead.

And even though you're such a technical genius, it doesn't occur to you that even with protected AAC's that the song can be copied by being played through outboard recording gear and bounced back down to an Mp3 to be put out for the general public. (My roomate also got Vertigo off Limewire by the way). And the downoading market for a single that is readily available on the radio is much different than the security for an entire album that is being strategically released on a huge pre-holiday sales week. It means millions and millions of dollars.

Yes, and I said that's easy to do with a little software program called HiJack... no fancy wires or gear... it's pure software, messing with cables is a waste of time...

Who cares about the money... U2 certainly shouldn't, Apple certainly doesn't... It's not in the DNA of either "company". Just listen to music, be happy...

You may think that the "charts" are old-fashioned but it is still the heart and soul of what drives continued sales and airplay. you seem to think that the download chart is important, so why not the sales chart? Some people still enjoy leaving their home once and a while. Fresh air and all...

That's all well and good, but that's an era that's officially over. Airplay? Doesn't matter... download rate is where the action is, and will be for the foreseeable future. Whatever band gets the most bits transmitted wins.

Personally, I get outside plenty and take my 4500 songs on my 12" COLOR iPod with me. I can stream to any stereo with my Airport Express so I'm good go anywhere in the world on a moments notice. I sold all my CDs years ago and will never go back. For the times, they are a changing. And even more quickly in 10 hours!

My fingers are crossed for a full album / itunes only release....

AEE

 

[bono_man2002]

i've not read though all the posts...
but People are selling it on Ebay already. shipping them on November 23rd.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67839&item=5727511126&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V


edit: can you plug like Microphones into iPods?...like you can with mini discs.....to take to uh..."Concerts"

 

[gorman]

i've not read though all the posts...
but People are selling it on Ebay already. shipping them on November 23rd.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=67839&item=5727511126&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V


edit: can you plug like Microphones into iPods?...like you can with mini discs.....to take to uh..."Concerts"

http://griffintechnology.com/products/italk/

Although, the quality isn't very good. The iPod does support it though, and hopefully someone will come out with a better mic soon!

 

[macdrew]

The New U2 iPod:

apple.com/ipod/u2/

quick highlights...

* A gorgeous, black enclosure with a unique red Apple Click Wheel
* On the flip side: find the autographs of all four U2 band members
* Includes an iTunes Music Store coupon you can use to save $50 when you purchase “The Complete U2,” a digital boxed-set that includes more than 400 songs and more than 25 rare and unreleased tracks
* Exclusive U2 poster
* Use it with Mac OS X or Windows 2000/XP
* Play MP3, AAC and Apple Lossless
* Save multiple On-the-Go Playlists
* Adjust speed for Audiobooks
* Enjoy seamless integration with iTunes
* Sync and charge via included FireWire or USB 2.0 cables
* Use as a portable hard drive — take your files with you

Somewhat of a yawn... We should see the keynote broadcasted later in the day for everyone to watch.

Looks like the bigger news was the iPod now can hold Photos. 25,000 or so... playable on TV's, etc...

apple.com/ipodphoto/

iTunes 4.7 was released.

apple.com/itunes/

more news as it becomes available...

AEE