How Apple Had to Backtrack on Ringtones

At one point, Apple was all set to let their customers create their own ringtones for the iPhone. Then the RIAA found out and put a stop to it, according to Daniel Dilger at Roughly Drafted on Friday.[...] Thanks to gbreed for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

sonobol: Someone explain to me how on a $600 phone, the task of customizing a simple ringtone becomes rocket science?
http://viaringtones.info/random – here i see only for 500 u.e. but want 600!

RossPelton: Well, that again leaves pirated ringtones the alternative. RIAA misses the boat yet again.

doc99: the worst thing is, I could dat with my Nokia N95, or my V3i or almost any fucking fone, nd I can download Ringtones for free! So why the fuck do the RIAA have to get involved, once AGAIN.

Ma5t3r_Chi3f: Not sure if this has been mentioned, but can’t the artist record a ring tone from scratch (based on one of their songs, but not cut from) and sell it as their own personal property on their website?

robdazomba: Apple clearly didn’t want to pick a fight over something they don’t see as terribly important to most users and I think that was a good decision. I’d rather they bloody their knuckles in the next fight over price increases which will inevitably come as the RIAA dogs start sniffing the cash in the air.
What will be most telling is whether or not Apple tries to clamp down on the third party tools and hacks already coming out that allow ringtones to be generated in other, non-approved ways. I suspect Apple won’t fight too hard against that.

digitallysick: Every stop complaining, best thing to do is go here http://iphone.nullriver.com/beta/ and use this program on your iphone, it will open the doors to everything you could ever want, nes emulator, changing the dock, your own mp3 ring tones (full song) etc, don’t even waste your time with ifuntastic, this is far great

scotticus: I have a KRZR through AT&T… I can drag and drop mp3s onto the phone and set them as ringtones without hacking the phone at all.

And you dumb shits paid $600 for a phone that can’t even do that… lol.

dstz: “Why the FUCK do royalty system exist if they won’t even award the creators?”

If only the answer wasn’t so simple.

Ugoff: Yeah that makes sense to pay twice for a song just so you can listen to it and then be able to play it as a ringtone. Even then, the files are poisoned with DRM. Fuck that, I’ll just continue my pirating ways thanks to the RIAA.

RationalXubrnce: RIAA are an organized crime group that operates with the backing of the government. That is not even an exaggeration.

Courtney Love exposed how they operate in an excellent article. http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/06/14/love/print.html

TylerLavite: Fuck the RIAA. this is bullshit they want us to stop pirating because they say it hurts the artists! my ass!!! all they do is get the damn money! this is so much more of a reason for me to continue hacking my ring tones onto my iPhone!

londubh: What is to stop someone from ripping a song from a CD they own and make a ringtone out of it and put it on their phone? Is an RIAA rep going to stop you in the street and ask to see if you purchased that ringtone separately?

OddTSi: Apple fanboys are pathetic. I love how you guys try to defend Apple in this and say it’s not their fault. No, of course not. Apple HATES making money. They would never make you pay double simply to make money off of a popular service.

What some of you need to do is look at how you would react to this were it not Apple that we were talking about here and then react in the same way in this case. Otherwise you end up looking like the hypocrite fanboys that you are.

Jareth86: Why the hell does the RIAA care so damn much about ring tones?! Are little snippets of songs playing for a few seconds in noisy public places really losing them that much money?

drzeus: Apple gets all the legal attention. Meanwhile, I can cut any MP3 file I own down to 20 seconds or less and email it to my crappy cell phone to get a new ringtone. RIAA, please throw your big fat lawyer-encrusted gut at Motorola. I feel left out, and I want my phone manufacturer’s rights trampled too, damnit!

Macs on the network: Time to panic?

As the consumer market begins to meld with the corporate world even more, and employees expect to use their preferred gadget (and operating system) for work and home life, the Mac could make inroads at large corporations.[...] Thanks to zaibatsu for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

cliffzdude: “We expect that much of today’s IT infrastructure is going to be turned upside down by the invasion of consumer technologies,”
I swear, if I read one more story about what those guys in the Enterprise do/expect/think I think I’m going to puke.
I’m one of those IT guys in the corporate world, as are many of my friends. Listen, home/personal devices are being sand-boxed in the enterprise, not being welcomed with open arms. I have no idea what Joe User has on his personal PC, so if he wants to use it to connect to our network we have to figure out a safe way, and we have. Same with our public WiFI infrastructure, its on its own protected network and can’t touch our corporate stuff.
It doesn’t matter that it is/isn’t MAC, what matters is its your shit that’s probably messed up.
Then comes problem #2. If I let your shit on our network for company use, when it breaks you’re at my door holding your broken notebook asking me to fix it. Shit, back when we installed software and told users how to dial into our network I’d see them 3 months after, blaming us that our software broke their computer. Ok dude, it won’t boot because we had you install a 3MB terminal emulation package? Ya, right. I know it sounds absurd, but it is the real world. Just supports my point that so many authors who write this trash have not and will not ever work in an enterprise environment.

KevenM: Site’s already down. Time to panic

oneoverzero: This article reads like somebody trying to convince themselves that what they are saying is true.

BlueStarr: @Vault

I haven’t used OS X in over a half year and I remember that option in System Pref you’re talking about.
Vote to bury. Don’t give them your time/click.

NoOneButMe: Time to panic? Only if you’re an incompetent admin who’s afraid of using perl/python/ruby/bash/some other scripting language instead of batch script’s.

diggdean: Talk about classic FUD like “the invasion of consumer technologies” and “Consumerization is going to make IT’s job harder”. Oh, please spare me! IT folks are supposed to be experts. Can’t they handle a little more new technology? Especially the kind people actually use.

vault: Inaccurate. The OS X GUI for ipfw does have stealth mode as an option under ‘advanced’.

The Eight Secrets that make Apple No. 1

Apple isn’t the biggest consumer electronics company, nor the most profitable. So what do I mean when I say it’s the No. 1 consumer electronics company?[...] Thanks to verge for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

RoundysSince: “Secret 3: The experience is the product
Everyone knows this secret”

Okay.

Exclusive: Full Gallery of iPod Touch in Factory Test Mode

Giz reader David Olivo wrote to tell us that he got his new hot iPod touch 16GB yesterday. And when he says hot, he means hot: “when I went to open the box, I found that it is actually HOT. I opened it, and found a weird screen menu staring at me. My iPod was on, on its own!” It was in factory test mode.[...] Thanks to MrBabyMan for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

Unofficially Confirmed: Apple and O2 to Launch iPhone in UK in Oct

Next Tuesday’s UK-only Apple event will herald the iPhone’s arrival to the United Kingdom. The first European iPhone will most probably arrive in mid- to late-October. The question remains: 16GB 3G iPhone? If so, I want another $100 back.[...] Thanks to BLAM8 for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

NeoRicen: Why did Apple have to do this stupid profit sharing partnership deal?? It delays international launches for an extremely unreasonable long time, the iPhone would be available everywhere by now if Apple and its resellers just sold a bloody unlocked GSM phone. Fuck Visual Voicemail and hurry the fuck up and bring it out in Oz!

Moose_Head: UK launch before Canada? I would love to be a fly on the wall in a meeting between Apple and Rogers.

Rogers eats babies.

andrewmoore24: I’m sorry but O2 is a crap network to put it on…..if it actually goes with them, Vodafone or Orange at least but will have to wait to see if O2 fly the Apple flag!

stealthboy: OK, now you’re just getting stupid – What does “unofficially confirmed” mean? Buried.

iPhone headed for Germany: source

Deutsche Telekom has clinched an exclusive deal with Apple Inc to sell the coveted iPhone in Germany, an industry source told Reuters. The deal will be announced next week, the source said. The touch-screen device, which combines the popular iPod music player, a video player and a Web browser, will be sold through Deutsche Telekom’s retail outlets[...] Thanks to gokss for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

Apple iPhone Store Credit

It’s now up and running, but apparently unannounced. “If you bought your iPhone before August 22, you may be eligible for an instant $100 electronic credit toward the purchase of products at the Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. See the terms and conditions below for more details. To receive your credit, follow these three easy…”[...] Thanks to natedouglas for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

haroldbaquet: I’m trying to use my Store Credit on line. When I select my purchase and log onto the site, the next step is credit selection; there is no place to enter the Apple Credit number or PIN. There are buttons for various credit cards, but no place to enter the my Apple Store Credit info. is there a problem?

jasoncdennis: Steve Jobs’ goodwill measure may lesson the sting a little, but will trust be restored prior to Apple’s next product launch?

Jayeveryday: Worked for me purchased a new wireless keyboard

trouble916: Refurbished 2nd gen Nano 4 gig = $139.
Brand new chubby Nano 4 gig = $149.
/me is con-fuzzed… and still wish the iPhone supported the Nike+ dongle.

digitallysick: I used my store credit to buy the Aliph Bluetooth Headset, it was $129.00 after tax, so i used my 100, and about 29bux out of my own pocket, which is really expensive, but i hope that noise canceling features are worth it.

drwhitt: Got it. Spent it.

otbeverly: This will go towards my purchase of an iMac later this month when they release Leopard. Good-bye Windows world, hello Mac!

dwelter: I’m still feeling a $100. sting BUT… this kept me in the Apple fold, just a little smarter about when to buy the next latest and greatest Apple product.
No other company would refund store credit after admitting a mistake. And hopefully, whatever marketing genius implemented the 60 day 34% price drop is looking for another job right now.

hayden.evans: I’m not so lucky. i got my iphone the night it came out, only to realize that the touchscreen didn’t work. so i sent it in to get it replaced by apple, and sure enough, it came 4 days later. unfortunately, the phone they sent as a replacement also didn’t work due to the fact that it could not activate its own sim card. I went to apple first and they said go to at&t. so i went to at&t and they said go to apple. i was pushed back and forth for 3 weeks and finally the issue was resolved by at&t activating the phone on their own server without me using itunes. now when i went to get my store credit it says i am not eligible because the phone belongs to apple, most likely because it is a replacement. this really sucks and i am not impressed at all. actually I’m rather disgusted at the service i had, and if you ask me, i am WAY MORE than eligible for this store credit.

diggingaround: Steve is a genius!!! … Not only that he bent over his Apple fan boys and screw them over (without lubricant) for $600… but he actually made them spend even MORE money by offering them a $100 Apple store credit… Now you go to the store and ad a little bit more of your money to buy something that you may actually need or use… not to mention the real manufacturing cost of Apple merchandise… think about it. He is a true genius!!!

shampoovta: Now let me get this strait. You got the Iphone for like 600$ they give you back 100$ in store credit which you spend on more Apple stuff just because you have the money, hens the comment “what will I buy?” at the top. Meanwhile back at the ranch some people have gotten 200$ cash back from there cards. You have like what, 5 days to get the refund of 200$ from Apple if you got your phone Sep.22 or something? Also who will spend more than the 100$ credit when they go to the Apple store? This is thinking different! Any body want to buy a Ibridge ?

MrFoof82: Mine’s currently pending.
When I went to activate, I couldn’t transfer my old number over since it was in a different exchange. So I had to call AT&T and had the number manually ported. It was ported before the end of the evening.
However the store credit redeemer will only send the access code to the old number (which I had for a total of 5 hours on July 1st). Waiting for Apple to manually send me an access code.

mgabrys: “unannounced”?

It’s on the frigging front door of apple.com! How much more “announced” do you need it? Does a paid-for-in-advance Apple-branded prostitute need to knock on your apartment and start giving you a blow-job while tapping “your rebate is ready” in morse-code on your crotch?

Actually – that would be kind of nice…

kevwalker: Hey guys and gals, if you purchase physical iTunes Gift Cards (not gift certificates) through the Apple Store online, you can enter a credit card number as well as your store credit information in order to redeem your credit for iTunes purchases. What happens is your store credit gets charged before your credit card does, and then all you have to do is wait for the physical cards to arrive in the mail in order to use them. A loophole for now, as the rep. I talked to about this over the phone was adamant about “no exceptions”. Enjoy while it lasts!

hippomille: This is not news. Apple obviously pays some tribute economic to diggs operators. Oh, and you are all sheeples!

What’s an iPod touch without OS X?

This particular iPod touch arrived without the necessary OS, but it did arrive with a possible hint…bluetooth hardware still behind the case?[...] Thanks to rickpable for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

maybeway36: no /bin/sh for you

bohbohs: i digg it. Doesnt look like a fake especially after seeing the video..

mateo60: Maybe the bluetooth is disabled at a temprature above 34.5 degrees…… Duh.

kyote: If it has bluetooth, wouldn’t it have an FCC ID sticker on it somewhere?

latca: What’s with the speaker button. I thought the ipod touch does not have any built in speakers.

lunasc: how did this guy get a touch anyway? I didn’t think they shipped until the end of Sept.

jabberwolf: Um I already have a phone, mp3 player, blue tooth ( using Rokr headset), can link to home mp3 files and listen to streaming radio.
It’s called Windows Mobile. Mine’s a Sprint Mogul but I’m sure there are quite a few others.
Common, why so slow in the game or are Macfans really that blinded?

exomni: If the iPod touch had bluetooth, I would buy it almost immediately.

VOIP ftmfw!

jferrari: Maybe they are waiting for leopard before they release the bluetooth.. and hopefully they will then support stereo bluetooth on MacBook’s too.

Nxt471: “Note that clicking on the Bluetooth icon brings up an empty screen which reads “nothing to see here.”"
hmmmm

davidfilms: Yep. I’ve tried everything on this baby , and the “reset” button on the right doesnt work. I’ve even tried to zap it in iTunes. BTW, how would i go about dumping the flash. Peeps keep telling me to do it.

Any buyers? I just posted this on ebay (they kept recommending me to do this)

sfinney180: i dont what is an ipod touch without os x

kriminalintent: what would be killer is if you could use the wifi to connect to your shared itunes library, so then your could connect to your whole Music collection from your handheld when at home.

akhomerun: i don’t think the bluetooth icon means anything. it’s probably the same diagnostic software used with the iphone. why would they put bluetooth in without enabling it?

besides that, this could easily be faked. how do i know this isn’t just the image viewer?

it all just smells funny.

freshgrease: Doesn’t the accelerometer icon look like a penis? Apple sends hidden messages!

Tested: iPod Touch Screen Inferior to the iPhone’s Screen [Pics]

The iPhone and iPod Touch are presumed to have the same screen quality. But they don’t, according to some testing and reader feedback we did today. The iPod Touch’s screen turns black areas somewhat greyish, washed out shadow detail, with absolute blacks appearing shimmery.[...] Thanks to BLAM8 for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this:

mikey2dope: I call this false advertising. Take a look at the video demo on apple’s website. It looks perfectly clean and crisp.
When you get the ipod touch, video looks washed out, and the only way to see really dark scenes would be to tilt the ipod at a ridiculous angle.
What apple needs to do, nay, what apple BETTER do, is come out with a fix either through software or hardware, and replace any and ALL ipods that are having this issue.
It’s downright laughable that video on the iPod classic would look much better than that of the ipod touch.
I like Apple alot, but lately there has been a decline in their products.

Ingersoll: I have the same problem as Jason Snell documents on his Touch. The blacks and dark scenes are unwatchable at ANY angle. This one may be going back to Best Buy in the morning. It seems worse on ripped video as I have a purchased episode of BSG from the iTunes store and that doesn’t look AS BAD, but there is most definitely a serious problem here.

Kreuelt: Good try, but you forget that not only is quality very angle-sensitive, the iPod could very well have lower quality video processing, and still have the same screen.

jdbeast00: Yes the blacks look pretty bad, which is kind of a bummer. I don’t have an iphone so i can’t compare head to head.

I have to watch videos with the screen tilted back just at the right angle.

HypocriteDigg: Hey what do you know. Once again, anti-Apple zealots Gizmodo doesn’t know what the FUCK they are talking about. If they had done any reading at all, they would know that even iPhones have varying screen qualities. First there are two different screen suppliers, and even then there are differences and colors and contrast when comparing them side by side.

professorChaos: i have in hand a touch sellin it on ebay woot

DutchMaster: I just got my iPod touch today and the claims made by gizmodo are correct. I converted and then uploaded an episode of lost on my ipod touch and man, did it look like crap! There’s a lot of dark scenes in LOST and made watching LOST almost impossible. I’ve started increasing the brightness on the video which solve the problem but I have yet to find a good converter that does both effects and formats it nicely.

juicebag: I still don’t see the point of a touch screen on a phone or mp3 player.

Ellipsys: As an iPhone owner (of a 7 series screen model. This is accepted to be the “better” screen compared to the “5″), I can say the screen is excellent. On one hand I’m sorry to say they did this to the touch, but on the other hand…. I can’t help but feel a little thankful that the device I invested in still has something “above” the cheaper varieties.

GodIsntReal: I was going to buy one but after this no thanks.

alexra: why does everyone hate on the ipod classic, its actually a really nice mp3 player

pgookii: lame is that i ordered a touch, and am still waiting for it when i could just go to the store and buy one now

myflyertrains: I bought a Touch 16g today. The video on my unit is fine. It is very sensitive to viewing angle as mentioned. From what some have said, there may be a few defective units out there. Mine certainly is not one of them!

mellenger: i don’t think there is ever going to be a hard drive based ipod touch, it too slow. try the interface on the new ipod classic, it’s crap.

Takuro: Can’t they just rip it open and see if it is in fact a vastly different screen than what the iPod has? There has to be some manufacturing info printed inside on the back of the LCD panel.

I don’t see a difference in picture quality in their video test. Even if there was a slight difference, which is inevitable in LCD screens, who is THAT insanely picky?

Apple Expected To Announce European iPhone Deal Tuesday

Apple is holding a press conference in London next Tuesday, where the computer maker is expected to announce a European iPhone deal. Could it be the 3G we’ve been waiting for?[...] Thanks to 1AliciaMc for providing this nice story on Digg.

What other users say about this: