Multiple Cameras, But not Multiple iPods?
Each weekend this summer, we’ve gotten together with a bunch of other families - averaging one camera per person - the fastest way to exchange photos is loading them on to a single laptop. iPhoto can read and support any camera over the USB, sharing with other machines/SD cards and copying. Generally making it easy for everyone to drive home with all the photos taken that weekend - if not only the ones they wanted.
In this context, the copy-protection on audio (iTunes, etc) seems arbitrary and archaic.
Related, elsewhere 14 Jun 2007
5 Comments
Isn’t the difference the fact that you own the rights to the photos and are authorizing their use to your friends by giving them the photos (downloading and knowingly multiplying them)? Whereas with the music you own a single licence to someone else’s content that is expressly not to be transfered to multiple other people beyond yourself?
Joe,
That assumes the majority of the audio on my iPod is under some sort of “don’t share it” license. My point is - we generate images, audio, and video each day, very casually. For our own enjoyment. Yet - they are treated differently on our devices.
Garrick — I think Joe may be right. There is no iPod copy protection; rather, there is iTunes Music Store copy protection. If I put MP3s of my own music on an iPod, I’m reasonably sure that I can transfer them to you through the iPod.
So, if you purchased photos in some copy protected format from the hypothetical iPhoto Picture Store, you wouldn’t be able to transfer them. If you spent the weekend creating music with your friends, you’d be able to share it around to your friends’ iPods.
Not arguing with the irritating nature of the iTMS DRM; I just think your comparison is a false one.
From Engadget, “Never did we think we’d need to do a How-To on something which should be part of the basic functionality of a portable music player.”
Yea, I guess I don’t quite see the direct comparison/connection either.
As stated, the iPod has no problems with DRM-free media. It’s iTunes, and, in turn, the RIAA that have issues with DRM-free anything.
As for taking music off the iPod, we can critique Apple for that, but, in reality, it’s likely the RIAA that insisted. And Apple, I think, in their clever ways, certainly didn’t make it THAT hard to do…just not an obvious feature.
Now, if only they hadn’t broken JHymn…