Questioning the iPhone: You can't download songs from iTunes to your iPhone?

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Jeff Block
Questioning the iPhone: You can't download songs from iTunes to your iPhone?

What question?  What are you talking about?

The Apple iPhone was released on June 29th, amid a flurry of press coverage, hype, and strong opinions.  Long time TechLore member and super gadget geek Steven Jones frothed at the mouth, and published a three-part Ode to the iPhone in the process.  Read his rants at:

Eric Brandt, a newer member, harshly countered Steven's iPhone fervor with a list of questions, which I've broken out into the forums.  This is question #8.  I wanna hear what you think.

Eric's Question

You can't download songs from iTunes to your iPhone?

He writes... 

Why can't you hear and buy new music directly -- the way I can download from Yahoo Music Unlimited onto my Sansa Connect?

Isn't syncing music completely out-dated?

And what about the iPhone not having a removable storage card – isn't that standard on every device you already have?

What's your answer? 

Okay, Techlore people...  I want to know what you think!  What's your answer?

Leon Chism
As far as music goes, its an

As far as music goes, its an iPod. So music goes from iTunes Store to your computer to your phone, same as it does for an iPod.

Ron Repking (not verified)
You think that Apple would do

You think that Apple would do much better.  The iPhone has wifi, so why introduce the computer into the equation?   It's too much of a pain to sync that way.

Leon Chism
Well, maybe its not as simple

Well, maybe its not as simple as downloading over the air, but on the EDGE network that would probably make you cry and it isn't exactly a new paradigm. Zillions of people have been trained to plug their MP3 player into their computer to move songs onto it. They are simply leveraging that pattern. Its that same USB cable that will make big software changes (OS updates, new apps, and firmware updates) seem painless. Perhaps when a 3G version comes out they'll allow it.

Ron Repking (not verified)
Forget about EDGE.  Use the

Forget about EDGE.  Use the WIFI connection!  That's the way my Sansa Connect works.  You don't even have to be retrained to find a USB cable, hook it up to a computer, recognize the connection, and figure out how to make it sync.  It's all on the device - a beautiful thing :-)

Leon Chism
Well, as a rare "iTunes" user

Well, as a rare "iTunes" user, there is no training. I just do what I've always done.

Steven Jones (not verified)
I think the larger problem

I think the larger problem with wireless music downloads is the loss of control. With the strong pairing of the Store, the desktop software and the hardware device, Apple can keep a pretty tight grip. If they chose to enable un-tethered music downloading, the foundation starts to crumble and new revenue models will likely be required. In the Sansa model, for instance, you are actually renting music all of which goes away if/when you cancel your contract, in this case with Yahoo Music. I agree the music acquisition process over the wireless network is fun and easy but there's more to the whole music management experience than just how you get new songs, right? What about managing playlists? What about music videos? What about long-term archival? Plus, to focus on iTunes as the weak link here for the iPhone is ludacris - more than music and videos are kept up to date thru this software. Its not like you aren't already using a similar piece of software with your other smartphone, right?

Matt Whitlock
WHAT?!

WHAT?!

Apple is totally missing the boat. The iPhone IS a computer, so why require a computer to computer transfer? There should be an integrated iTunes application right on the iPhone itself so you can buy/download new songs or video podcasts anywhere.

There's no loss of control. iTunes on iPhone could be just as restrictive as the MAC or PC versions. When iPhone is viewed as a computer, how is that any different than a Macbook hooked up to a WiFi connection?

Anything less is an inconvenience, and makes iPhone that much less advanced than it's hyped to be.

Masse
I know how to transfer music

I know how to transfer music from my Mac to an I-Pod, However, how do you transfer the music from a Mac to an MP3 player?

Masse
I know how to transfer music

I know how to transfer music from my Mac to an I-Pod, However, how do you transfer the music from a Mac to an MP3 player?

 

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