I think it’s great that Apple and EMI are dropping the DRM from all new music and I also applaud them for offering 256 kbps AAC encoding. All for 30c or 20p more!
I am not a massive iTunes purchaser as I don’t listen to huge amounts of music in my iPod. When I do it’s usually ripped from CD.
But if got me thinking.
What about all those iTuners, either buying new content or upgrading their existing music to the higher rate. Effectively they could see their content double in size, or another way of looking at it their iPod’s capacity halved.
Call it a gut feeling or possibly mac fan intuition.
May will see the launch of selected new content at the higher rate. At the WWDC in June or thereabouts we will see new iPods launched.
I can picture SJ at the lectern now…
“You can now buy super high-quality tracks through iTunes. Just one more thing look at these wizzy new bigger iPods, you can put all those larger files on” said Mr Jobs.
If you think about it, it would be such an ‘Appley’ thing to do. It’s a well known fact that the iPods are coming to the end of their cycle. However, I have no idea if there will be a model with a full touch screen.
Call it a Macspiracy Theory.
hmmm well i dunno, how many people do you know who have iPods that rip cd’s at 128? i’ve always ripped at 160vbr myself. just now we have a choice
The point I was trying to make is that the default iTunes setting is 128kbps. Also whenever you read the capacity on the adverts for new iPods you will see a little caveat, saying that the capacity is based on 4 mins tracks ripped at 128kbps.
I have an 8gig Nano which can hold 2,000 tracks based on the 128kbps rate. But if I were to start buying content as 256kbps I would only get 1,000 approx.
Yes, some people tinker with the settings, but I know people who don’t.
The way the Apple marketing machine works, I think they will position the new iPods in a way that makes us think we need these new higher spec/capacity iPods because they can now deliver the higher rate content.
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