Sep 5th 07
99¢ + 99¢ = $1.98? No way!
Thank you, Apple, for doing that math for me. Now let me do some math of my own.
Apple’s iPhone holds songs. Lots of them. Some people would like for those songs to play when they receive a call. And, understandably, many of them would like for the songs to start playing at a certain point when a call comes in.
In the latest version of iTunes, a brilliant piece of software, Apple has added a feature that allows these people to do just that: pick a song and decide where they want it to start playing when they receive a call. However…
Apple charges them a dollar to do so. (Okay, 99¢. Same difference.)
So, basically, these people are paying 99¢ for a software feature. And not just once. Every time they want to use this feature in iTunes, they have to cough up another buck (read: 99¢).
See, you’re not paying for the ringtone. The ringtone is simply a 30-second clip of a song you already own. You’re paying to make it. By yourself. You do the work, then you pay someone else for your work. It’s like spending $10 on a stock photograph, then paying another $10 to crop it. What a load of crap.
Whatever. Custom ringtones are so last year anyways.
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Greet 9/6/07 08h
There are lots of good phones out there who have this feature for free, you know. I’ve always wondered: why spend a ridiculous amount of money on an iPhone when there are cheaper alternatives with even better features?
(Don’t get me wrong, I own a Mac and I love it, but the iPhone is just not one of the many good ideas Apple has had over the years.)
Jorge Quinteros 9/6/07 08h
After seeing the Keynote address and started to really think about this whole ringtone availability through iTunes. Essentially, like you said, they want to charge you for something you already own. Does that make any sense?
I personally use iFuntastic to upload my custom ringtones, which I edit and trim with Garageband. That’s all you really need.
Peter 9/7/07 12h
Gee you think Apple is trying to shamelessly capitalize on people’s musical tastes by hiding behind a seemingly low micropayment price tag?
Charging top dollar for a technology or feature that other companies already offer for less (or free?)
That doesn’t sound like them at all ;-)