Skip to content

Apple’s App Store; A Customer’s Perspective

23-Jun-10

It’s hard to hear about any iPhone news without someone chiming in about the evil developer policies of Apple and their anti-consumer “lock-in.” Developers, or would-be-developers, complain about this continually. I don’t understand it. Apple has provided developers something that no other platform has offered before it; a commerce system.

There is one program I have used for several years on every single Apple I have ever owned; iStat Menus. It was a free program that offered some extremely useful information about the status of your computer at any given moment. It was recently updated to version 3.0, and now costs $16. The amount is minimal, especially considering how much useful it is. However, I won’t be updating or purchasing the software anytime soon.

It’s not that I’m cheap, and it’s not that I don’t think the program warrants $16 of my hard earned dollars. It does, and I miss using the program. The reason I won’t be purchasing the software is much more basic; I don’t trust iSlayer’s website with my credit card information.

This same argument applies to the developers of Instapaper Pro, Angry Birds, Jungle Crash Land, Word Droppings, and all of the other apps I’ve purchased from the App Store. I don’t trust them with my credit card information. If it wasn’t for the App Store, I never would have purchased their apps from their own website. Ever!

So to the complaining developers, pipe-down. Apple is offering you something incredible. An entire commerce system complete with customers, credit card transactions, advertising, statistics, and most importantly, trust.

Zune 3.1 vs. iTunes 8.0

27-Dec-08

Before I begin I want to highlight that this comparison will not cover the hardware; it will not cover the store content; it will not cover the codec support; and will not cover the extras (social, genius, etc.). This review simply looks at the two software packages and how they do what they are supposed to do; manage music. So lets begin…

Files, Folder, and Organization
I have used iTunes for several years now and in that time I have become accustomed to managing my music through software as opposed to file explorers. One of the first things I do when I install iTunes is ensure that iTunes is set to “Keep iTunes Folder Organized.” This ensures that my music is kept intact, in nicely organized folders, and that my file names reflect the actual titles of the songs. Zune offers none of this. Absolutely none. You can change the track title, artist, track number, etc through the software, but that song will remain in its original location with its original file name. This makes everything from backing up files to finding the files on the local disk a tiresome process. Consistency is key, and the Zune has absolutely none when it comes to file management.

I should note that when you purchase songs from the Zune Marketplace they are kept in the standard /ARTIST/ALBUM/SONG file format. This proves that the Zune *can* organize files, it just chooses not to organize *your* files.

Also, Zune offers the option to monitor a folder for you, something iTunes doesn’t offer. So if you don’t mind doing some file management, you can set Zune to monitor a specific folder and anything you add to that folder will be added to your collection.

Winner: iTunes.

The Miracle of Meta data
When it comes to managing music files, meta data is key. Everything from album art, to song titles, to albums, to track numbers, to year, is all kept in the meta data. Both iTunes and Zune offer methods of managing meta data, but in different ways and with different approaches.

iTunes: Simply put iTunes offers access to more meta data than the Zune. Going into a song via iTunes grants you access to standard info such as artist, song title, year, album name, and album artist. In addition, it also grants you access to comments, bpm, grouping, and total tracks for that album. That last item I use often as I like knowing I am listing to song 4 of 12 as opposed to simply 4. A small nitpick I know, but an important one to me personally. The Zune offers no access to comments, bpm, grouping or total tracks information.

Zune: Even though the Zune has access to less meta data, updating the meta data you do have access to is a much simpler and complete process. You can still edit individual songs manually via a right-click like iTunes, but Zune takes the entire process one step further by allowing you to update the entire albums meta data with one-click (sort of). Right-clicking on an album allows you to search for album information (meta data). Once you find the album, Zune allows you to pick via a drop-down menu which song goes with which title. Once you’re satisfied, you click finished and the Zune updates all of the meta data for that album including the album art. Nice touch!

The Zune also has an option to automatically find album information and update the meta data. You can set it to add only the missing information, or update all of the information to ensure it is consistent. In my limited experience, this service works extremely well, finding song information, artist information, album information, and album art. iTunes can automatically find album art, but you’re left on your own to ensure the song titles, album artists, track numbers and years are correct.

I also want to note that while the Zune does not allow you to access the meta information Comments or Total Tracks, it does alter this information. As the Zune software is indexing the songs, it removes the total track information and adds a string of odd characters (00000304 000004DC …) to the comments section. This information is edited even if you have opted to NOT have Zune update information automatically.

Winner: Zune.

Dude, I Love this Song!
Another key feature of music management is ratings, and this is one area where the Zune looses with flying colors. While iTunes offers the ability to rate songs on the standard 5 star scale, Zune uses a heart system. What is a heart system you ask? Exactly! Nobody knows what the heart system is and it is NOT intuitive.

I played around with it a bit, and here is what I understand about it. Zune basically has a 3 star system, allowing you to declare that you either 1) Hate a song, 2) have no opinion, or 3) Love a song. That’s it. I find this method insufficient since liking a song does not mean I love the song and I need to be able to differentiate between the two. Similarly there are songs I don’t particularly like but like to listen to every once in a great while, and then there are songs I hate and never want to hear again.

For an example of what I mean, read my post on iTunes Smart-Playlists and how they can help you love your collection even more.

Winner: iTunes.

He who Plays, Wins
For starters, both software packages play music, and both sound good. But I’m not interested in the fact *that* they play music, I want to know *how* they play music.

iTunes: There is a myriad of options for playing back your music via iTunes. You can build smart playlists, build normal playlists, shuffle (from one album to your entire collection), alter the sound (via equalizer), crossfade your music, and have iTunes automatically determine the best level to play it at so your music has a consistent sound.

In addition, iTunes has some added bonuses that I really love. The first is Party Shuffle. The ability to add songs to a queue as well as tell iTunes to shuffle your music based on a smart playlist is a huge benefit. Secondly, iTunes offers the ability to play in full screen mode via cover flow while still offering the ability to rate songs. This last ability is incredibly handy as it prevents your computer’s screen saver from kicking on.

Zune: In comparison to iTunes, when it comes to playback the Zune software is extremely limited. You can play an album, play an artist, shuffle (from one album to your entire collection), but that’s about it. There is no equalizer to change the sound of the music, there is no full screen playback, there is no queue to have a controlled shuffle, there is no option to crossfade songs, nor is there an option to have Zune keep your music sound level consistent. Also, the Zune’s smart playlist feature gives you less options to choose from than iTunes.

I will add that the Zune’s now playing screen is fantastic and a step above what iTunes offers. When you’re playing a song the now playing screen shuffles through different high-res pictures and offers some interesting stats on the artist. Unfortunately, this cannot be played back full-screen and is only available for a short selection of artists (this second point will eventually be a non-issue as they add more information).

Winner: iTunes.

Conclusion
While the Zune is a decent program with class A meta data management, it simply falls short is comparison to iTunes and its top-notch playback options and file management. Fortunately the problems are small and could be easily addressed by the Zune team.

* For the ultra-brave, I’ve noticed that you can use both programs to get everything. You set Zune to monitor your iTunes folder and have it automatically update album information. Zune will perform these actions in the background, and once iTunes attempts to play the song it will read the new meta information and display it in iTunes. However, this is not a fool proof plan so use with extreme caution.

Hello Photo Albums

04-Dec-08

I’ve decided to reopen my photos page on the blog. I took it down a while ago because I was running into problems with it, plus I didn’t have many photos that I truely loved. However, I quickly see that changing with the recent purchase of the Canon XSi, as I already have a dozen photos that I think are truely beautiful.

So, to take a peek at some of my favorites, click on over to the Photos. I will still occasionally post photos in the main post, but these will mainly be photos that are decent and that I am OK with eventually disappearing.

Enjoy.

Canon Rebel XSi – Day One

28-Nov-08

Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Black Friday! So today I finally took the plunge and upgraded from my Sony Cybershot DSC-W5. I still have the Sony, and I still love it, but I simply outgrew it. I needed to get out of the point-and-shoot cameras and into an SLR.

Enter the Canon Rebel XSi. This is my new toy. I’ve only had it for a couple of hours and already I have taken a few hundred shots. Naturally the first few photos were of my fiancee and her ring. I’ll upload more photos as they trickle in. Here are today’s winners:

Barack Obama Photos

07-Nov-08

President Obama has posted a bunch of photos from election night on Flickr. Ya know, I really love how he is so involved in technology. Just take a look at his personal website (barackobama.com) or his newly constructed government site (change.gov). They are both well done, easy to read, and provide good information.

Not to mention his use of Youtube, Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, and the list just goes on…

Barack Obama Elected President!!!

04-Nov-08

It’s official!!! Barack Obama is the next president, and the first black president. I never thought I would see this day, but I am soooooooooo glad I did!!!!

GOBAMA!!!

[Link]

Absolutely Crazy Shark Video

25-Aug-08

Wow. I feel a little less safe now. Seriously. This is one of the most disturbing videos I have ever seen. It seriously looks like something straight out of a horror film.

[LINK]

The Brazilian Chronicles: Day 14 – Departure

16-Jun-08

Today was a sad day. A good day, but a sad day. Good because 1) I’m still in Brazil, 2) it’s my birthday, 3) the sun is shining, and 4) I’m in Brazil. However, it’s also sad because today is my last day in Brazil. And that sucks.

The day started out interesting. Ever since I arrived one thing that stood out to me was how close people parallel parked their cars. I had a suspicion that people left their cars in neutral and simply pushed them into place. Today I got my confirmation. That is indeed exactly what happens. It’s crazy. And of course, I had to snap a video. After all, how often do you see someone parallel park their car by pushing it? Enjoy.

After watching the Flinstone powered parking, we ventured back to one of my favorite places in Brazil; Ipanema Beach. Today was different though. Not only was it more crowded than it had been on any other day since my arrival, there were also superheroes on the beach playing soccer … no futbol .. err volleyball. Well, I’m not sure exactly what they were playing, but it sure was entertaining (and simply amazing). I could describe it in words, but that wouldn’t do this sport justice. You have to watch this video. Seriously. This was by far the most impressive thing I saw my entire trip. I was absolutely dumbfounded by the talent/conditioning of some of these people.

After spending a few hours on the beach watching fulleyball (that’s what I’m calling it … back off!), it was time to go pack and get ready for the long trek home. Sad.

Before we boarded our bus however, I was treated to a nice little cake with candles (yeah, I’m still young enough to blow out candles … what?). A birthday in Brazil … now there is something I never thought would happen. I can say this though, I sure am grateful that it did happen and I couldn’t think of a better way to start another year.

Photos:

The Brazilian Chronicles: Day 13 – Copacabana Beach

15-Jun-08

After spending so many days on Ipanema Beach, we decided to take a trip over to Copacabana Beach. The trip ended somewhat short, as Copacabana Beach didn’t really have much to offer. It’s nice. Incredibly nice, but I simply prefer Ipanema Beach. So naturally, that is where the day ended. Enjoy the photos.

Photos:

The Brazilian Chronicles: Day 12 – Museum of Contemporary Art and Lapa

14-Jun-08

Took a trip to one of Rio’s most famous museums today; the Museum of Contemporary Art. The design of the building was incredible. It truly looks space-age. Unfortunately, the artwork on the inside was not so impressive. Actually, it was down right uninteresting. According to one of the folks working, they were in between exhibits, so the museum was mostly empty. Ah well…

Later that night we took a quick bus ride to Lapa. In short, Lapa is absolutely crazy. Imagine a club. Scratch that, imagine 40 clubs, half of which feature live bands and garage door size openings. Add a few thousand people walking around from one club to another, a few handfuls of beer (per person), and that’s what Lapa is like. Only bigger.

The only bad part of Lapa was that I forgot my camera at home so I couldn’t snap any photos. If you really want to see some more, check out the steps Snoop Dogg is sitting on in his Beautiful video.

Photos: