One of the first things you’ll need to do with your new iPhone is register with the iTunes Store in order to activate the handset.
Why would Apple do this? For one thing, iTunes is the application that will handle e-mail syncing between the iPhone and a Mac or PC, so registering the device with the iTunes Store might make it possible to wirelessly sync e-mail. But it also gives Apple a way to promote iTunes in front of iPhone users who might also sign up for a Media Max account from AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone.
It’s all about money.
I will bet, that the iphone REQUIRES music only from this player WITH DRM..
This better be listed under “Reasons why not to get an iPhone”.
Yup, capitalism 101.
I don’t know why you would “need” an iTunes account for your iPhone. You don’t “need” an iTunes account for an iPod. But it doesn’t cost anything to have an account so I don’t see why people are upset.
iTunes is becoming bloatware.
I wonder if Safari will also head that way
[Double post. – ed.]
Just curious… I use iTunes both on Windows and Mac, and I quite like it. So I’m wondering, all you who seem to really hate it – what do you use and why is it better than iTunes? Thanks!
I installed (on my office) the windows safari…
Some bug prevents it to show buttons, labels or even menus…
crapware V0.1
#7 – The iPhone will not function until you register with iTunes.
Joao – Safari has always had that “feature”. Not certain that it’s really a bug. Has to do with arguments over an html subset.
So what, it doesn’t cost extra money to have an itunes account. You sign up and that’s that. Smart move on Apple’s part to increase their market share. You know once people have an account, at least 1/3 will use it to buy songs. I know all you Apple bashers are trying to find any reason possible to bash this phone, but facts are people will be buying and in droves, no matter what little, insignificant reasons you dig up to discourage it.
#9 – Meanwhile, having the account doesn’t mean buying anything. Nice try at being a hack, however.
sorry if i seem ignorant, but i don’t see why this is such a big deal, or why anyone is upset at all.
i mean … let’s be honest. if you’re shelling out the money for an iphone, you probably are a fan of apple in the first place and already have itunes.
DRM sucks, yes, but apple is not the only company to use DRM. this is not uncommon and it’s not going away.
i mean … come on. did any of you seriously expect anything different from apple?
#13.
Because it is a superfluous step in the registration process that doesn’t do anything but annoy people who have no interest in iTunes.
It is EXACTLY like having to get a Zune marketplace account to make your Zune work.
Question is, will the iTunes account send data back to Apple about the contents of the phone? Contacts, appts, music on it, are you hacking the software? Nice and easy 2 way comm for Apple!!
My guess is iphones user will use itunes to get movies, podcast, games and apps.
And for you paranoid folks #15, Don’t buy a iphone.
Expect hacked iPhones running on Verizon’s network.
#17, that would be some hack considering Verizon and ATT use a total different network structure (Verizon-CDMA, ATT-GSM) A hack to T Mobile could be possible as they operate GSM also, but impossible for Verizon or Sprint to do so.
#7 – I use CDex because its open source and I use WinAMP because its easy and I organize music using the amazingly intuitive file management system in Windows Explorer.
This is all better because CDs are better than downloaded digital tunes and because compression sucks monkey nuts. (I know, thats pretty technical… 🙂
I’m not bashing Apple. I have iPods and have been on iTunes for four years. I just find it amazing how everything Apple is intertwined. I might even get an iPhone in the future once the suckers debug it for me.
i dunno — it just makes sense that a phone named the iPhone would use iTunes and that the people buying the iPhone are buying it because they are a fan of iTunes and want to utilize it even more and that anyone who wanted to use Media Max would select a different phone coz they wanted to use that and not iTunes.
i mean … you don’t go and buy a nintendo ds and then complain that you have to actually use nintendo games and that you can’t use psp games.
no, you get the ds, coz you wanna utilize what the ds offers and you wanna play the ds games.
in my head, it’s all the same thing.
but again … maybe i’m just ignorant.
Then again, I buy a phone to make phone calls and communicate, not listen to music.
Some people are sheep
This is all Bush’s fault.
99.9% of people who buy an iphone will already have an account. Quit your bitching, buy a GoPhone you won’t be asked to do anything complicated like make a username.
OFTLO – If you keep saying that in every comment, you’ll be right 25% of the time.
#26 – I better stop saying it then… That’s 75% less than the number of times I’m usually right.