iPhone DRM is an example of bad DRM

you want this.

not sure if it works on iphones but worked on my nano when i had one. best thing is that you can run it from the phone directly.

**edit**

it's an app not an "app" so by run i mean using your phone as a usb device and running it from windows... if iphone has that capability i'm blissfully unaware, it was this kind of c--p (circa itunes 7) that put me off them for good.

I hate being forced to use iTunes at all. I have an iPod Touch (Only reason I got it is because a friend hated it and sold it to me half price), and once the music is on there it works ok, but being forced to use itunes sucks since I run linux primarily, so I have to boot into VM or other machine just to copy music.

That said, I really don't know why it won't let you do stuff like, edit ID3 info, edit/create playlists, basic stuff like that from the device. You HAVE to do it from iTunes, which is so so lame since the device itself is plenty capable of doing it on it's own.

My DROID lets me just drop files to /Music and it plays fine

iirc there's a linux program called songbird that was being designed as a ipod replacement.

this is all a couple of years ago and i haven't really followed it so much...

I completely agree.

I wasn't even tempted by iAnythings because of their DRM (and costs of course). So far my creative and sony mp3 players have given me zero issues.

Ya... Im in the same boat... it really pisses me off about my iPhone says you need to sync this and delete that... god... its my music... does this really need to be this complicated...

It fails the #1 rule of DRM:

NEVER make honest customers feel like chumps.

Any of us can get these songs for free. But I chose to pay for all my songs. I'm playing by the rules and they're socking it to me in return.

i use yamipod for my ipod. i dont like itunes at all.

My solution is just use the PC to power for the iphone and play the tunes off the iphone.  Works fine, just set up work pc to ignore iphone by default. you can either pipe in the sound to your pc through line in, or use headphones.

Option 2:  Since you can set your work pc's valid programs,(your IT group likely won't complain to you about non work programs  )  I think if you can authorize your work pc with your itunes account it will not try to do erase this stuff

 (I do agree with your #1 Rule about DRM, apple DRM is a pain)

Yeah, that sucks man. Can't even just listen to your own songs? That's alot of Apple fail. I'm gonna go and kick Steve Jobs in the noodles. lol

Many/most DRM's make chumps out of honest customers and inconvenience them to no end.  Apple isn't the only company employing these tactics, however...  and does it do anything to pevent piracy?  NO, it does not, and in the meantime honest customers are penalised through imposed inconvenience on legitimate products... which is why I'd never ever buy an iphone or iPod.

In fact, I avoid any and all DRM regulated products wherever possible... I simply wouldn't have the patience to be inconvenienced or effed around by regulatory crap on something I legally purchased.

I just plugged in an old 5th Generation iPod and am now listening to the music from the device. Just choose a song and pressed play. I have iTunes 9 and Windows 7. Perhaps it's just an issue with the iPhone?

Some of you aren't understanding the issue. What he's trying to do is add music to the device from a different computer then it is set to sync from.

If you have the device set to sync from computer A, you cannot add ANY music to it from computer B without losing all the songs on the device. Therefore, the library sync feature is useless unless you use one and only one computer to add music to it.

I learned a while ago to never set it to sync to the library, always manually manage the stuff on it. My next music device definitely won't be an Apple product though.

Actiually he said he cant even play his music off of his Iphone on his work PC.. ( hooking up the Iphone to pc then trying to play one of the play lists or songs contained there in.)

Either way, Apple DRM is a complete pain in the ass!  I have a nephew who bought an iphone recently... he had so many issues with it (and Apple trying to sort them out) that he sold it for a fraction of what it was worth three weeks later, just to be rid of the problems it presented him.

He now has a Samsung phone with similar features... no real issues to mention.

True enough.  A long time ago I bought an itunes song to use as part of a silly powerpoint presentation.  I couldn't use it because of DRM. Even though I bought that song, I had to go out and pirate the damn thing to use it.  Disappointing.

Only reason I use my iPhone is for the business apps on it that I use well are really great... but then you use iTunes its like... ah ef....

I didn't really notice that one until now! what the...