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[Magic_Randy]

iPhone -- phooey.

I know Apple is making it difficult. But I think it needs to be resolved anyway. This alone will be a compelling reason for existing customers to continually upgrade to new versions of MC.

I think the best approach is iTunes coexistence. iPhone/iTouch/iPod users want to have iTunes. They want to stay current on firmware. They want to use the iTunes stores. That's why I suggested prod's MCiS. I have multiple iPods and iPhones. If MC fully supported all of these devices, but I had to uninstall iTunes, I would keep using iTunes and MCiS.

[JimH]

I know Apple is making it difficult. But ...

iPhooey.  Sorry, Randy, to keep batting down reasonable requests. 

[hit_ny]

I know Apple is making it difficult. But I think it needs to be resolved anyway.

Apple wants $$$ for that ?

..so MC would cost even more which is ironic considering the topic

[Magic_Randy]

Apple wants $$$ for that ?

..so MC would cost even more which is ironic considering the topic

I think there are ways where Apple would not have to get paid.

Examples:

Use iTunes as the sync engine. There is nothing wrong with that approach. This is the approach that prod took.

For the iPhone/iTouch JRiver  could probably develop a iPhone app that would do the sync. If it is a free app, I don't think Apple makes any money off of it. Plus this could serve as an advertising for MC. A lot of people are addicted to the app store. Music/video are popular categories for app store searches.

[hit_ny]

For the iPhone/iTouch JRiver  could probably develop a iPhone app that would do the sync. If it is a free app, I don't think Apple makes any money off of it. Plus this could serve as an advertising for MC.

Would that make JRiver a target for 'special treatment' from Apple  ?

[Magic_Randy]

Would that make JRiver a target for 'special treatment' from Apple  ?

I don't think so. There are lot's of developers of app store apps for the iPhone. Assuming the iTunes app SDK can update the music library there should be no problems. It's playing by their rules. Of course Apple may have blocked this in the SDK. Matt could figure out if the tools are capable of it.

[hit_ny]

Assuming the iTunes app SDK can update the music library there should be no problems. It's playing by their rules. Of course Apple may have blocked this in the SDK. Matt could figure out if the tools are capable of it.

Is there any guarantee that this method of working will remain viable. Is there a chance Apple could break or modify it at any time, then what  ?

All to say that the straight forward way to do it is usually the safest.

But if one was desperate hmmm ....

[Magic_Randy]

Is there any guarantee that this method of working will remain viable. Is there a chance Apple could break or modify it at any time, then what  ?

All to say that the straight forward way to do it is usually the safest.

But if one was desperate hmmm ....

I'm not suggesting a backdoor way. I'm suggesting playing by their rules. Use their SDK to develop the app and list it on their app store. Of course that assumes the SDK will allow you to read and write MP3s and the library.

This is the same concept I mentioned to use iTunes as a sync engine (like prod did). This is using standard Apple APIs. It is playing by their rules.

[MrHaugen]

Or just drop Apple products, and go for Android systems. They are really starting to tag along.

[dcwebman]

As a recent iPhone purchaser, I'm just learning about how all this works. I hate iTunes and still need to figure out why I can't get every episode of my podcasts to show up like they do perfectly in MC. But regarding syncing, one of the apps I use is eWallet. They have their iPhone app that has to be open and then you open the desktop version to do a wi-fi sync.
http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/iphone/products_ewallet.php

Not the easiest of ways since you have to have both apps open and remember to even do the sync to begin with, but it does work. So perhaps an iPhone app for MC would be the way.

[Magic_Randy]

Or just drop Apple products, and go for Android systems. They are really starting to tag along.

But Apple has the dominant market share. So I would not fight it. I would coexist with it. I would let their dominant position in the market pull me along.

[prod]

As a recent iPhone purchaser, I'm just learning about how all this works. I hate iTunes and still need to figure out why I can't get every episode of my podcasts to show up like they do perfectly in MC.

You select the Advanced menu then Subscribe to Podcast and enter your feed URL. Unfortunately the iTunes API doesn't allow direct manipulation of podcasts. I got MCiS working to a point where it would sync across MP3 podcasts to the proper place in iTunes, but other files (where MC will not write file tags directly - e.g. M4A) wouldn't work, so I shelved the work I'd done.

If you like you can edit a file directly using MP3TAG or suchlike ... the tags you need to add are;

ITUNESPODCAST should contain 0 or 1 depending on whether Podcast
ITUNESPODCASTDESC should contain the podcast Comment
ITUNESPODCASTID should contain the Episode URL
ITUNESPODCASTURL should contain the Feed URL

Once you've added these tags, when you add the file to your iTunes library it will be automatically put into the podcasts section.

I know, it's cr*p.

[prod]

I agree that coexistence is the way to go.

Is there any guarantee that this method of working will remain viable. Is there a chance Apple could break or modify it at any time, then what  ?

There are loads of third-party apps that use the iTunes API for all sorts of reasons ... that's what Apple had in mind when they developed the API. For them to break it intentially wouldn't make much sense, I think it's unlikely they would do so.

[Magic_Randy]

As a recent iPhone purchaser, I'm just learning about how all this works. I hate iTunes and still need to figure out why I can't get every episode of my podcasts to show up like they do perfectly in MC. But regarding syncing, one of the apps I use is eWallet. They have their iPhone app that has to be open and then you open the desktop version to do a wi-fi sync.
http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/iphone/products_ewallet.php

Not the easiest of ways since you have to have both apps open and remember to even do the sync to begin with, but it does work. So perhaps an iPhone app for MC would be the way.

Jeff,

Take a look at prod's MC iTunes Synchronize. Almost all of my frustrations regarding iPhone & iTunes were reduced. You may have the same experiance.
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=51734.0
BTW: this works with iPhone/iTouch and iPods.

[dcwebman]

You select the Advanced menu then Subscribe to Podcast and enter your feed URL. Unfortunately the iTunes API doesn't allow direct manipulation of podcasts. I got MCiS working to a point where it would sync across MP3 podcasts to the proper place in iTunes, but other files (where MC will not write file tags directly - e.g. M4A) wouldn't work, so I shelved the work I'd done.

Thanks for the suggestion on editing the the Advanced Settings in iTunes for podcasts. I think I did that but unfortunately my main computer I used for that is now in the shop and I'm waiting for it to get sent back to try it again.

Take a look at prod's MC iTunes Synchronize. Almost all of my frustrations regarding iPhone & iTunes were reduced. You may have the same experiance.
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=51734.0
BTW: this works with iPhone/iTouch and iPods.

Definitely will be using MC iTunes Synchronize. The first thing I need to do is get my MC14 library totally up to snuff with everything when the computer gets back and then I'll be syncing away!