You'll hear it here first. Apple has released a software update for iTunes. They describe it as follows:
iTunes is the only software you'll ever need to build & manage your music collection on your Mac.iTunes 4 features superior sound quality including support for MPEG-4 AAC audio. iTunes 4.0.1 includes a number of performance and network access enhancements, and only allows music sharing between computers using iTunes 4.0.1 or later on a local network (in the same subnet). If you have an Apple SuperDrive, you can archive your song files to a DVD disc as well as burn playlists to standard audio CDs to play in your car or home stereo.
I added the emphasis. This isn't a very good solution, in my view, because it blocks one valid use of streaming - someone who uses a Mac at both work and home. However, truth to tell, there aren't many of those people (who use a Mac at work, that is), and those few will probably be more than offset by people who stream to their friends in the same office.
I'm disappointed, frankly. And I won't be updating to iTunes 4.0.1 anytime soon, even though I've never even turned on the streaming feature.
The official Apple page is slightly more sly. While you will be downloading 4.0.1 (as evidenced by the DVD-burning feature in the list), no mention is made of the streaming feature change. I guess the reasoning is that if you haven't downloaded it before now, you won't know what you're missing. If you get to the iTunes page from a different direction, though, they're more up-front. Maybe they just haven't gotten around to that last page yet?
I have to admit, while I'm annoyed at this new "feature," Apple is pretty clever about it. Once one computer updates to 4.0.1, any computer that wants to stream to or from that one must also update to 4.0.1. It's almost viral. Of course, since you can only share to your local subnet now, it's not as viral as it would have been...
Article comments
1 - Brian Flemming
Too bad. I just got the Software Update notice, too. Almost upgraded, until I noticed that sly wording.
I guess the days of streaming over the Internet are numbered. I have to admit, it never worked all that well for me via DSL, anyway--even with the largest streaming buffer, the songs would often stall. I can't stand that feeling of wondering when the song will be interrupted next.
I have the same problem with the radio stations in iTunes, too. Mainly KCRW.
2 - Eric Olsen
Buttholes caved.
3 - Phillip Winn
Yes they did. :(
This was a political problem, but it got a technical solution. Bummer.
As it happens, I wasn't using streaming anyway, since I've only got the one Mac running OS X, but like Brian I still haven't updated, just on some silly principle.
I was actually streaming using Apple's official QuickTime Streaming Server, which had the advantage of being more difficult to set up than iTunes streaming and so avoided industry attention. Even that consumed too much bandwidth.
The point is, there are a variety of cross-platform streaming/sharing options available, including Andromeda, used right here by Blogcritics, so this is pointless. Grr.