DailyTech - iTunes Required for iPhone Setup

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Gadgets iTunes Required for iPhone Setup
Nirav Sanghani (Blog) - June 14, 2007 1:14 AM

31 comment(s) - last by Snuffalufagus.. on Jun 15 at 12:39 AM

The Apple iPhone will require iTunes for setup and configuration

In only a couple of weeks, Apple, Inc. and AT&T Wireless will launch the highly anticipated iPhone. There has been much online debate on the pros and cons of the new mobile phone and new details on the iPhone's hardware and software specifications continue to come to light. The newest addition is that iPhone users will be required to have an account with Apple's iTunes Store in order to set up and configure their devices.

The iTunes account will be a separate account from iPhone's exclusive U.S. distributor, AT&T Wireless Services. This strategic move comes as no surprise as Apple is known for confining their users to its services.

Once the iPhone contract opens up to other wireless providers, Apple will have their iTunes Store set up with customers. Also, the non-regular Apple customers will have to subscribe to the iTunes store allowing Apple to expand their service to new markets.

The iPhone is said to officially launch June 29 and will have 3 million units ready for launch day. The phone will also be AT&T exclusive for five years.

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outlook

By EnzoFX on 6/14/2007 4:19:20 AM , Rating: 2

i am loving the fact that it suppose to sync effortlessly with outlook's calendar, contacts, email account. Being a dedicated outlook user, this is much appreciated, as any of these tasks can become tedious if there are no syncing options, especially if you have to input everything in manually.

RE: outlook

By EnzoFX on 6/14/2007 4:23:26 AM , Rating: 2

furthermore, don't like the forced itunes account. The article seems to be telling everyone to get ready for the iphone! set up those outlook/ical/iphoto accounts and get those pictures ready! Im sure people thinking of buying it will...
why does it have to be so damn expensive!

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RE: outlook

By FITCamaro on 6/14/2007 7:06:53 AM , Rating: 5

Because its from Apple. Let the rating down begin.

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RE: outlook

By AstroCreep on 6/14/2007 8:16:32 AM , Rating: 4

Flame-bait or not, you're right.
You can't even update your iPod's firmware without downloading iTunes anymore.

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RE: outlook

By danz32 on 6/14/2007 8:04:47 AM , Rating: 2

I agree with the dislike over forced iTunes use, I definetely perfer Windows Media Player. X Play makes it possible to use Windows Media Player with the iPod, so maybe (eventually) there will be third party add-ons which support Outlook.

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RE: outlook

By borncheater on 6/14/2007 10:44:42 AM , Rating: 1

Personally I like the fact that I can configure the phone using iTunes. I have Motorola SLVR... to sync it's contact or other stuff, I have to buy some software. Well iTunes is free and is a great product. Easy to use. What i am wondering is, since iPhone runs on Mac OS X, maybe I can install iTunes on the phone itself... imagine the possibilities.

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RE: outlook

By Rockjock51 on 6/14/2007 1:27:25 PM , Rating: 2

The SLVR also didn't cost 600 dollars after 2yr contract.

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RE: outlook

By Rockjock51 on 6/14/2007 1:28:04 PM , Rating: 2

Silly me, 500 dollars.

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Must have account?

By mdogs444 on 6/14/2007 8:43:09 AM , Rating: 2

I am assuming that the majority >90% of people who are planning on, or who will, buy the iPhone - are buying w/ the fact that they have or want an iPod and a phone. Most have probably already used iTunes and prefer it.

However, I have iTunes for my iPod, but I will not be buying an iPhone anyway - mostly because of the $500 price tag - not to mention that I prefer Verizon service (my family all has verizon for free in network).

I do not agree with the way Apple is proceeding with this - and I would not be suprised to see a few lawsuits linger from users. You should not be forced to have a computer to operate your cell phone, much less be forced to open an iTunes account when you are already paying for service through the wireless company.

What if you buy the phone and do not plan on putting MP3's on it (I know, not likely, but the fact remains), then you cannot use your phone?

This is yet another reason that I do not like Apples business practices. Almost like when they were selling macbooks with built in wireless-n hardware - but you were only allowed to use wireless-g unless you paid them to unlock the device.

RE: Must have account?

By marvdmartian on 6/14/2007 9:15:17 AM , Rating: 2

Knowing Apple, they'll come out and say something smart, like, "You don't need a computer to own one of these, but you do need to have itunes!" Yeah, okay.......

Let's face it, anyone who's tech savvy enough to buy this for the right reasons (i.e., knowing what it can do, and wanting those features, versus the "gotta have the latest, greatest, even though I don't have a clue what it can do" crowd), will likely not only have an itunes account already (ipod fanboys), but a computer as well. I'd put it somewhere in the 99 percentile of those buying it.

I personally am in the 99 percentile of those who will never own an ipod, and imac or an iphone. It's not an apple hating thing, it's simply that I won't be caught in the loop of people that will continue to buy i-products, whether they're better or not (and never consider anything that's not apple). I have no need for this product, I have an mp3 player that's got way more features than the ipon nano it was designed to beat, and I simply refuse to feed the beast that apple has become.

I might be full of ipoop, but hey..... ;)

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RE: Must have account?

By snowymilou on 6/14/2007 9:17:16 AM , Rating: 1

Please Please Please don't buy the iPhone. Don't rush in on the 29th to get it. Just wait a little longer.

See I won't be able to get in till the next day and I don't want the store to be out of iPhones when I get there.

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RE: Must have account?

By mdogs444 on 6/14/2007 9:23:58 AM , Rating: 2

As a tech junkie - I know not to buy the first revision of new technology. The initial release is nothing more than "new technology that causes headaches".

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RE: Must have account?

By KristopherKubicki

(blog) on 6/14/2007 10:18:11 AM , Rating: 2

I gotta go with mdogs on this one. I don't think I've seen a single first-gen Apple product that didn't have some major flaw revealed.

Of course, that can be said about most tech I think.

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RE: Must have account?

By snowymilou on 6/14/2007 10:38:24 AM , Rating: 2

Of course you are both right. It is wise to take a wait and see approach but I was just being sarchastic about all this Apple bashing going on.

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Must have a computer?

By paydirt on 6/14/2007 8:35:23 AM , Rating: 2

So you must have a computer in order to operate the iPhone. I hope Apple discloses this on the sales site and at Apple stores.

RE: Must have a computer?

By JazzMang on 6/14/2007 11:28:56 AM , Rating: 3

... and if they don't, we'll sue 'em! ;-)

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RE: Must have a computer?

By Enoch2001 on 6/14/2007 4:21:33 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
... and if they don't, we'll sue 'em! ;-)

No, we'll take it back and get a refund. I think we'll have 30-days to make that decision, too.

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so you need an account!

By Adsski on 6/14/2007 5:09:00 AM , Rating: 2

I personally think this is a moot point.

I mean really, who is going to buy one of these that doesn't already have itunes installed on their MAC/PC. I grant you some may not have an itunes store account, but if you need one to set up the iphone who cares. It's not like they are insisting you purchase anything from the store...

RE: so you need an account!

By Rotkiv on 6/14/2007 6:44:24 AM , Rating: 3

I don't and I care.

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RE: so you need an account!

By Goty on 6/14/2007 7:59:45 AM , Rating: 1

This is exactly my thinking as well. I think people are just trying to find a reason not to like this product, whether or not that reason makes any sense at all.

I'm not saying there aren't reasons not to like it(hell, no upgradeable memory? Come on, Apple), but this isn't one of them. Anyone planning on buying an iPhone is probably already going to have iTunes installed anyways.

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Too Expensive ?? Then Just don't buy!

By hiscross on 6/14/2007 12:52:57 PM , Rating: 2

Gee, you would think that people who visit a tech site would have some tech knowledge. Boy, am I wrong (-. The iPhone doesn't need a memory card, IT has FLASH memory. Syncing to iTunes a problem..why..just too easy ?! And finally, too expensive. There are people paying more for a gamer video card. If you don't like the answers above, just buy something else.

RE: Too Expensive ?? Then Just don't buy!

By mdogs444 on 6/14/2007 2:33:20 PM , Rating: 2

I do agree - if you dont want to pay, dont buy it. If you dont like it, buy something else. But yes, if you bought an 8800GTX or Ultra for 500/600$, dont complain about the price of the phone.

However, i think the problems that people have with it are not directly related to the memory or the price. Perhaps more geared towards:

A) Apple making you sign up for a second account , iTunes, in which they will get your credit card number. You signed up for the wireless service and paid for the phone. You should not need to sign up for anything else and give them anything.

B)I agree with everyone that I highly doubt anyone will buy this phone who does not own a computer. However, I think in the near future we'll see someone try to sue Apple because the phone will not work becuase they dont have a computer . I can see why you'd need one, but you should still be able to make a call w/o one. Why can't i buy buy this phone, and have a friend throw on some MPS3's for me.

C) To be a true PDA used for business purposes, an external flash would have been nice , especially for those that travel worldwide.

But my pet peeve is that its somewhat of a monopoly. No one else can carry the phone, so there will not be any direct store to store price wars. Its going to be carrier to carrier wars on who can offer something similar to the iPhone, at a cheaper price.

I wouldnt mind one, but i would never ever switch from Verizon to AT&T for the phone. I would also never give Apple my credit card information for no reason whatsoever.

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RE: Too Expensive ?? Then Just don't buy!

By INeedCache on 6/14/2007 5:30:26 PM , Rating: 2

I won't buy it, because I don't need it, and I'm smart enough not to dish out $500-600 just to be stylish. But to those of you saying don't complain about the cost of the iPhone, I say fine, just don't you complain about the cost of any Microsoft software.

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Whiners!

By Patently O on 6/14/07, Rating: 0

By Patently O on 6/14/2007 1:03:56 PM , Rating: 0

What a bunch of Whiners some of you are!
Who would ever buy an iPhone if they did not have a computer? And why is the need to have an itunes account so onerous? (I would bet you don't "have" to have it anyway. You probably only "have" to have it to get all the features like syncing (but you don't have a computer, right?) cover flow, etc.)
The idea is that the iPhone combines several devices in one: Phone, music/video player, web browser, camera, and PDA/organizer. Implicit with these functions are an array of supporting data: calendar events, contacts with emails, phone numbers, etc., songs and video associated images and data, web bookmarks, photos, etc. You'd have to be an fool not to have it all stored, organized, and input via a computer.
As far as the iTunes account, they want your name, e-mail, and a credit card number — big deal! I've never bought anything from the itunes store. They've had Credit card info for years and have never abused it in any way. Its a small price to pay (one we pay every day when we use a credit or debit card) in exchange for seeing cover art in the cover-flow view and being able to reliably sync our data!

RE: Whiners!

By xti on 6/14/2007 1:19:55 PM , Rating: 1

I agree 100%, people just always tend to knock on something, especially when they know the mainstream is gonna gobble it up.

its not really that big of a deal.

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RE: Whiners!

By Snuffalufagus on 6/15/2007 12:39:20 AM , Rating: 2

Mandating that I install a specific peice of software that is bundled with yet another peice of software is a big deal. Last time I tried installing iTunes on a PC it was impossible to install it without the Quicktime. That's a big problem for a me, I don't want QT anywhere near my PC (thus I'm a huge fan of Quicktime Alternative and RealPlayer Alternative, two great peices of freeware).

Most PC users are not happy having their systems controlled by Steve the way most Mac users seem to accept. And when it comes to developing software to run on windows, I am very sceptical about anything coming from Apple. They typically develop for a single platform with control over the hardware it runs on, which from certain standpoints is a huge plus on the Mac. But they're not as well adapted to testing and developing secure software for a Windows OS and the multitude of hardware variations that are out there.

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RE: Whiners!

By omnicronx on 6/14/2007 1:46:56 PM , Rating: 1

thats not the point.. whether you love the idea of the iphone or not, apple should not force you to sign up for an account if you do not want too. its one thing to have to use itunes.. anyone can live with that as its no change from ipods.. but to essentially have to sign a seperate contract, totally different from your phone company is rediculous, and as someone said before i wouldnt be surprised if this were against antitrust laws in some way..
what if a 16 year old with no credit card wants an iphone.. i know damn well my parents would have told me to bleep off if i asked them, even if i told them i would never ever buy anything

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Another Reason...

By UppityMatt on 6/14/2007 4:18:47 AM , Rating: 3

To not buy the iPhone. But thats just my opinion.

...

By drunkenmastermind on 6/14/2007 7:40:54 AM , Rating: 2

To buy or not to buy...that is the question!

RE: ...

By omnicronx on 6/14/2007 2:08:29 PM , Rating: 1

thats not the question..
the question is .. will this phone work if you have fat fingers.. that is the question..

i cant wait to see people taking 10 years to type in what they want because they cannot tell which button they are pushing

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Waiting to watch the show

By jstchilln on 6/14/2007 4:56:59 PM , Rating: 2

I cant wait for the show to begin. I am very curious as to how many people will break a contract and merge to AT&T. As long as cell phones have been out, IMO most people have finally found the carrier that suits them. The people that are going to switch will switch again and never be happy with any carrier. I would never own an IPOD or anything that starts with an "I" but my daughter would love to have one. BUT besides being tied to dad's wallet she is also very tech savvy and knows that Verizon is the best bet in our region.
Call in the dogs and Ponies and let the show begin....