Bustikated

Mr. Gruber points out that

The whole ringtones racket is predicated on the notion that ringtones are something different than songs. This notion is bullshit. You don’t turn songs into ringtones; you treat them as ringtones. They’re not even a different file format. It’s just a different context for playing the same song on the same device.

I couldn’t agree more. Paying for the same song twice is idiocy.

However, he also states that

Instead of the complicated, confusing mess of a ringtone policy that Apple announced last week, what they should have announced is this: Any song you can play on your iPhone can be used as a ringtone for no additional charge. Want a new ringtone? Just buy it from iTunes or rip it from a CD.

And this is where I disagree. I think, that Apple’s stance is good for everyone. They can have an “official” policy which kisses the ass of the RIAA fuckwads, while anyone with half a brain is going to roll their own anyway. It doesn’t take a genius to realize how easy it is to get their own songs as ringtones, and only those people easily duped out of their money will pay twice. I’m a firm believer that stupidity should be painful.

In this same article, John goes on to point out Apple’s history of doing right by consumers. I will say that this is probably the biggest draw Apple has had on my business. They have maintained, more or less, an personal attitude with their customers. Lately, however, they seem to be acting a little more corporately. And that isn’t a good thing. They run the risk of being associated with Microsoft , AOL, or worse yet: Dell.

If Apple were just another huge corporation that came across as not caring about its customers, why would we pay the Apple Premium? I wouldn’t.