Amazon Beats iTunes at Usability

David Walker writes:

I have to admit, I'm a bit of an Apple fanboy. I've owned three different Macs, currently have 4 iPods in or around the house, use the Airport Extreme Router and my wife and I both own iPhones (both an 8 and 16GB). I plan on buying the AppleTV shortly and intend on purchasing my 4th Mac - either a Mac Pro or Macbook Pro - within the next few months. I even stood in-line for the Leopard launch. Why share all of that? Because, without a doubt, I will catch flack for what I'm about to say and will probably be called an Apple-hater, which I am not. But the truth is, after this weekend, I don't think I'll ever buy another song from iTunes again. And it's all because of Amazon.

To be clear, I normally purchase CDs and rip them myself. On average, I probably buy 7 or 8 CDs for every album I purchase online. But, whenever I have bought online music, I've always done it from the comfort of the iTunes interface. Having owned several iPods, I was very comfortable with the knowledge that the music I wanted could be found and purchased easily. Certainly, the fact that the music was DRM-laced was a negative for me, but it was never a big enough one so as to deter me. But, if the choice was there, I'd certainly go DRM-free if given the option.

Well, this weekend marked a first for me. I heard some old songs that I really enjoyed and went looking for the original CDs. As is usually the case, I couldn't find these titles in any brick and mortar store. So, I immediately jumped into iTunes and found them. However, before I hit purchase, it dawned on me - I wonder if Amazon also has these albums and I wonder how much they are? Quickly, I launched my browser and within a minute, found both albums on Amazon. Even better? The albums cost less than what I had almost paid on the iTunes Music Store. Before I knew it, I had clicked on Buy Now and had begun my separation from IMS.

So why switch? Why make the change and abandon the store of one of the companies I frequent the most? Here's why:

1. DRM-free MP3s
2. High Bit-Rate Files
3. Variable Pricing
4. Great Downloader with Automatic iTunes Import

Though my love for Apple products has not wavered, my contempt for DRM has grown. Knowing that the MP3s I purchased can be put onto any player I choose and burned to as many CDs as I like is not something I'm willing to compromise on anymore. Until Apple can find a way to compete with Amazon on these points, I'll never buy music from iTunes again.

Just another example. It's about usability and convenience, and that will always trump shoving DRM down people's throats.