At least, that was what was supposed to happen. See, most iTunes Plus early adopters got stuck with only partial conversions, leaving them with many songs stuck in the jailed FairPlay format. And unlike iOS, the only jailbreak was to downsample and burn to a CD-R audio disc, finally reconverting it back to an AAC.

Thankfully, that is now over with via iCloud & iTunes In The Cloud. Here’s a quick step-by-step to remedy the issue.

Step 1) Find your iTunes Library folder in Mac OS X Finder or Windows Explorer.
Step 2) Do a file search for files within the folder ending in .m4p
Step 3) Make a list of all the audio files listed. Then, drag those results to the Trash / Recycle Bin.
Step 4) Go to iTunes Store > Purchased and enter each song name in.
Step 5) Re-download those songs.
Step 6) Empty the Trash / Recycle Bin.

The result will be your songs have been replaced with iTunes Plus, DRM-free versions of the content. Keep in mind that this may leave some references to the deleted un-Plus versions of the song, but it’s also much faster to upgrade the way I described.

Note: Some songs are still indeed stuck in .m4p. Some record labels never signed onto iTunes Plus, and are still downloaded in FairPlay-encrypted .m4p format.

For the sake of the developers, I’ll call them Team X. Team X had a great product on the market, it was great at updating Mac software. I wanted to take that to another level, and add App Store functionality, get funding, and make a software marketplace that would transcend Mac and Windows.

I’d been watching the iPhone (now iOS) App Store, and saw its potential. Mind you, this was circa 2007-2008, when Cydia was impressive before it took a single jailbroken App Store purchase.

So, what killed the project off? I listened to Steve Jobs. No, not the way normal people do. I listened for his commentary on a Mac App Store when someone asked him about its potential. He said bluntly that there were no plans for one.

When you hear something that blunt from an Apple leader, you should know, then and there, that it’s the exact opposite of what you were just told. Just like nobody wants to watch videos on their iPod, the screen after all is just too small. When I heard that, I knew it was inevitable that Apple would leverage the iTunes Store infastructure, combine it with digital signatures (which at the time were brand new to Mac apps), and roll out their own App Store.

What’s next? I suspect Apple will continue the burn and roll out a Windows App Store. You might think this is insane. After all, Apple wants to ship Macs, not convince people to stay with Windows.

I however would argue there is a lot of merit in a Windows App Store, fueled by the largest commercial digital content distribution store ever (iTunes).

First, it’s a product that Microsoft has failed in completely. The Windows Marketplace was so much of a dud that Microsoft had to kill it off to give Windows Phone Marketplace a fighting chance… the desktop version paled in comparison.

Plus, Apple wants to show users the “Apple experience”. They want to prevent people from buying into the “Google experience”. Those two factors drive Apple to be okay with distributing Windows apps, so long as it takes place inside of Apple’s systems and Apple’s rules. It convinces more and more people to use iTunes on a daily basis, and that will fuel the additional sale of more iPhones, iPods, and iPads… all of which are successful because they are Windows-friendly.

Take Safari. Apple’s brilliant web browser was ported to Windows in order to ensure people could get a taste of the Apple browsing experience. It wasn’t needed for iTunes, despite what many think.

And, let’s not forget QuickTime for Windows. Many (too, too many) forget that QuickTime existed on Windows a good decade before Apple shipped iTunes. Some have screamed at me in postings that QuickTime only exists for iTunes, a laughable assertion. The reason QuickTime existed on Windows was the same as all the above examples; to get people to like Apple.

If people are buying, downloading, updating, and maintaining their their Windows software, the Apple way, it will be pure profit for Apple, and pure sting for Microsoft. I’m not interested in getting into a product fight with a company that has billions in the bank, hence why you can rest soundly that I won’t be building a Windows App Store right now.

Now, there was a workaround. You could open a PayPal account and simply not fund it. Using that as a credit card nets you an iTunes Account without a credit card attached. But, that’s confusing… there are a lot of people out there that don’t understand what PayPal is. If you think I’m insane for making such an argument, you need to step out of your tech world.

So, Apple has been clear, they want you to have a credit card on your account… even if you just want free App Store apps. But, they have opened up a workaround… if you can say the secret word (or rather, go to the right page).

According to this quietly-posted guide from Apple, if you go to iTunes Store -> App Store, and download a free App Store app, you can then click the same Create iTunes Account button. Only, this time, the Credit Card registration field will list a “None” option. Now, if you go to the regular iTunes Store, and try to download a free song of the week, free sample TV show, or anything other than a free App Store app… you won’t have this option.

Apple, don’t be evil. People should always have the option to not provide a credit card (or, have to jump through monopoly-style hoops to start a blank PayPal account). But, I do want to thank Apple for showing me this lesson. It’s something I’ll be sure to not repeat down the road.

Like many, I just didn’t see the need for them. If I want to watch a video, I’ll search for it on the web, download it… and usually watch it in higher quality than via a podcast. I don’t need a talking head to feed me information.

iPhone 2.2 changes quite a bit. Now, you can have video and audio streamed to your pocket, and you don’t need to download it before hand. You’re now not just limited to YouTube, you can search a plethora of podcasts to find late-breaking information and analysis… all while mobile. Plus, unlike YouTube, you aren’t dealing with poor quality (or an inability to save content to the iPhone/iPod).

I’m going to make a bit of a bold prediction here, but I believe that iPhone 2.2 will mark the largest increase in podcasting activity ever. Yeah, it’s that big.

So, I’m going to start working on a podcast. Can’t say how it will be formed just yet (be it here, a PhoneNews.com Podcast, or a greater MechaWorks podcast)… that’s still being hashed out.

Also, don’t be shocked if it won’t happen for a month or two, these next two/three months are a really exciting… and stressful… time for me and MechaWorks. We are trying to do a lot of innovative things, and bring on a lot of new people, all at the same time. While many are starting to celebrate, we’re just getting started.

Under the new version, released alongside Safari 3.1.1, Apple Software Update 2.1 for Windows now separates new software and updates.

As you’ll see in the image below, the update properly lists Safari and QuickTime installed on my MacBook Pro as needing to be updated, but lists iTunes as new software which I haven’t chosen to install yet.

Enjoy, Mozilla.

I was wrong about adding HD tracks to the DVD disc. While viable, there’s a better path of less resistance: Who said HDi could only deliver supplemental material? What in the world is stopping HDi from giving DVD the ability to stream an entire HD version of a movie over the internet?

Think about it for a second, what did I say was the ultimate thing DVD needed to beat Blu-Ray? Backwards compatibility.

By shipping a DVD-9 with the standard definition version, and HDi code to stream the HD version via the web… you get the experience of a Combo DVD + HD DVD, without the expense of all the HD DVD equipment.

Toshiba’s $1 Billion investment in HD DVD isn’t going to waste either. With HDi, Toshiba can upsell DVD as being both SD and ubiquitous, as well as high defintion. And with player updates for Toshiba and Panasonic players, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and probably Mac too at some point… there will probably already be an HDi-enabled player in everyone’s household.

And, you only need one HDi player to close the loop. With one HDi player plugged into your HDTV, you get HD playback on your HDTV, and have the versatility (no pun) of taking your DVD with you on the millions of DVD players that don’t support HDi.

Lifetime HD playback can be built into the cost of the disc. The bandwidth charge can be used as a factor to actually raise the price of a standard DVD, billing it as future-proof. And, publishers will still be able to abide by the Blu-Ray exclusivity agreements, as the HDi track isn’t on the disc, but rather, on the web.

Probably the people most unhappy with this development, will be Apple. Why rent an HD version of the movie when you can own HDi playback rights for life, along with a digital copy to iTunes…

I also noted how I was 100% sure that iTunes would pop up one day and ask users if they wanted to install Safari. I was dead right, though my vision in of it would work is a bit different than how it was implemented.

My idea, was that iTunes, when it polled for updates, would pop up an XML-formatted iTunes Store page. The page would be a promo for Safari for Windows, and suggest users one-click install it onto their systems. Instead, the application is picked up as a software instance on Apple Software Update for Windows. When it runs, Safari appears as an available installation, checked by default.

I can see how Mozilla’s CEO would feel that this is malware. Mozilla doesn’t have the #1 most-downloaded application in the world (iTunes). Mozilla has to get users from Firefox by working for them, doing deals with other companies (Google), advertising, and word-of-mouth.

But, I think Mozilla’s mindset is biased and flawed. Now, I will say that nobody doubts I’m partial to Apple, and the case can be made that my opinion is equally biased and flawed. That said, I don’t get a paycheck from Apple, so I don’t have a real stake in this game.

Here’s why. You could argue that Apple has a monopoly in the music business. If an iTunes update had automatically installed Safari (as part of the software’s payload), that could be viewed as an unfair use of the monopoly. They aren’t doing that, they popped up with a nebulous offer. I say it’s a nebulous offer, because Safari is not as well known as iTunes. To every Mac user, to every iPhone and iPod touch user… it is. But, to PC users that haven’t touched either (no pun intended), it’s not as clear what Safari is.

This brings in the rational interest part of things. If a user clicks on the update, they get an explanation of what it is. If that’s not a sufficient explanation, they shouldn’t install the update until they have read more, or asked someone, or done sufficient research. Mozilla is making the case that this isn’t sufficient, and I’m sorry, but it is. Malware makes vague and nebulous explanations… Apple is simply nebulous about the name.

If Apple were to be overly-zealous about this, I would say that the steps for improvement to pursue are clear. First, go back to my vision for promoting Safari in iTunes, and implement it. Then, revise Apple Software Update to differentiate between new software, and updated software. Finally, make the title “Safari Web Browser” on Windows, rather than the generic Safari. Safari is sufficient on platforms like Mac and iPhone where people use it, but on Windows going a step farther would be a huge step in appeasing the naysayers.

Since these suggestions don’t take a lot of effort, I think they will all eventually be implemented.

But, this did get me thinking… Bonjour could be a huge asset for iPhone in terms of social connectivity. Right now, Zune-to-Zune transfers are also ad-hoc… only one device can talk to another at a time. But, using Bonjour, there’s nothing stopping MobileMusicPlayer (iPod for iPhone) from broadcasting a shared library, just like iTunes does on a Mac or PC. There’s nothing stopping MobileChat (I’ll leave that one for you to figure out) from offering iPhone chatting and collaboration options. And, there’s nothing stopping MobileKeynote from remotely accessing all your presentations, and making changes in real time (even while on a projector).

I’m betting Bonjour will be a fully-integrated offering in iPhone sooner, rather than later. I will be surprised if it is not a cornerstone of all the new features in the February upgrade.