If you have a registered Apple ID, chances are you have U2’s new album, “Songs of Innocence,” ?already on your device.
You probably had no idea it was there in the first place.
And neither did I, until I read a barrage of angry tweets from loyal Apple customers complaining about the unwanted music that was automatically embedded in their iTunes libraries.
U2 performed as the feature act for Apple’s product launch Sept. 9. Aside from the free performance, we got its entire album installed on our devices, whether we liked it or not.
I can see how the company would think the free gift of a U2 CD, an incredibly popular band, was a good idea.
Turns out it wasn’t.
Thankfully, Apple recently launched a help page that explains how to remove U2’s album from your iTunes account.
But the issue with this is it requires time and effort to go to the webpage that lets you delete it, which nobody wants to do.
I am not an Apple hater. I love my MacBook and my iPhone more than I love puppies.
But recently, I’ve realized how far Apple’s technology superpowers stretch, and it scares me.
This free album not only symbolizes a product I never wanted on my phone in the first place, it shows just how deep Apple can infringe on our property rights when we utilize its products.
Personally, I believe it’s an invasion of our private property. As times are changing, cloud storage is becoming more and more valuable.
The cloud is our sanctuary. We pay for our storage, and it’s our choice to upload what we want into it.
Just last week, I witnessed my friend try to save a Snapchat video. She received the dreaded notification, “There is not enough available storage to save video. You can manage your storage in Settings.”
As she read the message, she looked as if she had read her grandmother’s name in this week’s obituary section.
So, when Apple magically placed this entire album on our iPhones, it caused a ton of pandemonium in terms of taking up unwanted storage.
Twitter user Jon Pfingsten posted, “My phone tells me everyday I have no more storage, but they found room for U2’s album.” His tweet received 532 favorites and 430 retweets.
Jon, you’re not alone in this conundrum.
Realistically, Apple signed the multimillion-dollar contract with U2 to release its free album as a defense mechanism.
Nowadays, it’s more common to acquire music from companies such as Pandora and Spotify. The truth is, online streaming has already conquered the digital download, and Apple wants to resurrect what is left of the iTunes store.
As comical as it is to think Apple is a company full of really creepy tech wizards who love U2, I honestly think they were attempting to play it smart.
jlkarl@indiana.edu
