Whether You Want It Or Not
When students checked Twitter a few days ago, most thought the tweets regarding the Irish band U2’s new album, “Songs of Innocence,” were a joke. How could every single iPhone have inexplicably downloaded the same CD? Through the mysterious qualities of the iCloud, this bizarre situation really happened — and not everyone is happy with Apple’s gift.
On Sept. 9, Apple used the power of the iCloud to download the album to every device. Bono, lead singer of the band, admitted that he and the band are “on the verge of irrelevance.” While he probably assumed this free release would lead to a positive response, what occurred was a tremendous amount of negative backlash.
The fact that Apple holds the power to download anything it wants to its users’ computers, phones, and tablets is a big concern. Apple’s website proudly stated: “Apple and U2 are giving the new album ‘Songs of Innocence’ to over 500 million iTunes customers worldwide. Never before have so many people owned one album, let alone on the day of its release.” Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, boasted that this move was “music history,” and “the biggest release of all time.”
This free download was in the wake of the recent celebrity nude photo scandal, where a hacker stole over a hundred private photos — apparently using the iCloud. After receiving such negative attention, it is strange that they are once again forcing their power on the people. While Apple provided a tool for users to remove the album, there is no telling what Apple will do next with its new power over technology. Samantha Marella, a sophomore business marketing major, contended, “The iCloud is just a part of modern technology. People ned to be more careful and roll with it — or get a flip phone.”
Marketing wise, this move got U2’s name back out there. “It’s a great way of delivering their product because it’s free advertisement to them,” Marella explained. “They put it on people’s phones, and those people tweet about it and post on social media. So now everyone is aware that U2, which was known as an outdated band, is making a comeback and becoming popular again.”
A lot of students, whose phones are already packed with photos, calendar appointments, and important apps, were not all that pleased at Apple’s generous donation.
“I think it’s cool that people received an entire album for free, but if you’re worried about your storage space, it’s a hassle,” Stephanie Merlis, a sophomore business marketing major, said.
Apple’s foreboding reach into everyone’s accounts has become a concern to many students. Danielle Romanowski, a sophomore finance major, said, “It’s an invasion of privacy and it’s taking up space on my phone.”
Most students seem to be in agreement with Alexandra Stambaugh, a sophomore music education major, who said, “I think Apple invaded its users’ personal privacy. They shouldn’t have abused their power.”
Charles Arthur at “The Guardian” has an opposing view, and finds the Apple backlash to be a little strange.
“How very dare the music industry make something available for free that it usually gets people to pay for,” he wrote. “And what a wicked notion to get the world’s most valuable company to bear the costs of buying it — Apple is said to have kicked in id=”mce_marker”00 million on this.”
Just after this giveaway, Apple announced its two new phones, the 6 and 6 Plus. While people may be annoyed at Apple for spreading the U2 love, they have not stopped supporting the company. The preorders for the new cell phones have skyrocketed, even though the Plus isn’t available for a few months.
So what does this ordeal mean for the future? It means that U2 will sink back into the abyss of unpopularity, iPhones will still be clogged with the songs, and Apple will continue to make a whole lot of money.
PHOTO TAKEN from thesun.co.uk
