Beatles Collection on Apple-Shaped USB Kind of A Lemon

The Fab Four still haven’t made it to iTunes, but if you want to shell out $280, you can have some of their stuff on a limited-edition USB stick.

Collectors may crave 16GB key that comes with 14 stereo titles, plus re-mastered 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes.

The USB “core” pulls out of an apple, recalling the Granny Smith from the record company founded in 1968. Some 30,000 keys are available from the online store, from December 7 in the UK and December 8 in North America. (You can also pre-order online now.)

If you’re more interested in their music, it sounds like slim pickings for a hefty price – at least one fan, alluneediscash, on the site argued:

“But the BOX SET is only $219! ($179 at amazon) no one loves the beats more than me, but shouldn’t they charge LESS for the usb?”

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Which raises the perennial question of when this icon of Brit pop will finally make it to iTunes. Although the Beatles settled the marathon trademark dispute with Apple two years ago, the use of this apple key, meant as a nod to Apple Records, might stir the embers of animosity rather than hasten them for Apple downloads.

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Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco native who has lived in Milan and Florence, Italy. She's written for Wired.com, The New York Times and Newsweek. You can find her on Twitter , Facebook and Google+.

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scott
Harrisonâ€™s heirs have already made it clear that they believe the music is worth moor than .99Â¢ per song, and are looking for ways to offer them that donâ€™t include iTunes, et al.
It appears that the music on this USB drive is embedded in the flash content, so unlikely to be playable on an iPod, or anything else but a computer.
Only 30,000 units are being produced, which means this is meant to be some sort of market test. Most will be bought by collectors, not your typical music fan, who has the ability to buy the single CDs.
http://hikeeveryday.blogspot.com Hike Every Day
The point of this is not the music itself but the collectible. The rest of the music industry needs to realize that the music is only part of the music business. It needs to come up with marketable items with value to collectors in order to sell more music. Limited edition items–although 30,000 of them seems excessive, 5000 would be better–such as this are the only way they are going to make money since people can get the music from numerous sources.
I’d gladly pay for a collectible or, better yet, autographed item from a band I like. As for the music I just might borrow the CD from a friend or have someone burn me a copy.
Bernardo
This edition playable on anything including itunes of course. The mp3s and FLAC files are all unprotected and copying/moving them is simplicity itself.
As a genuine collectable the “30,000 limited edition” initially claimed, needs scrutiny since that was the number announced available at the online store, but the USB has also been widely available worldwide through real record stores. None of these apple USBs are numbered, and previously Apple Corps reversed the “limited edition” status of the Beatles mono remixes on CD by making far more available as soon as the initial number was sold.
The Apple USB itself gives a very nice impression, small, heavy and iconic. The 24bit FLAC mixes are revelatory and the 320 kbs mp3s sit well in itunes/ipod or whatever jukebox/player you prefer.