Danny Gorog22 February 2008, 2:31 AM
Ever wondered how other people seem to be able to download content from the US iTunes store? Read on for their dirty little secret.
While there's no denying that the iTunes store provides the most comprehensive source of legal digital content in Australia there is still a lot missing (like movies) and the cost of consuming digital media here is considerably more than it is in the US. With the release of Apple TV 2.0, both of these facts have been further reinforced.
When Apple announced the upgrade to Apple TV 2 they also mentioned in passing (in the way only Apple can) that an international rollout of the movie store (including rentals) was scheduled for later in the year. Apple did not however, get specific on which countries would be getting movies and when. If the iPhone regional releases are anything to go by, though, the best case scenario for Australians is movie downloads within twelve months. If you go by the time it took Apple to make iPhoto books available here it might be a lot longer.
While it's impossible to sign up for a US iTunes account with an Australian credit card, or billing address, it is possible to sign up for a US iTunes account if you can find a way to get a US iTunes gift card. And as it happens, finding a US iTunes gift card doesn't take much work at all. Buy it on eBay (make sure to pay by credit card to give yourself a level of fraud protection) and the seller should be able to email you the card's code straight away.
Once you find and purchase a gift card you'll receive a code that you need to enter in to the 'Redeem' area of the iTunes music store. Because gift cards can only be redeemed in the store they were purchased (make sure to buy a gift cards from the US iTunes store) you'll need to create a new iTunes account in the US store.
You may still be prompted to enter a credit card number for future purchases. Be sure to click the "no credit card" option (or similar). You will need to enter an address for the account (you'll have to use your imagination for that one, but we hear a lot of Australian-based US account holders live at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino). Nothing will physically be delivered there, so I wouldn't be too concerned if you get it wrong.
 Click on the 'Redeem' link and enter your iTunes gift card code |
Once you've set your account up all you need to do is keep it topped up by adding more gift cards.
Not only will a US iTunes account give you access to loads more content, including movie rentals but pricing is much more competitive as well. For example, a track in the US costs USD .99c, while the exact same track costs AUD $1.69 or USD $1.54 - that's a 50c saving, on the exact same set of ones and zeros.
Of course, you'll need to read Apple's licence conditions for using iTunes gift cards and make your own decisions about your interpretation of that!