New mbp owner!

Hi...I just bought my first mac, yea! but am having some troubles learning how to do things. I have tried searching the internet and even called applecare..but could not find an answer to my question. Am hoping you guys can help, sorry if this has been explained, I did try search!

I download audiobooks from libraries, some are in mp3 format so no problem others are wma...big problem. The libraries will not allow these to be downloaded onto macs. So I download them to my old pc and then sync with Itunes onto my Iphone.

Now for my problem, i also check out audio book cd's, which were so easy to burn and add to Itunes using a wonderful Mac program (Audio Book Builder)....but now I cannot copy those books to my Iphone as it is tied to my old Itunes account on my pc. My old pc does not have a functioning optical drive, so that is not an option. I was hoping to be able to just use my new MBP but it looks like I have to keep the pc around for downloading library audiobooks (using the media overdrive program, the only one authorized by the libraries).

So bottom line is there any way I can transfer the cd/books from my MBP to my Iphone without erasing my original Itunes account, in essence have two computers sync with one itunes account.

Thanks in advance and sorry for my long boring first post!

socalgirl said:

So bottom line is there any way I can transfer the cd/books from my MBP to my Iphone without erasing my original Itunes account, in essence have two computers sync with one itunes account.

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Hi, I'm new too and have not setup iTunes on my Mac yet, but know that I can "register" my mac along with my PC that I already use for iTunes, so you may want to log into your iTunes account and look for the place to do that. Use the help menu if you cannot find it. I have a friend that does this so I know it's possible. Then you can use either of your computers as you like with your iTunes.

Cheers...

We should try to take the PC out of the equation all together.

Why is it you can't download the audiobooks in mp3 or wma format straight to your Mac? Do they run some kind of Windows only client?

WirelessMacUser--I think you might mean authorize the computer so I can listen to various iTunes accounts, I did that, hwr you cannot add/delete content from one my macbook just listen.

Davanw- I would love to take the pc out of the equation, but the the download client will only download mp3 to mac and the windows media player for mac is not recognized for wma files. I can download mp3 books but there are very few mp3 books.

Thank you both for trying to help.

I may not understand your problem completely. When you say you are having trouble downloading the wma files, I think you mean they won't play. That's because you need the Windows media component called Flip4Mac installed on your machine. Go to Flip4Mac WMV 2.3.1.2 software download - Mac OS X - VersionTracker and get it.

There are a lot of ways to convert wma to mp3. Just Google search that and choose an alternative.

iTunes can also convert wma to mp3 or any other format you want. If you have thousands of wma's you don't want to convert, you'll need Flip4Mac.

Shall I be the only one to point out that copying audiobooks you borrowed from the library is illegal?

OverDrive Media audiobook transfer revisited-sync iPhone with two computers?

Hi, I have the exact same problem. For years I've downloaded .wma audiobooks from the Public Library to my PC and transferred them to an .mp3 player-no problem. Then I got an iPhone. Still not a big deal, the .wma files download onto the PC and OverDrive Media Console converts them during transfer to my iPhone-takes awhile, but there is very, VERY little content available in .mp3 format from the public libraries. Now I just got a Mac. OverDrive Media does offer a Mac version but it will only download .mp3 files onto my Mac. The .wma file will not download at all. According to support at OverDrive they never will due to DRM. I really don't get that-they download onto a PC and transfer to an iPhone, so HUH???? but anyway.

Now here's the real problem-I downloaded the .mp3 books into OverDrive, but in order to transfer the books onto my iPhone, I have to select to "Manually Manage Music and Videos," and when I click on that I get the message "The iPhone Alice's iPhone is synced to another iTunes library. Do you want to erase this iPhone and sync with this iTunes library? An iPhone can be synced with only one iTunes library at a time. Erasing and syncing replaces the contents of this iPhone with the contents of this iTunes library." Uhhh, I'm not sure about that.

One, I have stuff on my iPhone (photos and ringtones) that does not exist anywhere else since my PC died, and I don't want to lose it. If I say "Erase and Sync," am I going to lose those? And, BTW, how can I get all my stuff from my phone onto my new computer?

Two, if do that (erase and resync), can I sync my iPhone with an old PC in order to continue to be able to download and transfer .wma audiobooks.

I guess the bottom line (finally) is can I sync my phone to both a PC and a Mac in order to keep having the .wma books and keep my phone primarily synced with the computer I'll be using most?

Thanks.

Vegas George...I thought that would be the solution too, but it did not work. The "overdrive media console" does not recognize the windows media for mac or flip.

BTW...I live in LV too....did you get your MBP at Town Square?

Oneironaut: no go as per above, thanks for the suggestion.

Chasm: I do not keep the books, I just use this method so I can listen to them on my Iphone. According to the librarian I spoke with this, this is ok as long as I delete the files after listening to the books. I will check again. The cd books are not my primary concern, it is downloading the books and playing on my iphone.

lamirona; looks like we are in the same boat. hope that one of us will find a solution, keep me posted and I will do likewise.

socalgirl said:

Chasm: I do not keep the books, I just use this method so I can listen to them on my Iphone. According to the librarian I spoke with this, this is ok as long as I delete the files after listening to the books.

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That's good enough for me, but I hasten to add that as stated in the rules of this forum, any discussion of defeating DRM, even if you *own* the items in question, is off-limits due to the subject being illegal in the US.

It wasn't my intent to shut down all discussion on the topic of library audiobooks and portability, just that a lot of WMA audiobooks are DRM-protected, and if that's the case with the ones you are referring to (as it sounds since they require a special download client) then we can't discuss trying to circumvent that.