[Muckraker]

Last year I decided to publish my ebooks through Apple. I jump through all their hoops--federal tax id, isbns, etc. I finally get everything approved and set up and am all set to start uploading.

I see that I need to use the program iProducer to upload my books to iTunes. I go to download iProducer and discover it is a Mac-only program. I look around figuring there must be some alternative for us non-Mac people. Nope. In order to sell eBooks direct with Apple you need to have a Mac. Screw that.

Or so I said last year.

A month or so ago I decided I'd shop around on Ebay to see if I could get a cheap Mac for the sole purpose of uploading books. I checked the iProducer system requirements. It said it required a G4 or higher running OS/X 10.5.8 or better. Lo and behold, I find a great looking system for $150. So I buy it.

I receive the Mac today and fire it up. Looks great and works great. I update iTunes, hop on iTunes Connect, and download the iProducer software. I click the application and... "Program cannot be installed on this computer."

What? There must be some mistake. I have a G4 with 10.5.8. Off to the iProducer PDF. Turns out that in the time it took me to buy my Mac--for the sole purpose of uploading ebooks--Apple decided to change the system requirements for the iProducer software. I'll just download the older version of iProducer--nope. Apple does not acknowledge the existence of anything other than the current version.

Now I need OS/X 10.6. No big deal. I'll just update the OS. Sorry 10.5.8 to 10.6 is not an update--it's an upgrade. Upgrades cost money. At this point I'm fuming but I click through anyway to see how much it costs.

After navigating Apple's maze of misinformation I find out, I think, it would cost me $30 to upgrade. I'm ticked but I've come this far... So I attempt to purchase the OS upgrade. Can't find out how. I finally get to a page somewhere with the system requirements to upgrade the O/S. One of the requirements is an Intel Core processor. I check my processor... GRRRR

So...unless any Apple fans have some advice, or can point out something I'm not seeing, it appears I am stuck with a useless Mac and I'm no closer to getting my books on iTunes than I was before (Yes I know I can use an "aggregate." I don't want to.)

Let's review the process of publishing with direct relationships:

Amazon
1. Upload your book to the website.

Barnes/Noble
1. Upload your book to the website.

Apple (at least as far as I made it)
1. iTunes account
2. iConnect account
3. Long application process with no notification or status or even acknowledgement of receipt.
4. Get a federal tax ID.
5. Get ISBNs
6. Get a Mac computer
7. Install iProducer
a. Upgrade O/S to 10.6
1a. Upgrade processor to Intel.
a1a. Buy a new Mac
8. ???

Sorry for the rant. I just don't understand how a company can get that big by being that stupid and annoying. I thought Macs were supposed to be "easy."