Audible replaces AudibleManager for Windows

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by ApK

Certainly, they didn't announce AudibleSync and then break everyone's Audible Manager right away. Get them while you can, because I suspect the AudibleSync announcement heralds the elimination of aax in the near future.

Oh, you voice of doom and gloom!

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Oh, you voice of doom and gloom!

"Hope for the best; prepare for the worst."

I spent a lot of time this weekend catching up on downloading my titles to Audible Manager that I didn't already have. They might disable Download Manager for getting more titles but I don't think they will kill the ones I already have downloaded (at least until I buy a new computer). Still have about 100 to go, so I know what I will be doing on my holiday...

[ApK]

My doom-and-gloom preparing for the worst has yielded a side benefit:
I noticed that one book in my Audible library can no longer be accessed. It's been removed from Audible's catalog, and though it still appears in my library, I can't play it or download it.

So there's one more example why some folks say to DeDRM and backup everything you own if you want to ensure you keep the access you're entitled to.

Why is losing a book a side "benefit" for me? 'Cuz I couldn't care less about that particular book--not even sure why I had it--and Audible gave me two credits in compensation for it disappearing. :-)

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

"Hope for the best; prepare for the worst."

I spent a lot of time this weekend catching up on downloading my titles to Audible Manager that I didn't already have. They might disable Download Manager for getting more titles but I don't think they will kill the ones I already have downloaded (at least until I buy a new computer). Still have about 100 to go, so I know what I will be doing on my holiday...

Originally Posted by ApK

My doom-and-gloom preparing for the worst has yielded a side benefit:
I noticed that one book in my Audible library can no longer be accessed. It's been removed from Audible's catalog, and though it still appears in my library, I can't play it or download it.

So there's one more example why some folks say to DeDRM and backup everything you own if you want to ensure you keep the access you're entitled to.

Why is losing a book a side "benefit" for me? 'Cuz I couldn't care less about that particular book--not even sure why I had it--and Audible gave me two credits in compensation for it disappearing. :-)

Do you mean you had never even downloaded more than a hundred Audible books? Wow.

I buy, I download, I convert. The exceptions are some freebies, like the Audible Originals they had previously been providing with membership. I went through my Audible books not that long ago to download and convert those as well. All that's left are the various free author interviews, which I won't bother with.

So there's no disaster in the offing that I need to prepare for. There's just the possible inconvenience in the future; if I knew for sure that I would no longer be able to download aax, I would use up all credits now.

[skinmaan]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Do you mean you had never even downloaded more than a hundred Audible books? Wow.

I buy, I download, I convert. The exceptions are some freebies, like the Audible Originals they had previously been providing with membership. I went through my Audible books not that long ago to download and convert those as well. All that's left are the various free author interviews, which I won't bother with.

So there's no disaster in the offing that I need to prepare for. There's just the possible inconvenience in the future; if I knew for sure that I would no longer be able to download aax, I would use up all credits now.

I have over 700 audiobooks in my account. I currently have around 100 I have not downloaded. Some were freebies I wasn't sure I wanted to keep long-term. My policy nowdays is download first evaluate later.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by skinmaan

I have over 700 audiobooks in my account. I currently have around 100 I have not downloaded. Some were freebies I wasn't sure I wanted to keep long-term. My policy nowdays is download first evaluate later.

Yup. Buy it, download it, convert it. My standard workflow. Of course the new "freebies" can't be downloaded onto a PC or anything else that makes it feasible to convert, but that's fine -- I didn't pay for them, so I never thought I should "own" them. But the ones I paid for? Are all converted. Even went into my OLD username account (cancelled years ago) and downloaded all of those.

[ApK]

Yeah, I was never in too much of a hurry to go through the backlog, but now that I was motivated, and found a good, automated way to doing it in bulk, I'm caught up, and I'll be immediately downloading and backing up new purchases from this point on.

[odamizu]

I'm not convinced .aax or direct downloads are going away any time soon.

Mac users have always been able to download .aax directly from Audible website to import into iTunes or Apple Books (on desktop Mac), which then can transfer to and sync with iDevices. (Do Windows users with iDevices have a similar option??)

I have received no notification email from Audible that this is changing and there have been no changes to the support pages suggesting it will change: see bottom of this page and this page and this page.

So hopefully there is nothing to worry about

[CRussel]

One thing that HAS changed in the last month or so -- they no longer use an ADH "helper file" but have you directly download the .aax. For me, this is mildly annoying, since I had inAudible set to be the default app for ADH files and to automatically convert to M4B. Now I have several extra clicks required.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by CRussel

One thing that HAS changed in the last month or so -- they no longer use an ADH "helper file" but have you directly download the .aax. For me, this is mildly annoying, since I had inAudible set to be the default app for ADH files and to automatically convert to M4B. Now I have several extra clicks required.

Wow, I hadn't noticed this, but this is hugely better for me.
Unless you spend a lot of time listening to audiobooks on your PC, just make inAudible the default app for .aax files, now you've saved several steps! Download, open, done.

In fact, for the last year or so, audible had not been downloading my .adh files with the .adh extension, they were all just called "adhhelper" or something, with no extension, so it was impossible to set ANY default app, and I had to drag and drop (or rename) the file.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by CRussel

One thing that HAS changed in the last month or so -- they no longer use an ADH "helper file" but have you directly download the .aax. For me, this is mildly annoying, since I had inAudible set to be the default app for ADH files and to automatically convert to M4B. Now I have several extra clicks required.

Originally Posted by ApK

Wow, I hadn't noticed this, but this is hugely better for me.
Unless you spend a lot of time listening to audiobooks on your PC, just make inAudible the default app for .aax files, now you've saved several steps! Download, open, done.

In fact, for the last year or so, audible had not been downloading my .adh files with the .adh extension, they were all just called "adhhelper" or something, with no extension, so it was impossible to set ANY default app, and I had to drag and drop (or rename) the file.

Wow, I like the direct download. I just picked up my first titles since the demise of Audible Manager, and it was so much quicker and easier.

I am unfamiliar with inAudible; I've been using aaxtomp3, and am mostly satisfied. I tried openAudible at one point and hated it; after uninstalling it I had a hard time getting aaxtomp3 running properly again. So I'm disinclined to test drive inAudible unless it's the greatest thing since sliced bread!

[CRussel]

If you're happy with your solution, why change?

[ApK]

Originally Posted by CRussel

If you're happy with your solution, why change?

The obvious answer would be, hypothetically, if she didn't know that a faster, easier, higher quality option existed, she might want to change when she discovered it. If you don't know that sliced bread existed. You'd probably be happy ripping apart your loaf by hand...or however that metaphor is supposed to work....

Not saying it's the case here, just sayin'.

[Catlady]

Progress? Though usually after I try something new, I quickly revert back to the old.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Progress? Though usually after I try something new, I quickly revert back to the old.

That explains the hat in your avatar.