Q: Why are My iTunes Downloads so Slow?

Oh yeah...BTW....Everything else that uses the Internet runs smooth and fast & am even getting my standard 16MBPS on the speed test app....From that to safari, to Netflix, etc.... every thing else is good.... >_>

Same prob here in Aus, everything coming from Apple is extremely slow. Tried DL'ing new Walking Dead episode and was getting 100Kps...(normally I would get 600kps) I thought I'd try torrent instead cause I was sick of waiting and instantly got 650-700kps so obviously there's some prob with Apples servers... Everything else is quick and checked all my router settings so not a prob on my end.

Btw, it's been like this for me since last weekend!

I can assure you that it's not Apple. To run a test, I just changed my DNS back to the original setup and my speeds went back down to crawlingly slow.  Switching to the 4.2.2.2, and everything accelarated 100 times.  That should prove that it's not apple servers.  You need to find the best DNS set up for your area.  There is a weak link in your connections with Apple servers.  The same connection might work with Amazon or NFLX but not apple. If the problem originated with Apple, speeds would be consistently slow no matter what.

I still hold them to account, even if your solution works in your situation. Why should Apple alone require this kind of manipulation  which an end user should not be expected to  tamper with?

It might entail using a special DNS server for Apple traffic only. And if the DNS is specified in your router it might be laborious  to impossible ti change it.

And if you travel frequebtly or have a holiday home the required DNS in you scenario might be different for each location.

I'd probably agree with you, but I'm out in town right now on 4GLTE on Verizon getting 30+MBPS down & 18+ up and EVERYTHING other than iTunes & the App Store are running fast, and iTunes & the App Store are still extremely slow...So I doubt it's that, or at least JUST that, it's obviously something on apples side too >_>

Apple cannot be held to account for the pipeline between their servers and your computer.  To use an analogy, it's like getting stock in traffic on your way to the Apple store and then holding them to account for it.  They can only be accoutnable for the lines inside their stores, not out on the streets.

I perceive a great deal of bias on this board. The lack of explanation doesn't prove fault. You just have to dig deeper to understand the problem.  Requires a bit more rigor than a knee jerk reaction.  Might also learn somehting on the way. That's how techonolgy really works. 

I deal with 60 computers on a daily basis.  Most of our users usually blame something which has nothing to do with the problem.  Things are not alway linear. 

I'm sure there are dozens of other professional IT guys on this board who an concur.

Well then explain why that I'm in town and any wifi hotspot in town and my 30+MBPS cellular connection is still slow when it comes to the App Store & iTunes & nothing else on the phone is....

shahindash wrote:

 

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To use an analogy, it's like getting stock in traffic on your way to the Apple store and then holding them to account for it.  They can only be accoutnable for the lines inside their stores, not out on the streets.

 

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That's not an analogy, because in your example the user is in the public, determining their route to the store. In order for your example to apply, we'd need to develop our own iTunes applications and then complain that Apple was slow because we decided to use the wrong network protocol or something.

We're using an Apple product (or used to be, up until last week) that requires A) a computer and B) an internet connection, NOT C) a custom DNS router and/or networking knowledge that can only be acquired from this forum thread, combined with constant tinkering, if you're unfortunate enough to be travelling.

In other words, your argument is irrelevant.

With all due respect, your response doesn't make any sense.

The internet is public domain.  Your access is occuring in the public domain. You are not directly connected to apple through a personal pipeline.

It is entirely possible that isp's, or access providers have limited the bandwidth to apple servers due to extreme demand.  That is always a possiblity.  There could be dozens of other possible differnt explanations.  But all of them would occur in the public domain. 

I don't have your phone in front of me, but I bet if I spent an hour or two, I could come up with a solution.

Just like I have speeded up all my connections with Apple on all our devices by making some changes.

I manage doezens of Samsung, Nokia, Android devices. You want problems, issues, crashing, complications, constant tinkering with shady results, then switch to these guys.  You have no idea what real problems are. Apple users are spoiled and unaware.  It's a sad state of affairs.

I'm done here!!!

Allow me to clarify. The Internet is a public domain, and it works just fine for me as well as the rest of the users who've been complaining on here, and if it's cable, it's probably really fast for most of the aforementioned. If there are DNS problems that are specific to Apple (or any other vendor), due to their poor content distribution strategy, it's their own problem.

Apple, if they cared, could make a request to a service they manage that could return a list if I.P. addresses that are best suited to the user, based on the user's location, then download media directly from one of those I.P. addresses, bypassing DNS entirely.

Regarding throttling... it's Apple's job, not mine, to sue Internet providers for breeches in anti trust laws, including ones that include a cable/media company throttling access to competitors' media servers in an attempt to drive out competition for their own media customers.

With all due respect, I don't know how you got a job in IT. I'm sorry if that comes across a bit harsh, but that stuff is all pretty basic stuff.

Bottom line is everything else is working (I get 45Mbps on speedtest.net) EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS but iTunes and App stuff. EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS. Troubleshooting 101 and even if I was a rockheaded idiot tells me WE are all correct bringing this to Apple's site and to thier attention. That is a separate process wherin you contact them. They do not read these. This is a place where users of the products help eachother. Let's all call Apple and help eachother. Just sayin... (typing this because I have a bit of spare time on my hands while Master and Commander movie rental downloads... again. Dinner is long over and I'll be watching the movie over ingesting the air I breathe I guess because dinner and a movie wasn't an option... again).

And you know, when I say EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS, I mean Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Solitaire... EVERYTHING. I have a sick-*** machine and I know how to run the thing.

I don't know if PC & Mac are still b*%ch-slapping eachother or if Google has now thrown into this little 3-way love/hate thing; It's getting OLD and needs fixing.

Excellent movie choice (Master and Commander) - you'll love "String Quintet in C Major, Opus 30" at the end. Ironically, that movie only took about 1 hour to download when I bought it.

I'm reading the books also. Very exciting to see the movie now

13 minutes left now. I'm not kidding. 13 minutes still. I'll be hungry again. Silver lining, that.