Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

I am a recent convert to Mac OS X from Windows.

I have a bunch of WMA files I need to convert in order to use ITunes on the Mac.

Now, I know I can use the Windows version of ITunes to do the conversion and then transfer the converted files to the Mac.

Or, I can use a 3rd party software package to do the conversion right on the Mac itself. I have heard that Switch and EasyWMA are good packages.

Switch is free, EasyWMA is $10. Now, I have no problem paying for software (I paid $10 for O2M for Outlook migration). But what does EasyWMA give you that Switch does not?

Also, I have about 3,000 songs to convert. What method will do the fastest conversion? The Windows ITunes, Switch, EasyWMA or other?

Thanks.

Are your WMA files copy protected? Because if so, you won't be able to convert them on the Mac. Windows iTunes is probably your best bet in this case (I assume that it hooks into some Windows library to do the WMA conversion, right?).

Thanks for the reply. Only a handful are copy protected, but 95% of the songs are not -- they were just ripped from CDs.
So in that case you still think going the Windows ITunes route is best?

Whoops, I was wrong. iTunes can't convert protected WMA files, even on Windows.

Apple - iTunes - Hot Tips

For the 95% that's unprotected, though, iTunes or EasyWMA or anything else can do it. I don't think it really makes much of a difference what you use. Myself, I'd still do it with iTunes for Windows simply because you already have it and know how to use it, but it shouldn't make much of a difference.

Not sure what you can do about that last 5%. There might be some Windows apps floating around that let you remove the DRM, but the legality would be questionable, and who knows if they would come with spyware or something.

Flip4mac is probably a better solution. You wouldn't even need to convert the files (Flip4Mac - Digital Media Tools for the Mac) and it's free.

Steve

Really? I find that even with Flip4Mac installed, I can't import WMA files into iTunes. It won't accept them via drag-and-drop, and while the "Import" dialog box will let you import them, they don't actually get imported.

Plus, if you wanted to hook it up to an iPod or something, I'm sure the WMA files wouldn't work there. Doesn't the Windows version of iTunes automatically convert all the WMA files it puts on the iPod?

Don’t know about EasyWMA, but Switch requires Flip4Mac to be installed before it can convert WMA files. Just a thought.

These are applications. Moving...