Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

Hi all.

Isn't calling the trial free a bit of a scam? It's reminiscent of the "free" merchandise hawked on late-night TV that weighs a few ounces but somehow requires you to pay a $25 "shipping" fee.

iLok doesn't even require a dongle anymore, so I don't see much of an excuse for requiring prospective customers to buy one.

And nowhere have I seen that the cost of the dongle will be subtracted from the purchase price if you decide to buy the product.

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

That's sadly the way it is(and has been for some time). Nobody is forcing you to use PT. If you're a pro, you're going to need iLok at some point anyway. If you're not a pro, there are many easier options(Reaper being tops on that list). Reaper really can be demo'd for free. As for the various options for authorizing, I actually prefer iLok and Waves(on a USB stick) over all the others. But that's just my preference. We each have our own opinions:o

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

I agree, There used to be a PT 'Free' version which didn't require a dongle so I believe it could be done again.

Maybe Avid see this as a way to manipulate ones decision to buy full version of Pro Tools.

I disagree with this statement though because if one decides to buy full version, an iLok is necessary anyway.

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

I'm not sure what free app we're talking about? Pro Tools Free doesn't require purchasing an Ilok, it only requires installation of the free ilok manager app.

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

What 64GTOBOY said. The basic premise of this thread is completely wrong.

http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...m-Requirements

:confused::confused:

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

Pretty sure the OP is talking about the PT demo which unless things have changed, does require an iLok dongle.

I agree that you shouldn’t need the physical dongle for a 2 week trial.


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Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

Hi,


But this would be a risk on the security of the software




Chris

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

Not really.

Most companies are able to offer a 2 week fully functioning demo. It would be no different for Pro Tools.

It’s their choice to do so, one that I personally think is incorrect. IMO, they’re potentially losing customers by not offering a demo. I mean isn’t the demo stil PT11? That kinda says it all really.


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Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

Pace is far too tied into the code to just yank it out for a demo. It would be a considerable amount of work. But for "demo" reasons, Pro Tools First is what you use which is not time bombed, just limited on the number of projects you can run.

Re: Why do we have to buy a $50 dongle that isn't needed?
 

Thanks for the interesting responses, guys.

I am indeed talking about the PT demo. I have PT Free, but want to try the full version as a serious prospective buyer.

I understand the anti-piracy effort, but that's not the issue. The point here is that Pace itself has made the iLok dongle unnecessary. So Avid doesn't need to remove the copy protection, or even switch vendors of it. Unless Pace's SDK is poorly written (which, if their inept Web site is any indication, it might be), this change should have been made already.

I have yet to encounter any other software that uses iLok, so I'm not looking at this as some kind of valuable investment. If I pay for a wine-tasting, I get that money back when I buy the product. If I pay for an estimate on a car repair, that money is credited toward the repair. Avid can do what they want, but creating an impediment to the purchase of their software (and misrepresenting a trial as "free") isn't a great start to a customer relationship.