I don't like the fact that iTunes "phones home" every time I start it up, so I've used Little Snitch to block connections to phobos.apple.com. This used to go without a hitch, but since "upgrading" to iTunes 8.0, it keeps showing this error: "iTunes could not connect to the iTunes Store. The host is down. Make sure your network connection is active and try again."
Is there any way to get rid of this message?! Do people without a constant internet connection have to endure this message too? I've already tried disabling the iTunes Store (under Parental Control). Apple is getting more pushy with each release. I don't want to buy anything from the iTunes Store or have my song information sent to Apple! Sometimes I feel that Apple is becoming more and more like the "Big Brother" depicted in their "1984" commercial... If I didn't have to sync my iPod through iTunes, I would switch to another media player!
Is there any way to get rid of this message?! Do people without a constant internet connection have to endure this message too? I've already tried disabling the iTunes Store (under Parental Control). Apple is getting more pushy with each release. I don't want to buy anything from the iTunes Store or have my song information sent to Apple! Sometimes I feel that Apple is becoming more and more like the "Big Brother" depicted in their "1984" commercial... If I didn't have to sync my iPod through iTunes, I would switch to another media player!