While yesterday’s official confirmation from Apple that their DRM-free “iTunes Plus” tracks would be reduced in price - from $1.29 to the same $0.99 as regular songs - was positive news, our concern still lingered around upgrades of existing tracks owned.  Since the introduction of the higher-quality, DRM-free Plus music, people who have bought standard tracks have been able to upgrade to the non-encrypted version (assuming it’s available) by simply paying the difference in price.  As of writing, while Plus tracks are all showing up at the new, lower figure, upgrading your existing library will still require payment.

At around $0.30 a track it’s not exactly a bankrupting experience, but it’s nonetheless a jab to the spleen for all those users who have been happily buying from iTunes to feed their iPod habit. 

“A new customer who buys Norah Jones’ Feels Like Home on iTunes pays $12.99 for a 256 kbps, DRM-free version of album. That’s the same price existing customers paid for a 128 kbps, DRMed version when the album first came out. To get the higher-quality, iTunes Plus version through Upgrade My Library, those customers have to shell out an extra $3.86″ FORTUNE: Apple 2.0

The morality of buying a Norah Jones album aside, it remains to be seen whether the issue will garner enough negative feedback to prompt a Steve Jobs backtrack, as last seen when Apple rewarded early iPhone adopters with a $100 rebate following the cellphone’s price cut.