Oh, okay. Thanks for the information!
But iTunes did have a feature to do the same, which they disabled subsequently. Here is a link I just found:
http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/30/itunes-4-7-disables-ipod-download-application/
“iPod Download” was not an Apple application and it didn’t come with iTunes. So, no, it didn’t have that as an official feature, and per the contract with the labels, they disabled the *third-party* application that added it.
If you want to bitch about it, talk to the RIAA and the labels. Fortunately, it seems that EMI is coming to their senses and won’t be requiring that sort of thing any more; lets hope the rest of the industry follows suit.