Comments on: Steve Jobs versus the Big 4 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030 p2pnet.net offers not-your-lamescream news on movies music digital media P2P peer-to-peer TV television file sharing freedom of speech open source product news Wifi mobiles company Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:47:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137281 Reader's Write Tue, 24 Apr 2007 02:49:03 +0000 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137281 I can’t understand why you call Steve Jobs the "undisputed King of DRM" or say Apple's DRM is "ironically" named FairPlay? Don't you realise that when Apple released Fairplay, it was far less draconian than the competing (mostly Microsoft-based) DRM options out there. The ability to play purchased music on up to 5 computers, the ability to burn unlimited audio CD copies and the ability to transfer purchased music to an unlimited number of iPods were all landmark events in a market up till then sewn up with incredibly consumer-hostile DRM products. Your statement that Apple’s Fairplay “stops owners from playing (music) downloaded from iTunes on anything other than Apple's iPod” conveniently neglects to mention the 5 PCs or Macs that can also play that music or the fact that any audio CD player in the world can also do so. In the end though, I don’t know why you are complaining anyway? Steve has always been anti-DRM (witness his Rolling Stones interview just before the iTunes Music store opened) and his “Thoughts on Music” stand and subsequent EMI DRM-free deal reinforce this. Apple is driving the Music industry to a DRM-free future where Hymn and PlayFair will be a distant memory. -Mart I can’t understand why you call Steve Jobs the “undisputed King of DRM” or say Apple’s DRM is “ironically” named FairPlay? Don’t you realise that when Apple released Fairplay, it was far less draconian than the competing (mostly Microsoft-based) DRM options out there. The ability to play purchased music on up to 5 computers, the ability to burn unlimited audio CD copies and the ability to transfer purchased music to an unlimited number of iPods were all landmark events in a market up till then sewn up with incredibly consumer-hostile DRM products.

Your statement that Apple’s Fairplay “stops owners from playing (music) downloaded from iTunes on anything other than Apple’s iPod” conveniently neglects to mention the 5 PCs or Macs that can also play that music or the fact that any audio CD player in the world can also do so.

In the end though, I don’t know why you are complaining anyway? Steve has always been anti-DRM (witness his Rolling Stones interview just before the iTunes Music store opened) and his “Thoughts on Music” stand and subsequent EMI DRM-free deal reinforce this. Apple is driving the Music industry to a DRM-free future where Hymn and PlayFair will be a distant memory.

-Mart

]]> By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137275 Reader's Write Mon, 23 Apr 2007 22:48:46 +0000 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137275 The article says, "Apple's iPod DRM named, ironically, FairPlay (from Veridisc), means theoretically, Apple's proprietary FairPlay protection technology stops owners from playing downloaded from iTunes on anything other than Apple's iPod." It left out "... and any computer running the last few versions of Winodws or Mac OS X, or capable of playing an audio CD." Remember that iTunes itself will strip FairPlay when burning songs to audio CD, which can be done an infinite number of times per song (albeit the exact same playlist can only be burned a limited number of times). While no DRM is certainly better than any DRM, it would be inaccurate to say that songs purchased from iTunes can "only" be played on an iPod, or that it requires third-party software to "free" the tune from DRM. The number of non-iPod devices in the world that can play songs purchased from iTunes vastly outnumbers the puny 100 million iPods sold. ;o) The article says, “Apple’s iPod DRM named, ironically, FairPlay (from Veridisc), means theoretically, Apple’s proprietary FairPlay protection technology stops owners from playing downloaded from iTunes on anything other than Apple’s iPod.”

It left out “… and any computer running the last few versions of Winodws or Mac OS X, or capable of playing an audio CD.” Remember that iTunes itself will strip FairPlay when burning songs to audio CD, which can be done an infinite number of times per song (albeit the exact same playlist can only be burned a limited number of times).

While no DRM is certainly better than any DRM, it would be inaccurate to say that songs purchased from iTunes can “only” be played on an iPod, or that it requires third-party software to “free” the tune from DRM. The number of non-iPod devices in the world that can play songs purchased from iTunes vastly outnumbers the puny 100 million iPods sold. ;o)

]]> By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137267 Reader's Write Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:28:02 +0000 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137267 you fanboyz =) you fanboyz =)

]]> By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137266 Reader's Write Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:36:32 +0000 http://www.p2pnet.net/story/12030#comment-137266 Hey, Apple was required by The Labels to keep repairing Fairplay if broken. Their contract forced them to go after Playfair. Apple also made it possible, right from the start, to burn every DRM'd file to CD and rip it back in iTunes to DRM free MP3's. Jobs also tried to get The Labels to agree to DRM free files just like CD's right from the start. Doesn't sound like planned lock-in to me. Exactly who is outselling iTS? allofmp3? Don't make me laugh. That's not sales, that's piracy. You want legal, free music in the genre of your choice? Buy an FM radio and bask in the 64 kbps magic. You wand to buy legal, DRM free files? This time next year they will be available everywhere. EMI has opened Pandora's Box. Hey, Apple was required by The Labels to keep repairing Fairplay if broken. Their contract forced them to go after Playfair.

Apple also made it possible, right from the start, to burn every DRM’d file to CD and rip it back in iTunes to DRM free MP3’s. Jobs also tried to get The Labels to agree to DRM free files just like CD’s right from the start. Doesn’t sound like planned lock-in to me.

Exactly who is outselling iTS? allofmp3? Don’t make me laugh. That’s not sales, that’s piracy. You want legal, free music in the genre of your choice? Buy an FM radio and bask in the 64 kbps magic. You wand to buy legal, DRM free files? This time next year they will be available everywhere. EMI has opened Pandora’s Box.

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