Apple’s problems in Europe look to be getting worse, not better. Following on the heels of France’s legislative push for DRM interoperability comes word that Denmark is thinking along the same lines.
Brian Mikkelsen, the Danish Minister of Culture, said that legislation addressing the matter would be introduced in 2007. He expressed optimism that DRM interoperability would be backed by the various record labels who are eager to see legal alternatives to piracy flourish online.
Apple has threatened to pull out of France if the law is passed. How many markets are Apple willing to dump to fight this? My prediction is that Apple will eventually capitulate and will grow even stronger. Allowing more music services to work with the iPod will only increase sales of that player. And allowing more players to use iTunes will only solidify the lead it enjoys. It’ll be win-win situation for Apple.
Update: John writes about this very topic in his current PC Magazine column.
This, by the way, is for everyone who thinks Apple would be any better if they switched positions with Microsoft.
Yeah, that’s really going to help Apple’s Market. “Let’s pull itunes out….” and this is suppose to help how? lol. Also wondering what Dvoraks thoughts on Keith and the Girl exposing Podshows contract.
http://digg.com/robots/Adam_Curry_s_shady_Podshow_contract_exposed_on_Keith_and_the_Girl_podcast
So the DRM backlash begins in Europe. Or is it just that the RIAA, MPAA & their ilk spent so much buying our politicians that they can’t afford all the governments of the EU?
Amazing that Apple (read Steve Jobs) is still so anal they haven’t realized that they can get more market if they are part of a market/machine standard. They blew the hell out of market share for the Mac because they refused to open up the standards, like the IBM-compatible standards and the terrific Apple II standards before.
Look what that got Apple, three and four percent of the overall computer market.
Everyone who tried to control the market so that they alone were the source for hardware and software wound up on the junk heap or the tiny-percentage heap. The others got rich.
I must be a Luddite as I have never fallen under the spell of the IPOD. I use a hard drive based MP3 player and I can just drag and drop what I want to listen too. No DRM involved. I hope the EU kicks Apple in the family jewels.
“Update: John writes about this very topic in his current PC Magazine column.”
John, you address yourself in the third person? Freaky.
Wow if it’s so good for Apple, then that makes it OK to force it on them? Well, obviously smoking is bad for you, so we should just ban it outright. I’m sure you agree? And of course speeding, junk food, caffeine. Any other laws you want passed?
I use a laptop as my mp3 player. I use too many esoteric chiptunes formats for any pocket gizmo. Besides, even if I didn’t, iPod didn’t support Vorbis last I checked.
andy young
This article was submitted by SN, a contributing editor to Dvorak Uncensored. Although John D also posts some articles, most are contributed by the editors.
SN is really a guy named Steve. A great guy, intelligent, witty, funny, and quite handsome I’m sure. And maybe he’ll give you $5 too if you say nice things about him.
Music just doesn’t have the same appeal that it used to. When I’m in the car I always listen to NPR. At home, if I want to hear some music I just pop a CD into either the stereo or computer. I couldn’t care about letting some company get rich, let the artists get something out of this.
Amazing that Apple (read Steve Jobs) is still so anal they haven’t realized that they can get more market if they are part of a market/machine standard.
…get more market??? HaHahahahaha! 🙂
I’d say Steve and Apple realized something – they made iTunes and iTMS run on both Windoze and Mac. [and used it to get Quicktime loaded on millions of Windows machines – so they can sell them music videos, TV shows, and eventually movies]
People laugh at Sony for allowing Apple’s iPod to be a big-seller in Japan. Why aren’t people laughing at Microsoft for allowing iTunes and iTMS to spank all the Windoze DRM’d “Play Anywhere” systems?
Why isn’t anyone wondering if Microsoft will stay in the French or Danish market if they have to make their DRM work on Apple and/or Linux-based gear?
People who liston to NPR scare the hell out of me. Almost as much as dittoheads
Just because they have t open up the iTunes standards does not mean that they have to allow the iPod to play music from competing services — as stated in the article.
To go off of what Mike said, what about M$’s failure to put their Media Center in the lead? Granted, not as big of a market as MP3 players, but very important for the future.