For just $1.29, users can soon download DRM-free music titles from part of the iTunes music catalogue, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs! This is a major victory for consumers’ rights and is a positive development in the evolution of online media sales. For those who seeks to keep us all in the dark ages, it is a loss of epic proportions - and I couldn’t be happier.
If this works well, I think we may see all of the major record labels following suit soon to offer DRM-free music.
Broadband Reports is reporting/commenting on a story wherein the RIAA discovered that it is hard to track down file-sharers who use public wi-fi. They want to hold the account holder responsible. In other words, the RIAA wants to destroy open wi-fi all together. There’s no way your local coffee shop or airport is going to allow themselves to be held responsible for every one of your actions while using their Internet connection.
One of two things will happen as a result of all this:
Regardless, the entertainment industry is about to change. Stay tuned.
This blog has a good read on DRM and why it’s bad. They give the top 10 reasons (according to them) that music executives should side with Steve Jobs and eliminate DRM. It’s good business and just makes sense. As Jobs noted, 90% of all music is sold DRM free to begin with (CD sales). So why are those of us on the cutting edge of technology being penalized for saving record companies production money? I’d love to use my Apple iPod with music I download from Rhapsody when iTunes doesn’t have the song I want… but I can’t. I was given a non-Apple MP3 player not too long ago but I cannot use it because my Apple DRM’ed music doesn’t work on it. Steve Jobs was right to oppose DRM. We can only hope that eventually he will win out over the stupidity in the music/entertainment industry.
Microsoft has finally shown off its new Windows Mobile 6 for Smartphones and Pocket PCs.
Probably the most important change is the ability to view HTML emails through Outlook. Under Windows Mobile 5, Outlook Mobile merely extracts the text from HTML emails and presents it in that form. Smartphone users (Motorola Q, Samsung Blackjack) stand to gain the most, as Microsoft is finally going to allow Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint Mobile editions into that version of the OS. Previously, these users were hurt by a lack of this functionality. Most use something like Piscel Viewer to read office attachments. Editing was not possible without the purchase of third-party software.
Windows Live Messenger will also be included, now with the ability to send and receive files through messenger. Unfortunately, there are now three versions of Windows Mobile (instead of two) and more DRM is being added.
Over at Cingular’s customer forums, Blackjack users are already begging for an upgrade for their beloved Smartphones.
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, Inc. made the perfect argument against DRM on the official Apple blog. Check it out!
Every time a company like Microsoft releases a new version of restrictive (probably illegal) DRM, a small army of so-called experts start crying about how impossible it will be to crack. They say that though virtually every form of DRM ever conceived has been cracked, this one will be different. Yeah, right. It’s not about protecting your intellectual property–it’s about not understanding nature of man and the nature of business. DRM, in general, is a bad business decision. When will they ever learn?