“Apple Computer Inc. apparently doesn’t want to sing the same tune as its Internet music rival RealNetworks Inc. Seattle-based RealNetworks said Thursday that Apple chairman Steve Jobs had rebuffed an offer by RealNetworks’ chief executive Rob Glaser to meet and discuss forming an online music alliance involving Apple’s best-selling iPod portable players,” The Associated Press reports.
“‘He’s in the neighborhood, but whatever meeting Rob wanted with Steve isn’t happening,’ RealNetworks spokesman Greg Chiemingo said Thursday. ‘Steve just doesn’t want to open the iPod, and we don’t understand that.’ Executives at Cupertino-based Apple declined to comment. As first reported in The New York Times, Glaser made the invitation in an e-mail to Jobs last week that suggested that the two companies join forces against their common enemy, Microsoft Corp. He proposed a meeting to discuss the matter this week while he was in the Silicon Valley,” AP reports.
“RealNetworks, Apple and Microsoft all are jockeying for position in digital media – in which encoding formats and copy-protection technologies dictate how and on which devices consumers play their music. Like Apple’s leading iTunes song-download store, RealNetworks’ online music store supports the Advanced Audio Coding format, which competes against Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format predominantly used by other legal music sites. But because of Apple’s proprietary copy-protection standard Fairplay, songs attained from RealNetworks’ Rhapsody music service and RealPlayer music store cannot be played on Apple’s iPod players,” AP reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “Steve just doesn’t want to open the iPod, and we don’t understand that,” says Real’s spokesman. What exactly doesn’t Real understand? Perhaps Real is getting dizzy as it circles the bowl? One more question: what has Real to offer Apple that Apple doesn’t already have?
Related MacDailyNews articles:
RealNetworks urges Apple to license Fairplay DRM; wants to form ‘tactical alliance’ in online music biz – April 15, 2004
RealNetworks caught between Microsoft rock and Apple hard place – April 08, 2004
Real CEO hopes for Apple iPod opening – March 31, 2004
Apple should not let any other online music services work with iPod – March 24, 2004
Real CEO Glaser begs Apple to make iPod play nice with other music services – March 24, 2004
I agree with you MDN, so many people are supportive of this plan, but what DOES Real bring to the plate? Nothing. They would just end up leeching off of Apple. If anything, Apple should find another partner like they did with HP. IBM would be an AWESOME partner, but (sadly), they’re not in this arena.
What has Real to offer Apple that Apple doesn’t already have?
How about Real adopts QuickTime and uses it (not Real’s crap) to deliver exclusive programming like sports and whatever else they are peddling in exchange for being let in on the iPod party?
jesus christ the iPod is not closed to any of them. mp3s and AACs and a load of other formats can be transfered onto your iPod that these players play. It’s just the music store offerings that are incompatible.
and it should be that way.
All Real has to do is sell non copy protected AAC music. That will work on iPods. So does mp3’s. He could also sell CD’s by mail like Amazon. That will also work in iPods.
say it with me everyone: iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows, iTunes works in Windows….. why bother with ANY of the remainders? oh, it works best with the iPod, by the way.
end of story.
Backup a minute. Doesn’t the iPod ignore Fairplay? So why what does lisencing Fairplay have to do the the iPod? Wouldn’t that just open up a store that competes with iTMS for iPod users? Why would Apple want to do that?
At least Real understands if your service works with the iPod your service will die! I think he don’t want to go with Microsoft but don’t have the funds to make his own dmr onto mp3’s. If they just made their mp3 copy protected then Real would work with the iPod and would actually have a fighting chance to survive in the download music store.
ipoddering with what, what? It’s my dell dj that’s what, slappin the hits from iWalMArt, jivin’ down like I live in dell town. Oh whoot, whoot, won’t you take me to, spunky dell town. ipoddering, ya’ all macspack foos… can you give me a whoot, whoot, dellllllllllllll, whoot, whoot.
The iPod most certainly is closed to anyone selling music files requiring DRM-encoding that does not have access to Fairplay. Sure, the iPod may be open to consumers who have music files in a supported format or who can convert their files to a supported format, but to suggest that commercial entities that are subject to licensing agreements with the RIAA have the freedom to do this as well … well, sorry, but such comments can only be described as Thurrott-worthy.
Like most others, I can’t see what Real has to offer Apple. Futhermore, after Glaser has insulted Apple and Jobs on numerous occasions in the last few months, I can’t imagine why Apple should let Real in on Fairplay — Glaser’s made his bed, let him lie in it.
All the same, I can’t imagine Apple will keep it’s dominance in the market too much further. It seems like Apple’s deal with HP could turn into a pretty slick move, particularly since it came out of left field. Any prognostications on who Apple might partner with in the future wrt Fairplay? I’m betting they’ll open Fairplay up to someone who isn’t in the market right now but who could shore up the Fairplay/AAC format should WMP actually start to encroach. No idea who that would be, but (sorry Ed) I doubt it’ll be IBM.
Hmm … is MTV going to open an online music store?
ummm…. slappy… what on earth are you jibbering on about….?
“RealNetworks, Apple and Microsoft all are jockeying for position in digital media – in which encoding formats and copy-protection technologies dictate how and on which devices consumers play their music.”
This is where the logic is flawed. No one is going out buying MP3 players b/c of what DRM the music store is using. People go to the store that is compatible with their player. To the consumer, one music store is no different than the other. But since Apple made a killer device that everyone wanted, they use the software that is compatible with that device — iTunes. Once Apple incorporated a music store into the song management utility for these wonderful devices, that is all it took to make iTunes/iPods a mega-hit.
Will these people ever understand?
I think that slappy is being facetious.
One thing that Real may offer that Apple has yet to is an on-line music store in Australia. We are still waiting for all the Apple services here in Australia. One place Apple tends to forget at times …
Obvious Steve is a second Bill Gates, I am disgusted with Apple. So I will never buy an iPod and the next computer could be a Lintel.
ok
I cant beleive the arrogance of this Real fella. Real Networks are nothing in this market. Nothing. And they feel they are in a position to give Apple ultimatums? Get real Real! As to open standards. The iPod supports all the open file formats except ogg vorbis, so I hear. After M$ stole QuickTime a few years back to make its Media Player Apple would be very foolish to trust its tech to another dodgy third party.
Is this Real whining going to go on everyday and forever?
MDN you can skip these news totally or change your name to RealWhiningNews.
I prefer “Mac Daily Flames” – a rant before work!
john
That would be too much fun 🙁
Apple’s music store is only a feature in the USA. The rest of the world is being taken over by WMA based operations. Up here in Canada the big player is puretracks.com, a Windows only service that is backed by one of the country’s largest telephone and internet services companies.
It’s a problem Apple needs to address if they want to keep their iPod momentum.
Apple turned down Real already:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040416/ap_on_hi_te/realnetworks_apple_3
Steve did the right move. Steve does not want Real to get any stronger because Real threatens QuickTime and that is not good. Real and WMP are competitors to QuickTime and Apple will never give Real parts of its crown jevel.
How about Apple buying Real and installing Quicktime technology.
Its all about mindshare. Apple NEEDS to license Fairplay as much as possible. The real money is in the DRM, sad to say. The iPod is a short-term money maker. Eventually it will be taken over by cheaper music players. If a consumer looks at 10 online music stores and 9 of them use WMA and one uses AAC, it will look pretty obvious to them that WMA must be the standard. Thats why Apple should license Fairplay to as many stores as possible.
Remember IBM owned the PC, while Microsoft owned the OS. Eventually, other companies sold cheaper PC’s. Yet used the same OS. Who made out here?
Fairplay could be the equivalent of the OS for music players.
I agree that the real money maker is iTMS and not the iPod. Short-term it is iPod and long-term iTMS. You spend $400 for the iPod and $10 000 to iTMS (long period of time).
Problem is not Real or WMP. THE real problem is that iTMS must be compatible with Nokia. Nokia sells hundreds of millions of mobile telephones a year and Nokia uses AAC and could be easily compatible with iTMS.
Apple has to fix this and forget the Real and WMP.
Glaser say’s, “I will be your best friend and if you don’t let me be your best friend I will crush your head.” This guy forgot to take his medication or he is one incredibly tactless individual.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/15/real_apple/