Apple today released the following statement regarding RealNetworks “Harmony” technology:
“We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod, and we are investigating the implications of their actions under the DMCA and other laws. We strongly caution Real and their customers that when we update our iPod software from time to time it is highly likely that Real’s Harmony technology will cease to work with current and future iPods.”
MacDailyNews Take: Go get ’em, Apple! To those who would scream about “choice,” you have the choice to buy a Dell DJ and use the Real Music Store as much as you wish. Enjoy your experience. We prefer to choose Apple’s iPod working with Apple’s iTunes Music Store and have found no other legal music service/player combo that even remotely compares to Apple’s solution.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Real cracks Apple’s Fairplay; to sell iPod-compatible songs without Apple’s authorization – July 25, 2004
RealPlayer Music Store announces iPod harmony – July 26, 2004
Test of Real’s new Harmony Technology works with Apple’s iPod – July 27, 2004
BusinessWeek writer: Apple needs to firmly squelch Real’s Harmony – July 27, 2004
Mathew: It is real applying the same strategies as M$ (stealing) not Apple. Thankfully Steve is around now to defend Apple IP as it deserves to be defended.
Laws are their to be respected, not circumvented.
Also Mathew, dont forgt that it was M$ who stole Apple IP from Quicktime in order to make its windows media player. Not the other way around.
Matthew24,
No one is forcing you to buy into the iTMS, iPod platform. If you’re buying a game console you have to decide between XBOX, PS2, etc. . The same situation applies here. If you still want to blame someone, blame the music industry for not licensing iTunes as the standard music “operating system” and AAC Fairplay as the standard encoding scheme for purchased digital music. Anyway, that’s my take on the situation.
Honestly, if you don’t buy an iPod, I think it’s YOU who will be losing out, not Apple. They created a great product and a great store. You have all these copycats trying to mimic the experience as close as possible. Real tried, couldn’t do it, and now has resorted to this.
Have fun with your Dell DJ and enjoy all the iTunes lookalikes out there. I’m sure the experience will be great!
Right or wrong?
Intentionally breaking a lock on the front door of someone else’s house?
Designing a key that will fit the lock and selling it to others?
Designing a lock?
Designing a lock that is similar in function (it secures a front door) to others and compatible with the front door of most houses and selling it to home owners thereby competing with other lock vendors?
Designing a lock exactly like someone elses original design by copying it piece for piece and selling it to homeowners?
Look, Apple has a right to be angry. If real can make a deal with recording companies to sell MP3’s then there is no problem and Apple has no complaint. We bought the iPod with the understanding that it would play MP3’s and Apples Fairpaly stuff.
Our desire to use the iPod must conform to the terms under which it was purchased. Terms which I willing accept and terms that I think are more than fair. 99 cent songs with distribution limitations or songs ripped and burned from my old technology CD’s. That gives me access to 100% of the music market on legitimate terms. If I don’t want to be “gouged” by the recording studios and be forced to pay $15.00 to acqire one good song, then I can usually get that song for 99 cents. I can choose or I can forgo (or make the wrong choice and just steal).
Real’s option is to make a digital music player that can play the Real format and sell it. They can reverse Apple’s stategy sell the player at a loss and make a profit on the music. It is their option.
Real broke the lock to the front door of Apple’s store and is trying to move inside to set up shop.
Is this wrong? If you were Apple, how would you feel. As an iPod owner, should I cheer Real? Sure, I may have more options, more choices and that makes me feel good, but IS IT RIGHT? You decide.
Looks like Real will have to rename their product Discord, ehh?
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You know what I don’t get? If Real can magically turn Helix into Fairplay, the result is still Fairplay, right? With Fairplay’s rules and restrictions, not Helix’s.
If Harmony turns a Helix AAC into a Fairplay .m4p file, there’s really nothing to stop you from using a shareware utility to copy that .m4p into iTunes. Then you get 5 computers, 7 CD burns, all the good stuff.
Are Helix’s restrictions identical to Fairplay’s? And if not, does the RIAA understand just what they’ve allowed?
How about “Dissonance”?
Does anybody even care about Real anymore? They have been so cheesy and spyware-ish for so long that consumers could care less about them.
If they wanted to play on the iPod, they should have done it the right way, not by hacking into it.
Hang ’em high! Corporate cattle rustlers ain’t welcome ’round here!
Bizarro Jeff
play fair, Apple. Your beautiful iPod predated iTMS.
iTMS is your music store, iPod is your music player… they may be integrated to work well with each other, but you’re not afraid of competition, are you? Please tell us that all that talk of using open-source software wasn’t all hypocrasy on your part. Oh, say it isn’t so…
Oh Apple, your door was never locked… you always held the door open for MP3, AIFF, non-DRM AAC. Sony would have more of a leg to stand on… being that they ONLY allow ATRAC on their player. Don’t be Sony, Apple… and don’t be a M$.
Matthew,
You probably bought your Mac to enjoy the computer experience that it provides. That “experience” is there because Apple controls the whole environment and they are going to sick their lawyers on anyone who tries to screw with it.
Same with the iPod. The put the resources (time, money and a lot of very bright, innovative people) into developing a new experience for the music world. The response from consumers has shown that they have done a fantastic job. If anyone tries to screw with it they are going to sick their lawyers on them, big time.
Don’t want to buy an iPod? Fine, find another “music experience” you like better. Just don’t go wishing that people will screw the one we love.
P.S. Does anyone know if Harmony is decent software or a piece of crap that will infect your computer like a sexually transmitted disease?
I can’t figure out what the hell Real’s thinking is here. Rob Glaser is sounding more and more desperate. First they sue MS, now this. I sense an Enron-type scandal, but it’s like they’re begging to be punched down.
Apple’s handling it well so far. I think we’re all stunned, ‘cos it’s like throwing a drink in Mike Tyson’s face. What do you think’s going to happen?
ken… Apple still controls the experience, no different than when you buy 3rd party apps for OSX.
Unless you only buy software that Apple makes.
Apple controls the Hardware experience, and the software experience.
The only thing they don’t control is the DRM experience… wow, what an experience… DRM is such a thrill ride.
Hello Guys:
Why I bought a Mac:
-because of OSX gui/unix
-PPC hardware
-because of M$
-Apple’s support of open standard’s. ( I thought )
I think that it is OK for an OS to be propriety, but if it comes to communicating / file-formats I want open standards because this is the only means to prevent a monopoly. In this sense I do agree with atomic flower.
Apple does have the best MP3 player and the best music-store and I am not going for second best.( Although the 128kbit songs of the iTMS are not good enough for me ) Because of Apple’s standard they don’t need to be afraid of anybody (Real) anyway.
Like I said before: If I buy a Sony CD player would it be right for them to force me to buy only Sony-CD’s and miss out the CD’s of my favorite band?
I don’t believe that Real will ‘screw’ anything they only want to be able to sell songs for any MP3 player, this is the fair right of a producer and the fair right of the consumer in a free market. Real did some clever enginering only they were forced to by Apple. (They did approach Apple). Apple tries to lock users in, they don’t need to, and (non-Apple) people are not gonna like it.
If Apple wants to gain mindshare, this is the wrong way to go.
There are a lot of convincing arguments against what Matthew is saying, but I can’t help but think IF. If Apple hadn’t made the iPod or iTunes or were later to the game and someone else had the dominant position and we Mac users were being left out or ignored and Apple went and did the same thing Real is doing, how many of those saying what Real is doing is unfair or stealing would be justifying Apple doing the same thing. Granted this is a what if, and there’s no reason to believe Apple WOULD ever do such a thing, but I can’t help but think a lot of you would be saying “Go, Apple!”. “Screw them if they exclude us. Apple has every RIGHT to do that if they are going to (insert various justifications here)”.
If Real had a huge and better selection of songs then iTunes, offered higher bit-rates then 128, or was better in any other way, a lot of us might be glad that we have that choice while still using the superior iPod… If your argument is regardless of the quality of Real or iTunes then it has more legs to stand on.
What-if games are for the weak minded. If pigs had wings, they could fly. If shit were brains, you’d be a genius.
Things are what they are, because that’s the only way they can be. If they could be different, they would be different. Why do some people have such a problem with reality, and have to retreat into a fantasy world? BTW question mark, what are the Mysterians up to these days?