“Apple Computer has quietly updated its iPod software so that songs purchased from RealNetworks’ online music store will no longer play on some of the Mac maker’s popular MP3 players,” John Borland reports for CNET News. “The move could render tunes purchased by many iPod owners unplayable on their music players. For the last four months, RealNetworks has marketed its music store as the only Apple rival compatible with the iPod, following the company’s discovery of a way to let its customers play their downloaded tunes on Apple’s MP3 player.”
MacDailyNews Take: Come now, let’s get “real.” How many iPod owners were really running off to buy songs from RealNetworks?
Borland reports, “Apple criticized RealNetworks’ workaround, dubbed Harmony, as the ‘tactics…of a hacker,’ and warned in July that RealNetworks-purchased songs would likely ‘cease to work with current and future iPods.’ Apple offered no further statement Tuesday, but confirmed that the software released with its Photo iPod will not play music purchased from RealNetworks’ music store.”
“The changes Apple made were to the iPod’s ‘firmware,’ which is the low-level software that powers hardware such as MP3 players…” Borland reports. “The notes that accompanied the release mentioned several enhancements, but did not comment on Harmony. It was not immediately clear whether iPods older than the Photo edition had as a result also been rendered incompatible with RealNetworks’ technology.”
Full article here.
In November, RealNetworks was among the “big winners” at the first annual Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards. RealNetworks’ Rhapsody won Best Downloadable or Subscription Music Service, and the company’s Harmony service won Digital Music Innovation of the Year. No one outside Billboard has really been able to figure out why. More info here.
MacDailyNews Take: Break out the Krispy Kremes! We only wish Apple had done this sooner. It’s RealNetwork’s responsibility to care for their customers. If they sold these so-called “Harmony” files as “iPod-compatible” and they now don’t work on iPods, Real has a problem. It is not Apple’s responsibility to make sure Rob Glaser’s hack works.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
RealNetworks ‘Harmony’ stops working on iPods but nobody notices for a month and a half – December 15, 2004
Bono-Glaser photo caption contest now open – October 25, 2004
Real’s CEO Glaser: ‘Harmony’ hack legal, Mac lovers are very sensitive to Apple criticism, and more – September 14, 2004
Analyst: Rob Glaser’s ill-advised war against Apple ‘is going to bite RealNetworks on the ass’ – August 30, 2004
Rob Glaser interviewed about achieving harmony with Steve Jobs – August 17, 2004
RealNetwork’s CEO Glaser crashes Apple’s music party – July 30, 2004
Real CEO Glaser: Steve Jobs’ comments on Real ‘not succeeding’ are ‘ridiculously humorous’ – April 29, 2004
NY Times: Real CEO Glaser was close to having ‘iPod’ before Apple, but let it ‘slip through his fingers – April 24, 2004
Real’s CEO Glaser: Apple’s iPod/iTunes combo ‘threatens to turn off consumers’ – April 20, 2004
Jobs to Glaser: go pound sand – April 16, 2004
Real CEO Glaser begs Apple to make iPod play nice with other music services – March 24, 2004