“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
Jason said: “Has Apple warned people about this lately?”
Jason, Apple warned Real about this back when they made their statement (see the second paragraph of the article). If Real chose to continue to sell their music as iPod compatible, they they are the one’s who should take responsibility, they were duly warned. Apple has no agreement with Real to provide support for Real’s Harmony software, so they should not be expected to.
Real took a gamble, and Apple called their bluff. Anybody who made the sad mistake of purchasing music from Real with the expectation that it would always work on their iPod should request a refund from Real because Real promised something they couldn’t deliver.
zupchuck – Apple warned the public that uses the hacker approach was not a good idea. Anyone who used this harmony hack did so at his or her own risk. Apple was not using iPod customers, Real was.
i have no sympathy for REAL.
They broke Apple’s software – without consent.
If they had done that to Microsoft – Real would have been sued!
[how do you convert Real files to MP3 (on Mac OS X)?]
If the ‘Real’ SW allows you to burn CDs, then do so. Then, rip non-DRMed MP3 or AAC files from the CD with iTunes.
If the ‘Real’ SW allows you to convert (DRMed) files to another file format – WAV, AIFF – then convert to one of those. Import into iTunes, then convert to MP3 or AAC files from within iTunes.
There will be data loss, however you retain your original (Harmony) file, and are still able to actually use it – in iTunes.
–
(My secret word is ‘actually’! Weird.)
The comment about Apple protecting its deals with the record companies is dead on. Record companies are not easy to deal with and always think the music fans are looking to steal from them. Apple got a pretty good deal with the iTunes Music Store and the iPod. It needs to protect that relationship.
My MDN Magic Word is “filled.”
My iPod is not filled with real stuff.
Now, Real will rewrite their code and get a lot of free press for doing it. Since Apple did not sue the first time, maybe they have no legal standing, so the back and forth game will continue.
erk
*snicker*
Short. Sweet. To the point. Actually one of the better short “first posts.”
Who do Real think they are that they can attack Apple?
Apple is the M$ of multimedia!
Go Apple, Go!
zupchuck
Crappy move by Apple to punish its customers for buying music elsewhere. If Apple wants to disable/remove music paid for LEGALLY by its customers, it should re-imburse those customers. Apple should resolve its issue with RealNetworks, not use its customers as a proxy.
What an irrational nonsensical inane post. The people who bought songs on Reals store, did so against Apple’s blessing. Modifying a product or using a product you purchase in a way that deviates from the manufacturers instructions always means you are on your own. Modify the insides of your car, rearrange the insides of your computer, and don’t expect the manufacturers to support any problems that arise.
Putting diesel gas in your car, regardless if you paid for the gas and “legally own” the gas or not does not indicate that your car can handle it. If at the time of purchase, Apple indicated to its customers that they could purchase and use songs from stores other than the iTMS, then changed their minds, then you’d have a point. But they didn’t and you don’t.
Anyone who foolishly purchased songs from Real expecting they’d work forever on the iPod when Apple in it’s own statements said that that was not likely, has no one to bitch to but themselves. Anyone who thinks that Apple owes them a thing are trolls at best.
Why don’t you just come out and say that Apple is “beleagered” and that the “iPod has had it’s time, but it’s time for MS to take it’s rightful place dominating the music market” or some other bunch of drivel?
pffft MS tactics? please.. ppl can always compete with apple rather than try and hack their golden goose..
wait.. competition.. what am i THINKING?
[but it’s time for MS to take it’s rightful place dominating the music market” ]
Oooohhooooo! Heeeeheeee! Haaaahaaaa! Heeeeheeee! Haaaahaaaa! Ahhhhhhaaa! Heeeeheeee! Haaaahaaaa! Oooohhooooo! Haaaahaaaa!
Oh man, thanks Tm.
In related news, a pot of rice boiled over in Mongolia….
Come on, guys and girls, the REAL service was not even available for us. So, who gives?
It’s iPod+iTunes… not +real crapsody
Sad move by Apple! Sad that Real had to resort to what they did. Makes you just wanna pirate stuff.
Online music purchasing doesn’t do it for me quite yet. It’s a ugly mess, brought down by proprietary formats/DRM, poor audio fidelity, ridiculous policies, and such.
CD & SACD rule the day!
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Seems sheepish that a company limits your choices & stifles competition, yet gets unlimited praise for it.
Sad move by Apple! Sad that Real had to resort to what they did. Makes you just wanna pirate stuff.
Online music purchasing doesn’t do it for me quite yet. It’s a ugly mess, brought down by proprietary formats/DRM, poor audio fidelity, ridiculous policies, and such.
CD & SACD rule the day!
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Seems sheepish that a company limits your choices & stifles competition, yet gets unlimited praise for it.
New iPod users who weren’t aware of the problem between Apple and Real would have every right to complain about this incompatibility. Apple warned people when Real first made its move, and has SAID nothing about it since. Now they’ve DONE something about it, but not explained themselves. So those who don’t know and/or don’t care what’s going on, other than that Real content that they’ve purchased doesn’t work, are going to be a bit upset. Granted its probably a small number of people and Real has warned them, but still, I think Apple taking action without a CONCURRENT explanation just isn’t honest. And, no, two wrongs don’t make a right.
I love Apple, I support Apple but this is just wrong. If Apple wants everyone to use the iPod it’s no good putting restrictions on it. People will soon turn to Sony or someone else. And don’t laugh, Sony has an mp3 capable player hitting the shelves this year. It’s a bit like DVD region coding, a pain in the a$$. Thats half the reason why people download stuff. Because they know it will work.
ps this code word system dose not seem to work very well for me. Im using Netscape could that be the reason. I uses to spend about 10-15 minutes a day here on my coffee break. Now its more like 20-30 minutes. Thankyou MDN.
Apple did not limit competition. Real still has the ability to make their own mp3 player and there own format and, thus, compete. That is what competition is: trying to make your own product and make it better.
What REAL did was not an action of a competitor, it was an action of a parasite.
Mac & PC Guy
Your choice is not limited. You buy a PC you need PC software for it. You buy a Mac you need Mac software. No problem.
You buy an iPod and you want downloadable music for it, you need Fairplay AAC files if they are DRMed. No DRM, any MP3, AIFF WAV or AAC file will do.
You buy an Dell, Creative ect. player and you want downloadable music for it, you need WMA files if they are DRMed. No DRM, any MP3, or WMA file will do.
There is no difference in the way the 2 systems operate their DRMed content.
The choice is yours.
Fidelity problems for a track you’re playing through tiny earphones? Oh get off it. CD/SACD? Bull. Vinyl actually tfaithfully reproduced sound. CDs are not the true sound. One only has to look around the Internet to read articles about the myth of CD quality.
I fail to see any monopoly that Apple has on the music industry. You can still buy ANY CD in ANY music store and play it on ANY player on any computer.
Real’s adolescent hacking of Apple’s iPod coding should have been severely criticized by the music and computer industry, but it wasn’t. There are still too many websites that use Real (God knows why) and think they are the best, thus nothing was said.
Their action showed their true colors, and it’s a shame that the industry doesn’t take notice of Real’s appalling business standards.
It is totally up to Real to take care of their own customers. Now, Real must make another hack of the iPod firmware and offer their customer’s a free re-download (a huge hassle) or offer a refund.
What Apple could do is offer Real’s shorted customers free legal help to fight Real.
Ahhh, yes! The ‘ole “vinyl is the only true sound” BS. I was waiting for that to pop up. It’s all about preception. That is the main problem with “sound quality wars”. I did like the sound of vinyl in the day, but it was an utter pain in the ass! The problem with current CD technology is that it is too revealing.
A properly recorded and mastered CD is damn good and very transparent- the hard part is finding one. CDs now, especially rock and pop, etc, are overcompressed in the battle amongst the “artists” and producers over who has the “loudest” album. The sound ends up squashed and lifeless. In that regard, yes, I agree vinyl sounds better. Hell, I’ve heard cassettes that sound better than some CDs. It’s not the CD’s fault. Blame the “artists”, producers, and record labels. They are the ones producing junk. The state of CD technology just makes sure who hear how bad it really is. Vinyl’s “warm” sound was actually due to the fairly high level of distortion present.
I personally think compressed lossy formats like mp3 and AAC, etc. are a couple steps back in quality- in a lot of cases as bad as 8-track (yes, I said 8-track!). Most of the encoders fall apart on high frequency content. I don’ like my cymbals to “swish”. A lot of the compressed stuff lacks the clarity and punch that a good CD can produce. When I’m on the go, I don’t mind a little loss of quality for the convenience, but I still tend to encode at a fairly high bit rate. Those of you out there that aren’t “critical listeners” or that don’t rely on your ears for your work won’t get it. Sorry.
Benwoyondon
I wish all those DRM go away once and for all and we start to live in a true digital music era
Do you see any commercial DVDs being produced without copy protection?
No, I don’t either.
Twilightmoon,
What’s so great about a company that just voided your legally acquired music that paid for because it didn’t arrive with their blessing? Why is that an “irrational nonsensical inane opinion”?
If you bought software for your Mac (I assum you aren’t a PC fan…) that Apple decided it didn’t like because I didn’t buy it from then and then had a software update which rendered my software useless WITHOUT warning during the install, you’d be furious. Apple could make some good faith effort to warn its customer through an e-mail (I assume the iPod would be regeistered for the warranty)
True, I could convert the tunes to be played on an iPod. But a customer who downloads an update (which I believe does not warn you that any RealNetworks tunes would be disabled) to essentially punish Real Networks is hardly consumer friendly.
You nonsense about diesel in gas cars and ” it’s time for MS to take it’s rightful place dominating the music market” is the only troll. People lighten up a bit. Apple is a great company, but everything they do doesn’t smell of roses. Be a little objective once in a while. I’m starting to agree with Andrew Kantor!…
BTW, don’t modify your computer! Apple might rendor your changes useless!!!!! Please…