“Let me present the first ‘This Won’t Work With That’ awards, honoring self-serving perpetrators of toxic incompatibilities,” Steven Levy writes for Newsweek.
Levy writes, “Third prize goes to the satellite radio services Sirius and XM. It’s a good idea to offer people the opportunity to subscribe to quality, ad-free radio, but a bad idea to have two systems that don’t work with each other… Second prize goes to Apple CEO Steve Jobs for selling songs on the iTunes Music Store that play on iPods, but not on anyone else’s music players. Also, Apple has rigged the iPod so that (un-less [sic] you perform some digital surgery) songs purchased from other online stores won’t play on it. Jobs’s explanation is that it’s not something users are asking for, and if a groundswell of users clamor for compatibility, he’ll consider it. Take my word for it, Steve—when people pay for music, they want it to be playable on any device they choose… And the grand-prize winner? America Online, for shamefully maintaining AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) as a closed system.”
Full article here.
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Apple’s iTunes Music Store sells music (and video) for iPods. It works seamlessly for the end user. If you buy an also-ran digital player, you don’t get Apple iTunes in the box, so use whatever service that player maker recommends, if it’s still in business. Good luck. Our advice, buy an iPod and use the iTunes Music Store. That way, you’ll get the best device, use the best jukebox software, and get the best, most-comprehensive online store. What Levy complains about is obviously not something many users are asking for, since iTunes Music Store dominates its market even more than the iPod dominates the portable digital music player market.
Only Apple’s iTunes Music Store supports both Mac and Windows PC users. So, Levy should really be awarding the Napsters, Yahoos, and whatever other outfits are still operating his award for supporting only Windows PCs and leaving Mac users to, as usual, “settle” for the best. It’s interesting that Levy singles out Apple’s iTunes Music Store, the only major online music store that supports both Mac and Windows users, but doesn’t complain that, oh, for example, Sony PlayStation games aren’t playable in Microsoft’s Xbox and vice versa, or that, hmm, Autodesk doesn’t make AutoCAD for Mac OS X, Microsoft rigging Outlook to make it difficult to move information to Mac OS X’s Mail*, Motorola cell phone batteries don’t power Nokia phones, or even that GM auto parts don’t work in Fords.
Of course, iPods also play a variety of formats, of course, including AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF. And Apple’s iTunes software application supports importing in high-quality AAC, high bit-rate MP3 with no extra fee, AIFF CD audio, and automatic conversion of your existing music collection from unprotected WMA, among other formats.
Apple’s iTunes Music Store exists to provide content for Mac and Windows personal computer and iPod users. It doesn’t exist to provide content for Apple’s iPod “competitors.” Consumers don’t seem to have a problem with iPod+iTunes, but certain writers and Apple competitors certainly do. If people suddenly started flocking to an iPod and/or iTunes competitor, Apple would surely consider licensing FairPlay. Of course, as Levy probably knows, people are flocking to iPod+iTunes, so the issue and Levy’s second place “award” are meaningless.
Lastly, achieving a monopoly is legal. It’s monopoly abuse that is illegal, as Microsoft knows all too well. Apple isn’t forcing anyone to buy iPods or use their iTunes Music Store. Consumers are choosing to do so of their own free will. In droves.
* To free yourself from one of the most-blatant of self-serving Microsoft’s toxic incompatibilities and get your stuff the hell out of Outlook and onto your Mac, take a look at Little Machine’s US$10 Outlook2Mac: http://www.littlemachines.com/
Related articles:
Apple’s roadkill whine in unison: ‘incompatibility is slowing growth of digital music’ – August 12, 2005
The de facto standard for legal digital online music files: Apple’s protected MPEG-4 Audio (.m4p) – December 15, 2004
So I e-mailed him, and this is what I said:
Incompatibilities are insidious and annoying, especially where they are obviously deliberate. Recently I tried to use MSN Messenger for Mac to video chat with a friend who has MSN Messenger for Windows, guess what, they are not compatible! There is really no excuse for that. On the other hand AIM for Mac works with AIM for Windows for video chat and yet you trash AOL.
I realize, for the most part, you were not dealing with cross-platform compatibility, but frankly that is far more important to me than between competing formats. The iTunes Music Store (iTMS) work on both PC and Mac, do ANY of the other services? No! They are ALL Windows only, but that information wasn’t mentioned, was it?
ITunes can import (and iPods can play) a variety of formats including AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF, and automatically convert unprotected WMA, among other formats. The other Online Services offer protected WMA’s, virtually the ONLY format that doesn’t play on an iPod. So they have imposed a limitation and then blame Apple for that limitation, now tell me this is not a F.U.D. campaign.
But then considering the link what do you expect, how many msn’s do you need in one URL?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10018073/site/newsweek/
To those who like car metaphors:
Would not u be upset if the gas u buy from Shell would only suit GM cars and would not suit Ford and other ones?
Yeah, Apple “rigged” their files to be incompatible with all the other players and music services, that were on the market at the time that they released the iTMS.
By the way, what other players were on the market at that time again? Oh right, no one remembers. Okay, but what legal music download services were online at that time? Oh right, there weren’t any others.
Who’s calling who incompatible?
MW: Himself. This guy is only fooling himself.
“you mindless mac drone idiots would eat your young if they said a precious word against Dear Leader Jobs and Big Apple.”
And tell us again why you are reading this message board if we are such a bunch of idiots?
Did this guy actually do some research before making this Our ‘Can’t We All Just Get Along?’ Awards list.
Microsoft should have gotten the grand prize for enforcing incompatibilities onto the rest of the computing world!
AAC works everywhere, WMA does not!
Compatibility is not the end all be all of everything. iTunes has done a GREAT job of sorting out the mess that was the digital download industry. It created a platform for people to be honest when there was none. It’s not like I can’t go to the store and buy a CD and import into iTunes (I can). It’s not like I can’t burn a CD from another store and import it into iTunes. Granted these are extra steps but you are able to buy from other stores and import into iTunes and the iPod. That’s enough for me.
No one stops anyone from buying one of those other horrible players with horrible software integration. So the monopoly argument is false.
Satellite radio is a whole different story. They are two separate services started privately. There is no obligation for them to be compatible. So far, the market of 7 million combined users has no objection. Compatibility for compatibility’s sake could be expensive for all we know.
The problem with Microsoft in alot of cases is that they’d destroy companies and replace them with inferior products. That was clear abuse of power. Apple, XM, Sirius have exhibited no such behavior.
I may be wrong but is not that true that Microsoft has smth like iTunes Music store and it is called http://music.msn.com/
I am not sure if I can buy music from that store using Windows Media Player for Mac. But if i could 1) why iTunes Music Store is referred to as the only cross platform solution and 2) why would not that be reasonable to allow me to download so purchased music to my iPod?
PS I have never used WMP store and may be missing smth; sorry again
Levy’s comments are no more valid than those of people who complained about the Mac OS not running on PCs. And yes, some people actually complained about that long before Intel Macs were announced or even thought of.
I’ll lay odds that very soon, when the first Intel Macs are released, you’ll hear it a lot more.
And it still won’t be valid.
MDn word: “perhaps” As in “Perhaps some people should get a clue about Apple’s hardware/software harmony.”
Evgeny wrote;
I am not sure if I can buy music from that store using Windows Media Player for Mac… PS I have never used WMP store and may be missing smth; sorry again
Microsoft’s WMA-DRM (hence PlaysForSure) solution only works on Windows, whereas Apple’s FairPlay works on both Mac and Windows. So Apple’s solution is more open than Microsoft’s at the computer platform level, and Microsoft’s solution is more open at the digital music player than Apple’s. Neither solution fully open at both levels. Sun Microsystems is working on an open sourced DRM solution called DReaM that may one day provide an overly seamless multi-platform compatible solution at all levels.
I wonder where Lugz got their idea for there ad from…
http://www.martinfrench.com/
I guess this guy doesn’t believe in the free market or the USA. Apple made the iPod, later made it work for Windows users too, then made an online store to go with it. Now the anti-Apple zealots scream “monopoly! no fair!”. Whatever. The rest of the market should license FairPlay and make their crap work with iPods, if they want to run with the big dogs. Otherwise they can just keep on dropping like flies in Apple’s wake.
PC Apologist
I respect what your saying, but still not buying it. Here in the real world, you buy an iPod, you use iTunes. That simple. If you don’t want to be “locked-in” then don’t by an iPod. That simple.
Whatever one is saying is that everything must be compatible. That’s just crazy talk. For the car thing to work it would go more like this: Some of my Ford parts don’t fit with my Chevy! WHY? Well, because Ford wants you to buy Ford products forever… simple. Same goes for Microsoft, Apple and ever other company out there.
I don’t want my OS X on a Dell. I don’t want my Apple laptop running Windows. I don’t want to buy a “cheaper” version of the iPod to use iTunes. I, and it seems there are a lot of me out there, don’t want this. So what’s the big deal.
If anything, nothing is compatible. Oh, something, but not ever thing will work with everything, if that was the case, then life would be just boring.
Oh, just a thought about the grand a great compatible Microsoft, why not a Windows for my Apple hardware? See, they too are incompatible.
nuff said.
Apple is just complying with the terms of their agreements with RIAA members to keep the music “secure.” Levy’s piece is weak and not well thought out, so he’s getting a well deserved skewering here.
first, “Job” created itunes. I burned by CDs to it and created a library. I used it and it was good.
second, “Job” created ipod. I downloaded by my burned CDs from my library to it and listened. I used it and it was good.
third, “Job” created itunes store. I bought music. Downloaded music to my library to listen. I could also download to my ipod. I could burn this music to a CD. I used it and it was good.
…now what was the problem again?
Alan D wrote, “ALL digital music should be able to be played on other digital players.”
You’re right, I should be able to stick my CDs in my iPod and play them without any format change. I mean, after all, they are digital music.
First of all, iTunes Music Stores files can be burned on a CD and they can also be played on Macs and PCs so it is not true that they are just for iPods.
Second, how many of these other music stores sell files that are playable on a Mac? It is easy to point a finger at Apple and criticize them for not having an open music player but the fact is, incompatibilities with Microsoft-related products is something Mac users have dealt with for years.
AlanD wrote:
justified out of his butt wrote:
“challenge you to name for me any format that is universal.
DRM is not a format it is a way to keep data from being read by other players
All LPs were available to being played by other record players
All cassettes could be playe by other manufacturers cassette players
All CD’s can play on other manufactures machines.
have I lost you here bubba?
What part of format do you not understand?
The issue here being that:
ALL digital music should be able to be played on other digital players.
——
Actually, you’ve still missed the point because you’re not looking at it from far enough back.
Here are two things that might help: (1) those same formats don’t really play on all other players, and (2) buying a license to music once does not entitle someone a free copy in a new format.
The first point is to realize we really are talking about incompatible formats with respect to the examples of cassettes not playing in CD players, and even CDs not playing in DVD players even though they look similar. (A DVD player has to also include the mechanism for reading a CD to have that ability.)
Also, consider not all record players could play all records because some needed to be played at different speeds. Some tape cassettes are smaller than other tape cassettes and won’t play in the same device. Not to mention the differences with DVD-ROM, DVD+R, etc. So, you’re broad statement that a format is supported by all other devices for that type of format doesn’t hold. There are variations and no device is universal without having to add yet another module (or device) that will play the new variation, hence why stereo systems have a record player, cassette player, CD player, etc. usually as modules so you can add what you need or want.
The second point is realizing your purchase of the 8-track copy of an album doesn’t mean you won’t have to buy the cassette or CD. It won’t be provided free of charge. You’ll either have to buy the album again on the other formats (vinyl, cassette, CD, MP3, AIFF, WAV, etc.) or convert it yourself (though that might not be permitted by the artist’s license of your copy).
This isn’t anything new. Windows XP programs don’t work on Mac OS X and vice versa. You have to have another module to run those programs, hence in this case a second computer or emulation software.
More examples: some vehicles run on unleaded gasoline and others on diesel so not all vehicles are the same; not all movies are filmed in the same height/width ratio so even a wide-screen TV will still have black bars at the top and bottom.
So, anyways, I’m just pointing out that you’re missing the big picture and aren’t realizing how incompatible the world really is. It’s nothing new and as long as there is somebody who thinks the same thing can be done in different way (e.g. new DVD formats Blue-Ray and HD-DVD) there will be incompatibilities and you will have to choose one or the other or both. Or even none of the above.
Appel is evil! EVIL!
MDW: Theory as-in “That’s my theory and I’m sticking too it”
Music is available from other sources and you can import it into iPods, why in the hell do need to use iTunes. No one is forcing you with a gun. Just blame Apple with everything they do. Can you run WindowsXP on a SUN. NO you can’t. That’s not fair, cry cry cry.
It called free enterprise and companies should have a right to manufacture products that add-ons only fits with theirs product. There are dozens of companies that make players and other choices of places to download from. Simple as that.
Lexmark, Epson, H-P, Canon and others make printers that require EXPENSIVE cartridges only available from the OEM. H-P has even sued 3rd parties that offered lower priced ink cartridges that fit their products. If you don’t want to buy H-P ink cartridges don’t buy their printer. It’s the same business model. Where is the whining about getting ripped off for a couple of ounces of ink? I don’t see websites, petitions, posters and such about the fact that H-P makes more money from selling ink than PCs or printers.
The last time I checked you can still buy music on CDs and rip them to MP3 and play them on ANY digital music player you choose– including the iPod. The DRM is the price of entry into the music store. If you don’t like the terms of sale DON’T USE IT. Nobody is twisting anyone’s arm.
Lexmark, Epson, H-P, Canon and others make printers that require EXPENSIVE cartridges only available from the OEM. H-P has even sued 3rd parties that offered lower priced ink cartridges that fit their products. If you don’t want to buy H-P ink cartridges don’t buy their printer. It’s the same business model. Where is the whining about getting ripped off for a couple of ounces of ink? I don’t see websites, petitions, posters and such about the fact that H-P makes more money from selling ink than PCs or printers.
The last time I checked you can still buy music on CDs and rip them to MP3 and play them on ANY digital music player you choose– including the iPod. The DRM is the price of entry into the music store. If you don’t like the terms of sale DON’T USE IT. Nobody is twisting anyone’s arm.
Lexmark, Epson, H-P, Canon and others make printers that require EXPENSIVE cartridges only available from the OEM. H-P has even sued 3rd parties that offered lower priced ink cartridges that fit their products. If you don’t want to buy H-P ink cartridges don’t buy their printer. It’s the same business model. Where is the whining about getting ripped off for a couple of ounces of ink? I don’t see websites, petitions, posters and such about the fact that H-P makes more money from selling ink than PCs or printers.
The last time I checked you can still buy music on CDs and rip them to MP3 and play them on ANY digital music player you choose– including the iPod. The DRM is the price of entry into the music store. If you don’t like the terms of sale DON’T USE IT. Nobody is twisting anyone’s arm.
Lexmark, Epson, H-P, Canon and others make printers that require EXPENSIVE cartridges only available from the OEM. H-P has even sued 3rd parties that offered lower priced ink cartridges that fit their products. If you don’t want to buy H-P ink cartridges don’t buy their printer. It’s the same business model. Where is the whining about getting ripped off for a couple of ounces of ink? I don’t see websites, petitions, posters and such about the fact that H-P makes more money from selling ink than PCs or printers.
The last time I checked you can still buy music on CDs and rip them to MP3 and play them on ANY digital music player you choose– including the iPod. The DRM is the price of entry into the music store. If you don’t like the terms of sale DON’T USE IT. Nobody is twisting anyone’s arm.