“Last week, Wal-Mart launched their online video download service. Immediately there were posts that the service did not work with the Firefox or Safari browsers. There was a collective, ‘WTF’ when this happened as this is 2007, not 1997. Back then it was ‘accepted’ for applications to work with only a specific browser or platform. Now it appears that reports are out that Wal-Mart has turned off the ability to get into the application at all by Firefox, Safari or any other browser it does not like,” Allen Stern reports for CenterNetworks.
Stern reports, “[It] appears they are blocking Apple completely — from Wal-Mart customer service: Walmart video download service does not support the Macintosh Operating Systems as the video that you download requires Digital Rights Management 10 (DRM 10) software, which is not compatible with the Macintosh operating system.“
Full article here.
Related articles:
Wal-Mart makes video downloading awful; even Microsoft wouldn’t dare do this in public – February 07, 2007
Wal-Mart excludes Mac and iPod users with new low-res TV show, movie download store – February 06, 2007
Wal-Mart sucks!
I think they are doing us a favor actually
and yes Walmart does suck.
/boycotting Walmart for over 6 years now.
So fscking what. iTMS is the standard, and Wal-Mart are showing their incompetence by making a PC only product.
In the UK, I refuse to shop in Asda because they’re ‘Part of the Wal-Mart family’
Bollox to globalisation.
Wal-Mart and Microsoft in bed? Looks like Zune will have a little brother next Christmas…
Maybe it should say “inbred” together!
Don’t blame a conspiracy when simple incompetence will suffice.
Walmart isn’t in bed with Microsoft, they are just stupid and greedy. They have an archaic sense of technology and their goal isn’t to support one vs the other. The goal is to get their hands into everything, at any cost. Bastards. They are whores to their own needs.
Seems to me that the iPod should be removed from their stores until this “incompetency” is rectified.
hahaha well done Walmart … thats a brilliant way to up your market share and get more people.
I wonder if they close their doors when when they’re having a really good day because they dont want anymore business? (hmm http://www.searchenginejournal.com/?p=4041 )
Just another reason not to buy Microsoft..
I would have thought a massive coroporation like Wal-Mart would want to have far more control of something like this, to tie themselves to another huge corporation seems a bit limiting.
I’m really surprised that another DRM solution hasn’t come along from someone, somewhere. Not that I like DRM, but of course that’s the controlling element currently.
Who cares if it’s compatible or not. The iTunes Store has a lot more content than this lame Wal-Mart service anyway.
Wal-mart doesn’t suck. I love them. They are the perfect example of the potential success a company can have when they are not beholden to unions. So is Toyota, Honda, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue etc.
I do admit I do not like them making websites that only accept one browser, but I won’t be using the stupid service anyway.
Wal-Mart and MS in bed? OMG….scary image there. Bloated MS writhing on top of a cheap tool. Now I won’t be able to go to sleep at night without someone holding my hand.
Microsoft and WalMart. They deserve each other.
Come on Walmart, put out the cigarette get dressed get back in touch with the real world. MS and wanna-be cronnies [sp?] are already has permanent has-beens in this online music thing. You don’t wanna be here.
By the way, Buster – very funny. :>))
Can’t smell, dust squirt tipeing…
Besides, who cares? Apple just got Lionsgate movies added to their library. Next year at this time, Walmart’s online movie store will be as fondly remembered as their online music store.
Like Steve Jobs said when he introduced the original iTMS, “This looks easy but it’s not.” Every subsequent download service has proved those words.
Besides, don’t you love it when the “low-price-leader” gets undercut by a supposedly “high-margin retailer” like Apple.
I never patronize any website that does not work with my browser. If you want to sell me something you will do it on my terms, not yours.
And who is on top? – What a scary picture (thinking of Steve Ballmer)!
But: Hey, nothing to worry about. Walmart does not have clue about electronic distribution.
I thought the computers they sold ran Lindows (it was renamed something else) to lower their cost by not paying a licensing fee to Microsoft. Does Lindows run IE?
Will this be illegal in Europe?
Boycott Wally World..
Let the MAC Masses unite!!
“I never patronize any website that does not work with my browser. If you want to sell me something you will do it on my terms, not yours.”
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THAT’S THE SPIRIT