Posted on 10/06/2004 2:49:05 PM PDT by Range Rover
iPod users are music thieves says Ballmer
October 04 2004
by Andy McCue
'Vested interest', say cynics...
Speaking to an exclusive gathering of press in London on a number of issues, such as security, Steve Ballmer didn't pass up the opportunity to take several digs at his company's arch rival Apple.
At the heart of the debate is Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology which will let content providers such as record labels and movie studios keep control of their intellectual property (IP) - or at least ensure all royalties are paid and copyright observed.
Billing Microsoft as the good guys and Apple the villains of the piece - at least as far as corporate America, rather than users, is concerned, Ballmer said: "We’ve had DRM in Windows for years. The most common format of music on an iPod is 'stolen'."
"Part of the reason people steal music is money, but some of it is that the DRM stuff out there has not been that easy to use. We are going to continue to improve our DRM, to make it harder to crack, and easier, easier, easier, easier, to use," he said.
However, Ballmer conceded it isn't going to be an easy battle to win. "Most people still steal music," he said. "We can build the technology but there are still ways for people to steal music."
The Microsoft boss also claimed some domestic familiarity with the issue.
"My 12-year-old at home doesn’t want to hear that he can’t put all the music that he wants in all of the places that he would like it," he joked.
ZDNet UK's Michael Parsons contributed to this story
My toaster has input/output, memory and logic. Is it a computer also?
MS is not a music hardware company.
I don't think so. I think there was something to make iPods compatible with non-Macs.
Meanwhile, no one in the music industry can whine anymore about iPods and illegal downloads eroding sales. Here's why:
U.S. album sales up 5.8 percent in first nine months of 2004
Um, isn't Microsoft an investor in Apple?
Methinks he protests too much.
Xerox, actually. Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).
My background is in Advertising and Broadcasting and as you may imagine, I've run into more Mac users than would be the average expected incidence of doing so given that MS has such a commanding market share. A good portion of those people fit a certain stereotype (like it or not)and could easily be considered pretentious in far more ways than their computer platform choice. The informed among them were less so as they could and would actually explain the benefits of one piece of equipment over another without resorting to emotionally-driven arguements. A sit-down with such advocates is something I greatly enjoy when the opportunity presents itself. On the flipside, How many people out there have an iPod simply because it is the "in" accessory at present? I know of three people right now who have asked for assistance with their new iPods. Can't be bothered to figure out how to use it because they just bought one to keep up with their hip friends...They could have saved a few bucks by just buying a set of white earbuds.
I happen to hold the belief that the diversity caused by Apple being in the computing market is a good thing. I have used their equipment on occasion and would like to own some but I happen to be more intrigued by running Linux on Intel-based equipment at present.
Believe me, I am NOT putting you down if you prefer Apple products over another. What I am saying is that there are people buying an iPod or another Apple product because they want to be part of the "cool" crowd...and there is a certain attitude "element", if you will, that I find unappealing.
Like I said...speculation but what if MS decides that it could survive such a PR hit by offering up some new audio compression scheme that has, say , compression ratio advantages as well as 5.1 surround capability, greater fidelity AND will coincidentally NOT be playable on an iPod but only on Approved software? Some of that is a reality with FLAC lossless files currently.
I'm not saying that MS would be so in-tune with a portion of its customer base as to prevent it from making such a wrong-headed decision but rather that there could well be other business concerns that would outweigh offending the iPod using portion of their customer base. The whole point of MS' DRM initiative is control and presenting a CONTROLLABLE distribution platform to content providers so that they will open up new revenue streams with MS as the conduit/tollkeeper.
Even if it happens...a big IF but not out of the question...it will just be another challenge for someone to find a way around it all.
Yes.
I've been a huge Microsoft supporter over the years, but the idiocy (not to mention bad products) coming out of Redmond lately is getting too much to handle. I own an iPod and ever bit of data on there is legally owned by me.
SA,
Do you have any "favorite" legal mp3 sites you can recommend? I'm getting an Ipod and want to see what's out there? Any advice?
thanks in advance!
ampu
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