Posted on 12/06/2005 3:03:25 AM PST by Panerai
Rob Glaser has made his peace with Microsoft's Bill Gates. Now, the RealNetworks chief executive is turning up the rhetoric against another technology icon: Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs.
At the Digital Living Conference here on Monday, Glaser told a packed hotel ballroom that Jobs & Co.'s refusal to make the iPod compatible with music services other than Apple's iTunes was "pig-headedness." Glaser also said that Apple's unwillingness to cooperate with other online music vendors promotes piracy of copyrighted materials and will eventually draw the wrath of consumers.
These are heady times for Glaser and his Internet multimedia company, which announced in October that it had reached a favorable settlement with Microsoft on the $1 billion lawsuit RealNetworks filed in 2003.
Under the deal, Microsoft agreed to pay $460 million in cash to settle the antitrust claims and will also pay $301 million to support RealNetworks' music and game efforts. In addition Microsoft will promote RealNetworks' Rhapsody subscription music service on its MSN Web business.
Perhaps Jobs unknowingly helped RealNetworks and Microsoft find common ground. In 2004, Glaser appealed to Jobs to make the popular iPod compatible with other music services. Microsoft has long sought to strike partnerships in the digital-music arena to help it challenge Apple's enormous lead in the sector.
Jobs responded by telling his shareholders that a deal with RealNetworks simply was "not worth it." Glaser didn't let that stop him. In July 2004, RealNetworks released a version of its music download service compatible with Apple's iPod--without the permission of Jobs & Co. Apple has called it "hacker tactics" but hasn't filed a lawsuit.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.com ...
I'm old. I'm so old that I heard my first Sony Walkman as an adult. That first model was $400 (if my feeble memory serves). I can buy a nearly identical "walkman" today for about $20.00.
Here's an example -- Suppose someone came out with a player that sold for under $200. The thing is completely ruggedized -- you can accidentally throw it into the washing machine or sit on it and it'll still work. It holds 1,000 songs. And the manufacturer went to Italy and hired a bunch of designers to give it a truly exotic, cutting edge look.
The point being, no manufacturer or product holds a lead position forever.
Man, those are ugly. Worse than ugly, they look like knock offs.
Yes but the walkman has been supplanted by mp3 players which can go for several hundred dollars. Look if Apple sits still they will be in the same boat SONY is in. But thus far they have worked very hard to keep improving their product in terms of capacity, dimensions, and features..
An IPod with Apple Lossless is a good as a CD player.
Add Shure ear buds and you have the highest quality music.
I only use MP3 for audiobooks.
The walkman was actually supplanted by CD players.
I don't know for sure, but I would speculate that Sony panicked over the download thing and got caught up in internal politics between "hardware" and "software" components of the company.
The guy that eats Apple's lunch is gonna get it -- fashion, functionality and price. Manufacturers still haven't caught on that the most desirable audience is very much aware of design as well as price and features. It's gonna take the Chicoms about eight seconds to learn this lesson.
As I have been hearing that for a year I think the 8 seconds prediction is a bit off...
As I have been hearing that for a year I think the 8 seconds prediction is a bit off...
Time zone difference in China...
(hey, I could be wrong. I'm just a guy sounding off at a keyboard)
Note the capacity. Under $150.
This is the first wave.
It's a 1gb flash player for $129. The ipod shuffle is also a 1gb flash player for $129. They'll have to do better to knock apple off its throne..
By the time that happened I'm sure the iPods price will have dropped as well. With each generation of the iPod the price has dropped, or you get more for the same price. Will Apple keep the market share they have now forever? No, but they will be the leaders in the market for a long time. They have a lot in their favor to combat players that are much cheaper.
You're wrong again.
#1 I'm very far from being a liberal
#2 Isn't 90-95 percent of a market a monopoly? They wanted to break up General Motors when they had 60 percent of the market. What are your standards?
iPod shuffle is same price and capacity as the Walmart ripoff. When the best Walmart can do is get a cheap knockoff at the same price as the Apple Store, I'd say we're still a ways from being flooded. Yeah, eventually the iPod will be old news and replaced by super cheap stuff, like $10 DVD players, cheap calculators, etc. replaced their high dollar predecessors. By then, Apple will be moving into the next big thing. It looks like the video iPod is pointing the direction for the next step. I have no idea what the next BIG thing is, but I suspect it might be the "mother box" which will airport to your car stereo, television, etc., so you can take all your media everywhere and play it on anything.
You may be right on the timeline --I'd admit it -- yet I can't help thinking that the chicoms would move more quickly. DVD players had an incredibly fast ride from $600 to $60.
The next thing might be the motherbox that communicates with your other toys, etc., but also with the world outside -- vending machines, McDonalds orders, Gap personnel/servers, traffic conditions in your car, movie theaters, etc.
The thing that I don't get is why none of the companies have provided better screen graphics for the players. Something that could be downloaded like ringtones.
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