July 29th, 2004
Apple to Real: "This means war!" Expect collateral damage.
Two days after Real Networks announced that it has made it possible for songs purchased on its RealRhapsody Music Service to be played on Apple’s iPod portable music player, Apple has accused Real of adopting the tactics of hackers and announced that it will retaliate by disabling Real’s technology the next time it has a software update for the iPod. Real’s move threatens Apple’s business model which basically requires those who own iPods and that want to buy songs from the Internet at $1 a pop to buy their songs from Apple’s Web site. The dispute, which comes down to an issue of proprietary protocols, is reminiscent of interoperability problems amongst instant messaging providers. On the IM front, there has been some progress, but not for the benefit of public users. Similarly, the vitriolic posture being adopted by Apple is a clear indication that the much-needed lingua franca-of-a-music-format isn’t going to happen any time soon. Music lovers will continue to suffer.
