DRM Free iTunes and Pricing Changes
In 2003 Apple changed the face of legal MP3 downloads by opening the iTunes Store. What set iTunes apart from other online digital music stores was it’s flat rate $0.99 USD cent per track and no monthly subscription fee pricing scheme. This was an attractive price for consumers who would want to use the store to stock their new iPods with tracks direct from Apple. It also made iTunes the top online music store from almost day one of it’s existence.
To keep the record labels happy that the music would not be pirated Apple included Digital Rights Management (DRM) on the tracks. DRM is a copy protection scheme that kept people from trading tracks in peer to peer file trading venues such as the old Napster. On the downside it kept people from putting the tracks on multiple devices. It is essentially like buying a CD that can play in only 1 CD player – you could play it on your home stereo CD player but not on your computer or car stereo.
The tech community has been complaining about DRM for years claiming that if they buy a track they should not be limited on which devices they could use it on.
Yesterday Apple announced that DRM would be removed from all tracks by April of 2009. In conjunction with this, however, is a pricing change. Tracks will now be available for $0.69 USD, $0.99 USD or $1.29 USD. The higher price would be for hot tunes, the lower for oldies and the middle for everything else. In doing this Apple retains some simplicity (though not keeping it as simple as it was) while allowing people more freedom in using their purchased tracks.
Though that sounds like a win-win for Apple it may not be so. Most people don’t even know what DRM is. Your average iPod owner could care less about it. It’s only the techies who know what it is and how it impacts their use of their music. For those people (and everyone else) other DRM free music stores have sprouted up (eMusic, Amazon MP3,
Still I think iTunes will be safe since it is directly tied to the iTunes software that comes with every new iPod giving it a distinct advantage in the marketplace. I wonder how long it will take for some other online music store to challenge that practice is a way similar to how Microsoft was challenged on bundling Internet Explorer with it’s Windows operating system.
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Motorola Tries Gimmick
MacWorld begins, CES awaits. Hacker messes up MacWorld keynote. Twitter hacker found out. Copy protection removed from iTunes? PS3 sales up in North America. Motorola to offer phone made from recycled plastic bottles. BestBuy selling refurbished phone. HP new Netbook runs 8-hours. MSFT names new President. Athlon Neo to be released. Cisco doing home networking? Yes, watch 802.11n take off with Cisco behind it.
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/138583/tech5-138583-01-06-2009.mp3]
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Apple Macbook Wheel
I originally saw this on Dvorak Uncensored. I’m reposting because it is so funny.
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard
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DRM Free iTunes?
According to this missive by Harry McCracken on Technologizer it seems that the iTunes store may be going DRM free for the remaining 3 major labels (Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner). iTunes is already DRM free for the other major label (EMI). Finally!
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Sony Baloney
Steve Jobs blames emaciation on hormone imbalance. Twitter hacked to put up fake posts. China will be punishing search engines for linking to porn. Lenovo unveils clunker. Howard Stringer under pressure to do something at Sony. Freescale to roll out Netbook chip. Expert claims MSFT made huge money over "Vista Capable" scam. New Mac Mini coming out. Blu-Ray dominates Christmas sale. Ballmer to be Keynoter at CES show. Seagate moves to USB 3. Most confusing High-tech buzzwords listed.
Click to listen: [audio:http://m.podshow.com/media/12115/episodes/138503/tech5-138503-01-05-2009.mp3]
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