It makes me incredibly sad that Apple hasn't already done this. I'm not sure whether Apple is just following their already debunked closed-products strategy as they always have, or if they have actively been trying to get companies like Walmart on board. It doesn't really matter now. The cat is out of the bag. ALL other legal music download services run by major brands are using Microsoft technology.
I feel like I'm watching the betamax debaucle in deja vu. You cannot bet against the likes of Walmart. You just can't. People want, expect and deserve a choice of music stores.
Apple owns over 50% of the legal download market, but fencing its customers in has made it too easy on Microsoft.
If Apple has been courting the other music stores, it might not be too late. iPod has enormous momentum and they could leverage that. A year down the road though, when these two incompatible standards are confusing and annoying customers, it will definitely be too late.
Just like with Betamax VHS, there will only be room for one general standard. The other standard will have to focus on nice markets like professionals or tech elitists.
What's sad is Apple may be letting too much ride on the HP deal. The HP deal doesn't change the fact that FairPlay and the iPod are closed. I really hope we see more deals soon. Deals may be more important, for the company, than products right now.
Ultimately, iPod should be opened, but I'm not expecting Apple to move all to quickly. It took them 4 generations of iPods to make one that will play paid-for songs on both a registered Mac and a registered PC. In the short term just getting Fairplay into the other music stores MIGHT be enough.
If they don't they may actually compromise FairPlay as a trustworthy Digital Rights Management System. If enough people feel like they are forced to break the DRM by re-ripping their paid songs into an unprotected format, it could compromise Apple's relationships with music companies.
Let's hope the iPod phenomenon buys them enough time to do the right thing: take a leadership role and make Fairplay into the standard that the market needs.
Which is why Apple is important to the industry. Apple's cult, ahem, loyal following gives it the ability to push new technologies. Apple gave USB a boost, same with 802.11b. MAYBE it will be the same with Rendezvous. Because it is software, it's anyone's guess how proprietary Microsoft's version will be. Because hardware makers are embedding it into their products I would assume that Rendezvous will follow a pattern similar to USB.
1. Apple releases product with new tech creating an incentive to make supporting products.
2. With the chicken and egg problem solved PC vendors include the technology.
3. Everyone benefits.
With the major printers on board amongst others begining to support it.... I highly doubt it will take Bill long to make sure MS also supports it AND adds their own special "windows enhanced" features to it.
Yup, that's how Microsoft does it. Embrace, extend, make proprietary.
Bill has said that Apple is important to the industry because it has the ability to push new technologies. Apple gave USB a jumpstart and that worked out well for everyone. MAYBE the same will happen with Rendezvouz. It will be interesting to see how much Microsoft "enhances" their version.
The editor, Hemos, took out my comments before posting the article.
I said that implying that Rendezvouz is a threat to Microsoft is grossly overstating the facts.
I also said, "expect Microsoft to announce a product called something like "Lliason" any day now, and to tout it as being highly innovative." ahem
Rendezvouz is VERY COOL, and will cause many people to consider a Macintosh, but a threat to Microsoft, I don't think so. That Rendezvouz increases Apple's viability as an alternative to Microsoft would have been MUCH more accurate. I'm sure that Charles Haddad would have written a much more informed article.
No, the editor, Hemos, took out my comments before posting the article.
I said that saying Rendezvouz is a threat was overstating things.
I also said, expect Microsoft to announce "Lliason" any day now.
I'm sure that Charles Haddad would have written a much more informed article.
Apple Switches Processors and Steve Jobs Gets Vindication!
I can't help but speculate...
Two pundits have predicted recently that Apple will go to Intel within two years. Steve Jobs, when asked if Apple would go to another processor, said that once the transition to OSX is complete we'll have options, and we like options.
Most OSX apps are written in Carbon right now. Jobs has been in love with Object Oriented Programming since he started NeXTand now that the OOP benefits of NextStep are part of OSX he should be thrilled, right? Wrong. Most current OSX apps are written in Carbon, not the slick Object Oriented OSX Native Cocoa environment.
If Apple "switched" to another processor, (pun intended) they could use that transition to force app developers to rewrite in Cocoa since Carbon is (correct me if I'm wrong, and you know you want to) OS9/PowerPC dependent.
Jobs' beloved Cocoa, the current incarnation of the NextStep development environment he's been preaching about for lo these many years, would become the Mac standard. Objective C would be the rage and Steve would be vindicated.
Slashdot Mirror
It makes me incredibly sad that Apple hasn't already done this. I'm not sure whether Apple is just following their already debunked closed-products strategy as they always have, or if they have actively been trying to get companies like Walmart on board. It doesn't really matter now. The cat is out of the bag. ALL other legal music download services run by major brands are using Microsoft technology.
I feel like I'm watching the betamax debaucle in deja vu. You cannot bet against the likes of Walmart. You just can't. People want, expect and deserve a choice of music stores.
Apple owns over 50% of the legal download market, but fencing its customers in has made it too easy on Microsoft.
If Apple has been courting the other music stores, it might not be too late. iPod has enormous momentum and they could leverage that. A year down the road though, when these two incompatible standards are confusing and annoying customers, it will definitely be too late.
Just like with Betamax VHS, there will only be room for one general standard. The other standard will have to focus on nice markets like professionals or tech elitists.
What's sad is Apple may be letting too much ride on the HP deal. The HP deal doesn't change the fact that FairPlay and the iPod are closed. I really hope we see more deals soon. Deals may be more important, for the company, than products right now.
Ultimately, iPod should be opened, but I'm not expecting Apple to move all to quickly. It took them 4 generations of iPods to make one that will play paid-for songs on both a registered Mac and a registered PC. In the short term just getting Fairplay into the other music stores MIGHT be enough.
If they don't they may actually compromise FairPlay as a trustworthy Digital Rights Management System. If enough people feel like they are forced to break the DRM by re-ripping their paid songs into an unprotected format, it could compromise Apple's relationships with music companies.
Let's hope the iPod phenomenon buys them enough time to do the right thing: take a leadership role and make Fairplay into the standard that the market needs.
Mac Reality Check
From the redundancy department of redundancy. Microsoft Apologist Apologizes for Microsoft. Couldn't resist.
TiVo! That's cool.
FYI, here is a FAQ on Apple Rendezvous and Zeroconf
Which is why Apple is important to the industry. Apple's cult, ahem, loyal following gives it the ability to push new technologies. Apple gave USB a boost, same with 802.11b. MAYBE it will be the same with Rendezvous. Because it is software, it's anyone's guess how proprietary Microsoft's version will be. Because hardware makers are embedding it into their products I would assume that Rendezvous will follow a pattern similar to USB.
1. Apple releases product with new tech creating an incentive to make supporting products.
2. With the chicken and egg problem solved PC vendors include the technology.
3. Everyone benefits.
With the major printers on board amongst others begining to support it.... I highly doubt it will take Bill long to make sure MS also supports it AND adds their own special "windows enhanced" features to it.
Yup, that's how Microsoft does it. Embrace, extend, make proprietary.
Bill has said that Apple is important to the industry because it has the ability to push new technologies. Apple gave USB a jumpstart and that worked out well for everyone. MAYBE the same will happen with Rendezvouz. It will be interesting to see how much Microsoft "enhances" their version.
Good to know. Thanks.
The editor, Hemos, took out my comments before posting the article.
I said that implying that Rendezvouz is a threat to Microsoft is grossly overstating the facts.
I also said, "expect Microsoft to announce a product called something like "Lliason" any day now, and to tout it as being highly innovative." ahem
Rendezvouz is VERY COOL, and will cause many people to consider a Macintosh, but a threat to Microsoft, I don't think so. That Rendezvouz increases Apple's viability as an alternative to Microsoft would have been MUCH more accurate. I'm sure that Charles Haddad would have written a much more informed article.
No, the editor, Hemos, took out my comments before posting the article. I said that saying Rendezvouz is a threat was overstating things. I also said, expect Microsoft to announce "Lliason" any day now. I'm sure that Charles Haddad would have written a much more informed article.
Apple Switches Processors and Steve Jobs Gets Vindication!
I can't help but speculate...
Two pundits have predicted recently that Apple will go to Intel within two years. Steve Jobs, when asked if Apple would go to another processor, said that once the transition to OSX is complete we'll have options, and we like options.
Most OSX apps are written in Carbon right now. Jobs has been in love with Object Oriented Programming since he started NeXTand now that the OOP benefits of NextStep are part of OSX he should be thrilled, right? Wrong. Most current OSX apps are written in Carbon, not the slick Object Oriented OSX Native Cocoa environment.
If Apple "switched" to another processor, (pun intended) they could use that transition to force app developers to rewrite in Cocoa since Carbon is (correct me if I'm wrong, and you know you want to) OS9/PowerPC dependent.
Jobs' beloved Cocoa, the current incarnation of the NextStep development environment he's been preaching about for lo these many years, would become the Mac standard. Objective C would be the rage and Steve would be vindicated.
Watch it happen!
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http://blogs.salon.com/0001159/