James Delahunty
6 Dec 2005 11:42
RealNetworks' boss Rob Glaser took a small swipe at Apple at the Digital Living Conference, saying the company's refusal to make the iPod music player compatible with music from other music stores was "pig headedness". RealNetworks just launched a web-based version of its Rhapsody service yesterday which has the support of Microsoft as part of the pair's antitrust settlement. He also said that Apple's unwillingness to co-operate with other music stores promoted piracy.
Last year it was Apple that was targeting Real for criticism, after Real launched a service called Harmony, allowing its customers to transfer their music to iPods. Apple accused Real of cracking but strangely never filed a lawsuit. Glaser also said that Steve Jobs makes for a "good pinata" because he's taken a position against interoperability. He believes that customers should pressure Apple to change its ways.
He said Apple being on its own in term of interoperability makes piracy more compelling for consumers. "If I take all my MP3s from this illegal site or that illegal site, they'll work on the iPod or anything else. Whereas if I buy them legitimately, they'll only work at one place," he told News.com.
Source:
The Inquirer