Format Wars

The current fight between Apple and Real Networks over the unauthorized hacking of Apple’s iPod so that it would play Real’s downloads – is complex.

Everyone likes interoperability. But almost no one is backing Real’s attempts in this matter. It may be because Real is known to follow a fairly rotten business model, based on trodding on its customers wherever possible to enhance their bottom line. Besides this, their RealPlayer is not at all interoperable in any fashion, and many sites that offer their media in the RealPlayer format do not offer that media in any other competitive format, such as the Windows Media Player or Quicktime. This is mainly because Real discourages anyone from doing so.

The iPod, contrary to what most people think, is interoperable to a great degree. Anyone can play any mp3, m4a, wav, aiff, or ALAC file they care to download on their iPod. It also plays music purchased from the iTunes store in the excellent AAC format, or direct from any CD.

What the iPod won’t do is play some other DRM’d format, such as Window’s WMA, or Sony’s, or Real’s. If the iPod did that, it would be breaking faith with all those companies and artists that sell their music through the iTunes store. Then soon there wouldn’t be an iTunes store at all.

Real isn’t trying to get their music on the iPod. Real is breaking the iPod, and their intent is to bring down the iPod as a viable and secure music player, IMO.

Actually, there is a much deeper issue here. This is a really a format war.

We don’t need more formats. We don’t need interoperability. What everyone needs is one format that is far superior to every other one in both sound quality and ease of use. Having said that, Real should take a hike. Their format is inferior. The usability of their music site is a joke. Their business tactic of trying to hijack Apple’s iPod is immoral.

Just as twenty years ago there was a format war over movies. Before the VHS format won out in the open market, there was Betamax, there were CCD disks, and there were laser disks. All of these were excellent movie players, but in the end there could only be one. VHS is the format everyone uses to record their movies. What about DVD? DVD is not for recording, and if you notice, it is heavily DRM’d. If you want to record something easily, you still need VHS.

Right now I think Apple is winning the music format wars. I know MicroSoft has yet to be a contender here, but given Apple’s most excellent format, and the ease of use of both the iPod and iTunes, anyone else will have to do much better than Apple to win this format war. It looks like Apple’s AAC is going to be the winner here.