It’s all about the DRM baby!

Apple makes iPods. Apple made iTunes. Apple includes DRM (Digital Rights Management) on audio and video files purchased off iTunes. This means that outside of iTunes, QuickTime, or an iPod, you can’t view or listen to these files. OH NOES! Apple is teh evil suck!

Well no, not really. People who generally hate Apple will talk endlessly about how Apple’s DRM and iTunes locks you into the iPod and Apple products. Except that Apple gives you means to completely strip off the DRM to do with the file as you please. And you don’t need to buy anything to do so as iTunes has it built-in.

Look, iTunes is there to manage your music. iTunes doesn’t care what format it’s in as long as it is compatible with iTunes and by extension, the iPod. The only thing proprietary about iTune audio files is the DRM. AAC is an open standard, not owned by Apple and is available to anyone and any software/hardware that is capable of playing it. Who owns not not only the DRM (Plays4Sure and the Zune DRM), but the audio formats (WAV, WMA) as well?

I doubt even the most feverent Mac user would say that DRM is good. If Apple tried to sell music that was copyrighted without DRM, how soon would it be that the owners of said copyright would remove their material from iTunes or any other legal download store? Does it work out the best for Apple to have the only player that works with iTunes purchased files? Sure it does. Was that the plan from the beginning? Doubtful. Apple tried to team up with other makers early on before they became so successful and were rebuffed. Only after Apple became the dominant platform did ANY of this even come up.

Ask yourself this, if Apple was sitting at 20% of the market instead of 60-80%, would this argument even come up?

Next question, what iTunes compatible audio files other than iTunes purchased tracks are not compatible with other players? Answer, only those formats that other players do not recognize that iTunes does. Is THAT also Apple’s fault?

Next question. Is it possible to take iTunes DRMed purchased audio files and convert them from WITHIN the iTunes software itself and make them compatible with any player capable of playing MP3 files? Or even just to burn to a CD/DVD to play in any player capable of reading standard MP3 and AIFF files? Why yes it does. Does the software from other players allow you to take DRMed WMA/WAV/MP3 files and make them do the same as well or as easily? Not counting of course the various subscription services which have their own draconian rules and allow for zero burning of DRMed files.

Next question. How many players are there other than Apple’s? How many legal online music stores are there other than Apple’s? Answer: many my friends, many. There is no lack of competition in audio players or music stores.

Many people like to compare the MS monopoly with an OS and Office suite to Apple’s domination on music players and sales of audio content. I don’t really feel they are similar for the following reasons.

1. Plenty of competition

2. No lock in of the music files (can easily be burned to another more compatible format) and said files can be used by any player capable of playing AAC, MP3, AIFF (which is about all of them).

You could say the same about Microsoft and Windows and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. MS has been guilty in the past for pushing their own formats to the exclusion of competition, but they have been much better about it recently. The only real similarity is that many people associate using a PC as only using Windows. Is that MS’s fault? No, but they are delighted (as are their shareholders) with the result. Many people associate using a digital audio player with iPods. Is that Apple’s fault? No, but they are delighted (as are their shareholders) with the result. Each company came about with their dominance by different means, but the end result is the same. As long as neither (MS or Apple) do anything illegal to stifle competition, then they should be allowed to do as they please.

Video is a very different story. It is currently impossible to easily take purchased video files in iTunes and do something really crazy with it. Like, I don’t know, burn it to a CD or DVD. This is keeping me from seriously considering the iTunes store for video. Others have different reasons like for example the resolution isn’t HD or even DVD quality. You don’t get all the “extras” that come with DVDs and so on. I don’t have a Hi-Def TV, so reason one doesn’t bother me (yet). I typically never watch the extras on DVDs (except for the Frozone/ Mr’ Incredible cartoon on “Thge Incredibles” DVD. Some seriously funny stuff, especially with the voice overs done by Samuel Jackson and Craig Nelson), so I don’t usually care about that either. But locking me into a digital format with no means of a physical transfer? No thanks Steve.