Steve Jobs will be the star attraction when the Macworld Conference and Expo opens to the public Tuesday, but many Mac fans might be just as interested in hearing from one of the Mac’s original creators.
How the Mac was born, and other tales
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Facinating. Especially enjoyed his view of the future for open source and politics.
I went to the next page and cNet told me it could not be found.
I like his views on the iPod:
> How do you feel about the iPod being closed now?
The same way. I think Apple is making a blunder not licensing FairPlay. Ultimately, when you boil it down, it comes to respect for your customer.
The same way. I think Apple is making a blunder not licensing FairPlay. Ultimately, when you boil it down, it comes to respect for your customer.
Apple’s great strength is doing the hardware and the software at the same time. I think Apple is showing disrespect to the customers by locking them in.
I mean, how ‘fair’ is FairPlay when the only portable device the format works on is the iPod? People say ‘But you can burn a CD then rip to whatever format you want …” In this case, it’s no less proprietary than Microsoft’s .doc file format. Why? Because you can open up Word and save it to any number for formats. Nevermind that you need Word (or in Apple’s case iTunes) to do that ….
“Nevermind that you need Word (or in Apple’s case iTunes) to do that ….”
1) iTunes is free. Word is not.
2) I don’t need Word to open .Doc files. In fact. I’ve NEVER used Word on my Mac. EVER. And I have no problems opening .Doc files.
>>I mean, how ‘fair’ is FairPlay<<
Well it’s a lot better than WMA’s DRM. Under WMA the artist gets to choose what features he wants you to have so if he doesn’t want you to burn the music you can’t. Also note that currently there are viruses going around based on holes in MSFT WMP DRM.
Now with that said, I am waiting for Apple to license fairplay to other companies. MSFT is licensing but no one is buying. Apple isn’t licensing and millions are buying.
Apple broke 200 million downloads, The rest combined is what 50 million, they won’t even publish their results anymore.
2) I don’t need Word to open .Doc files. In fact. I’ve NEVER used Word on my Mac. EVER. And I have no problems opening .Doc files.
Well, you’re right. And actually, you just helped prove my point. You don’t really NEED Word to open .doc files. But if you want to play encrypted AAC files on a portable device besides iPod, how do you do this? You eitehr HAVE to use iTunes in order to burn/rip (eg – lock-in), or else you can use Hymn to decrypt, thereby breaking the law (at least in the US anyway).
Mac mini
Encased in brushed metal, the new Mac mini features a square shape with rounded edges and is somewhat similar in appearance to an Apple AC power adapter. It features a slot-loading CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo drive, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, DVI and VGA connectivity.
The Mac mini comes in two models — a 1.25GHz, 40GB G4 system for $499 and an 80GB 1.42GHz G4 system for $599.
But if you want to play encrypted AAC files on a portable device besides iPod, how do you do this? You eitehr HAVE to use iTunes in order to burn/rip (eg – lock-in), or else you can use Hymn to decrypt, thereby breaking the law (at least in the US anyway).
So your beef is not so much with Apple, but with the music industry and the laws it got decreed.
So your beef is not so much with Apple, but with the music industry and the laws it got decreed.
No, my beef is with Apple for:
a)Not licensing Fairplay to others so you could use a variety of devices like WMA, and not just one. (And no, I’m not saying that WMA is really any better, but at least you have a choice of which player you want to use)
b) Dictating to customers what they can and cannot play on their iPods by purposely locking out other formats. Mind you, they didn’t have to do anything specifically to make Real’s codec work … they actually did more work to ensure that the Real codec wouldn’t work.
Darius you are still forgetting to address what FairPlay’s competition is doing. Sure you can play the compitition on a few different players but you are once again tied into a computer operating system (Microsoft Windows). If you want to complain that Apple is a monopoly then you must also address the real issue that Microsoft is a monopoly for computers and this time no slap on the hand. They have done very little since the last monopoly suit was settled, yet still doing the same game. When the Microsoft monopoly is settled then Apple might be better to open up FairPlay.
But then the next issue is then is FairPlay good for the industry? If FairPlay does not do what it is suppose to do for the Industry then no. And so far FairPlay has done what it is suppose to do. If Apple opens it to others then the problem multiplies exponentially in technical, ethical and legal issues.
Even as you mock Apple for not opening FairPlay, one must applaud Apple for doing what is right for the industry. They have simply taken account for technical, ethical and legal issues.