Comments on: The Great MSN Lie http://www.snapturtle.com/wp/2004/10/13/the-great-msn-lie/ Tweets. Lifestream. Photos. Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:51:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rob http://www.snapturtle.com/wp/2004/10/13/the-great-msn-lie/comment-page-1/#comment-255 Rob Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.snapturtle.com/wp/?p=352#comment-255 The reason you can't listen to music from other music services on your iPod is because 1) Apple disables the built-in WMA support on the firmware they get from PortalPlayer (the company that actually makes the iPod for them), and 2) they refuse to license Fairplay DRM to anyone else, so even if another service wanted to support iPod, they can't. Instead, WMA is available to anyone who wants to license it, and supported by 500 devices. Whether you want to call it open or not, as a consumer you have more choice with WMA. The reason you can’t listen to music from other music services on your iPod is because 1) Apple disables the built-in WMA support on the firmware they get from PortalPlayer (the company that actually makes the iPod for them), and 2) they refuse to license Fairplay DRM to anyone else, so even if another service wanted to support iPod, they can’t.

Instead, WMA is available to anyone who wants to license it, and supported by 500 devices. Whether you want to call it open or not, as a consumer you have more choice with WMA.

]]> By: Jeffrey http://www.snapturtle.com/wp/2004/10/13/the-great-msn-lie/comment-page-1/#comment-256 Jeffrey Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.snapturtle.com/wp/?p=352#comment-256 Rob -- You and I both know that WMA is not open; sure, you guys let people license it but it's not open by any stretch. The MSN music store is not open. Why can't I use my Firefox browser on XP? Or Mac? Or Linux? Yes, Apple disables it and they do not hide that fact nor do they hide the fact that you can't license Fairplay DRM. Why should they let you or anyone else? They have a great thing going; just announced over $100 million dollars in revenue this last quarter. I do not attempt to say that Apple is open, they're closed just like MSN is closed. "WMA is available to anyone who wants to license it." Classic Microsoft babble. 500 players? Haha; 99% of them are total crap. I make a choice NOT to use them. BTW - PortalPlayer makes only the firmware not the iPod itself cause if they did it'd be a WMA device like all their other ones. But you already knew that :) Pot meet kettle. Rob — You and I both know that WMA is not open; sure, you guys let people license it but it’s not open by any stretch. The MSN music store is not open. Why can’t I use my Firefox browser on XP? Or Mac? Or Linux?

Yes, Apple disables it and they do not hide that fact nor do they hide the fact that you can’t license Fairplay DRM. Why should they let you or anyone else? They have a great thing going; just announced over $100 million dollars in revenue this last quarter.

I do not attempt to say that Apple is open, they’re closed just like MSN is closed.

“WMA is available to anyone who wants to license it.” Classic Microsoft babble. 500 players? Haha; 99% of them are total crap. I make a choice NOT to use them.

BTW – PortalPlayer makes only the firmware not the iPod itself cause if they did it’d be a WMA device like all their other ones. But you already knew that :)

Pot meet kettle.

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