I don't agree with Mathew Ingram here:
The reality is that while DRM may be a big hobbyhorse for geeks, it isnât really a big concern for most iTunes shoppers. The vast majority of buyers are happy to buy songs from Apple regardless of what format they come in - provided they can play them on an iPod. Anyone looking for DRM-free music can already find it pretty easily.
Yes and no. On the one hand, Apple's sales make it clear that there's some truth to this assertion. However, I need to go back to a conversation I overheard at the gym a couple of weeks back: two older gentlemen were discussing music, and they mentioned (before I got involved) how irritating the 5 computer limit was. That limit is part of Apple's DRM scheme. Thus far, people have put up with Apple's DRM because the ease of use of the iPod and iTunes has trumped the irritation. Had MS partnered with Amazon and come up with an equally easy to use DRM-free store, I think the Zune might welll be powering ahead of the iPod right now.
Fortunately for Apple, Microsoft is no longer an innovative enough company to try something like that.
Technorati Tags:
music