As eWEEK's Peter Galli reports, the , which restricts how and where content can be played, at Apple stores in New York and London Oct.
3. And while the FSF is officially ranting about DRM and its use by "big media," it's no coincidence that Apple is the first target. Apple essentially owns the music industry right now, and a lot of folks aren't happy about it.
Apple has used its iTunes and iPod juggernaut to make its DRM software ubiquitous.
Somehow I doubt there will be streets closed off in front of Apple stores today because of thousands of protesters.
Why is Apple getting into designing hardware and worrying about the so-called "customer experience"? Hint: It ain't the consumer. Zune is all about Microsoft's own DRM software.
It can't allow Apple to become the standard.
Sure the industry can tell Jobs that it would like flexible pricing, but that idea doesn't get too far. The industry would probably like to offer subscription plans too. Jobs doesn't like that plan though.
So the music industry grudgingly goes along, since it has no choice. Don't be surprised if the music industry rallies behind Zune just to counterbalance Apple. Could those aforementioned Apple worrywarts join forces?
Anything is possible. To be sure, you're not going to see Microsoft fans rallying with the FSF gang outside Apple stores today. But there are some possible strange bedfellows.
It's possible Microsoft would say DRM is evil. It sees the light. If Microsoft couldn't own the standard, why wouldn't the company undercut it?
Suddenly the FSF and Redmond folks are on the same side.
99 without DRM restrictions. Instead of DRM, the song was personalized with the buyer's name. Yahoo has been an outspoken critic of DRM.
The big takeaway: The music industry is open to experimentation. Why? There are other business models to explore and the industry can't let Apple dominate.
These developments won't happen overnight, but don't rule them out. Apple's potential to dictate the DRM game has a lot of people worried. Don't be surprised if some of these combatants wind up on the same side.
DevSource interviews usability pundit Dr. Jakob Nielsen on everything from the proper attitude for programmers to the importance of prototyping in design to the reasons why PDF, Flash and local search engines can hurt more than they help.
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