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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Convergence Kills

Drunken Blog: "Microsoft makes money when people decide they need (and buy) new computers, and people don't buy new computers to be able to browse the web faster ... Apple is playing towards that exact same endgame, but with a twist: they're creating a new light-DRM platform that is riding on top of everyone else's platform. iMacs, Windows, mobile phones, everything. Google is also creating a platform riding on the backs of other platforms... except its based around becoming the access point for all things internet. Apple wants that, but for DRM content. They weren't kidding around with their vision of the computer as a hub for your digital life, they just forgot to mention that the hub will come with a lock. And guess who owns the keys?"

So this is a fascinating article, no doubt about it. It's like a John Gruber article in that it's very long and convoluted, but unlike John Gruber he actually makes some good points and doesn't just beat you up with so much information that you assume he's right (even when he isn't, as is usually the case with Gruber). However, the bit I quoted above is, sadly, a bit questionable. Microsoft and Real, and not Apple, have full DRM platforms. What Apple has is a way to protect music files. It's not a complete solution. It's not extensible. And I can assure you that they are modifying it specifically for Motorola's phones; that is, because Apple didn't build a platform, they will have go back and modify the code manually each time they add a device to the scheme. Anyway... that doesn't mean that this wasn't Apple's plan all along. It just means that its quickness to market with FairPlay will ultimately make it harder for Apple to adapt its scheme to new devices.

That said, there's also a follow-up available. I'll just add one thought as well: People talk about music companies not being able to make money and so on, but remember that the market for cell phone ringtones is the billions annually. This is serious business, folks, and it's pretty clear that when cellphones can store 2, 5, or 10 GB of data, iPods are going to be completely obsolete. And curiously, it is Microsoft, and not Apple, who is poised to participate in that market (thus, Apple's deal with Motorola). You know, maybe Apple not making a PDA (and the resulting PDA-based iPhone) was, in fact, a mistake.

Anyway. That day is some time in the future.

Thanks Matthew.

[ Posted at 10:21 AM | Permalink ]