AppleInsider StaffAn Apple firmware update has disrupted Real's Harmony.
In March of this year, RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser used several avenues to exhort Apple to open up the iPod to additional file formats. Each request was successively denied.
To combat Apple's unfavorable response, Real in July announced its Harmony technology, which lets users play music bought and downloaded from its online music store on the iPod. To create Harmony, Real created a way to translate songs downloaded from Real's store from Real's Helix DRM scheme to an equivalent of Apple's FairPlay when loaded onto an iPod.
Apple immediately responded to the announcement of Harmony in a public statement, claiming that Real "adopted the tactics and ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod."
In this initial effort to block Harmony, Apple reportedly made changes to the iPod's firmware, which is the low-level software that powers consumer electronics such as MP3 players and cellphones. The changes apparently came in an update to the iPod software released by the company in mid-November.
Amber Neely
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Chip Loder
24 Comments
Apple Computer has quietly updated its iPod software so that songs purchased from RealNetworks' online music store will no longer play on some of the Mac maker's popular MP3 players, CNet News.com is reporting.url][/c]
Where has journalism gone?
I've got a gripe with cnet on this one. While I don't doubt that Apple purposefully disabled RealNetwork compatibility, it shouldn't be reported as fact! It would have better stated as 'Apple Computer has quietly updated its iPod software and songs purchased from RealNetworks' online music store will no longer play on some...'
In March of this year, RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser used several avenues to exhort Apple to open up the iPod to additional file formats. Each request was successively denied.
um, slight typo there... it should read "...RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser used several avenues to extort..."
sorry, couldn't resist.
also, apple made it quite clear that any songs purchased with using harmony in mind to play back on an ipod would probably fail in a future firmware update. now watch as glaser cries foul...
Harmony no longer works? Pity.
They don't KNOW whether this is true or not? And whether anything but the Photo model is affected? Just try it!
It's not hard to find iPod owners... must be hard to find Harmony users
Where has journalism gone?
Well, for starters, we're reading this on AppleInsider and besides, isn't this what the internet is all about? I mean, I've lost count of all the times I've come across shoddy reporting on the web. The line between op-ed and journalism disintegrated online sometime around 1996.
Funny thing is that I guess that people hadn't noticed this for about a month if these changes really did come out with the iPod photo. If a tree falls in a forest....
Still, I'm sure Real and Apple are going to go tit-for-tat on this one.