Comments on: Apple needs DRM and Closed Platforms http://r3fresh.com/2007/08/31/apple-needs-drm-and-closed-platforms/ Anything Goes Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:14:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Joshua http://r3fresh.com/2007/08/31/apple-needs-drm-and-closed-platforms/comment-page-1/#comment-319 Joshua Sat, 01 Sep 2007 06:31:15 +0000 http://r3fresh.com/2007/08/31/apple-needs-drm-and-closed-platforms/#comment-319 The thing about Apple is that, for all the great software they make like OS X and iTunes and others, they're a hardware company at heart. Really the software and operating systems exist just so folks have something to do with their slickly-designed Apple hardware. Which works, obviously, or I wouldn't be happily typing away from my MacBook while my iPod recharges, but you can't really get away from it. I think all the other stuff about Apple relying on DRM makes a lot more sense when you view it from that perspective. And actually there's a lot to be said for the approach. They do some very slick integration that kinda looks like magic on the user end but in reality comes down to simply having a very predictable environment -- one designed by Apple specifically to be compatible with other Apple products. I don't think it's even so much that they're actively rejecting the idea of interoperability with other people's products so much as they're just completely indifferent to it. If you were them, would you bother? The thing about Apple is that, for all the great software they make like OS X and iTunes and others, they’re a hardware company at heart. Really the software and operating systems exist just so folks have something to do with their slickly-designed Apple hardware.

Which works, obviously, or I wouldn’t be happily typing away from my MacBook while my iPod recharges, but you can’t really get away from it.

I think all the other stuff about Apple relying on DRM makes a lot more sense when you view it from that perspective. And actually there’s a lot to be said for the approach. They do some very slick integration that kinda looks like magic on the user end but in reality comes down to simply having a very predictable environment — one designed by Apple specifically to be compatible with other Apple products.

I don’t think it’s even so much that they’re actively rejecting the idea of interoperability with other people’s products so much as they’re just completely indifferent to it. If you were them, would you bother?

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