Yesterday, we reported on a report from Jonathan Fildes for BBC News that incorrectly stated:
Apple uses its own DRM system known as FairPlay, which means music downloaded from the iTunes store can be played only on iPods.
This morning, the BBC News Interactive’s Technology editor, Darren Waters, informed us that the article has now been revised to read:
Apple uses its own DRM system known as FairPlay, which means music downloaded from the iTunes store can be played on computers running iTunes that have been authorised by the consumer and only one portable device, iPods. Users can copy downloaded songs to a CD and then copy the disc back on to the computer so that the songs can then be moved to other portable devices – but the quality of the music is affected.
Full, revised article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Now, that’s much closer to the facts* and BBC readers, who might not be nearly as familiar as MacDailyNews readers with how Apple’s iTunes Store works, now have a much better information. Thanks for the rapid fix, Beeb!
*iTunes Store songs also play on iTunes-enabled Motorola phones, but we won’t quibble about that bit.
Related article:
BBC reporter blows it, says ‘music downloaded from the iTunes store can be played only on iPods’ – February 07, 2007
Good to see them fix their mistakes, even if it’s only 90% there. Good job, MDN.
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BBC is not what it was… poor, poor reporting.
BBC Technology, especially that twit Mark Ward (who practically masturbated over Vista during the 24hr BBC coverage) is a perfect example of what is wrong with a once great corporation.
Shame on the BBC for promoting a crap OS.
End DRM soon…please.
Okay, chalk up a victory for MDN. But I don’t think the BBC should have caved so easily. The point it was trying to make was that the iPod is the only portable music player that will play music in the iTunes Store’s native file format – a point that still stands.
Nice.
I sent them a polite e-mail yesterday asking for a clarification.
I’m glad they responded. That’s pretty rare for a news outlet. Many of them are just hit whores. I won’t mention names but one of them rhymes with “Dborak”.
Now if only Newsweek would do a follow-up on Bill’s comments…
“. . . especially that twit Mark Ward (who practically masturbated over Vista during the 24hr BBC coverage)”
That’s why they should have an “all hands on the table” rule for some of these astroturfers.
I’d like to personally thank Mr. Waters for assisting in this clarification. He and I had discussed the BBC’s penchant for mischaracterization of Apple on another website and in regard to a speculative BBC headline and article that he himself had authored last year concerning Apple’s reputation.
Thank you again Mr. Waters. Sincerely.
Lee
Fox News is the best!!!!
Come on everybody.
The beeb isn’t all that bad. at least Robert Peston, BBC’s business editor, openly pretty much said Vista is crap and admitted he should have got a Mac.
Just want to make sure we are not going to get that whole silly anti Brit thing going again. You Americans got your independance from us limeys long ago so lets be civil please
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By the way. Speaking of here in Britain. I have noticed tons and tons of small “Get a Mac” posters in prime position on bus shelters on main roads. Angled so you can’t miss them. In Stoke on Trent there was one on every bus shelter on one of the biggest main roads I went down.
Mitchell and Webb have never been so famous.
Nice one Apple…
Mark Rogers and his team at Apple UK have never been so busy.
Well done guys!!!
“Thank you again Mr. Waters”
Oh, please. I you had any idea how the so-called news organizations (in this case, the BBC) and MS pave the world with lies, you’d jump off a building.
Apple’s profile in the UK has never been higher, and it’s improving all the time (not least in education, where I work). There is still a long way to go, though.
Multiple iPods too.
Not just one.
Will they ever fact check?
Well, listen up Buckwheat ..
On another website, I directly confronted Darren Waters on this very same misrepresentation that you are implying that I don’t have any idea about. I was the only one to do so, too.
In this particular circumstance, Darren Waters has done the right thing and has edited the article to reflect a greater degree of accuracy.
I stand firm in expressing my thanks to him.
“You Americans got your independance from us limeys long ago so lets be civil please”
Yeah, well, I’m a Yank that’s still a little peeved over that whole War of 1812 fiasco. I’m going to need a little more time.
Should we refer to Windows fanatics as Visturbators? Cancel or allow?
let this be a lesson to other major international news outlets: don’t fsck with MDN. There’s a legion of readers here armed with strongly worded emails just waiting to take you down.
You’ve seen what the Sony boycott did … don’t say you have not been warned.
I’m pretty knowledgeble about copying in general, but I’m a little confused about the comment of the quality being compromised when going from iTunes to CD and back again. Aren’t we talking about digital-digital-digital here? If so, why should there be any sound degradation?
That’s what happens when journalists write about complex subjects they only have a superficial understanding about – including world events and war – for a dumbed-down audience used to tabloid journalism. Wait a minute… ah, at least MDN knows what it’s covering!
Jay, it’s called transcoding.
On another point, I didn’t get in on the misleading/not misleading discussion on the BBC’s first version, but I thought it was misleading-very similar to stating something like “OS X has fewer viruses than any version of Doze”. It’s an absolutely true statement-BUT highly misleading, just as the BBC was.
It still could be misinterpreted. They say one music player, but that’s not true. You can put it on as many music players as you want, but they have to all be iPods. I know the difference is a shade rather than a lot, but it still could be read incorrectly.
He should learn to write English, seeing he’s at the biggest stuffed shirt in the news business.
As for the twit who said Fox News is still best, though they do have some good reporters, the company is a shill for the right wing politicos in the US.
Conner:
Thanks-once again my “knowledge base” has expanded. I suppose I was thinking along the lines of making a duplicate copy of a CD/DVD, with no change in format. I didn’t consider a change in format making a difference.
Aren’t all laptops and notebooks also portable devices, not just iPods?
On CNBC yesterday, the Squak Box program in the morning, the commentators were saying the same misleading thing about iTunes and the iPod. I sent an e-mail to them but I am not sure if they made any corrections to the viewing public. The topic of iTunes music came up after Steve Jobs’ open letter about FairPlay so I’m sure there was a lot of people listening.