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WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

This is why the works of George Orwell should be required reading.

Sony = Open

Please, stop. Now that is hilarious.

Seriously. They've been trying to close people in to their hardware since changing the shape of a VHS tape and calling it Beta Max. Then there was the mini disk. etc.

And Sony has ATRAC record of open formats?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_Transform_Acoustic_Coding

It's sad really....mediocresoft will do anything these days.

(Well...anything but produce quality offerings!)

LONG LIVE MEDIOCRITY!

the whole Sony open thing is a joke, right?? If you buy the least expensive version of the PS3, it is not backwards compatible to PS2 games. Last time i checked, content purchased some from itunes on a power pc mini will play on my intel based macbook pro....

So Sony is saying they are open to viruses, malware, Trojans, spyware, and such?

And Microsoft is saying they are good partners, as long as they are the ones pitching?

OK, that makes more sense.

Even... Microsoft, a company known for breaking into markets by forming powerful technology partnerships using their OS monopoly to strong arm vendors and unfairly eliminate competitors, is taking more of a go-it-alone attitude...

There fix that for you.

there can only be one ring to rule the world

apple is that ring

hahahahahahah

Please, if they like this now they are going to be screeming bloody murder come 2008, 2009, 2010.......

Buy AAPL and relax, hey it is on sale today

And let's not forget Sony's dirty little DRM fiasco which knackered loads of PC's by installing cloaked files from shop bought music CDs.

"Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow ..."

A Sony guy called "Stan" of all things? He sounds like a gaijin to me.

Mind you there's not much traditionally Japanese about Sony products -- none of that Zen-like simplicity and calm. Start up a new Vaio and you're deluged with with begging pop-ups from the likes of Symantec and all the other crapware.

It's the Mac that's like a Zen garden.

"Stan ... contrasted Apple’s tactics with Sony’s recent openness ..."

Ha, ha, ha.

Sony and _openness_! This is the company who used such a viciously closed and aggressively DRMed format on their players that no-one would buy them.

This is the company that rootkitted people's PCs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal

And that then brushed the public's concerns and anger aside -- famous F-Secure shirt with quote here:

http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/most_people_shirt.jpg

This is the company that loads its PCs up with so much crapware -- selling its "customers" out to the highest bidders among software makers -- that it takes hours to clean them up. I know: I've done it more than once. Do they think I _like_ that or something? Is that what "open" means?

I never had that on a Mac. Opening the packaging and starting a new Mac is a pleasure. Doing the same with a Sony Vaio is like jumping into a swimming pool only to find it full of turds and oilslicks.

Walt Mossberg:

"I compared a MacBook Pro laptop with Leopard preinstalled to a Sony Vaio laptop with Vista preinstalled. Even though I had cleared out all of the useless trial software Sony had placed on the Vaio, it still started up painfully slowly compared with the Leopard laptop."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119326655774870521.html

I guess Mossberg missed some of the crapware -- there's enough of it and to spare.

"helpless Hollywood" - that's rich. "cancerous", sure.

Good luck dethroning the iPod Touch. Won't happen.

Sure MS and other options will be out there. Point is, people won't pay more for less/worse service. People don't want to have to think in order to watch different shows: That is, they don't want to have to go to Hula.com for some stuff, flip over to Walmart.com for others, etc. You don't move to different rooms in your house to watch different channels on different TVs. Had the networks been smart, they'd have invested in Apple stock instead of their own solutions. $1B in Apple 2 years ago would have made a tidy profit for the studios today.

Lets be blunt about this, "more agreeable terms" means,

HIGHER MUSIC AND MOVIE PRICES FOR THE CONSUMER!!!

If that's why Apple is being called a "selfish mega-company," count me in.

They are two companies that do not know how to compete once true competition arrives bringing products to the market people love to use.

It is nice to see them go to the media and spew forth their desperation. It shows me they have little in the pipeline they think will be a hit.

It says that Redmond already knows the new Zunes will not sell well, not even close.

On Sony's end, they can't write software to save their lives, so they rely on others to do it for them. They are good at building formats and some hardware that is a lock-in, but once this stuff hits the desktop or pocket gadget, they lose all control. Thus, their formats die and they start all over again.

Ah yes Sony, the company that installs hidden spy ware on there products.

"Zune marketing director Jason Reindorp says that, in the short-term, Microsoft has decided to sacrifice openness for elegance."

MacDailyNews Take: So, where's the "elegance," exactly?"

Fuck, where's the "openness"?

"Fortt writes, "The real threat might come from rivals like Sony, SanDisk, and particularly Microsoft – companies that would be glad to sell Hollywood’s wares under more agreeable terms than the Tinseltown execs can get from Steve Jobs... [Microsoft's] Reindorp said [that] the software giant’s reputation in music is such that industry executives 'know that we have a long history of being a good partner"

Regardless of whether the store is run by the media providers, Sony, SanDisk, or MS, the content will have to be delivered to consumers in a form they want and at the price they want. I doubt the the media providers or any of their "good partners"/bitch-boys will create anything other than a store that gouges consumers for low resolution files that blow up after a week...and have commercial that you cannot skip.

Apple may be a bully, but apparently a stick to head is the only way to convince these fucktards to give consumers what they want.

Where were all these whiney clowns for the last 15 years when hardly anything would work on a mac?
there were so many excuses to NOT make software compatible for Macs.
now when apple comes up the ladder because of a superior product
all the same people are calling foul.

bunch of whiney ass babies.

MDN "may"
asi in "Yes Steve, you MAY change the world
LOL

Apple is a bully!!!



Only because they are looking out for the consumer. If they rolled over like everyone else, we'd be paying $4 a song and $7 a TV show with ads.

I'll take Steve Jobs' business acumen any day.

If MS os Sony had anything that could compete with apple's iPhone or iPod Touch they would be talking about that instead of bad mouthing apple. Media time is precious and to see them squandering it by talking down the competition instead of highlighting their own offerings is just sad. It has the stench of desperation all over it. When you have something that people want you need never mention competion it should sell itself. All i needed was a demonstration of the iphone to know i absolutely had to have one.

Microsoft has always been all for choice....as long as that "choice" is Microsoft.

You realize that these group action suits are all part of this Sony/Microsoft 'We are open Apple is closed' advertising campaign.

If you can get enough people repeating a lie, the whole planet will buy it.

Mac zealots, how dare they call us that?

Did I say that out loud?

While I agree with the above posts about the closed approaches taken by the other companies mentioned in the article and how open Apple's hardware truly is, I think we are focusing on the wrong aspect of the article. The part that concerns me the most is Apple's stance regarding the pricing of content which DOES seem to be driving away the content providers. Apple should be finding ways to work with the content providers (and they may be doing that behind closed doors.) But to have NBC walk away from iTunes is a shame and does not put Apple in good light to the other content providers. Another manifestation of the content providers working relationship with Apple is the fact that Universal is no longer giving Apple exclusive rights. To lose NBC and the exclusivity with Universal is NOT a good trend.

Apple should be considering the answer to the question can it sell HW without any content? Can Apple really afford to say the heck with everyone except for Diseny and it's derivatives?

I am an Apple fan and stockholder. I think Apple provides the best HW and SW - bar none. However, I am concerned with their partnership skills with the media giants and hope a change of approach comes before the content providers no longer need or want to work with Apple. My two cents worth.

Peace.

Tries to push thier formats or media types

Sony tried propietary ATRAC
MD format
Micro MV
8 not compleatly compatible memory stick formats
Why dont they stick with Open Ones

What was it Goldblum's character said in JURASSIC PARK? "That is one big pile of..."

Microsoft has made its whole empire from ripping off business partners, bullying companies into using their software by extortionate tactics and gangster-like business practices.

They talk about Apple being closed - biggest fucking joke ever.

I tell you what, I went to the hospital yesterday and their whole computer network was down because some idiot decided they use microsoft technology.

IF they had use unix the system would have been back up in 20mins, instead sick people were turned away because they could not book any operations or appointments for them.

Microsoft make me sick to the core.

People are dying because of Microsoft's 'open' formats!

Microsoft - the company that is sooooooo open that it has been fined billions $ because of its closed mass monopoly.

If Microsoft is sooo open how come they try and block out Apple systems, connectivity and compatibility - just look at the latest version of Office for windows for example or MSN Messenger or Internet Explorer, .net... the list goes on and on...

And Sony, well that company is just crap at everything. It's a company that had the golden goose with the Walkman but strangled the goose because it got greedy.

I feel sorry for Sony, they must look at Apple and think "god we threw it all away... we could have been Apple if only we had known to listen to our customers and give them what they want".

@Lurker_PC
What media company do you work for?

Apple is making the hard choice here, they are forgoing short term profit for long term control.

The reason they got the termes they did was because the media companies screwd up there business model so bad that almost nobody wanted to pay for there products. Steve convinced them to try it his way and consumers agreed that is was not the end of the world to pay a reasonable price for content. Now that they now people are willing to pay they want to screw them over (The same thing that drove them to Napster in the first place), So Steve and Apple will let them go on there merry way until they realize what a big mistake they have made (hopefully before they go bankrupt). Then Steve will have them by the short and curles and instead of getting a $1.75 of the 2 bucks for each show it will be a 50 \ 50 deal and they will be lucky to get that. If they were smart and wanted to try it on there own they (NBC) would have stayed with Apple as well as Hulu and let the market decide, but they were to afraid of the result.

Apple's stance on the price point of content on iTunes is not driving away content providers. Its only NBC Universal that has been backing away. Now I don't know every single reason why they would do this, but NBC has been struggling as far as rankings go for networks. As a result, they can't charge as much for their advertising spots as they used to be. So by cutting their content off iTunes, people will be forced to either watch it on TV with tons of commercials, use NBC.com to have the most horrible experience trying to watch a TV show that just seems to play the same stupid commercial every commercial break, or simply just get the show on any torrent site. Now the success of iTunes shows that people do want to be honest and purchase content that they want instead of stealing it. But for NBC to only leave the options they have it like shooting themself in the foot. I feel their ratings are only going to get worse, along with their stock price. Apple has provided a different way of doing business. One that is more directed at the consumer's satisfaction instead of bleeding every last cent out of consumers for over-priced content. Per user, they probably don't get as much money, but they seem to be providing more consumers so it all evens out. Apple does not need to change its policy on price-points. These networks and music labels need to understand that the market is changing and if they want to stay on top, they need to change with it.

A simple questions.
Is NBC providing a means to download their video content and transfer it to any portable player?
If media corporations are so concerned about reaching their audience without being hemmed in, why do they usually only support Microsoft Windows player solutions?
For that matter, why is it good when media conglomerates can control whole regions, but bad when a company like Apple gives control back to the consumer?

"Freedom is enslavement."

With the Writers Guild on strike, the late night comedy shows are now in reruns. THANK GOODNESS Microsoft and Sony have started to pick up the slack.

ROTFLMAO!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...M$, the big media conglomerates, Sony, all of them, are scared shitless of a digital marketplace where Apple calls the shots.

Remember the good old days? It all worked so much better when they were on top and Apple was down! Consumers got great products at great prices and fragrant flower petals wafted on the breeze. All was good. (Yeah, right.)

The problem these clowns have is that they can't compete fairly with Apple's core competencies, which was o.k. as long as Apple wasn't a factor, but now that Stevie Wonder And The Bunch are kicking ass, it has become more obvious.

Think about it: Sony and Microsoft suck at writing good software; also, they don't trust the consumer, plus they're in bed with the big media conglomerates, so they try to glom B.S. proprietary DRM onto everything they sell.

The PC makers and the cellphone handset makers can't make beautiful hardware that people line up around the block to pay big $$ to own.

The media conglomerates (still) haven't figured out this brave new digital world and they have to watch from the sidelines and drool because Apple has.

Here's a basic Business 101 question that Apple's competitors have yet to answer: Whether you're talking hardware, software, or operating system, how DO you compete with Apple these days?

If they don't hurry up and find an answer, they're gonna find themselves where Apple was ten years ago: "beleaguered".

Peace.
Olmecmystic

As they say, "turnabout is fair play." Companies that tried to shut out Apple and the Mac for years are now finding themselves shut out by Apple (who just happens to be having a lot of success these days), and crying about it like little kids.

F*** Sony, F*** Microsoft, F*** Hollywood Moguls... not surprisingly, anything that doesn't go their way is considered bullying. All three of these %^$&&#@!!!'s bully and screw other companies and the public a lot harder than Apple does to them. What they do, or attempt to do, is unethical or illegal.

Mediocrities everywhere—now and to come— I absolve you all!

Jeff & @Lurker - thanks for the responses.

Jeff - So Steve and Apple will let them go on there merry way until they realize what a big mistake they have made (hopefully before they go bankrupt).

I hope you are right. My concern is that other media companies will want to pull away from Apple to go experiment as well. As you probably know, Hulu has gotten a pretty good reviews even though it is still in beta. (I am assuming the revenue stream is coming from the advertisers.) Check out the following reviews:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/28/hulu-launches-private-beta-first-impressions-very-good/

http://gigaom.com/2007/10/29/hulu-hands-on-review/

and at

http://kara.allthingsd.com/20071029/i-eat-my-words-hulu-will-shake-up-the-online-video-market/

Sure Hulu isn't iTunes but let's face it, most people are cheap. If services like this gain momentum why stick with Apple? Especially if dealing with Apple is a hassle.

I agree. It's foolish for the media companies to pull out of iTunes - but "rational" and "media companies" do not go together. I do hope they realize that Apple understands the consumer and how to best ensure a long term revenue stream. That may be giving the media companies too much credit though and their lack of insight could end up hurting Apple as well.

Peace.

I'm not technical. All I know is that iTunes and iPods work. I work Thursday nights. I wanted to watch The Office, so I bought a season pass on iTunes. I did this for all 3 seasons. I plug in my iPod, The Office automatically goes on there. I don't have to search for anything or worry about anything. I don't have to understand how it works. The next day I watch The Office on my iTunes or carry with me on my iPod, and I laugh and laugh watching the show.

I tried watching The Office at NBC's site, it was a hassle and full of commercials. Farewell, The Office. I'm into Mad Men and Project Runway now.

Oh! And I just bought a new car last weekend, I chose the 2008 Cadillac CTS because my iPod plugged right in and played my music. Hearing my music in this brand-new car during the test drive me fall in love with the car. Other cars, it was a hassle. At BMW, the guy said I needed to order a special cable. Who knew General Motors would get it right? They did with the CTS. Life is short, I don't want to spend time getting devices to work.

Sony is still whining about losing the Beta vs VHS war.

Micrapsoft is whining about having the wrong Steve in charge...

"Ryan

As they say, "turnabout is fair play." Companies that tried to shut out Apple and the Mac for years are now finding themselves shut out by Apple (who just happens to be having a lot of success these days), and crying about it like little kids."

Good call Ryan. The competitors weren't caught with their pants down. They really have tried. They simply don't get it. Apple does, and "it" can't be copied. They believed their marketing power equated to marketing prowess, and clearly their monopolies, real or imagined, are failing them.

But the amount of manure these pathetic dorks are piling up... It's incredible. Like a certain current President, they are so far removed from the everyday reality of existence that they make increasingly hallucinatory predictions for their own success, and berate the already working tactics of their competition.

This loathsome article is just a lament of the losers. Or, we could call it the chorus of the beleaguered whining competitors bitching about the Apple juggernaut. Note that the customers are not complaining about Apple.

The article proves that Apple is winning and the competition knows that they are truly hosed. Screw them.

The more music companies complain about pricing, the more consumers will support Apple's iTS. Jobs understands that piracy is the real target here, and prices as they are now still aren't low enough.

> In a meeting about a month ago, Reindorp said, Gates told the Zune team to focus on what Microsoft does best – and a key part of that is to “make best friends with all the content owners.”

This is the crux of Microsoft's recent problems (apart from being unable to develop code (LOL) bought/stolen/extorted from others). They expect consumers to pay for products created for another party: "the content owners" - because they think they've got the consumers in the bag already.