Editors' Picks: Is Apple becoming the Microsoft of music?
The iPod is designed to play music purchased from Apple Computer's iTunes service and files in the MP3 format, but not songs from all competitors.
Editors' Picks
Is Apple becoming the Microsoft of music?
Editors' picks
Has Real adopted the "tactics and ethics of a hacker," as Apple puts it, or has the Mac maker taken a page from its nemesis Microsoft in strong-arming the competition, as some industry analysts suggest? Both? Give us your take.
July 30, 2004
Growth of digital music
Music downloads have begun to put their renegade origins in the past. Internet song sales could reach $270 million, more than double the takings from the previous year, according to one new report, rising to $1.7 billion by 2009. More than any other company, Apple Computer is poised to cash in on that trend.- Macworld UK Apple could be 'Microsoft of music'
- Investor's Business Daily Microsoft tunes up music for August debut
- CNET News.com Study: Song downloads to hit a high note
- CNET News.com Real's reality
- Wired News MP3 Pioneer Debuts Spatial Sound
RealNetworks v. Apple
With success comes envy. RealNetworks, a digital media pioneer, has struggled to find its way in the music distribution business. First, it battled Microsoft over dominance in digital streaming formats. Now it's facing off with Apple over interoperability between its own music format and the iPod. Will the strategy work?- CNET News.com 'Stunned' Apple rails against Real's iPod move
- BBC News Are Real and Apple playing fair?
- The New York Times RealNetworks Plans to Sell Songs to Be Played on iPods (requires registration)
- CNET News.com RealNetworks breaks Apple's hold on iPod
- CNET News.com Musical chairs: RealNetworks makes overture to Apple
iPod and iTunes
Apple has sold more than 3 million iPods, taking about 25 percent of the global market for digital music players by some counts, and the company claims its iTunes Music Store accounts for some 70 percent of all songs bought online. But can Apple stay on top in the face of renewed competition from Microsoft, Sony and others?- TechNewsWorld Apple Unveils New iPods, Cuts Prices by $100
- CNET News.com Apple strikes cell phone music deal
- BusinessWeek Online iPod: Leader, but Not Ruler
- CNET News.com Microsoft's iPod killer?
- BBC News iTunes tops 100m downloads mark
- CNET News.com Apple's diplomatic core
Interoperability and standards
Looking for a digital music standard? How about MP3s? Still the dominant format, MP3s are falling out of favor with some listeners who say they've found better compression technology elsewhere. Major format battles still loom for the industry, offering a major opportunity to the company whose technology comes out on top.- MSNBC Kick the compression habit
- CNET News.com Glaser envisions digital tech for the taking
- TechNewsWorld Apple-Microsoft Rivalry Renewed with Music Format Wars
- Digital Media Europe Chiariglione pushes for a moral digital media framework
Digital rights management
As giant corporations fight for dominance, they may wind up the biggest losers. Standardization efforts are progressing slowly, and if history is any guide, don't expect results soon. The top problem: establishing copy protection technology that works everywhere.- DRM Watch Hearings Held on "Induce" Act for Anti-Piracy
- Cory Doctorow Microsoft Research DRM talk
- CNET News.com Music downloaders hit by acronym cacophony
- CNET News.com MP3 getting antipiracy makeover
- The Register iTunes DRM cracked wide open for GNU/Linux. Seriously
Videos
Apple's musical iPod unveiled
Apple unveils its first consumer digital device, the stainless-steel iPod, capable of storing up to 1,000 songs on its hard drive.
Gadgets in tune at Macworld
New gadgets and software for the Mac were on hand at Macworld 2004 in Boston. ZDNet's David Berlind uncovers the latest, including full-circle iPod speaker systems, software for budding rock stars and the ultimate mobile multimedia editing suite for the video pro on the go.
Real changes course with open source
RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser sits down for a Face to Face interview with CNET editors. In this 20-minute conversation, Glaser talks about his company's new open-source strategy and shares his views on MPEG-4 adoption and digital rights management.
Real announces Helix media player project
At the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco, CNET's Brian Cooley talks with the general manager of RealNetworks' Helix technology, Kevin Foreman, about a new open-source program that's aimed at creating a media player for Linux.
Apple launches iTunes Music Store and new iPods
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced on Monday the launch of a new online music store that features 99 cent downloads and a 200,000-song library. He also introduced three new iPods, one which has 30 gigs of storage.
Editors' Picks
Is Apple becoming the Microsoft of music?
Editors' picks
Has Real adopted the "tactics and ethics of a hacker," as Apple puts it, or has the Mac maker taken a page from its nemesis Microsoft in strong-arming the competition, as some industry analysts suggest? Both? Give us your take.
July 30, 2004
Growth of digital music
Music downloads have begun to put their renegade origins in the past. Internet song sales could reach $270 million, more than double the takings from the previous year, according to one new report, rising to $1.7 billion by 2009. More than any other company, Apple Computer is poised to cash in on that trend.- Macworld UK Apple could be 'Microsoft of music'
- Investor's Business Daily Microsoft tunes up music for August debut
- CNET News.com Study: Song downloads to hit a high note
- CNET News.com Real's reality
- Wired News MP3 Pioneer Debuts Spatial Sound
RealNetworks v. Apple
With success comes envy. RealNetworks, a digital media pioneer, has struggled to find its way in the music distribution business. First, it battled Microsoft over dominance in digital streaming formats. Now it's facing off with Apple over interoperability between its own music format and the iPod. Will the strategy work?- CNET News.com 'Stunned' Apple rails against Real's iPod move
- BBC News Are Real and Apple playing fair?
- The New York Times RealNetworks Plans to Sell Songs to Be Played on iPods (requires registration)
- CNET News.com RealNetworks breaks Apple's hold on iPod
- CNET News.com Musical chairs: RealNetworks makes overture to Apple
iPod and iTunes
Apple has sold more than 3 million iPods, taking about 25 percent of the global market for digital music players by some counts, and the company claims its iTunes Music Store accounts for some 70 percent of all songs bought online. But can Apple stay on top in the face of renewed competition from Microsoft, Sony and others?- TechNewsWorld Apple Unveils New iPods, Cuts Prices by $100
- CNET News.com Apple strikes cell phone music deal
- BusinessWeek Online iPod: Leader, but Not Ruler
- CNET News.com Microsoft's iPod killer?
- BBC News iTunes tops 100m downloads mark
- CNET News.com Apple's diplomatic core
Interoperability and standards
Looking for a digital music standard? How about MP3s? Still the dominant format, MP3s are falling out of favor with some listeners who say they've found better compression technology elsewhere. Major format battles still loom for the industry, offering a major opportunity to the company whose technology comes out on top.- MSNBC Kick the compression habit
- CNET News.com Glaser envisions digital tech for the taking
- TechNewsWorld Apple-Microsoft Rivalry Renewed with Music Format Wars
- Digital Media Europe Chiariglione pushes for a moral digital media framework
Digital rights management
As giant corporations fight for dominance, they may wind up the biggest losers. Standardization efforts are progressing slowly, and if history is any guide, don't expect results soon. The top problem: establishing copy protection technology that works everywhere.- DRM Watch Hearings Held on "Induce" Act for Anti-Piracy
- Cory Doctorow Microsoft Research DRM talk
- CNET News.com Music downloaders hit by acronym cacophony
- CNET News.com MP3 getting antipiracy makeover
- The Register iTunes DRM cracked wide open for GNU/Linux. Seriously
Videos
Apple's musical iPod unveiled
Apple unveils its first consumer digital device, the stainless-steel iPod, capable of storing up to 1,000 songs on its hard drive.
Gadgets in tune at Macworld
New gadgets and software for the Mac were on hand at Macworld 2004 in Boston. ZDNet's David Berlind uncovers the latest, including full-circle iPod speaker systems, software for budding rock stars and the ultimate mobile multimedia editing suite for the video pro on the go.
Real changes course with open source
RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser sits down for a Face to Face interview with CNET editors. In this 20-minute conversation, Glaser talks about his company's new open-source strategy and shares his views on MPEG-4 adoption and digital rights management.
Real announces Helix media player project
At the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco, CNET's Brian Cooley talks with the general manager of RealNetworks' Helix technology, Kevin Foreman, about a new open-source program that's aimed at creating a media player for Linux.
Apple launches iTunes Music Store and new iPods
Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced on Monday the launch of a new online music store that features 99 cent downloads and a 200,000-song library. He also introduced three new iPods, one which has 30 gigs of storage.