EU Official Takes Aim At Apple

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EU Official Takes Aim At Apple

Reuters reports EU consumer chief Meglena Kuneva has criticized Apple’s practice of bundling of its iPod music players and its iTunes online music store. Reuters, which picked up the story from an interview published in the German weekly magazine Focus, quoted Kuneva as saying: “Do you think it’s fine that a CD plays in all CD players but that an iTunes song only plays in an iPod? I don’t. Something has to change.”
A Commission spokeswoman in Brussels confirmed Kuneva’s comment in the magazine but stressed it represented the commissioner’s personal views, not those of the Commission. Consumer rights organizations from Germany, France, Finland and Norway have also criticized Apple’s unwillingness to open up iTunes. The Norwegian consumer ombudsman has set a deadline of October 1 for Apple to make its Fairplay DRM codes available to other companies, or face possible closure.
Related:
—Norway Forces Apple To Open Up iTunes

Peggy Anne Salz Mar 12, 2007 11:49 AM ET

Posted In: Entertainment, Music, Technologies / Formats, Companies, Apple, Countries, Europe

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Steven Birch

You are not forced to purchase music from iTunes Music Store to be able to listen to music on your iPod. This is like saying that all Xbox 360 games should be able to be played on Sony Playstation 3 systems as well, I mean why should I pay $40 for a game that I am forced to only be able to play on one companies game system. But of course this can be taken as far as programs for Windows only, or MacOS X only. Or what if I have toner for an HP laser printer, I am forced to use it in an HP printer, as Canon laser printers use different size and shaped toner carts, locking me in.. blah blah. I can listen transfer any CD to my iPod, and I can transfer any song from iTunes Music Store to a CD. Technically at that point I can load that CD into any other digital music player, my car, my home stereo, my cell phone… so that iTunes music is not locked into just my iPod. Regulators need to get a life and worry about things that really matter in this world…

This is just stupid.

Michael

"a CD plays in all CD players but that an iTunes song only plays in an iPod"?

Someone doesn't know what he's talking about: an iTunes song plays on an iPod PLUS all CD players.