December 5, 2005 6:10 PM PST
Glaser turns wrath on Apple, Jobs
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At the Digital Living Conference here on Monday, Glaser told a packed hotel ballroom that Jobs & Co.'s refusal to make the iPod compatible with music services other than Apple's iTunes was "pigheadedness." Glaser also said that Apple's unwillingness to cooperate with other online music vendors promotes piracy of copyrighted materials and will eventually draw the wrath of consumers.
Video: RealNetworks' CEO Rob Glaser
"Apple's pigheadedness."
These are heady times for Glaser and his Internet multimedia company, which announced in October that it had reached a favorable settlement with Microsoft on the $1 billion lawsuit RealNetworks filed in 2003.
Under the deal, Microsoft agreed to pay $460 million in cash to settle the antitrust claims and will also pay $301 million to support RealNetworks' music and game efforts. In addition Microsoft will promote RealNetworks' Rhapsody subscription music service on its MSN Web business.
Perhaps Jobs unknowingly helped RealNetworks and Microsoft find common ground. In 2004, Glaser appealed to Jobs to make the popular iPod compatible with other music services. Microsoft has long sought to strike partnerships in the digital-music arena to help it challenge Apple's enormous lead in the sector.
Jobs responded by telling his shareholders that a deal with RealNetworks simply was "not worth it." Glaser didn't let that stop him. In July 2004, RealNetworks released a version of its music download service compatible with Apple's iPod--without the permission of Jobs & Co. Apple has called it "hacker tactics" but hasn't filed a lawsuit.
Following Glaser's presentation he was asked whether Apple's unwillingness to allow others access to the iPod, the hot-selling digital music player, was hurting RealNetworks.
"We think Apple Computer, and Steve personally, are making a mistake by making the software proprietary," Glaser said, noting that RealNetworks would continue catering to users of Macintosh computers. "There's no reason we should penalize Apple customers for Steve's pigheadeness."
In an interview following his presentation, Glaser called for the music industry to pressure Jobs into opening up the iPod to other online music vendors.
"Steve makes for a good pinata because he's taken a position against interoperability," Glaser said. These people "should be pressuring him to change because they have leverage over him. Apple being on its own in term of interoperability makes piracy more compelling for consumers. Because, hey, if I take all my MP3s from this illegal site or that illegal site, they'll work on the iPod or anything else. Whereas if I buy them legitimately, they'll only work at one place."
Glaser said that consumers could blame Apple if they can't hook up their music with their other digital content should such convergence become popular.
Glaser was at the conference to debut a revamped Rhapsody digital music service, which will let people search and listen to its catalog of songs from a Web page, instead of requiring them to download software. RealNetworks is hoping that an overhauled Rhapsody site will help it stand apart from competitors, which often require users to download software before they begin listening to music.
In an effort to draw attention to the site and compete with iTunes, RealNetworks is allowing visitors to stream 25 songs for free.
"I don't think anyone offers anything freer than 25 (songs)," Glaser told the audience following his speech. "We're the cost and price leader."
But can RealNetworks make money with such a strategy?
"We already know from having done six months of work that the economics of getting consumers to use free services are good," Glaser said.
Among the strategies available, RealNetworks can sell ads to the site or steer customers to premium services that company could charge for.
"Google had a ubiquitous strategy before a monetary strategy and last I heard it worked out for them," Glaser said.
151 comments
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over it already. If Apple is going to 'open up' their format, they'll do
it on their time table, not because of Glaser's whining.
simple, iTunes is still the easiest jukebox software to use, their
prices are competitive and I know who to contact if their is a
problem. No finger pointing, just contact Apple.
Mr. Glaser, if Apple were to open the iPod, who's software would we
have to use to load our iPods with Real's music? Real's? Like I need
or want another program to learn... Get a life or better yet, come
up with a product people actually want to buy!
Apparently ear bud make it a lot easier to damage ones hearing. All these people have damaged their ears and are content to listen mediocre audio quality because they can no longer tell the difference.
and music from an MP3 encoded at 128Kbps. It's one of the things
that makes the MP3 format work. I can encode my entire CD
collection, put it on a player I can carry with me and listen to music
that sounds almost exactly the same.
Earbuds don't damage the ear. Listening at high volume for
extended periods of time damages the ear.
ipod dust!
their iRiver to work. I have even used it with my mother's Rio. While
I have Realplayer on my Mac, if they don't get on the common
format bandwagon, they will fall to the wayside like Sony's non-
MP3 player.
goes to show what can be done if you dump the DRM garbage and
get back to providing a quality product at a good price. Jobs and
Glaser could both take lessons from John Buckman.
iTunes is defiantely the best media player and i hope the iPod remains exclusive to it.
OK - so maybe not. But it's amazing how the Apple zealots & apologists come out for this story.
Real(Very Rairly) then quit out of real i had to restart my computer
so i say screw real real is the one who is piggheaded. NOT apple.
I've been an active consumer enjoying computer audio for some 15 years now and all I can ever remember was Real Networks holding their hand out and charging people for anything they could randomly think of...including my breath if they could fathom a way.
I personally don't feel a need for playing music outside of my computer but admire Apple for innovation, winning strategy and a clear mindset for the future.
Glaser is a whinny @#@%$ who has obviously hindered Real Networks. Somebody throw him off the board, duct tape his mouth and throw him in a closet somewhere. Maybe give him some cheese and crackers to go with his whine?
It's clunky and cumbersome, and is only good for buying music... it's basically a giant playlist that, in it's basic, default form, takes up most of your screen. There's absolutely nothing special about the way it plays music, except for the idiotic 'party mode' which is just a glorified shuffle (like how the ipod shuffle is a glorified lack-of-a-screen).
RealPlayer USED to be the worst media player out there. It has gained ALOT of technological ground since it has been based off of the open-source Helix (I think?) software, which is an OSS media player often included with Linux distributions.
It is the ONLY player I have seen that saves a variable length of a stream, DVR style, for rewinding. As such I think it is one of the best streaming applications availible currently.
wants the leader in the MP3 arena to slow down and let him catch
up...take your cash and invent something better to compete. Quit
looking for another handout!
This is not leadership...it is whining like a little bi#$t.
purchase and download music because it relies on the Windows
Rhapsody client for that functionality. RealNetworks will not
comment on when, or even if, a Mac/Linux client may be available.
Yeah, I know, Mac/Linux have small market share. Just like Real.
compatibility when his own service is only available on one
platform! Idiots!
Real(Very Rairly) then quit out of real i had to restart my computer
so i say screw real real is the one who is piggheaded. NOT apple.
and see the News.com article <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://news.com.com/RealNetworks+moves+Rhapsody+to+the+Web/2100-1027_3-5980908.html?tag=st.ref.goo" target="_newWindow">http://news.com.com/RealNetworks+moves+Rhapsody+to+the+Web/2100-1027_3-5980908.html?tag=st.ref.goo</a>
I must add that I don't like Real Networks and their stupid CEO but I had to bring up the facts.
~ Bob
purpose of the iTunes Music Store is to sell iPods. That is all it's
ever been intended to do and every decision Apple has made
regarding it supports that purpose. As a revenue model on its
own, it is simply not worth it - Apple makes very little money on
the music sold. Opening it to other players and other
applications dilutes and defeats that purpose, and that is why it
hasn't happened. Introducing other arguements and issues is
politics and debate tactics, intended to muddy the waters and
stir up response.
My response to your post is: Amen! Amen! Amen!
from the web site and pay a subscription fee. Unfortunately,
Microsoft's $400 million will keep them in business longer.
than Rhapsody, music match, or any of the other services.
My son's band (Self-Titled), has been getting sixty cents per song
download from iTunes through CD Baby. Rhapsody downloads are
worth a penny each.
Do the math folks. Indy artists get a fair shake from Apple.
player?
My lord, I sure hope you aren't referring to the biggest piece of
bloat on the planet, Internet Explorer!
And if you were, what in the heck are you using to PLAY the
music with? Hmmm?
That's right, a SECOND piece of software!
If you can prove to me that it's MORE efficient and LESS bloated
to use TWO software packages than one, then I'll listen to you.
Until then, let us review basic addition. Using two programs to
manage your entire music experience is using one more
program than is necessary.
Next!
The iPod and iTunes are fantastic, user-centric products. They're
winning fairly: on merits. Word of mouth would still fetch Apple
a healthy market-share because the products are so good.
Glaser probably gets this. But if he admits it, he admits Real is
basically worthless.
Build a better experience. I'll buy it. But the idea of Real or MS
being the ones to that to market is laughable.
I have a Samsung YH-925GS and I love it. Napster is so-so but the player itself is fantastic.
revolution with the Apple II, and then the Macintosh, only to be
undermined by Microsoft with Windows. It was on track in the
early 80s for the market share that Microsoft now enjoys, and
got blindsided because they asked Microsoft to develop a
spreadsheet program for their then prototype Mac. Decades
later, Apple finds another niche with the iPod, and once again,
competitors start whining because their product isn't as good.
Furthermore, are Real media files not proprietary? Are you not
locked into using RealPlayer everytime you encounter one? Does
Windows Media Player play QuickTime files? Um no. Microsoft,
Real, and especially Sony are completely pissed because a
company they had written off as a lost-cause years ago is now
out performing them. These companies need to stop whining
and let Apple have their long-deserved time in the spotlight,
which always seems to be taken away from them by competitors'
underhanded tactics.
The argument that people are going to steal songs if they can't get music off Apple's store is just "pig-headedness!"
When was the last time you could not rip music from a CD that you BOUGHT and load that into any MP3 player?
Oh, we want convenience? In that case, BUY AN iPOD and use the iTunes Music Store. Hello, news flash: Convenience costs money! Depending on one's budget, there's a many different iPods to choose from and the cheapest one ain't that bad!
Duh!
iTunes Store. Consumers wouldn't necessarily benefit as it would
surely bring confusion, inconsistancies and problems. Apple has
been hugely successful because it has control over the 'iPod
experience' from usage to purchasing and that conrol offers
value. iTunes pricing is reasonable and the selection is fairly
large plus you can buy and (legally) rip most anything else you
may want.
I don't think many iPod owners are complaining they cannot use
Real or any other competing service. It's mostly people with
competing players or stores who wish things were different.
raise the price on every thing music to including the songs. in
stead of them being 99¢ they would be like $1.50 or cds instead of
them being about $9.99 they would be about $14.99 or more!!!
a sore LOSER. He is doing whatever he can to gain markershare,
even if to put down a superior technology and market leader.
Obviously, the reason is that AAC is a much better format and the
others don't support it. AAC is part of the MPEG4 format. If the
others would fully support the same format, maybe things might be
different. REAL is on their way downhill fast and Rob Glaser knows
it and he is trying to save face with the shareholders and end losers
that use Real.
you will be stuck with ipod forever,
as the songs cannot be played on other mp3 players!
If your next mp3 player is an from sony or nokia
that adopts open standard DRM,
all your itunes purchase will be down the drain!!
I wonder how many users know this.
older, lesser quality audio format for compressed audio. For
those that didn't know this, RIC, you can put mp3's on the iPod,
just not with these other music player DRM crap.
Get over it. iPod is superior product and they have
approximately 80% marketshare of the player market. Notice I
didn't say "mp3" player market. BTW, you can now play high
quality videos with H.264 on the later generation iPods.
Don't be a sore end loser. :-)
(and dozens of my friends own iPods), did some research.
I, and all my friends, preferred the SOUND QUALITY of Dolby
Labs AAC encoding over that of MS's proprietary CODEC.
I know that the Dell/Sony/Insert Name of All Other Failed
Competitor's Here sycophants can't believe this, but the elitist
attitudes that they hold when venting anti iPod garbage is
exactly that. Garbage.
Every iPod purchaser I know (including my poor, non technical
mother), read the boxes, read the reviews, went to stores,
listened, looked, touched and used an iPod (along with whatever
else that was on the shelf), then purchased the iPod.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's terribly arrogant of you to
assume that you're smarter than the people who disagree with
your conclusions.
Carry on,
claims are false. Here, I'll walk you through it....
Start iTunes and open your preferences. On Mac it is Safari-
>Preferences and on Windows it is Edit->Preferences.
Select the Advanced tab.
Change the Import Using field to MP3 Encoder.
Close your preferences.
Now, right click any song in your library and select to Convert to
MP3.
You now have a version of that song that can be used on any
MP3 player.
Really, you should start making it a habit of reading the help
files before you enbarrass yourself in public.
So why would they want to open up there system...think in terms of balancing business vs consumer. most people are thinking in one term or the other but not a balance
It is the subscription services that put your money down the drain. Once you stop, you loose the rights to your music. How is that better? If I don't want to purchase a single song on iTunes, I can still listen to everything that I've already paid for, either on any of my stereos (using Airport Express), my iPod(s), or my computer systems (Macs and PCs). How is this a restriction?
And besides, when's the last tiem soemone else put out aplayer that's even close to Apple's Caliber? They haven't. So why worry?
forever, ..."
Where in the world did you come up with THAT crap! An audio
file, is an audio file. I can create an audio CD composed of any
of music in my iTunes library. ANY.
Given that simple, straight-forward fact. That means it can be
converted, and played back in ANY format I desire.
EITHER YOU ARE VERY STUPID, OR A CLASS OF DISHONEST
SCUM-BAG WHOM EVERY ONE HATES.
MP3 players, Apple allows you to burn them to CD, which you
can then rip BACK to MP3, and play anywhere.
Some services/filetypes do or can have such restrictive DRM that
you cannot burn the songs to a CD. I can't burn my WMA files
then rip them back to AAC for my iPod, but I can burn my iTMS
AAC files to CD then rip them back to WMA or MP3. I wonder if
people ripping their OWN CDs to a format that cannot be burned
to CD know this.
Sounds to me like Apple is a much more open and reusable
choice. Crisis averted, village saved.
probably step down, take his money and RUN.
you how mad he is.