The fanboy in me really wants to side with Apple on this, but I just can't. I bought an iPod, I own an iPod. That second bit is important... I OWN an iPod. Steve Jobs probably has one or two of his own with which he can do whatever he pleases. As soon as he tries to tell me what I can/can't do with mine, he's stepping over the line. Last time I checked, Apple wasn't leasing these things out.
Apple's response to this is juvenile and is so far from the company's hacker roots that it's alarming. For them to suggest that they will release an update whose primary/secondary/tertiary responsibility is to break Harmony compatibility is just plain wrong and does a disservice to all of their customers.
Apple has said repeatedly that they are only in the online music biz to sell more iPods. I fail to see how the release of Harmony doesn't help them do exactly that. Granted, they could've seen more money (ie. > $0) from the deal if they hadn't been so arrogant about licensing FairPlay, but it seems that the lessons learned from past mistakes have been quickly forgotten. Unfortunate.
Apple's response to this is juvenile and is so far from the company's hacker roots that it's alarming. For them to suggest that they will release an update whose primary/secondary/tertiary responsibility is to break Harmony compatibility is just plain wrong and does a disservice to all of their customers.
Apple has said repeatedly that they are only in the online music biz to sell more iPods. I fail to see how the release of Harmony doesn't help them do exactly that. Granted, they could've seen more money (ie. > $0) from the deal if they hadn't been so arrogant about licensing FairPlay, but it seems that the lessons learned from past mistakes have been quickly forgotten. Unfortunate.