Digital Journal — Many companies have tried and failed to topple tech giant Apple. Now an entire continent is attacking the core of Apple’s burgeoning business in an effort to level the MP3-player field.
Regulators in Europe claim iTunes should be compatible with all digital media players, not just the iPod. The continent’s consumer advocates also join the rallying cry to force Apple to remove restrictions on its digital media platform.
Norway’s consumer ombudsman has found that Apple’s practise of selling downloadable songs that can be played on only one portable player violates Norwegian law. Sweden also wrote a similar letter to Apple.
And the British recording industry’s trade association recently told a Parliamentary committee that iTunes music should work with other portable music devices.
These fresh attacks barrage Apple in the wake of French efforts to loosen the relationship between iPod and iTunes. Earlier this year, French legislators wrote a bill that would force Apple to make the songs it sells compatible with all digital music players. Essentially, Europe wants to inhibit Apple’s monopoly in this market, an attack that could have global repercussions.
The company responded with two different faces. The first face, in response to French legislation, showed some of Apple’s teeth: It called the initiative “state sponsored piracy” and threatened to close the French version of its iTunes service. The second face offered a more measured tone when confronted with the Nordic complaint: “We have received a letter from the Norwegian Consumer Council and are looking into it,” Apple said in a statement. “We are looking forward to resolving this matter.”
Stateside protests are also tarnishing Apple’s golden image. A group called the Free Software Foundation demonstrated at seven Apple retail stores in early June to decry a growing trend that binds digital content to particular playing devices. One of the group’s blunt placards mocked Apple’s stylized iPod ads, with the profile of a person whose wrists have been tied by white iPod earphone cords against a coloured background.
As legit as these complaints sound, where do we draw the logical line? After all, iTunes music can be ripped to a CD and copied back into a PC in a new MP3 format. And if the protests against iTunes gain more public attention, the slippery slope could slide tech companies into dangerous territory. Future attacks could demand that all video games play on one console, or every piece of software should work on both Windows and Mac.
The challenge for Apple will be to convince the public its software is not only one choice out of many, but is the best option for downloading music. No one is forcing consumers to use iTunes, and the advocates’ specious arguments come at a time when other companies are trying to rival Apple with similar online music services. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
However, Apple’s overseas market could shrink if Europeans take their governments’ concerns to heart. They may not enjoy being forced to use an iPod for their iTunes music, preferring instead to buy music that works on any number of portable players. Apple should be concerned about that backlash: In its most recent quarter, Apple reported sales of $966 million (US) in Europe, the company’s second most important region behind the Americas. A slowdown in European sales could hurt Apple in both revenue and public image.
Revisiting its European business model may not directly affect North American consumers, but the outcome of these overseas attacks will trickle down eventually. Digital rights management is too massive of an issue to suddenly disappear, so expect the European conflict to reshape how we download music, no matter what service we use.
