Jobs 'Aint So Bad After All

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers, published a statement (Click the title) on Tuesday that settled a few things. He was getting a lot of heat for the DRM that infects the iTunes music store files, and it was in his best interest to clarify his position and play victim. Without plainly stating it, he made it clear that he's just as much DRM prey as the people who download from his largely successful service. By removing the software, he'd be effectively jeopardizing the whole enterprise. He's caught in between the record companies and his consumers. Based on his somewhat forward thinking business model, it's not inconceivable that he'd dispose of DRM if the record companies that supply most of the music in his store allowed for it. The skeptical bloggers and writers have thoroughly analyzed the statement, deeming his attitude a "bluff" and using clever rhetoric, but it's just idiotic to me. Sure, maybe DRM keeps Apple's sales high, but you can't get around the fact that if Jobs decided to press his middle finger against the windows of the corporate music skyscrapers, his iTunes music store would fail, losing the music that keeps it alive now. What would you do? So, while I believe that Jobs would, in fact, relinquish the DRM scheme to please his customers, that's inconsequential. The fact is: all he could do right now is speak out against DRM and get record companies to think about their industry differently. Perhaps, he's in a power position to say, 'Hey, suit! You can't use my customers' business? Well, let's see how far you get without them." But in all likelihood, if Jobs isn't willing to keep DRM on his files, another company will surely spring up and take the business and satisfy the hungry music executives. So, yeah, I've bitched and moaned about Jobs' unwillingness to get rid of DRM, but I think we all need to aim our vengeful guns at the record companies and the RIAA, instead of the vendors who feel the heat of corporate fire-pokers, waiting for the vendor to slip up or point the middle finger.
I do believe Jobs is in a power position to convince record companies to allow him to sell DRM-encrypted files that would be open to devices other than the iPod. The technology to limit the amount of devices and computers that could bear each song, while still allowing interoperability, seems rather feasible. Until that software is developed and Jobs becomes more outspoken about the issue, maybe you can put a little blame on him.