Thursday, April 15, 2004
RealNetworks To Apple: "You Scratch Our Backs, We'll Scratch Yours"
Posted by Kent Pribbernow in "NEWS" @ 09:00 AM
RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser is appealing to Apple to form a mutual alliance against rival Microsoft. In an email leaked by a source from inside Apple, Glaser makes an interesting proposal to Steve Jobs:"It is against this backdrop that the timing and details of Glaser's offer to Jobs are particularly intriguing. In his message, which was obtained by The New York Times from a person close to Apple, Glaser asked Jobs to consider licensing Apple's Fairplay digital rights management system to RealNetworks to permit customers of the RealNetworks music service to play their digital music collections on iPod players.
In exchange, RealNetworks would make the iPod its primary device for the RealNetworks store and for the RealPlayer software."
Interesting. Clearly Glaser knows which way the winds of change are blowing (Microsoft). And it doesn't take a Wall Street analyst to see which online music service has the recipe for success. But frankly, I don't think Apple NEEDS Real. Nor do we for that matter. :roll:
