New iPod Firmware Locks Out RealNetworks Music

rishimathew writes "Apple Computer has quietly updated its iPod software so that songs purchased from RealNetworks' online music store will no longer play on some of the Mac maker's popular MP3 players." You may remember the backstory: Real found a way to allow their DRM-restricted music to play on iPods, Apple protested, and there was a little back-and-forth. You asked Rob Glaser about the situation, and he said Real had a "comprehensive plan", whatever that means.

Re:What about Hymn?

[Slack3r78]

I wouldn't think so. Hymnn strips the file of all DRM; what Real had done was essentially finding a way to get the iPod to play *their* protected files, just like files you bought off iTMS. Apple has evidently changed up the way their authentication behaves so this no longer works.

Since there's no DRM in a file that's been run through Hymn, there's no reason they shouldn't still work.

Re:What about Hymn?

[twiddlingbits]

For now there is no reason. But I bet soon if not already the iPod will check to make sure the DRM signature is in the file. No Sig, No Music. Hacking the right DRM INTO a music file is a lot harder than hacking it out especially if they use encryption.

Re:Don't you just...

[daveschroeder]

They just reduced the functionality of a unit I already own. I want a refund now for the lost functionality.

Um, no, they didn't. First of all, read this [slashdot.org]. Second, the iPod doesn't support DRM content from anyplace other than Apple. Even if Apple intentionally disabled it, Real cannot predict legitimate changes that might be made to the product or the DRM technology that might break it. And guess what? Real's trickery reflects poorly on APPLE. If they're so concerned about getting their music on iPods, maybe they should be the champion of DRM-free music, eh? After all, non-DRMed music in numerous formats plays on the iPod just fine. Real's whole reverse-engineering house of cards was built on shaky ground to begin with. As for the issue of DRM in general, the iTunes Music Store and quite possibly some of the success of the iPod wouldn't exist today if Apple hadn't allowed for SOME DRM in their store. Apple made it as invisible as it could, and also, Apple's product win is the tight integration between iTunes, the iPod, etc. It's their right to treat their products as they see fit. And if this really concerns you that much, then yes, by all means, don't buy any more iPods.

Re:What about Hymn?

[The Only Druid]

I would bet anything that you're wrong. The reason is because that would involve removing mpa playback (i.e. mp4 AAC files without DRM built in) entirely. This would be a terrible move for several reasons, the least of which being that when iTunes rips a CD to AAC, it does so in mpa files without DRM. I think you just didn't realize what the grandparent poster was saying when he said Hymn stripped out the DRM. It creates a new file that simple doesn't have DRM in it.

Re:What about Hymn?

[superpulpsicle]

I don't understand the fuss. As long as there are ways to convert your m4a or whatever formats to plain mp3 files, who can stop you?

Re:What about Hymn?

[MORTAR_COMBAT!]

You seem to be confused about both the iPod and Hymn.

1. The iPod will play unprotected AAC and MP3 files.
2. Hymn produces unprotected AAC files.

For Apple to disable the ability for the iPod to play files produces with Hymn, they would ostensibly have to either (1) remove unprotected AAC playback or (2) (a) watermark their AAC files prior to encryption and (b) update the iPod firmware to check for such a watermark for unprotected AAC files before playing.

However such a watermark would likely be a prime target for a reverse engineering and removal tool, hey why don't we just build it into Hymn in the first place?

Besides, updating iTunes, Quicktime, FairPlay, and iPod software from Apple doesn't force the end-user to update that software on any or all of their machines. So the most Apple could really hope for with the best possible solution would be to create an un-removable watermark (very, very, very hard), non-trickable FairPlay libraries (somewhat hard but then again it seems they're not really trying at this point), and even then there would be huge gaping holes w.r.t. the million or so songs already downloaded without the watermark technology.

Re:Thoughts

[Anonymous Coward]

when their beloved company turns around and does something anti-competitive and monopolistic

Anti-competitive? Sure. Monopolistic? No way.

they're suddenly "doing nothing legally, technically, ethically, morally or wrong."

I agree that's a clueless thing to say. They are deliberately removing a feature to harm a competitor.

May I remind you that thousands of people paid hundreds of dollars each for their iPods, with the expectation that they would be able to play the music that they legally bought and paid for on it?

How many of those wouldn't have bought it if they had known that music they bought from Real wouldn't play on it? Not many, I think.

Sounds like BS

[rspress]

What iPods have been updated not to work with Real Purchased songs? I bought my 3G ipod in May of this year and it is still running the same OS v2.2 that it shipped with....which is also the current version in all iPod updaters released since that time. Any updater I have downloaded did not update my iPod. I assume if Apple were going to make the Real tunes unavailable and I think they should, then how come they did not do it across the board on all models?