Another Jobs-dedicated post: Thompson feels Jobs doesn't really want to lose the DRM

Feb 14, 2007 08:44 GMT  ·  By

Columnist Bill Thompson gave us yet another reason to talk about Steve Jobs when on Monday he posted his thoughts on what's really happening in the music industry, mainly regarding Apple, Steve Jobs and their DRM solution, FairPlay.

After reading the journalist's column, several thoughts came to my mind. First of all, why is this person so upset with Jobs? It's true he's kind of becoming a 'media-whore', I sometimes get the feeling he's more talked about than Britney Spears, but so what?

The columnist said he stole the spotlight at the Computer Electronics Show with the iPhone, he got extra coverage from the dispute with Apple Corps. and from the 'Get a Mac' ad campaign, and so on. True, but does that surprise anyone? Above all, Jobs is a great businessman. Of course he would do anything to increase Apple's media coverage, and good for him as he managed to do just that.

"Surely they could not have intended to spoil Bill Gates' big day?", says the columnist regarding the fact that by Vista's launching iTunes was still not compatible and iTunes users were advised to postpone upgrading to Vista. Bad, bad Steve Jobs!

Another thing Thompson said made me wonder. He thinks Apple is not at all interested in ditching DRM, since they would only lose money by doing so. "I don't believe him", says Thompson about Jobs' statement stating that Apple would happily lose DRM. The company would "sell a lot more songs, on which they make very little money, and a lot fewer iPods", states the journalist. Hmm, I think not.

The iPod was and still is a huge success, even if it's more expensive than many other mp3 players. People don't buy iPods because they want to listen to their music from iTunes Store, it's the other way around. iPod sales will not drop if DRM is ditched. Apple will only sell even more music and gain more money.

As an ending to his essay, Thompson says Jobs will be "crushed under foot by those who really understand the music business". He thinks DRM will indeed be abandoned, but it won't be Jobs' making. Really now, do you see Steve Jobs as the crushed-under-foot type of guy?

Truth being said, Steve Jobs is not exactly the kind of character people love. But he surely is the kind of character people love to talk about, especially journalists, like myself...