[Web4lib] RE: Overdrive

[Karen Coyle]

The lack of support for iPods is something I'm curious about, and will 
ask about at the Overdrive booth at ALA. I suspect that Apple is 
unwilling to license its DRM ("Fairplay") for use on non-Apple players, 
and is not able or willing to add the Windows Media File capability to 
the iPod. This seems to be somewhat typical of Apple, this bundling of 
their hardware and software -- after all, they always refused to create 
a license-able version of their operating system, even though there was 
some evidence that there was a market for it. So my guess is that 
Overdrive would be happy to be delivering files in iTunes format, since 
it would probably increase their business, but that Apple won't let a 
third party use their software.

I'll ask, and will report back. But if anyone already knows for sure, 
please post.
kc

Tracey.Reed at myClearwater.com wrote:
> Thanks to all who responded about Overdrive.  I have some of the same concerns and questions, so there's no definitive answer to what we're doing yet.  
>
> We seem to have a high theft rate of our CDs, so the audio seems more interesting to us at the moment.  One of my major concerns is the hoops that must be jumped through (conversion of files, etc.) to get them to play on iPods.  Granted, we have the same problems now with Overdrive's audiobooks (we seem to have more patrons with iPods than with regular mp3 players), and I'm not sure adding to it by adding an additional format would be beneficial at the moment.  Especially when our public PCs don't have iTunes installed so that people can put them on iPods.
>
> I really appreciate your insight.
>
> -t
> -----
> Tracey Reed
> Clearwater Public Library System
> tracey.reed at myclearwater.com
> 727.562.4970 x5188
> www.myclearwater.com/cpl
> "If the eyes are the windows of the soul, then words are the doorbells of the mind." -Josh Wilson, Australian journalist, The Weekend Australian, 2002 
>
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-- 
-----------------------------------
Karen Coyle / Digital Library Consultant
kcoyle at kcoyle.net http://www.kcoyle.net
ph.: 510-540-7596
fx.: 510-848-3913
mo.: 510-435-8234
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