[Web4lib] RE: Overdrive

[K.G. Schneider]

> 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.

This is something I confirmed some time ago with Overdrive. Apple gets away
with murder. I've never completely understood it; they get the "kewl
quotient" thumbs-up even though they don't play well with others. Presumably
they attended Hegemony 101 with Google.

Karen G. Schneider
kgs at bluehighways.com