[Web4lib] Downloadable audiobooks - Windows Media Player for the Macintosh?

[Carol Bean]

On Aug 6, 2007, at 7:08 PM, Bret Parker wrote:

> We get complaints from time to time about Mac users not being able  
> to use downloadable audiobooks on their Macs or iPods.
>
> I realize the issue is Digital Rights Management and that  
> NetLibrary and Audible.com use a format that works with Windows  
> Media Player and is not part of the Mac or iPod world. But...
>
> What if the Mac users ran leveraged the new technology that allows  
> them to run Windows programs?
>
> Would anyone download  audiobooks from NetLibrary using Windows  
> Media Player on the Windows side of the Mac? Seems like that would  
> be adequate to at least listen. Maybe they could even transfer the  
> file to a compatible MP3 player (not an iPod). Has anyone got an  
> insider's view of this operation?

Yeah, they could set up an intel Mac to run Windows as well as OSX,  
and download audiobooks there.  But they'd have to have an MP3 player  
that met the audiobook requirements in order to make it portable.  I  
don't know many (well, none, actually) Mac users who will choose an  
MP3 in addition to an iPod (or instead of an iPod).  But yeah, it  
could be done...

Carol Bean
beanworks.wordpress.com