It would seem that the once unbreakable Reality Distortion Field keeps getting more and more cracks in it. The latest? It would seem that with the latest iterations of the iPod, Apple has changed the iTunesDB (the database file that tells your iPod what’s on it) format so that the iPod can only be updated by iTunes. This basically locks out the ability for anyone using Linux or using alternate software on Windows (such as Winamp, which has had the ability to update an iPod for a while now).
This isn’t a surprising turn of events (Jobs is a ruthless capitalist at heart, don’t you know). Things like the DCMA give companies like Apple huge leeway to encourage anti-competitive business practices. Apple also cleans up nicely from purchases in the iTunes Store. Their vertically integrated selling model has been Apple’s bread and butter since 2002. The real surprising thing is that more and more people aren’t being wooed by the mighty Jobs anymore and seeing everything that the heads in Cupertino do as infallible. By keeping this up, Apple may one day be viewed with the same level disdain as that guy in Redmond.
But, then again, who am I kidding? Steve Jobs can do no wrong, right?
