Apple fighs RealNetworks' 'hacker tactics'
<span style="color: lightblue">What is it with the major companies and their hatred of compatibility? Look at who else has done it before: the Internet is a mess because Microsoft and Netscape did it in the mid 90's; Apple and Microsoft have done it with their OS's (MacOS only works on the Powerpc/G* processors, Windows only works on x86), and now it's happening with digital music...
Why does Apple fight against a competing music store that will likely help the iPod and hence the iTunes music store?

When will they learn? This is potentially disastrous for Apple, especially with the media biased against it...

<font color=plum>That's a good question, <font color=lightblue>LennonCook</font>.

I'm old enough to remember when Apple first arrived on the scene and eventually produced the very FIRST Macintosh computer. Back then (in the early 80's), the PC market was primarily industrial. Only schools and businesses could actually afford personal computers. Apple came along as the only competitor against IBM and they actually had a chance to become as strong as thier Corporate Goliath adversary, but they made a couple of critical mistakes.

First thing they did was the Board of Directors decided to FIRE the guy that actually INVENTED the first Apple computers. Secondly, they expected the Macintosh to sell itself and didn't pursue any new or upgraded models after that.

The result was disastrous and Apple quickly fell BACK into obscurity. It's a wonder they survived at all.

So, yeah, given their history, it would seem to make sense for them to develop a new strategy and make their products MORE compatible with as much of the available technology as possible. All they are doing is limiting their potential target market once again. Since the company almost went "belly up" with this strategy before, you would think they would have learned from their past mistakes.

I realize that all manufacturers want to have a certain amount of "proprietary technology" (you can only use OUR products and softwar with OUR machines), but the only ones that can actually afford to follow that strategy are the giants that already have the lion's share of the market (like Microsoft). Their competitors have to give people a reason to choose their product over the product of the established leader, and the best way to do that is to offer MORE services and MORE compatiblity, not less.</font>

Apple should be expanding their compatability, not decreasing it. Sheesh. :(

I have a feeling that this could backfire horribly on Apple, considering the market hold that MS has on the market, this could be very bad for apple.