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9/21
Where RealNetworks sees Harmony, Apple sees only discord.
The two online music titans were joined in battle late this summer
over a technology that promises compatibility between different portable
music players.
Before the launch of RealNetworks’ Harmony in August, customers
buying music from the web had to choose between competing formats, such
as AAC preferred by Apple or Microsoft’s WMA. And songs in one
format are not encoded to be read by every player.
Harmony allows customers to listen to their songs on 100 different
portable devices, RealNetworks says.
"RealNetworks is the leader in subscription services and we now
believe we are clearly number two in a la carte download sales,”
the Seattle company said in a statement.
Harmony is the showcase of a campaign titled, “Freedom of Choice.”
RealNetworks offered songs at half-off Apple’s prices and sold
music at a clip of one million songs per week throughout August.
But Apple, whose iTunes store accounts for 70% of Internet music sales,
says RealNetworks’ jockeying for market position borders on criminal.
“We are stunned that RealNetworks has adopted the tactics and
ethics of a hacker to break into the iPod,” Apple said in a statement,
“and we are investigating the implications of their actions under
the DMCA (The Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and other laws.”
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