Not so *simple* after all (Score 2, Insightful)

~ Er, .. what exactly was so 'simple' about Leonardo's way to "skin the DRM cat"? While he supplies clear definitions of exisiting systems and issues, he still doesn't address how the issue can be *solved*. And, in my opinion, the DRM of the GSM system is not quite the same apple as an MP3. Artists and Record Co.'s stand to lose if people distribute music freely. User experience cannot be closely monitored and people will complain if, for instance, they bought a perfectly encoded mp3 (m4a) from the iTunes Store but listened to it on a Zune or a Creative Zen player! How often are customers complaining about GSM because their cellphone reception quality is bad? They'd either blame the network provider or the handset manufacturer not the underlying DRM/ software!! A closer comparison, in this case perhaps, would be the 'Visa' / 'Mastercard' systems. (Note that sometimes customers still do have troubles when they shop at a store that only accepts one system). So in the end the "innovativeness" or the extent of services offered and the friendliness is going to determine what DRM system will prevail and Apple does have a stronger culture for offering a much more friendly User Experience and technology. Ultimately though, if DRM is totally done away with, as Jobs suggests, the iTunes/ iPod market will expand itself to accommodate those Users who want to shop on iTunes Store but use other mp3 players [than the iPod] and further to customers who want to own an iPod but not necessairly shop on iTunes Store. The user base of iPod/iTunes will remain fairly steady (because,let's face it, it IS a superior product/ service experience). None others, in the industry, have come close to offering such a clean experience. Steve Jobs is probably right in suggesting that abolition of DRM should not affect the Records Companies adversely and that it may, in practice, stand to improve sales and customer satisfaction. In my [humble and not-so-business savvy] opinion though, it may only improve the sales only marginally but i do think it will be a positive trend for all. ~