Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

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• Was DRM-free music an Apple innovation?

  Some people have tried to paint the recent announcement by Apple as example of Apple innovating and Microsoft following . Headlines like " Microsoft changes tune on selling DRM-free songs " are simply misleading - none of the technology companies truly wanted DRM, but they were a necessary evil in selling music that they did not own. As I've discussing in previous posts , Microsoft, Real Networks, and Yahoo! were all instrumental in the anti-DRM movement. Most labels seem to get it - these decisions and stratregy are more often coming from the corporate parents, not the labels themselves. In fact, Gates criticized DRM months before Jobs' manifesto a month ago, and EMI had been reportedly been considering releasing DRM-free tracks in MP3 format for awhile. This initially-exclusive deal with EMI simply demonstrates Apple's significant marketshare for purchased music and influence in the market. The mere fact that Apple was lucky and/or powerful enough to convince a major label to do something... Posted Apr 09 2007, 12:59 PM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Intellectual Property, Rants, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me, Copyright, Microsoft, Apple, Law, Audio, DRM

• A look at Apple and Microsoft strategies

  I've been thinking about some of the interesting strategic decisions that Microsoft has made lately. I already discussed their curious IP licensing strategy , and their choices with Zune and Windows Media Player have me similarly baffled. In many ways, these moves have been something I expect more from Apple than Microsoft. Apple has always been known for delivering closed systems, controlling the experience from end to end. Apple software runs on an Apple OS on Apple hardware. Conversely, Microsoft has thrived largely because it has recognized the value in delivering not just products, but platforms. Office and Windows are both successful not just because of what they do as a product, but because they leave room for third party developers. It is those developers, not just Microsoft itself, that really enable a true ecosystem. Even the Xbox 360 has been a platform, not just for the media content providers, but now for the independent game developers. Given their history, it should come... Posted Jan 01 2007, 02:42 PM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Rants, Gadgets, Things that amuse me, Music, Innovation, Business, Microsoft, Apple, Audio

• Trying to Cancel Office Live

  I signed up for the Office Live beta earlier this year in Feb. I never actually used it much - it didn't add much value for me over Sharepoint and I preferred hosting my own site considering there were somewhat private things on there. Now that the beta test is over, my account was transferred over to an Office Live Essentials package priced at $19.99 a month. Obviously, since I'm not using the service, I decided to cancel such to avoid this monthly fee. Unfortunately, there is no way to just close the account. Instead, you have to fill out a web form which gets sent to Office Live Customer Support. A little over a week after I submitted the form (granted this was a holiday week), the fun started. The first response came from Obo, who told me I couldn't cancel because I didn't provide an alternate email address. Tim, are there issues that made you want to cancel your subscription with Microsoft Office Live Beta? If there are, please let us know and we will be more than willing to assist... Posted Nov 28 2006, 07:48 AM by Tim with | with 19 comment(s) Filed under: Rants, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me, Business, Microsoft

• Licensing the Office 2007 UI - what is Microsoft's IP strategy?

  Jensen Harris announced that the Office 2007 Ribbon UI can be licensed . For the last year or so, one of the questions I've been asked again and again has been: "Can I use the new Office user interface in my own product?" I have to be honest - I'm a bit baffled at this whole thing. Note, they are not providing any common controls for the Ribbon. Rather, they are "licensing ... intellectual property rights in the UI (which cover both design and functionality) and offering a comprehensive Design Guidelines document that is a roadmap for developers implementing the UI." The license is free as long as you follow the guidelines, and is intended "[f]or those that want to build their own UI that takes advantage of our design guidelines." The reason, as Jensen describes, is that "the new Office user interface was a huge investment by Microsoft and the resulting intellectual property belongs to Microsoft." The next question, of course, are what rights does Microsoft actually have with the Ribbon... Posted Nov 27 2006, 07:24 AM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Intellectual Property, Software Development, Things that bother me, Things that amuse me, Copyright, Patent, Microsoft

• This Apple advertisement doesn't make any sense. Touche!

  I love the new Get A Mac campaign . Very clever, and great casting. I'm willing to overlook some of the factual inaccuracies because, hey, this is advertising, right? One of the most recent ads ( mov ) doesn't make a lot of sense to me though. The ad in question is touting Boot Camp, OS X's ability to boot both Windows and Macs. After the Mac and PC make their introductions, the Mac says "and I'm also a PC", going on to explain why the Mac is the only computer you'll ever need. It's clear that all of these ads, with the Bill Gates lookalike and all, are not-so-subtle jabs at Microsoft. Here's the thing - Microsoft doesn't sell computers, it sells an operating system. It doesn't matter whether that OS is running on a Mac or a Dell. And isn't it better if someone has to buy a full retail copy to install on a Mac than a pre-installed OEM copy? Ironically, the PC was using the term correctly. Touche is the acknowledgement of a hit - and sometimes used sarcastically to mock an opponent's absurd... Posted Jun 19 2006, 07:48 AM by Tim with | with 18 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Rants, Things that amuse me, Microsoft, Apple, Advertising