Once upon a time, Napster was the place to go to get all your music needs. It had a simple interface, and you could search, download and play your favourite songs within minutes. The problem was, just about everything on Napster was illegal. Fast forward a few years later, and now the new new Napster has taken a leaf from Amazon’s playbook. Napster’s version 4.5 of its software and store now offer 6 million unprotected (DRM free) MP3 tracks for US$0.99 each.
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One thing you can say about Microsoft, they sure are persistent. Based on their track record, they only get things really right by the 3rd / 4th versions of their products (example : Internet Explorer, Windows). Even the much-criticized Zune Digital Media Player is getting the continuous update treatment. The latest Zune 2.5 update adds the ability to purchase TV shows from the Zune Store and view them on the media player.
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Not content with dominating the world’s music business, Apple wants to do the same thing to the movie business, too. Apple is now starting “day and date” releases of new movies, i.e., the digital versions are made available on the same day as the DVD release. Apple has secured deals with most major studios including Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
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