We all read PC World. It’s our gateway to millions of articles, thousands of reviews, that killer red masthead banner, and a terrific selection of opinions on various techie things. Without it, our lives would be empty, lonely and sad.
But, oh, does PC Word drive us crazy sometimes. It lacks obvious research, hobbles truth, and says things that are just plain dumb. In some cases, PC World’s writers are to blame, not PC World itself, but the latter is the conduit through which those bad articles trickle.
We’ve rounded up 2 of these annoyances, all of which PC World could fix in about five minutes. In the meantime, we’ve listed workarounds for them—because, let’s face it, much as we hate PC World sometimes, we’re stuck with it.
1. Lazy-assed reporting regarding DRM
#2 on PC World’s list of 11 Things They Hate About iTunes is ‘DRM (Boo!)’, where writer Rick Broida moans “why does the iTunes Store still employ digital rights management (DRM) for the majority of songs in its library?” and claims that “Blaming the record labels no longer holds water”, citing that “AmazonMP3 and Rhapsody are among a growing number of services selling DRM-free MP3s from all the major labels, not just EMI”.
Presumably, it escaped Broida’s notice that this is hardly Apple’s decision. In fact, Jobs wrote an open letter entitled ‘Thoughts on Music’, stating that he wanted to ditch DRM entirely (from music alone, obviously—the chances of Jobs saying the same about movies are roughly on par with Arnie appearing in a hardcore sequel to Brokeback Mountain). To be fair to Broida and PC World, this letter was only published in February 2007, and so they might not have gotten around to reading it yet.
The answer to Broida’s question “why hasn’t Apple given DRM the heave-ho once and for all?” is, EMI aside, that the majors remain sh*t-scared of iTunes and are trying to give it a good kicking by cosying up to everyone else, in the hope of reducing Apple’s share of the market (and therefore, by association, their reliance on Apple as a retail channel). The fact that to do this said record labels are helping the likes of Amazon and Wal-Mart (not exactly teeny-tiny companies that care for the labels any more than Apple) merely shows how confused, deluded and insane they are, rather than highlighting any of Apple’s shortcomings.
Workaround moment! Stop reporting total bollocks about Apple and DRM. (And for readers: buy your stuff from Amazon, if you hate DRM, or buy shiny disc-shaped music receptacles from independent music retailers. And tut extremely loudly upon reading the PC World article.)
2. Lazy-assed reporting regarding NBC shows
#8 on PC World’s list of 11 Things They Hate About iTunes is ‘NBC Shows — Bring Them Back!’. This item notes that new seasons of NBC shows are just around the corner, and suggests that Apple and NBC were fighting over money, leading to the NBC shows being dropped.
“Swallow your pride and get NBC back on board in time for September,” suggests Broida. “We’ve got money for ‘Office’ burning a hole in our pockets.” I’m not sure what Apple would be swallowing if acquiescing to NBC’s absurd demands, but it wouldn’t be pride. After all, it’d have to do something drastic in order to pay for all the things NBC wanted. At least NBC’s real reason for divorcing the iTunes Store wasn’t, like the record labels, an attempt to wrest total control of its content from Apple, and take its ball home in a huff, right? Oh.
Workaround moment! Stop reporting total bollocks regarding Apple and NBC. (And for readers: watch TV on an actual TV, or buy DVDs/Blu-ray discs if you want to watch content at home, rather than spending money on crappy low-resolution versions for your portable players. And tut extremely loudly upon reading the PC World article.)
Coming soon to PC World: 11 Things We Hate About Apple, with #6 no doubt being that Apple stole the Mac OS from Xerox…
Craig Grannell was once Cult of Mac’s designer and an occasional contributor. Find out whatever he’s doing now on Twitter @CraigGrannell or his website, craiggrannell.com.
47 responses to “2 Things We Hate About PC World”
DRM is not just the Music Industry, its also apple self. Look at the iPhone. DRM Protected App Store, Provider Lock, Exklusiv Contracts, etc.
The Thing has the word “LOCKED – NOT OPEN” all written over it. If Apple decides, that 10.6 just works with apps from the app store – like the iphone on the mac – i will not bra a customer any more…
DRM is not just the Music Industry, its also apple self. Look at the iPhone. DRM Protected App Store, Provider Lock, Exklusiv Contracts, etc.
The Thing has the word “LOCKED – NOT OPEN” all written over it. If Apple decides, that 10.6 just works with apps from the app store – like the iphone on the mac – i will not bra a customer any more…
Apple sistematically denied independent music labels the ability to sell non-DRM’d music in the past. Apple representatives said at the time that, even if the big labels asked them to sell non-DRM’d music, they wouldn’t do it. And Apple never consented to dillute the nuisance of FairPlay by licensing it.
Jobs preached his new anti-DRM religion oh so opportunistically when the EU started examining the issue and Universal (I think it was them) decided to experiment selling non-DRM’d MP3.
So yes, the labels asked for using DRM, but then Apple was all too happy to oblige and so wall its garden.
DRM is a big issue to one small group. Dissatisfied geeks. Nobody else cares. They understand that you have to buy music. It is not free for swapping.
wow. After reading their 11 Reasons, I get the feeling that the person who wrote it is a non-iTunes user forced to switch to iTunes in the last week. These are never complaints that I’ve had with iTunes, and I’ve had complaints, but it’s like they’re not even using the same application as I.
@mo – iphone is a completely different story. 1. i don’t want my phone to be open to apps etc. i want it to be secure as hell. 2. locked to phones are a policy of the cell provider. you don’t like it, ask them to change it. apple is only playing by their rules, same as EVERY OTHER phone out there.
@snafu – link please. as far as i know apple never said anything like that. IN FACT, apple’s push (and that open letter) is the reason things finally started moving to a non DRM world. universal did not decide to experiment with non DRM until well after that.
The only issue not properly examined is why are companies lining up against the #1 electronic retailer. I hate to say it, but content providers need to have some say. Apple can protect it’s pricing by demanding content companies provide best pricing to Apple as any other customer. This is done all the time. Apple is being too heavy handed on the pricing side, causing this irrational response by the content companies. Heck, if their crap is overpriced, people won’t buy it. As long as Apple can force content providers to give Apple the lowest pricing, it’s OK.
These arguments come from the same folks who constantly spout off that iPods only play music from the iTunes store or AAC files from your CDs.
People do not want to think or investigate anything anymore.
As for the iPhone, even if service provider policies are not responsible for the lock-down, I still don’t want to run everything and anything on my phone. I can’t afford it to go down from bad software. My RAZR only ran applications bought from AT&T so to me that part is no different. How many free apps were available for that phone? None.
That brings up another of my pet peeves. There are a lot of reports that you have to pay for any iPhone apps and that Apple pushes a “tax” which means that all developers have to charge. I wish they’d actually check the App store. There are hundreds of free apps.
Basically the “mainstream” media has gotten lazy and inaccurate, especially about Apple.
Doesn’t PC World manage who can or can’t see their content? Weren’t they a party to laws that prevent people from making 100 copies of their magazine and giving it away (heck, ONE copy)? Don’t you have to get their permission to insert their articles on your web site? I don’t recall seeing many writers complain about that.
Jobs endorsed the initial DRM rules because it was in his best interest. It was a big factor in iPods and iTunes reaching critical mass. Now that they dominate their markets there’s no longer a need for it.
That’s not a shot at Jobs. In fact, it was a brilliant decision. If you wanted in on the greatest invention since sliced bread, you had to follow his rules. But it’s not a factor anymore. Can you name 2 people who so hated their iPod that they tossed it out and bought a Sansa? How about 3 people who didn’t buy a new iPod when theirs died (3, because one guy is always too broke to replace it).
NBC will be back. They’ve been trying to find a successful way to resell old shows, but haven’t figured it out. As soon as they decide that 10,000 copies a week of “The Office” that gross $1.50 is a lot better than 1,500 copies at 4 bucks. But we don’t know is if they have to pay Gervais 3 bucks for each copy sold. He’ll have to take less per copy, too.
Oddly, their USA network allows you to watch current shows like “Monk” and “Psych” for free at their web site. But I think they produce those. It’s off topic, but I’m surprised the business model makes it more profitable to leave Monk on USA instead of moving it to NBC – where their are so many dead time slots.
Jobs used DRM to build his business. Now he doesn’t need it, so he’s willing to drop it. Or say he’d drop it, because Apple doesn’t need it anymore.
It’s just smart business.
I find it funny how they can complain about these small problems when pc users would encounter much larger issues with day to day use. Its true itunes can be frustrating on the od occasion, but it seems to me that their grasping at straws…
But hey who cares, their just pissed off that side bar crashes everytime their computer starts and how the new version of word is impossible to use! they wouldnt know a well thought out and constructed system if it bit them in the ass.
@ Peruchito: Here in Germany normaly the cellphones are availiable with any provider. Just not the iPhone. Normaly they are availiable with any plan, just not the iPhone. And thats because of apple wanted it that way and wanted a share of the money.
The DRM in the Appstore is a different problem. Of course you want to habe a secure phone, but shouldn’t that be your decision. If you want to have a trusted app, buy in the appstore, you don’t want it, load it form the WWW. I’ll see it coming, that the will introduce the same thing on the next mac os x. It’s all about control. They took down apps wich were no harm to the user or the device, but vor AT&T business models. The whole security thing is just a big wall of fog, it’s about the 30% share of the application sales and the control over the “other” business models of the device – and it started a long time ago. Do you know why the iPod lost his FireWire connection? Because the couldn’t patend it to get cash form the other companys making stuff for the device. You know why the Books got the MagSafe Connector? Because it is patented, so nobody else could make power adapters for the device. Long time ago, i found a Apple Microphone for an old mac. First the connector seamed like a normal one, but it was slighly longer, so you had to buy the expensive original mic for the mac. It’s all the same again, but with cotracts und software. iPhone Software 3.0 will probably just work with contenct from iTunes Store and next OSX just with Software, where AAPL got his 30% fro Adobe, MS and the others. Oh you like OpenSource like Firefox, the can’t pay, so go to hell…
@mo,
i am unsure about german cell providers practices so i will take your word for it. but as far as i know about some european countries, you can buy the iphone unlocked.
as for DRM in the app store. i worked for tmobile tech support tier3 and i have heard enough horror stories about hacking, and getting personal information out there. the more tightly locked it is, the better. i don’t even care if it only helps me 5% of the time. thats 5% more than i already have.
firewire support was dropped for many reasons, including the one you stated, no doubt. BUT the biggest reason was to lower cost, so they can sell more ipods. also, firewire was standard on all macs, but not so much pcs. around the time they dropped support for firewire was the same time they started to support ipods for pcs.
magsafe connecter? hell ya they should patent that. its a great idea, and if my money that i pay contributes to apple’s development and implementation of that product and future great ideas, then i am ok with it. like you said, if you can’t afford it, go to hell… or rather just buy one of the MANY OTHER CHOICES you have out there. apple is not your only choice.
as for apple collecting 30% from the app store. its just to run the place. i mean, if firefox makes a web browser for the iphone and they make it free, guess what? apple gets to keep 30% of nothing. something tells me this is not the business model other companies would have implemented. they could have just charged a fee.
@ Peruchito:
But you see, Apple is a company wich has no problems to use patends and DRM and stuff if they think they can get an advantage out of it. I’m a mac user for a long term and i liked the “Linux for the rest of us” Underdog company. Good Product for a fair price. I had no Problem to pay apple good money for a mac pro, because i got a good value, but i just don’t like to get ripped of by a cellphone carrier for nothing… got my point?
I love that PC world is completely biased toward microsoft, windows and all non apple hardware. There’s plenty of sites biased towards Apple and it’s hardware.
Good for PC world and keep up the “good” work!
To say that “we all read PC World” is an insult to the intelligence of most people. There are far better print and online publications that focus on technology and technology news than PC World, known to rehash press releases and wire reports and regurgitate the material as their own.
Anyway, I really couldn’t dig any deeper than that – I was immediately repulsed by the notion that PC World should be considered authoritative anymore. There was a time when it was, that time has long passed.
Look, you can’t even count on Consumer Reports for accuracy anymore. Half the articles listed on MacSurfer on a daily basis are B.S. I totally agree with this article- however, as far as I’m concerned, if people writing in to comment can’t spell I don’t have the patience or blind faith in their credibility to continue reading.
Lets get completely paranoid now.
Here is the scenario: Microsoft has BILLIONS of spare cash.
What if they are secretly financing all of these anti apple rumours.
And little known companys making PCs to run OSX on.
And Steve Ballmers insane screaming dance at the developers conference.
And Paul Thurrots carefully crafted ravings.
And Steve Jobs pancreatic problems.
Go on, add some more to the list.
Whatever the real reason for any of the above, there is no excuse for lazy ill informed articles masquerading as journalism.
“To say that “we all read PC World†is an insult to the intelligence of most people. “
Read the original PC World article, and then the introduction to my piece will make sense.
“I was immediately repulsed by the notion that PC World should be considered authoritative anymore.”
I think you somewhat missed the point of the piece – it’s a satirical comment on the way people churn out stuff without thinking these days (and I did this because the PC World piece really annoyed me), followed by deconstruction of the ‘facts’ as presented by PCW and explanation of the actual facts.
@Craig: I’m sure you’re right, and I’ll admit that with some embarrassment. My vitrol is directed at PC World, not at you by any stretch of the imagination. You do good work here, and heaven forbid PC World have more writers like you.
Frankly, I kind of used my comment as an excuse to hate on PC World. ;) Re-reading your post however, I’m in agreement with you – and not just because I have issued with PCW!
“DRM is a big issue to one small group. Dissatisfied geeks. Nobody else cares. They understand that you have to buy music. It is not free for swapping.”
Well, it ought to be free for swapping devices to play them in, at the very least: it is ridiculous that an old CD is more interoperable. And if it is so minor a thing then why are some labels abandoning it?
@Peruchito
Actually, my understanding is that Firefox COULDN’T make an iphone version, not because they don’t accept apps that don’t charge, but because of the Non-Disclosure Agreement that all developers have to sign prohibits open source.
@cmac. how so? (not sarcastic, i am actually curious)
In regards to NBC and iTunes, I wonder if there has been any reporting, if not speculation, that Microsoft may be forcing its hand by preventing NBC from allowing their content to appear on iTunes.
I believe Microsoft and NBC have had a relationship in the past, namely the creation of the MSNBC cable network.
Not all European phones are always unlocked.
When I bought a mobile phone in the UK a couple years back I could ONLY buy it for use on 3.com. After one year I could, at the consent of 3, unlock it – but only if they agreed; they would not guarantee that would happen. But it was so cheap, and I barely use the phone, so I bought it anyway.