RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser said yesterday that Apple’s refusal to make the iPod compatible with other digital music stores besides iTunes was “pig-headedness” on the part of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Glaser also said that Apple’s closed system promotes piracy of copyrighted music.
“We think Apple Computer, and Steve personally, are making a mistake by making the software proprietary,” Glaser said at the Digital Living Conference in San Francisco, noting that RealNetworks would continue catering to Mac users. “There’s no reason we should penalize Apple customers for Steve’s pigheadeness.”
“Steve makes for a good pinata because he’s taken a position against interoperability,” Glaser said. The music industry “should be pressuring him to change because they have leverage over him. Apple being on its own in term of interoperability makes piracy more compelling for consumers. Because, hey, if I take all my MP3s from this illegal site or that illegal site, they’ll work on the iPod or anything else. Whereas if I buy them legitimately, they’ll only work at one place.”
