Slashdot interview with Real CEO Rob Glaser


Since RealNetworks is all for "compatibility" and getting their stuff to play on the iPod, when do they plan to offer support for Macintosh users in the Rhapsody music store?

For the record, I do not like Real. Their malware player software has been a tick on the ass crack of the internet for years.

Recently they hacked the iPod so they could download their songs and give users 'choice' (cough-BULLSHIT-cough)

In wake of that Slashdot posted a call for questions and out of the most top moderated comments picked 10 to ask. My favorite quote was when asked why no Apple platform was:

Since RealNetworks is all for "compatibility" and getting their stuff to play on the iPod, when do they plan to offer support for Macintosh users in the Rhapsody music store?

Glaser:
No plans as of now.

We're one of the most active Mac ISVs around, with our RealPlayer running on millions of Macs. We also offer our Superpass and RadioPass premium content products, and we offer more than 45 premium downloadable Mac games such as Shape Shifter, Bounce Out Blitz, and Text Twist.

Having said that, since the Mac is such a small part of the overall market, we make practical decisions about what functionality and services we offer on the Mac. So far, offering a music store or the Rhapsody subscription service on the Mac hasn't made the cut.

Which begs my question of 'what the fuck are you thinking??' Apple released iTunes. Originally only the Mac could buy songs. How many songs did they sell to 3% of the computer market? 1 Million? 2 Million? 20 Million? How is that a small market, that's $20M in revenue.

Posted: Tue - September 14, 2004 at 07:50 PM           |

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