Is iPad DRM iBad for our freedoms...?

[orwell2k]

Regardless of the success or not of the Apple iPad (and let's face it, Apple products succeed commercially regardless of other issues), the sheer volume of posts on MR relating to the iPad clearly displays the level of iHype surrounding the possibility of an Apple eReader.

It was never going to happen - Apple have been going down the iPod Touch / iPhone road for some time now, and clearly their next device was going to be more of the same (as it is). Their computers kick ass (iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Minis, etc.) but they are yet to win me over to their handheld devices. They definitely have superior human/machine interface technology (even though nobody does touch screens as good as them, and the iPod "wheel" is a masterpiece in simplicity and functionality) - but I just don't have the use for it yet.

They have a lot of other baggage that keep people wary, and on this forum DRM is always, shall we say, a sensitive issue. So I found the info below both informative and entertaining - hope MR readers do too! - I like the boys over at DefectiveByDesign,... well done!

http://www.defectivebydesign.org/blo...d-drm-petition

Sign the petition: iPad DRM is iBad for our freedoms
Posted On: Wed, 2010-01-27 12:18 by holmesworcester

Today, Apple launched a computer that will never belong to its owner. Apple will use Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) to gain total veto power over the applications you use and the media you can view.

We've launched a petition calling out Apple's new product for what it is: a frightening step backward for computing and for media distribution. Can you read it, sign it, and share with friends?

Sign the petition

Apple will be getting a ton of press for the launch today, press coverage that will likely ignore the fundamental social problems introduced by its DRM scheme. Help us spread this petition wherever folks are talking about the iPad.

Defective by Design's John Sullivan is on the ground at the Apple event with a group of protesters, letting the public and journalists know about the "Restriction Zone" Apple is constructing around their products. We posted images from the event and will be adding more news throughout the day, check the DbD Live Blog at live.defectivebydesign.org and help us circulate these images.

And here's the petition text from http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ipad :

iPad DRM endangers our rights

Mr. Jobs,

DRM will give Apple and their corporate partners the power to disable features, block competing products (especially free software) censor news, and even delete books, videos, or news stories from users' computers without notice-- using the device's "always on" network connection.

This past year, we have seen how human rights and democracy protestors can have the technology they use turned against them. By making a computer where every application is under total, centralized control, Apple is endangering freedom to increase profits.

Apple can say they will not abuse this power, but their record of App Store rejections and removals gives us no reason to trust them. The iPad's unprecedented use of DRM to control all capabilities of a general purpose computer is a dangerous step backward for computing and for media distribution. We demand that Apple remove all DRM from its devices.

Your first name: *

Your last name: *

Your email: *

And a few more articles on the DRM issue and the overall iHype surrounding the latest iGadget from Apple (some linked already in other forum posts on the iPad):

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...alf-of-drm.ars

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/c...ml?autostart=1

[TallMomof2]

I was really hoping for a tablet with the Mac OS. An oversized is Touch is okay but I hate being in a closed system.

I have a Dell Mini 10v for less than the cheapest iPad loaded with Snow Leopard and it's great. Plus it's far more open than the iPad will ever be.

[deltop]

If 3rd party ebook apps are allowed, if there's a good comic book reader (and there already a couple for the Touch and iPhone) and if the Pressdisplay app works well then I'm sold

[edbro]

Petitions and voting are a waste of time. You aren't going to convince Steve Jobs to change his business model with a petition when millions of others are further enriching him by buying what he sells. The only factor that matters is the dollar.

When people are fed up enough that they avoid the products, then it will change. Until then, there are alternatives.

[kjk]

Phew, glad Barnes and Noble, Sony, and Amazon are doing the right thing by being good for our freedoms!!

[Alisa]

It's not like Defective by Design has only targeted Apple. They've waged campaigns against the others, too.

Originally Posted by kjk

Phew, glad Barnes and Noble, Sony, and Amazon are doing the right thing by being good for our freedoms!!

[nekokami]

I think DRM is doomed, regardless of who is trying to implement it. As soon as ebooks become a large enough part of the market that someone can make a pile of money by advertising that their ebooks are DRM-free, the whole house of cards will fall.

I'm more annoyed by the control Apple maintains over the apps available. I think they do it because it works well for their target audience (people who want the system to "just work"), but it's a turn-off for me.

[Connallmac]

You have to learn to speak corporatese to reach these guys. Vote with your $$$.

[Clancy_s]

Originally Posted by edbro

Petitions and voting are a waste of time. You aren't going to convince Steve Jobs to change his business model with a petition when millions of others are further enriching him by buying what he sells. The only factor that matters is the dollar.

When people are fed up enough that they avoid the products, then it will change. Until then, there are alternatives.

QFT. Why would Apple be interested in a petition from people who aren't customers, and why would those people be in any position to make any demands on Apple? To me that sort of petition makes the petitioners look a touch ridiculous.

I'd sign a notification that I have not and will not buy any Apple products until they quit with the DRM and meanwhile will continue to vote with my money.

[HansTWN]

Apple is for those that love the freedom of their chains.

[Penforhire]

Eh. If you care I'm sure there will be an iPad jailbreak. Call it the Land of iFreedom.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Eh. If you care I'm sure there will be an iPad jailbreak. Call it the Land of iFreedom.

As I have seen on the iphone, things don't go too smoothly after that. One reason is that battery life takes a hit, there is not enough memory for background operation, and Apple apps always take priority over other apps.

[DawnFalcon]

Is that also true on the GS given it's larger memory?

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

Apple is for those that love the freedom of their chains.

This kind of categorical statement seems unwarranted... remember, "play nice!"

[fugazied]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Eh. If you care I'm sure there will be an iPad jailbreak. Call it the Land of iFreedom.

There will definitely be a jailbreak for those not happy with the epub and pdf support Apple is offering on the device.

As I understand it you can load on all of your DRM free ebooks. But books purchased via the ibookstore will have the DRM that the publisher demands. If you don't want the DRM, buy from another source or strip the DRM as you would do on a Kindle.

There is nothing anymore sinister about the DRM publishers forced on Apple than the DRM forced onto Amazon. And yes, it is forced onto Apple when they try to get the publishers on board. The simple reason for this statement being that since Apple removed the DRM from their MP3s, sales sky rocketed, Apple knows consumers hate DRM and would prefer to keep devices DRM free Publishers on the other hand, are terrified of the Internet and file sharing so are desperate for DRM measures.

Yes, Apple want to keep their systems closed. They don't want people loading apps onto the iPad that crash the system. They don't want a PC experience on an Apple device, so everything needs to be vetted. If you don't like that safety net, just jailbreak it.