Apple, Podcasting, Podcast, Nastygrams and Me

September 23, 2006

Anyone who knows anything, knows that I have a website called Podcast Free America. The site focuses on the articles and information that help people of all technical levels learn about podcasting, how to podcast and how to find podcasts to listen to. So, you can imagine that with a name like Podcast Free America, I poked my head from the little hole I’ve been living in the last weeks when I heard even more grumbling that Apple Computer, maker of all things wonderful, is sending nastygrams in an effort to protect the word pod and podcast.

Now, I’m not defending anyone and I generally think that if Apple was going to go out and start getting all legal on people — especially nice folk like me — then I would probably get irate and be all up in arms. But, you know, I’m not so sure that’s what they’re doing.

I seriously doubt Apple has any plans to launch a large offensive against anyone using the word podcast. From a logistical, financial and public relations-al standpoint, it seems pretty unlikely. And, you know, they’re actually paying out some people who have been using the term pod.

The Wired blog entry that seems to have set off this round of “Apple is evil” blog entries (and the ones about changing the name of podcast to something else are just laughable) contains an interesting paragraph that I don’t think anyone actually read and thought about for a minute or two. Did Wired even read what they posted?

Podcast Ready works by sucking down subscribed podcasts directly to a portable device whenever that device is connected to a computer. This allows you to update your player’s podcasts on any computer, instead of just the one running, say, your iTunes software. The latest version of the program works better with iTunes because it adds freshly-downloaded podcasts to your iPod’s navigation database without you having to import the podcasts into iTunes first. [emphasis mine]

Could the reason Apple is using the iPod IP argument on this company is because they’re building software that allows users to use something other than their iTunes software? Maybe this is a roundabout way to fight off competition? I dunno, seems plausible to me.

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Comments

1. games — September 30, 2006 at 3:05:09

   

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