As a major contributor and provider for technology in the current market, Apple is making great steps in preserving intellectual property through technologies.
With the creation of iTunes and the corresponding iTunes Store, Apple has provided music listeners with an alternative to illegal fire sharing. They have combined the ease of their reputable “user friendly” programming with online music downloads that go straight to the user. The neat thing is that even though Apple provides a safe, easy, and high quality place to download music, they are not detracting from the original artists ability to make profit. The way Apple has made deals with the publishing companies that represent the artists are in a way that the profit is divided into percentages so the artist, song-writer, publisher, producers, etc. all gain their share.
Apple has also provided a way where programmers who write applications can host their freeware or shareware programs. In the downloads section of Apple’s website there is a library of applications that either cost money to download or are free. Many of these applications enhance the user friendliness of Apple’s software or provide neat additions to them. This creates a symbiotic relationship with Apple and programmers by basically giving them a place to advertise their programs to make money (while Apple’s reputation and large security measures protect them), while these programmers uphold Apple’s reputation as well.
Apple has integrated technology that can host programmers as well as musicians to provide greater, more reliable alternatives to illegal file sharing, thus, preserving intellectual property.
1 comment:
I agree with the fact that Apple dominates the world of legal file sharing. They also capitalize on the seamless integration of their mp3 players, both the iPod and the iPhone, with media libraries created by this sharing. Ideally, an individual owns a Mac desktop or laptop, an iPhone, iPod, an Airport (Apple’s wireless internet router) and compatible printer—the media library syncs with the phone and the mp3 player, contacts from the phone automatically back-up to the computer hard-drive, the Airport provides a wireless internet connection to both the computer and the iPhone. In theory, a great circle of technological synchronization exists.
But what if I don’t have an Apple computer? Or I need to charge my iPod, which stores a copy of my media library, on a friend’s computer? Tough hurdles may ensue. Technically, the iPod and iPhone are both compatible with PCs, and Microsoft Windows more specifically. But more often than not, I run into trouble—either my computer does not recognize a connected device, the iPod or iPhone will charge from the computer but not automatically sync data or media updates, or, in updating the software of my device, all data is lost and must be restored from back-up on the computer hard drive.
I don’t mean to harp on Apple. After trying the Toshiba GigaBeat mp3 player, several phones by manufacturers on the AT&T network, and many other third-party devices, I have found that devices rarely achieve synchronization automatically, consistently, or reliably. So what point is there in claiming a respect to intellectual property if there is no property to actually protect?
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