Matt’s Desk: Editor’s Blog

I use my office PC hours each day – writing, researching, swimsuit model inspecting – and each of these thing can be rough on the eyes (to one degree or another).  My 20″ Princeton LCD was getting a bit long in the tooth and wasn’t doing much for me in the eye-ease department, so I decided to replace it with something a bit bigger and sharper. After considerable research (both in-store and online) I settled on the 22″ HP w2207.

I couldn’t be happier with the choice.  It’s a beautiful display, and with the extra screen real estate, I expect it’ll be a very worthwhile upgrade.

The reason I’m sharing this otherwise mundane information with you is that you can purchase this beautiful monitor for about $245 plus tax if you A) have a Staples nearby and B) can manage to find a w2207 in stock.  If your life is swell enough that both A & B are true, simply download this PDF coupon (good for this week only) for an additional 12% off the already very low $279!  If you’re in the market for a 22″ LCD, don’t pass up this deal.

I’m oozing with all sorts of gadget love, so while it’s true that I spend a great deal of time dealing with Windows-based devices (Vista PCs, Pocket PCs, Windows Mobile Smartphones, etc.), I’m also a fan of Apple’s offerings.  I own an iPod – two actually – and there are many things I like about the Mac OS and the iPhone. 

ATTN: Apple fanboys: I’ll soon be criticizing Apple, so take a deep breath and save your snarky comments for those who find them witty.

Okay, where was I… oh yes.  I am a fan of Apple.  My newest iPod, the iPod touch, lacks many of the PIM features found on the iPhone, a fact which I accepted when I forked over my $400 in September.  I was willing to live with the lack of an e-mail client or a maps app because, as much as I disagreed with the decision, the touch wasn’t being being sold as a device to address these needs; that was the iPhone’s domain – or at least so said Apple at the time.  I made peace with this self-imposed limitation and went about the business of enjoying my iPod – until yesterday.  During his Macworld 2008 keynote speech, Steve Jobs announced a software update to the iPod touch, one consisting of… wait for it… an e-mail client, a mapping utility, a notepad, and weather and stocks apps.  Hurray!  I couldn’t wait to start using the new software. 

Then Mr. Jobs announced that iPod touch units sold after his keynote would include the updated applications right out of the box and would be sold at the same price.  Still smiling. 

Then the final point: oh, by the way, if you already own an iPod touch, this added software will cost $20.

I laughed out loud (literally), thinking this was a joke.  I was mistaken. 

Essentially Mr. Jobs announced was this: those who purchased the touch when it was untested and new (a.k.a. those who helped finance current production) would be forced to pay a fee to use the updated version of the software, but new buyers would have these applications free of charge.  If the price of the iPod touch went up by $20 after the speech, and we current users were asked to pay to play, I’d have no complaint, but why should two people who buy the same generation of a product at two different times for the same price be expected to enjoy different software unless one pays more as a fee?  If the new software is worth $20, why hasn’t the price of the touch increased? 

This makes little sense unless you account for rank arrogance, the only part of the Apple equation that keeps me, by and large, a Microsoft user.

As I said before, I’m a gadget lover, so I was very tempted to shell out the additional $20 for the new software.  I was one click away from making the purchase, actually.  But I couldn’t.  I won’t.  I’m saying no. I can’t reward this short-sighted arrogance.  

The $20 isn’t the point; I’m sure the software is worth that, and perhaps more – but if I’m expected to pay extra for a now-standard feature, I’ll never know.

In September 2007 – just before I started this blog – I wrote an editorial on Pocket PC Central regarding the death of DRM-ed music.  Amazon had just announced its AmazonMP3 online music store, which was the first music download service to offer all DRM-free music from major labels.  AmazonMP3 was made possible (in large part) by EMI, the first major music label to allow its music tracks to be sold online without DRM "protection."

In the few short months after EMI’s decision, two of the other four labels caved on DRM, and today Slashdot is reporting that the remaining DRM holdout, Sony BMG, is planning to drop DRM in the near future.  If true, each of the four major record labels will have abandoned DRM-ed music, finally allowing digital music lovers to enjoy purchased, downloaded music on whatever device they like.  All I can say is: it’s about damn time.

Although iTunes began selling DRM-free tracks for $1.29 late last year, Amazon’s DRM-free MP3 tracks (which are compatible with ALL MP3 players, unlike iTune’s unprotected AAC files) were truly the straw that broke the labels’ back; Apple was the champion of online music purchases, but Amazon seems to have destroyed DRM without firing a shot.

We should each offer our thanks to Amazon, Inc., for pushing this development, and to the music labels for finally listening to their customers’ wishes.  Congrats to Amazon and to music lovers everywhere!