Tim Anderson's ITWriting

March 15, 2004

HP and iTunes a mistake?

I am puzzled why HP is partnering with Apple to promote iTunes, first as a pre-install on PCs, and second on forthcoming mobile devices.

HP says it is because iTunes delivers the best consumer experience. Maybe, but that's a relatively minor issue. Music sites evolve, so do devices, and I doubt Apple will have the best for ever. No, I'm puzzled because Apple, like HP, is in the hardware business, and has stated that iTunes is primarily a way of promoting its hardware. I predict that HP will find it difficult to keep up as Apple ensure that its own hardware works best or has the richest features, in the context of iTunes. HP would be better to stick with Microsoft - another difficult partner, for sure, but not a direct competitor in the same sense.

There's also the question of compatibility. Apple is not in the least cuddly or cooperative when it comes to DRM. The iTunes protected files only play on iPods, and one assumes, HP's forthcoming devices. By contrast, Microsoft makes it easy to create devices that support DRM-protected WMA (Windows Media) files. HP appears to be tying itself to a proprietary DRM. Another angle is that HP is a huge supplier of Windows machines. In fact, the HP Music site linked above includes a link called HP Digital Entertainment Center, where you can read about its Windows Media Center PCs. These of course have at their heart Windows Media Player. So is HP going to ditch these in favour of iTunes-based media center PCs?

It could make a little more sense if HP's new devices turn out to be more open than the iPod - if they play protected WMA as well as protected iTunes files. But will Apple allow it? If on the other hand it does not support WMA, then I can see HP's Windows Media Center customers, or for that matter iPaq Pocket PC customers, being distinctly unhappy. I would be.

See also Farewell to the CD - a reflection