Leander Kahney illustra alcuni dei meccanismi e retroscena dell'accordo Apple-EMI.

Jobs said: "Video is pretty different from music right now because the video industry does not distribute 90 per cent of their content DRM free. Never has. So I think they are in a pretty different situation and I wouldn't hold it to a parallel at all."

"It is a good step forward for consumers but more importantly, it showed Apple at the forefront of acting as 'champion' for consumer interests. After all, it wasn't Rob Glaser or Bill Gates up there with EMI."

"If Microsoft is going to push ahead with a heavy DRM strategy, maybe it's time to change the game plan. [...] 'DRM should unlock new business models, not attempt to lock down 20th century ones.'

a) The 99-cent flat pricing model is dead. b) Once EMI folds, the rest of the music industry will follow. c) The 128 kbps track is on the way out.

'I applaud their move, and encourage all the other contenders in the digital music business to make the same important move.'" [but it] "does not take the heat off iTunes for the end of Sept. deadline,'

Currently, Microsoft, Nokia, Sandisk (the e200 line) and Sony already support AAC playback on their DAPs. However, Sandisk, Creative, Toshiba, Cowon, Philips and others will leave you SOL until they release firmware patches.

A critical question is whether the remaining majors will follow the EMI Music lead, or if they will merely hover on the sidelines