Why DRM Will Help Apple Beat Microsoft

For years, Apple has had what most cognoscenti consider to be a superior operating system when compared to Windows. Nonetheless, Apple’s market share in the personal computer space has remained stubbornly mired in the low to mid single digits. An article in NetworkWorld argues that Macs may start to experience increased success in the corporate world. The main reason, Apple’s switch to Intel processors, may well have a similar effect in the home market, since the ability to run Windows programs efficiently, when needed, removes one of the few remaining pain points that might be experienced when switching to the Mac.

There are plenty of other reasons to anticipate an uptick in the Mac’s fortunes. The switch to Vista in general is an opportunity to take a step back and consider other options, particularly considering all the problems people are encountering. Moreover, the Apple brand is getting a huge boost from its success in the consumer electronics space, combined with a practical advantage since its phenomenally popular gizmos work best with its own computers.

But what may give Apple the biggest boost is Microsoft’s adoption of the so-called Next-Generation Secure Computing Base in Vista. While this technology ostensibly makes computers more “secure”, what it really does is restrict what you, the user, can do with your own machine. This is particularly useful for — you guessed it — the most obnoxious and intrusive sort of DRM. This reflects an attitude, long palpable at Microsoft, of putting the company’s perceived strategic interests ahead of what users want. Often when using Microsoft software I get the feeling that functionality has been designed with some hidden agenda in mind, although the visible result is simply that end users get annoyed and frustrated.

Apple, on the other hand, has tended to put user experience before all else. Steve Jobs’s famous DRM essay is a case in point. Some may question his motives, but to me this is simply another example of trying to give users what they want (i.e. no DRM). I’ve used Windows exclusively for the past 15 years, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to use a computer infected with Vista and its user-fiendish DRM. Since I don’t actually need to be on Windows anymore, it looks like my next computer will be a Mac.

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4 Comments »

1. We spend more and more of our “digital life” into the browser, for content and more and more for applications too. Moreover, with technologies like Adobe’s Apollo, the promise is to be able to seamlessly switch from online to offline and vice-versa and all this is platform agnostic. The OS is loosing importance and the ultimate vision would be to have a minimal computing machine that has just to run a browser. In the long term, will we still wonder which machine/OS will be the best? Will we buy our computer just based on it’s design and ergonomics?

   Comment by Mauro — 3/2/2007 @ 5:45 pm

2. I don’t see it so conspirative. The ostensible behaviour to make computers more secure could be best described in Czech as švejkovat, referring to now famous bahaviour when one pretends he or she doesn’t understand your request or deliberately doing things other way than generally expected to show you as idiotic your request is. Can’t afford not to mention the fabulous ad video.

   Comment by funTomas — 3/2/2007 @ 6:03 pm

3. Totally wrong … Microsoft does what the majority want, and the majority have no idea what DRM is, Apple may done what a vocal minority of bloggers want and thats exactly the reason they have a tiny minority share.

   Comment by Bob Jones — 3/2/2007 @ 9:08 pm

4. Matt,

   Great essay. But, don’t forget that all these problems Microsoft is creating for the user will also affect other companies, besides Apple. Google, for example, is doing well with Docs and Spreasheet (their web app programs). And Vista’s poor entrance into the market may signal that the time of the operating system is fading away (see “Cracked Windows” ).

   Microsoft’s fall won’t just bring up Apple — there are plenty of people that will benefit (including us, the users).

   - Nicole

   Comment by Nicole — 3/3/2007 @ 3:21 am

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