In February 2007, the CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs posted an essay,
Thoughts on Music,
in which he outlined some of the problems with, and expressed a desire
to stop using DRM.
Now, nearly two years later, despite the success of DRM-free
services like eMusic and with
Amazon, Rhapsody, Napster, Jamendo, Magnatune, 7Digital and lots of
others all selling DRM-free music, customers of Apple's iTunes Music
Store are still plagued by a catalogue of mostly DRM-encumbered
music.
To make matters worse, Apple's newest hot products, the iPhone and
iPod Touch, offer extra opportunities for DRM, wrapping applications,
even those available at little or no cost, as well as movies and TV
shows in yet more layers of DRM.
And now, once again, Apple have pushed their DRM agenda even further,
with the release of the latest revision of their MacBook laptop
computers. The new MacBooks contain a hardware chip that prevents
certain types of display being used, in an effort to plug the analog
hole. Devices such as the HDfury can get around this, but this adds
greater cost and inconveinience to what should be a relatively simple
procedure.

With this, the MacBook holds the dubious honor of being the first
product chosen in our 35 days against DRM.