Harmony is not going to help sell more iPods. Behind all the pro choice talk Harmony is simply an attempt to sell more songs from Real to iPod users. There's nothing wrong with this of course, it's just common sense for Real to want to do this.
What is objectionable is their 'choice for the consumer' campaign, when all Real is trying to do is to lock users into their proprietary format instead of Apple's proprietary format. The fact that Harmony is only compatible with Windows is just too much irony for me too handle!
The iPod gives you a lot of freedom of choice, more so than most players, just not when it comes to rival DRM platforms. But what makes the iPod such a great music player is the package of iTunes, iTunes Music Store, Airport Express etc, that comes with the iPod. It's this close quality control which makes the iPod a superior user experience. Apple has shown that it is willing to collabrate with partners, as demonstrated with the HP deal, but only with companies that are going to bring something to the table, Real obviously do not fall into this category.
The only company to gain from Reals' Harmony is Real. In fact iPod users will suffer if they use Harmony, as they will not be able to continue using iTunes to control all their music.
But there is a lot at stake here - namely DRM Music. Whilst Apple might be making money from the sale of iPods rather than purchases from the iTunes Music Store currently in the future it's going to be hard to maintain the same level of success and profit margins. The download music industry on the otherhand is in very early stages and is likely to become a huge industry in the future. At the moment Apple are poised to become the market leader and industry standard. There's a lot more at stake than just what songs will play on the iPod.
I loved reading the comments on Real's petition though