Apple won't license it's "fairplay" until someone comes along with an idea that adds value to the iTunes music store and doesn't compete with iPods. Until that happens, Apple has no incentive whatsoever to license it. Every other so-called music store on the net has been a miserable failure compared to iTunes, and none offer anything much different song-wise than what iTunes has. So there's no reason to essentially give fairplay away to your competitors that basically amounts to a charitable gesture.
CD DRM is another area I suspect Apple would just assume steer clear of. First of all, Apple's vision is that CDs will go the way of the dodo and the internet will become the central distribution channel for music, something that iTunes is perfectly positioned for, so far. Second, there's little to zero added value for Apple for CD sales (record companies will scorch that earth long before anyone else gets a meaningful cut) and it deviates from the central goal of iTunes, where Apple would rather you purchase your music. Obviously, iTunes isn't the lion's share of music sales today, but, say five years from now? At the rate things are going with the record companies these days, who knows...
The Wired article was interesting on two points: One was the "barbarians at the gate" description of the wireless carriers, cell-phone manufacturers and the record companies all trying to jam their hands into the consumer's pocket like it's open season on their wallet. Sure, consumer's will be absolutely delighted, lol.
Second, and somewhat more ominous, is the sad shape this country is in regarding it's internet infrastructure. With the ISP's doing nothing except trying to milk more money over existing access technologies for years, we're beginning to look more and more like the third world of the internet. That's a major reason why movie downloads aren't ready for primetime, at least not in this country. That should have sunk in with Apple's iPod video introduction, which is just pretty much a tepid, meek entry into the video business. Largely because it has to be. The infrastructure just isn't there to support anything much beyond what Apple is presently doing with video, and barely that. The way some pundits put it, to download movies all you have to do is get the studios to go along, then someone presses a magic button, and it's done. Those folks are in for a rude awakening, but they got a preview of it from Apple if they kept their eyes open.
