Real’s Scramble Points To Isolation

Something I’ve constantly harped about in the past, yet the company thinks I am taking things out of context. RealNetworks’ overtures to Apple Computer underscore the digital media pioneer’s growing sense of isolation in a market that it once dominated.

The digital music business has finally reached the mainstream and with RealNetworks’ digital music jukebox still one of the most widely used pieces of multimedia software, the company should be well-poised to take advantage of this trend. But separate initiatives from both Apple and Microsoft have made this difficult.

WSJ (sub. req.): In an interview with WSJ Steve Jobs made it clear: “”The iPod already works with the No. 1 music service in the world, and the iTunes Music Store works with the No. 1 digital-music player in the world,” he said. “The No. 2s are so far behind already. Why would we want to work with No. 2?”

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