Back From CES: Apple’s Path To Real Disruption

I spent a few minutes thinking about what kind of iPod/iTunes announcement Steve Jobs might make today — and a lot more wondering what the reaction would be if he took the truly disruptive step of opening up the walled garden. An announcement that FairPlay would play nice with any portable music or video player would completely upend the portable device universe. Take it a step further — bridge the world between Macs and PCs.
When someone wondered when the nifty products being described at DirecTV’s press conference would be available for Mac, Microsoft’s Will Poole, SVP-Windows Client Group, swiftly turned the tables, stressing that it was up to Apple. An analyst standing behind me whispered that it sounded just like what Jobs used to say about Microsoft. It wasn’t the only time I heard the “waiting for Steve” mantra — and I don’t recall thinking anyone making the comments believed it will ever happen although sharing some of Intel’s new technology could help.

Imagine how much havoc he could wreak — and how positive it could be for consumers — if the next thing Jobs publicly changes his mind about is access, tossing the challenge back to Microsoft and those now hard at work creating iPod alternatives. After all, this time last year, iPod video was a no-go and look at what that change of mind set loose.

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