Sour Apples

Apple's a little upset about RealPlayer's ability to let users buy music from its site and upload them to your iPod. (TechDirt and Slashdot are just two of many sites carrying the news.)

Oddly enough, I just downloaded RealPlayer today to watch a webcast. In the process of poking around and checking out its features, I attempted to buy a song online. Do you think they will let Aussies buy songs from the US? Nope. Does Apple iTunes store let Aussies buy songs? Nope. Apple's been dragging its feet on this issue for months.

So while Apple worries about losing a few dollars to Real, the rest of the world outside the US remains a lost opportunity for both companies.