IT Confidential: Dear Steve Jobs: I Have A Few QuestionsIT Confidential: Dear Steve Jobs: I Have A Few Questions

Dear Steve Jobs:

I've been meaning to write to you for a long while and, given current developments, now seems as good a time as any.

First, congratulations on your victory over The Beatles. Whatever made those smug Englishmen think they could monopolize the name Apple? Now that you own the trademark, what do you plan to do with it? And don't tell me you're getting into the produce business (Ha, ha!). Better idea: Why don't you start your own record label? You've got one heck of a distribution channel in place, and now there's nothing stopping you from producing content. That would teach those overhyped has-beens. By the way, does this make you the fifth Beatle? Or fourth, I guess. I mean, third.

That leads me to my second point. In regard to your down-with-digital-rights-management statement, I'm glad you took a stand. That "they'll do it anyway, so let's just let it go" argument is a strong one, the same argument made by advocates of online gambling and the people who are in favor of abolishing traffic laws, so you're in good company there. And don't worry about the critics who contend you're only carrying on like this to throw off the European regulators who are after you for monopolizing the online music market. They're shortsighted.

Quick question: What about your own digital rights management technology, called FairPlay? (Nice touch.) Couldn't you shut off FairPlay for a while, at least for the bands that don't want DRM on their music anyway, and see what happens? Not that I'm criticizing. I have great admiration for someone who advocates cooperation among competitors without risking anything himself.

A word of caution: Be careful of those guys from Metallica, in case they get wind of this. They've made it clear how much they hate the free music copying thing, and they're scary-looking dudes.

Third, I just happen to be in the market for a new PC and I was hoping you could give me advice. There seems to be some debate about the relative merits of Apple computers and the OS X operating system that powers them versus Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system. I know you're not exactly a disinterested party, but I trust your judgment: Are Apple PCs really that much better than PCs running Windows Vista? And how would we know, given that Vista's only been available for a few weeks?

I was sorry to hear about the problems that seem to be cropping up among Apple's computers and consumer devices and Windows Vista. I guess the engineers in Cupertino didn't get to spend much time on Apple-Vista integration. Too busy with the iPhone, huh? I heard you're advising iPod users not to upgrade to Windows Vista until the problems get worked out. Smart move--better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway, thanks for reading this. My teenage kids say hello. They can't wait for the iPhone--they're getting tired of dragging around the same old iPods. As for me, I can wait. Write back if you have a moment. And Happy Valentine's Day

Yours truly,
John Soat

P.S.: Don't worry about the litigation with Cisco over the iPhone moniker. Everyone knows that the name belongs to you, in spirit if not in reality. And hey, if you can bully The Beatles, John Chambers shouldn't be a big problem.

P.P.S.: I hesitate to ask you for an industry tip, because I know how much you hate product leaks. But if there's anything you can share. ... Never mind, it's OK. Somebody else will send one, I'm sure, to [email protected], or phone 516-562-5326.

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