I’ve seen multiple references to a news articles discussing the negative impact of DRM on portable device battery life.

The Archos Gmini 402 Camcorder maxed out at 11 hours, but with DRM tracks, it played for less than 9 hours. The iRiver U10, with an astounding life of about 32 hours, came in at about 27 hours playing subscription tracks. Even the iPod, playing back only FairPlay AAC tracks, underperformed MP3s by about 8 percent.

Yet another example of security as an externality to its beneficiaries. The “rights owners” receive the benefits while the cost (in this case, the reduced battery life of the player) is borne by the consumer.

Yet another reason to hate DRM which will probably resonate with consumers much more than the more material arguments about all the Bad Things that DRM does. Lost potential for innovation in order to protect greedy, corrupt companies’ business models doesn’t resonate like, “You’ll get two hours less battery life between charges,” even though most people rarely run their iPod past about halfway before recharging.