WIRED Staff
Culture

Slideshow: Find the Download in a Haystack

For years, people had to wade through ads and pitches for premium services to download the free version of the Real player. Now, RealNetworks is trying to win users back by restraining its aggressive tactics. Will it work? By Katie Dean.
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Even after navigating through the RealPlayer site to unsubscribe from news and entertainment e-mail updates, and deselecting all possible options, users are informed that they will still receive automatic e-mail updates on the player -- and there is no opt out.Real.com

See related story: Find the Download in a Haystack

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The Real.com homepage advertises that the newest player -- RealPlayer 10 -- is free. An additional eye-catching orange button reads, "Free." There is no mention of price. When users click to download the player, however, they are directed to another page with two large yellow buttons that say, "Download Now" -� but those buttons are for the premium player, which costs 20 bucks. Careful readers will note a blue text link on the lower right corner of the page that indicates the free player.

Real.com
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Jeff Chasen, general manager of desktop players for RealNetworks, says the company offers both the free player and the premium player so that customers have a choice.

Real.com