> Apple has already publicly stated this is not about DRM
I'm not sure why anyone considers this relevant. It is not like apple is signing a contract which would allow us to sue them if they "change their minds".
Not only has Apple stated this isn't about DRM but throughout their recent history they've tended to back up their anti-DRM stance be getting the music labels to drop it at a time when that was pretty controversial. Any statement from them should hold some weight considering this whole debate is a conspiracy theory at best.
> Any statement from them should hold some weight considering this whole debate is a conspiracy theory at best.
Those are two separate issues. Whether or not the "whole debate is conspiracy theory at best" has no bearing on whether a statement like this from apple should hold any weight. Apple's claim may or may not be true, but we should look to other sources of evidence to evaluate this, and completely disregard 'because apple said so'.
I took "A considering B" to mean "The truth of B strengthens the claim A."
Regarding Apple's history with DRM, that's not something to completely ignore but its not very compelling, either. I see no evidence that Apple (especially as it exists today) has a true, sustained ideological position against DRM. Apple explicitly positions themselves as the platform with the least regard for empowering their users to use their (mobile) devices as they see fit (because being seen as 'more secure' is marketing gold). If the situation arose in which Apple's leadership believed they would make more money (on the whole, and long term) by embracing DRM in more places, they would do so.
I'm not sure why you would want to make up conspiracy theories, but if you are considering whether a theory (conspiracy or otherwise) may be true, the non-actionable claims made by a marketing savvy company should not have any weight in your evaluation of that theory.
I'm not sure why anyone considers this relevant. It is not like apple is signing a contract which would allow us to sue them if they "change their minds".