There’s an interesting post on Engadget: copy protection isn’t just annoying, it seems. It’s bad for battery life too.

According to tests conducted by CNET, strong DRM “not only slows down an MP3 player but also sucks the very life out of them.” CNET found that the extra processing power required to check licenses and decode protected tracks could cut battery life by as much as 25%.

… And iPod users aren’t off the hook either: when playing tracks protected by Apple’s FairPlay DRM, CNET found that iPod battery life declined by 8%.