On Pop, if you go back and look at it from today's perspective, you can see the beginnings of how U2 was planning to become its own brand. It didn't show up right away on HTDAAB; but by the time Bomb came out, they had honed it and now they're hitting their stride.
I don't blame them at all for this. Everything is commercial now -- name an art exhibit, a sporting event, a political convention, a Broadway show that doesn't have some kind of corporate or financial tie. There is very little art for art's sake that is commercially viable. But instead of letting others use the band, U2 is using them.
They do an iPod, they help Apple make money, they help themselves make money by selling iTunes. They let their songs be used in the World Cup, they help draw attention to ESPN's broadcasts, they give visibility to the U2 brand. They are not just a rock band anymore; they are a brand.
That might drive older fans away but it is attracting scores of new ones whose frame of reference is not punk rock but the new brand-driven world. Wouldn't KMart just kill now to have U2 link up with them again?
What will be interesting, though, is what it does to the music. Does it mean U2 can no longer take risks -- or do they have to take MORE risks with music because they have to keep the brand fresh?