Is Microsoft chasing Apple? A lot of Microsoft's latest releases suggest they are. But this is news to no one, everyone knows that Apple tops the charts by a long shot, and that Microsoft wants a piece of the pie. With URGE, Microsoft (and MTV) have a store like iTunes; with their product for music production codenamed Monaco, Microsoft is going after GarageBand; and with Vista, Microsoft is chasing a lot of the shiny features of OS X, especially widgets. In the end, I wonder IF Microsoft can catch with Apple. I think it's possible, but they definitely have a long uphill climb ahead of them. One thing I like about Microsoft's PlaysForSure mp3 player strategy is that many different devices work with the same store, not just one, like the iPod and iTunes. I have heard a bunch of dialog in the blogosphere that Microsoft would do well to include iPod support. I agree, since everyone already has an iPod. In fact, to me it is non-negotiable. If you freeze out the competition because of a stupid brand grudge, you are cheating yourself out of potential customers who don't really care where they get their music, so long as it works with their player. I would have to raise my hand on that one. I personally am not a huge fan of iTunes. I don't like the interface and some of the quirks. Microsoft's motto seems to be, "not quite." Fuse the PlaysForSure initiative, iPod support, and a much better performing version of WMP 11, and you have something there. Until then, don't bother.iMicrosoft?
Is Microsoft chasing Apple? A lot of Microsoft's latest releases suggest they are. But this is news to no one, everyone knows that Apple tops the charts by a long shot, and that Microsoft wants a piece of the pie. With URGE, Microsoft (and MTV) have a store like iTunes; with their product for music production codenamed Monaco, Microsoft is going after GarageBand; and with Vista, Microsoft is chasing a lot of the shiny features of OS X, especially widgets. In the end, I wonder IF Microsoft can catch with Apple. I think it's possible, but they definitely have a long uphill climb ahead of them. One thing I like about Microsoft's PlaysForSure mp3 player strategy is that many different devices work with the same store, not just one, like the iPod and iTunes. I have heard a bunch of dialog in the blogosphere that Microsoft would do well to include iPod support. I agree, since everyone already has an iPod. In fact, to me it is non-negotiable. If you freeze out the competition because of a stupid brand grudge, you are cheating yourself out of potential customers who don't really care where they get their music, so long as it works with their player. I would have to raise my hand on that one. I personally am not a huge fan of iTunes. I don't like the interface and some of the quirks. Microsoft's motto seems to be, "not quite." Fuse the PlaysForSure initiative, iPod support, and a much better performing version of WMP 11, and you have something there. Until then, don't bother.
1. PlayForSure needs to be supported by the Player, so Apple would have to make their iPods work with it, not Microsoft. What Real did with its music service, to get it to work with the iPod, is reverse engineer the Apple DRM, or something, on the iPods, so they could put their music on it.
If Microsoft were to make PlayForSure work with iPods, they would have to do the same, reverse engineer the Apple DRM and make that PlayForSure. This would of course, break all current PlayForSure devices. Additionally, Apple, would no doubt continually change their DRM as they have done with Real, and thus this new PlayForSure would have to be re-made, and re-released constantly, meaning the consumer would have to constantly update the firmware on their devices just to keep it working with their music services.
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It would be nice if Apple would let other players use their DRM, that would solve the issue, a player could certainly support both FairPlay and PlayForSure. But that's not going to happen, because it doesn't work with Apple's business model, iTunes is pushing iPods, not iPods pushing iTunes.
Apple could support PlayForSure on their iPods, I think Microsoft even invited them too do just that at one point. But again, that doesn't make sense for Apple, because they want to keep it all in-house, to lock you into their technology, and keep your money. And they can do that, whether or not the consumer will buy into it is the question.
But so far, they have.
Posted at 5:49PM on May 25th 2006 by Matthew Nitti