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XPlay: iPod with Windows
meanie writes "Mediafour, a company which specializes in cross-platform software introduced the XPlay software to link up your iPod with Windows. Looks like a solid product, but since I didn't buy an iPod due to lack of a Mac, I haven't been able to check out the software. Anyone try this yet? I might just buy an iPod now."
$499 for the iPod, plus ~$30 for a firewire addon card (unless you have one on your mb, or have SBAudigy), plus $30 for the software... adds up to a very pricey little toy on a Windows machine.
I've been sitting on the sidelines for a while now because of the costly barrier to entry, and pretty much given up on the iPod. Toshiba's unit, though maybe not as cute and revolutionary, makes a whole lot more sense on a Windows system both technically and financially.
Don't be silly. This software saves Apple a lot of trouble. It will shut up everyone who has been clammoring for Apple to provide windows software, but Apple doesn't actually have to support it.
The iPod is just a portable hard drive. The difficulty was getting Windows to be able to read the HFS+ filesystem, and the only thing that had to be reverse engineered was the iTunes File format.
When Mediafour first anounounced this product, they called it xPod. Apple asked them to change the name and they complied, but that was the only request that they made. If it helps Apple sell more iPods without having to pay for support, Apple wins.
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The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.
They are probbly not that clueless, but trying to boost sales of Mac by tying the iPod to it was a real clueless move in the first place.
The problem Jobs has is that the iPod market is 5% of the size of the market that Archos, Nomad et. al. have access for. I don't think anyone is ever going to buy a Mac just to use an iPod.
While the software probably works OK the only way it is going to allow iPod to significantly penetrate the Windows market is if Apple has enough clues to bundle it.
Apple could have rescued the company by switching from being just a computer company with a stagnant and declining market share to an intelligent device company. But it can't do that if they tie their new products to trying to save their old one.
What Apple management simply canot get into their heads is that the fanaticism of Apple users does not mean that the rest of the world is wanting to switch to Mac.
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Yes, they are on the brink of collapse, aren't they? Better abandon ship before it's too late!
Thank you for the insight, Elmer FUD. Apple is doing just fine at the moment.
Was it? It sure sweetens the whole package. But do you really think they make money from it? I'd bet the profit margin on the iPod is very slim, whereas the profit margin on a PowerMac is larger than the retail price of the iPod (in any case, much larger). They would need to sell many many iPods to get the same profit as they would make if they pushed one person over to owning a Mac. And "converting" someone to the Mac is more valuable than just the monetary amount as well. Once the person has a Mac, they are probably going to buy more Apple products.
Apple is looking out for the long term, and placing a few more iPod sales at such high importance is IMO shortsighted.
No. But would they buy a Mac for the great Powerbook plus an iPod? And OS X? And the iApps? Etc etc. Don't you see that the iPod is just one small piece in this total user experience that attracts people to the product?
mark
If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan