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."

Comments

Re:Works pretty well (in beta, anyway)

[dhovis]

I wonder if Steve's going to patch the iPod to make it incompatible with 3rd party software such as this?

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.

Re:Works pretty well (in beta, anyway)

[Dephex Twin]

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.

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.

trying to boost sales of Mac by tying the iPod to it was a real clueless move in the first place.

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.

I don't think anyone is ever going to buy a Mac just to use an iPod.

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