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Microsoft Launches Portable Music Player

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the crowded-marketplaces dept.

prostoalex writes "Microsoft announced Portable Media Center, a digital music player, to be available in the second half of 2004. The announcement follows Dell's foray into portable digital music. Microsoft plans to license their software for the Media Center to third-party manufacturers as well. Samsung Electronics, Sanyo, ViewSonic, and iRiver are already on the list. The actual Microsoft-branded devices are promised to start at $350."

4 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. Future-proofing? by Carnildo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What will happen to people using these things when Microsoft deprecates the WMA format, just like they did with the AVI format?

    --
    "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
  2. Ut-oh... by Ianoo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sounds like Windows CE all over again. Sure, it won't be any good until 2008, but after that, better throw those damned IPods away!

    I also find it slightly unbelievable that it plays MP3, a DRM-less media. I thought Microsoft assumed all customers wanted DRM (which is why it's going to feature so much in Longhorn!). Don't tell me they've actually come to their senses and realised that no-one is going to buy a device that only plays licensed music!

  3. Re:Say what you want about Microsoft... by macshit · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Huh? The xbox is clunky, huge, and looks like the industrial design was done by the programmers. It was clearly thrown together quickly from stock parts.

    Apple, of course, is completely the opposite, and one of the reasons people buy things like the ipod is the great design (aesthetic, ergonomic, and otherwise).

    Somehow I think usoft's tagline is going to have to be something like `It doesn't suck too much, and -- hey -- Windows!'

    --
    We live, as we dream -- alone....
  4. RTA: Software, not Hardware by kylef · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the first sentence in the article clearly states that "Portable Media Center 2004" is a piece of software, not a new hardware device:

    MICROSOFT is jumping into the portable media market, launching software for a new line of mobile devices designed to free digital content from a computer and play music, videos and photos on the go.

    It sounds like MS is developing platform software for such devices and will license the platform to the actual hardware vendors (Dell, iRiver, SonicBlue, etc). This seems similar to the kind of relationship Microsoft has with its Smartphone manufacturers: Microsoft supplies the software, Motorola et al. supply the gadgets.