Microsoft Ends Windows Media Player on the Mac

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Microsoft Ends Windows Media Player on the Mac

Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday January 12, 2006 @07:34PM from the who-didn't-see-this-one-coming dept.

alphasubzero949 writes "According to News.com, Microsoft has had no plans to update or improve Windows Media Player and has instead thrown its weight behind a third party plugin to fill the void. Adam Anderson, Microsoft public relations manager, told News.com, 'It's basically a business decision for Microsoft. Like any other company, we have business priorities. Our focus really is in delivering the best experience to Windows customers.'"

18 of 470 comments (clear)

Oh dear! by nano2nd · 2006-01-12 19:39 · Score: 5, Funny

I've had a mac for two years and I didn't know Windows Media Player for mac even existed!

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G4 Hackintosh
1. Re:Oh dear! by freedom_india · 2006-01-12 20:59 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  You forgot to mention that WMP crashes on its starup most of the time.
  But you have colorful skins to choose from when it starts and runs!
  
  --
  "Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
2. Re:Oh dear! by commodoresloat · 2006-01-12 22:00 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  you obviously don't watch nearly enough porn.
3. Re:Oh dear! by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-12 22:10 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  P.S. it's not really a postscript if it makes up 99% of your post.
Huh? by NoMoreNicksLeft · 2006-01-12 19:40 · Score: 5, Funny

Our focus really is in delivering the best experience to Windows customers.

So now they're going to buy all windows users a free mac?
I've been using the Mac non-stop-- by Mrs.+Grundy · 2006-01-12 19:41 · Score: 2, Funny

since the SE and I didn't know windows media player was available--and I didn't care. The void they are talking about must be very small? It's a little like reading an announcement that MS Access is no longer available for the mac. Have I been missing out? Is that where all the good free porn is?
1. Re:I've been using the Mac non-stop-- by MuckSavage · 2006-01-12 20:08 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Is that where all the good free porn is?
  
  Not all, but why limit your porn choices?
Re:More to follow by aussie_a · 2006-01-12 19:56 · Score: 4, Funny

You will see microsoft pulling all support for Apple out in the near future

Apple fans have taken to the street to celebrate this development.
WMP, I'd rather eat glass by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-12 20:02 · Score: 2, Funny

"has had no plans to update or improve Windows Media Player"

MS hasn't *improved* WMP since version 2 :-)
Cute Microsoft Joke by gbobeck · 2006-01-12 20:08 · Score: 5, Funny

"Our focus really is in delivering the best experience to Windows customers."

I never knew what the sound of hot coffee comming out of my nose and splattering all over my monitor and keyboard sounded like until I saw that quote.

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Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
Re:Symbiotic relationship? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-12 20:13 · Score: 1, Funny

I figure its a symbiotic relationship like a dead tree with a fungus.
A nicely subtle bad analogy. Of course it can't be a symbiotic relationship if the tree is dead.
Re:Symbiotic relationship? by somethinghollow · 2006-01-12 20:49 · Score: 3, Funny

At the MacWorld San Francisco keynote, the head of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit said they pledged to keep making Office for at least five years. That should give Apple plenty of time to make a decent office suite.
Re:Excellent... by greg1104 · 2006-01-12 20:53 · Score: 4, Funny

> During my entire Mac using experience (3 or 4 years now), Windows Media Player on my mac would work for about a week. Then it would suddenly stop working. The only thing that would get it working again was a fresh install

Remarkable. I had no idea the Mac port was such a faithful translation of the Windows version.
Re:Symbiotic relationship? by man_eleven · 2006-01-12 21:08 · Score: 2, Funny

I wonder if Microsoft is anticipating a larger Apple market share with the introduction of Intel Macs, and are positioning themselves for a dual-boot status?
Re:This is actually good for users by Conanymous+Award · 2006-01-12 21:16 · Score: 5, Funny

They are distributing the plugin on their website for free, so this is a win-win situation.

What? I thought this is a Win-Mac situation!
How? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-01-12 21:48 · Score: 1, Funny

"Our focus really is in delivering the best experience to Windows customers."

How? By making Windows better?, "No, by making alternatives worse."
Re:Symbiotic relationship? by hey! · 2006-01-12 23:58 · Score: 3, Funny

I never considered it weird myself and actually kind of enjoyed it for some twisted reason.

You mean, like the feeling you get when you dress up in women's clothes?

**ducks**

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Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Re:Closed Formats by Megane · 2006-01-13 01:37 · Score: 2, Funny

The most obvious example is that there was no good way for Mac users to watch Windows Media 9 Standard videos (WMV3) before the Flip4Mac components came out.
The latest WiMP for Mac would play WMV3 video just fine... as long as they were in a supported container type like a .wmv file. What it couldn't do was play WMV3 video in a .AVI wrapper, because .AVI was "too old" according to the error message. If you've had problems playing WMV3 it's because you've been downloading videos off the internet, where people these days have an fondness for encoding to WMV3 in .AVI files. (Don't worry, they'll be moving up to H264 inside .MKV files soon enough to screw you again.)

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