Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft To Release 'iPod Killer' at Christmas?
ShellFish writes "According to a report from Engadget, Microsoft is poised to finally take on the Apple iPod this holiday season. Tired of uninspiring offerings from its hardware partners, Microsoft is getting into the ring itself. The new media player from Microsoft will feature a bigger screen than the iPod Video, have built-in WiFi for downloading music without a PC, and Microsoft will work with music and TV content providers to build an iTunes Music Store competitor. In what may be the crucial competitive stroke, Microsoft will also allow you to download from its store any song that you've purchased from Apple, unlocking users from iPod's vendor lock-in."
unlocking users from iPod's vendor lock-in
... and locking them right back in again in to Micrsoft's vendor lock-in.
Brilliant.
Next, I hope they'll let me "upgrade" all my paperbacks to MSReader encrypted format too!
Easy: they'll do the same thing they've done with the x-box (subsidize the music at their cost, to win market share)....
...I'd have enough money to buy a newer iPod.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
Nothing on that list is what iPod owners care about, so this'll be another money bleeding mistake, not an "iPod killer" (besides, didn't we already have an iPod killer this week? I thought they're scheduled every two weeks).
The iPod is a) simple, b) reliable, c) user-friendly, d) cool, e) well designed and f) ties in well with iTunes. That's what sells it, not bigger screens or WiFi. Nobody who owns an iPod wants to fiddle around for 5 minutes to get the WiFi to work.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Which will increase the size.
AAC isn't a proprietary vendor lock-in format, it's the successor to MP3, as in MP4. It's amazing how many people think AAC is an Apple thing. They've obviously never even looked into the format. AAC is the standard audio format for next-gen movies (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray).
Right, people have found no uses for the port at the bottom of the iPod.
This is another money-sinking venture into locking you into WMA and getting you reliant on Windows tech. The device will be bulky (bigger screen? What, you think Apple won't be introducing new iPods this Christmas either? Probably those huge widescreen touchscreen iPods we've been hearing about for a year) and will only work with Windows and Window Media Player. Yuck.
As for free downloads of iTunes purchases, does Microsoft think people use iPods because of the iTunes Music Store?
"Sufferin' succotash."