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Microsoft's Plan to Be King of All Media
An anonymous reader writes "Saul Hansell from the New York Times spoke with Microsoft's J. Allard, formerly of the Xbox games division and now in charge of their push on Apple's captive audience with the Zune. Allard lays out Microsoft's media battle plan, highlighting their longterm goals for expanding beyond games and software. 'This service will at some point add more options for video and mobile phones, Mr. Allard said, without offering details. Actually, Microsoft has been quite successful selling video downloads and online movie rentals through the Xbox Live service already. This seems a bit too much like the initial plan for MSN. This new network would be the switchboard through which all entertainment content and communication flows. Pretty much everything else in the technology world now is revolving around open systems where the Internet, and some simple standards, are in the middle.'"
Didn't Howard Stern already take that title?
They better hurry up and pull their finger out of their asses and get Divx/Xvid support for the 360 then.
The eye of Ballmermon sweeps across the media landscape while orks cut down forests to make more chair weapons to hurl at their enemies. Ballmermon must have the media ring to keep it out of the hands of teh suck Google.
Precioussssssssssss.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
This is what I've been telling people all along: that's the reason for the Xbox in the first place. I was so scared for gaming when I first saw that thing because I knew that even though Microsoft's first foray into console gaming would be a complete and utter failure (I was wrong, it wasn't a failure unless you consider the substantial financial loses) their subsequent attempts would be much better because Microsoft had enough money to throw at whatever problem arose the first time. I also make it my point to reason with people that once the consoles market has been thoroughly cornered, and all gaming devices are inextricably mated to the Internet and PC peripherals there will be very little difference between them and the one that serves up everything all at once will be king. Microsoft is doing this, albeit slowly. I give Playstation and Nintendo consoles 20 years more, maximum. Soon we'll have HD movies, and gaming and internet all wrapped up in one device (more or less) and probably under one subscription service that will be hosted by Microsoft. It's not even console wars anymore, it's content wars and there is no way that Sony and especially Nintendo will be able to compete in a long battle because Microsoft has already gotten so deeply involved in the surrounding factors, namely the internet and subscription-based services.
The eternal struggle of good vs. evil begins within one's self.
wait 'til you see what M$ does with media.
Can't wait for my first BSOD on a 42 inch plasma.
Some days it's just not worth
chewing through my restraints.
We aren't interested in letting you become gatekeepers for our entire lives. Since you so very stupidly jettisoned playforsure neither are any media companies interested in you either, as that little case proved, your words and assurances are worthless - MS, you are a busted flush, now sod off and let some creative people on the stage who can actually make a difference.
We wouldn't want anything to happen to it.
'Cos things memory leak, don't they?
How many videos you got here, colonel?
My chief technology officer and I have got a little proposition for you colonel.
I mean you're doing all right here aren't you, colonel.
The colonel doesn't think we're nice people, Nathan.
We're your buddies, colonel.
We can guarantee you that not a single movie will get peered over for fifteen K a week.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Xbox was and is a total failure so is Zune and everything else microsoft tries to force into peoples face. Xbox 360 is a huge risk, the 33% (or more) failure rate is not helping them either with World Domination(tm) in the living room. Not to mention, they make people pay _monthly_ to play games online.
For years the self-titled King of all Media has been Howard Stern. Does this mean Microsoft has decided on going after Howard?
Now that would be a cage fight worth watching, Ballmer vs Stern! Let the Monkey Boy fights, begin!
Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
I don't think Apple is worried yet. Nor is anyone else really.
Too much like the initial plan for MSN? If this is as successful as MSN, then in five years we'll all be saying "Microsoft who?" I'm praying that it achieves fully MSN-like levels of success.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
They want to either be or control everything on the planet.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Allard sounds like Ballmer. Microsoft is still clinging the old media establishment ideology of 'content providers' who only get paid because you've DRMed their stuff.
They still don't get the concept of an Internet.
Anyone who's been following trends since Napster was shut down back in 2001 will understand we're undergoing a natural progression from centralized, controlled delivery systems to those where content is everywhere all at once.
An obvious revenue model for this is one where advertising is embedded in content freely distributed over the Internet. After all, that's what worked for free broadcast TV and radio. It's the easiest and least restrictive method of raising revenue to pay for content. I doubt folks will be flocking to buy xboxes and zunes AND giving money to Microsoft so they can watch their favorite shows. Nothing to see here, move on.
Nothing for 6-digit uids?
Microsoft has failed miserably when it comes to mobile media. i.e. My MP3 player (which can also do other things)
Where is the Zune marketed? AFAIK, it is only in North America. It is certainly not sold on this side of the Pond.
Even if (and thats highly unlikely) the XBOX became the 'defacto' HD viewing machine then it would be so riddled with DRM and 'Are you sure' stupidity then the hackers would have a field day 'making it work'.
The notion that you MUST be connected to some Server on Planet Microsoft just to view a Film or episode of Heroes/insert fav TV series name here, is just plane crazy and totally idiotic.
There are enough companies in this business who cold easily get together to thwart their plans. Then there are the regulators and governments who (despite receiving lots of dosh in brown paper envelopes) will get in their way.
I'm moving soon to a place where even dial-up is impossible and if they think I'm going to run a satellite phone just so my kids can watch some HD TV programs then I would like some of what their marketing dept is smoking.
(We will be using Radio to talk to our neighbours(on the next island). The nearest telephone exchange is over 100km away.)
Microsoft has already been declared to have an illegal monopoly in Software. The more they increase this, the more pressure for them to be broken up. It may not be likely in the current political climate, but you can never tell when things change. E.g. if Microsoft is blamed when the first serious and destructive trojan attack takes place, there could be real pressure on politicians who failed to act beforehand. It's better for them to focus elsewhere.
The second thing is that MS has always had a style of partnering then crushing. They need stupid partners to learn from then they replace crucial parts of those partner's value chain; finally they take over. This process has bee seen time and time again (IBM / Novell / Oracle (who fought back and so survived) / Borland (who didn't) / Lotus (who couldn't) etc.). In this case the media companies have bee so blinded by their fear of piracy that they forgot to be afraid of competitors. That is just perfect for Microsoft's style.
Prediction: in 10 years time the only media companies that will still exist will be those who start seriously fighting Microsoft within a year of now.
Once Microsoft hooks X-Box into their IPTV software, and gives special treatment to X-Box users, then it is all over. Microsoft has taken control of the TV service coming into your house.
Five years ago, this would have worked. Now though with Vista failing more people are starting to see beyond MS, and 90% of people who use MS products (XBOX, Windows) don't switch to alternitives not for what MS has done, but third parties. Very few people when they see Office 2007 use that as their reason for keeping Windows, it is almost always a third-party app or game or second party in the case of Halo 3 (which was the reason most people I know bought a 360) but with many third parties now having applications on Linux and OS-X or via good support through WINE or similar programs, Microsoft is no longer needed, in 5-10 years I doubt that very many people will even use Windows unless NT 7 is much much much better then XP. Microsoft is losing the monopoly very fast with the relese of Vista, if the new "MS Media" doesn't work on Linux or Mac, it won't be used. The age of the MS monopoly is coming to an end finally, MS is just blind to it.
There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
Sorry, Howard Stern proclaimed himself the 'King of All Media' almost a decade ago. I hope he sues.
Baba Booey !
Regards, Lex
At the rate their going, they will be a trainwreck! All Microsoft does to become 'king of media' is rush games and products out just to make a few more dollars of profit. Look at Halo 3! Windows Vista! All rushed! Microsoft just said "too bad Halo community, we are rushing your game out so it will suck"! And don't even get me started on the Zune. Just a ripoff of the iPod (as usual, Microsoft failed miserably of stealing ideas from Apple, for they horribly recreated Apples ideas in their products). They can't even copy right! In a few months, when everyone realizes how much Halo 3 sucks, the only game the Xbox has, sucks, Microsoft will crash and burn. Then everyone will go back to Windows XP, further putting Microsoft in a financial hole.
How about focusing on being the king of software before going for the whole pie? And since when have games not been software anyway?
If they decide to make media in the same way the make the software, then we are looking at a very dark future.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
-- Bill Gates, 1993
--Bill Gates, 1996
The problem with MS's plan for world media domination is that it requires people to buy their hardware. In the past (and present) people bought computers that came with Windows, and MS leveraged that into controlling part of the software market. Zunes aren't free. Xboxes aren't free. I know Windows was never free either, but it was just there when you bought your computer and was included in the cost. Last I checked the large majority of adults that I know don't buy game consoles, but they do buy DVD players.
-- QED
The guy has Xbox Live working pretty well. I think they did a great job integrating the achievements, friends and everything else in.
FTFA's not linked: People are unhappy with DRM download-to-own. If I buy a track with DRM and it has fewer rights than the CD, that is where people get their nose out of joint. There is no art, no track information, no liner notes. I can't sell it for four bucks to buy a burrito if I'm hungry. The music industry is very healthy. The record industry is the problem. The guy isn't this Ballmerite that he appears to be. He might actually have a tight bolt on that chair launching arm. Then again, he works for Microsoft, so how long till he leaves for Google?
import system.cool.Sig;
Easy to remember:
Iglus are north, penguins and secret nazi ufo bases are south.
'Once scientists, even the dim-witted social scientists, get muzzled, the Western Civilization is finished.' - oldhack
NURV! And synapse anyone? This is what i am referring too if anyone is clueless
brickspeed.net for your old Volvo performance addiction
Games are like 20% software and like 80% content--textures, meshes, levels, pre-rendered cutscenes, streaming multi-channel ambient sound effects, and so on.
Actually going just by the sizes of files on disk, modern games are 1% to 0.01% software and 99%+ content. But in terms of the number of people and man-hours, its more like 20%/80%.
Before I became a game developer, I never realized that the main reason game development is different from other parts of the software industry is that the software is only a SMALL PART of the overall package. Building a modern game is kind of like building a blockbuster movie. It takes hundreds of people all performing specialized tasks, creating and improving THOUSANDS of specialized assets. At most a few dozen of those people make the "software" part. Most of the team are content creators of one kind or another.
Just as an example, the last game I worked on contained over 6,000 unique animations (for less than a dozen characters). We compressed the hell out of them but the game's animation data was still bigger than ALL the executable code in the game combined.
Neither of the DRMed to death replacements for the DVD are especially compelling. But if one has to win, it has to be anything but HDDVD.
Yes. The clear message is when it comes to digital content and control thereof, anything Microsoft is pushing is bad for consumers. But I would hope by now we wouldn't have to keep explaining why.
Fiat Homos et Pereat Theos
Wasn't Allard the mighty brain behind the all-conquering Zune? I mean, you see them everywhere...
--
In Soviet Russia cowboys slow down you!
Should have been "queen" !
How many beans make five, anyhow ?
if only MS would invest in customer support or product development instead of their own egotistical wet dreams
of course, realistically, the odds of that happening aren't worth taking
Why do I get the feeling that Lord Sauron of Washington State is like that bully kid in grade school who actually believes that he's inferior to everyone else, and therefore acts like a bully to make up for it? He has to steal everyone else's lunch money, not because he needs it but just because he's jealous that they have lunch money.
In this example, Lord Sauron sees that Apple is successful with the iPod, so he needs to steal that away from them. Now he needs to be king of all media. Next thing you know, he'll notice that there's money to be made in refrigerators and he'll start making those, and every week or so the thing will shut down for no reason and all your food will spoil, and he'll convince the world that this is how a refrigerator is supposed to be.
I think, luckily, that so far consumers have not fallen for this fast one and so that stupid player (which is inferior to Apple's beautiful iPod) has been somewhat of a flop.
Apple is a better company than Microsoft.
Obligatory remark: Google is a better company than Microsoft.
Lord Sauron knows this, but doesn't know what to do about it. So he throws tantrums and chairs.
As I read your consumer products point I thought about the fact the Sony and Toshiba both plan on incorporating cell processors directly into the TV's they sell. I think you're right that it's going to be pretty easy for them to include content delivery systems and they are already well on their way with these types of plans.
They'll never be King of all media simply because the people don't want them to be. And I doubt they ever will.
Good luck with that Microsoft. Because while the masses may be more than willing to enable you and pay for things they can't see or hold in their hands, my media is safe and sound and untouchable by the likes of you.
http://www.google.com/search?q=vinyl+records&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://www.google.com/search?q=open+reel&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://www.google.com/search?q=books&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://www.google.com/search?q=underground+comix&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
http://www.google.com/search?q=sketch+draw&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
My peace of mind does not depend on
I give Playstation and Nintendo consoles 20 years more, maximum.
Twenty years ago the Macintosh was only two years old and Microsoft was selling far more copies of DOS than of Windows. Linux wasn't even a twinkle in Linus Torvalds' eye, and the FSF had just been constituted. The Nintendo Entertainment System ruled the console gaming roost, the Atari 7800 had just been released, and Sega was about to roll out Sega Genesis. Sony hadn't entered the market, nor had Microsoft.
Now Atari is gone. Sega is gone. Three or four years ago, many pundits were declaring that Nintendo was doomed to remain an also-ran. Apple has been counted for dead dozens of times in the past two decades but has roared back, entering two markets that didn't even exist in 1987. Microsoft is scrambling to stay atop the PC scrapheap, Linux has become a juggernaut in enterprise computing and a player in almost every computer market segment.
Twenty years is an eternity in the world of computers.
It's not even console wars anymore, it's content wars and there is no way that Sony and especially Nintendo will be able to compete in a long battle because Microsoft has already gotten so deeply involved in the surrounding factors, namely the internet and subscription-based services.
I think you're right that Sony and Nintendo will have a tough time competing in the content arena, but neither of those companies is competing on all fronts the way Microsoft has been for some time. Microsoft faces competition in the console market, the various OS markets, and in the content market. Integration of hardware, software, and content is very difficult. Sony, which by all rights should have been able to pull this off, has done a terrible job of it. Arguably the only company that has been truly successful at it is Apple.
Because Microsoft is now no longer competing in a closed system environment, they are open to attacks from disruptive new technologies, aggressive new web services companies, net access providers, and especially content providers who refuse to give Microsoft sole distribution rights. The network effect that served Microsoft so well in the past isn't present here.
Microsoft has a great strategy, but like Napoleon, they've aroused too many enemies and attacked on too many fronts. They face a tough battle just to stay relevant.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
You are paying for a "matchmaking service". Yes, you can find those for free as well, but Microsoft has the advantage of "console lock-in", so you can't use XFire or something else.
Personally, I don't have a huge beef over it. $50 a year is a small price when you're buying 1-2 games every month (at $50-$65). But I also think there may be another monopoly lawsuit down the road for Microsoft when somebody at one of those other matchmaking services gets enough money to hire some good lawyers.
Spell cheek you've failed me four the last thyme!
REDMOND, Seattle, Wednesday (UnGadget) -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today announced a new era at the Seattle software company, announcing their entry six nine twelve months hence into the cell phone market with the exciting new Zune Z-Phone, to finally get the company properly into the rapidly changing digital media landscape.
Ballmer, speaking to a group of trained-monkey analysts and cynical bloggers at the company headquarters today, unveiled mockups prototypes of the Zune-Phone, which combines the Zune music player (with wifi for "squirting" songs), a CDMA cell phone, a PDA, an eight gigabyte hard disk, a camera, a laser pointer and a bottle opener into one semi-portable device. It will also allow you to "squirt" music to and from your Windows Vista Service Pack 1^W2 Media Center computer.
The product underscores the shift the company has attempted to make in recent years from an office supply company to a consumer electronics darling as it aims not to become utterly obsolete in the digital future. "And even Linux fanboys admit our hardware is pretty nice," Ballmer said before the somewhat sullen and cynical crowd. "It's definitely the best music player we've ever made."
Ballmer called the Z-Phone a revolutionary device that will leapfrog current technology. He said the company expects to sell about 100 million of them next year. "Maybe two hundred million. This is so the coolest music player ever." Unlike the MP3 player market, which the iPod has dominated even with the entrance of Microsoft's Zune two months ago, the cell phone market is much more fragmented. "There is not one device that everyone buys," said completely independent analyst Rob Enderle, "but this fabulous device should trounce all comers. I've ordered three already in anticipation."
Weighing in at only 15 ounces (425 grams), with a 5-inch 640-by-480 pixel screen, the $498 (with three-year $80/month contract) Z-Phone, a rebadged version of the LG Smart Display from 2003 with new firmware, looks like a Classic Brown Zune (to come in mission, chocolate, corduroy and meconium) with a phone touchpad in place of its imitation scroll wheel. It runs Windows Mobile, Pocket Internet Explorer, Pocket Microsoft Office, Pocket Solitaire and Pocket Pool. MSN will supply e-mail, mapping, search and other Internet services to the Z-Phone. It also features an amazing 1.3 megapixel (300,000 pixels interpolated) black and white camera. Battery life is estimated at up to four hours in Microsoft tests.
To better work with its content partners and ensure that you, the user, can rest safe in the knowledge that the artists and their representatives have been paid properly for all their hard work, Microsoft has limited "squirtable" songs to encrypted WMA files purchased from the Zune Music Store, which can be listened to three times or within three days before automatically being deleted from both the Z-Phone and the Media Center computer. Songs may also be "squirted" between two Z-Phones (though not the original Zune) if both are registered with Microsoft as being linked to that installation of Media Center. Users are advised to purchase Microsoft Zune Secure Headphones ($129), which encrypt the signal between the Z-Phone and your ears, as playback quality is degraded on conventional "analog hole" earphones or when playing back unencrypted MP3 files. Phone calls may be made to or received from any number on the network carrier you bought the Z-Phone from, with only a 99-cent charge for humming a song to someone you call or are called by on the phone or ten cents per use of the camera, laser pointer or bottle opener. Microsoft will also pay $20 from each Z-Phone sold to Universal Music. In addition to the ability to "squirt" songs, the user may "squirt" his calls, which are stored on Microsoft Zune Live servers and cost $40 per month to access.
In other news, Ballmer said that Microsoft had reached over 600 music downloads since intro
http://rocknerd.co.uk
This is why I won't spend a dime on the XBox 360. I'd rather Sony to be in control than Microsoft. Sony doesn't have a monopoly nor does it stop innovating. Microsoft, on the other hand, is a marketing company that uses it's monopoly and it's aggressive marketing tactics to convince people to buy a inferior product.
Not to mention that XBox 360s are notoriously unreliable, expecting costumers to pay to play online, and proprietary peripherals among other things.
Microsoft's "vision" of personal media devices and "the computer as home media center" differ radically from consumers' vision, and this has contributed to their own failure, and the general failure of the promise of the computer as media center.
They have steadfastly supported orwellian drm systems, systems which first reared their ugly head in XP "media center" edition, erasing or refusing to record certain shows against the will of the machine's owner.
Their own greedy desire to be the only ones providing media center pc's led them to buy the false promise hollywood gave them to use the DMCA to lock out their competition by litigating against anyone who offered an equal or better system.
This false promise led to their support for and failure to lobby against the DMCA, which hollywood is (successfully) leveraging to assure there are no legal and consumer friendly ways to transform your pc into a functional media center. The whole point is to make sure you can't legally transfer your content onto internet capable devices, including pc's. Microsoft helped hollywood kill the pc home media center before it ever left the womb.
This failure of the pre-millennial promise of the computer as the ultimate home media center is one of the reasons pc sales in general are slowing. Without mainstream and consumer friendly ways of transferring new media to pc's, and the greater resources that demands, consumers now consider the current revision "powerful enough" and are just not riding the upgrade treadmill anymore. In short, hollywood is slowly choking off the tech industry, and limbs are starting to die at this point.
VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
Get a grip, astroturfer. People don't hate MS because it's MS. People hate it because it makes shoddy insecure products, over charges, has crap for interoperability even with its own products, and seems to subsist only because of heavy-handed, illegal and/or unethical business practices.
In other words, it's called brand recognition. Don't whine about it.
Before MS has wet dreams about being king of anything, they better concentrate on getting their OS and "iPod killer" done right!