We knew MS was working on an iPod+iTunes competitor, but they’re being positively secretive about exactly what these plans entail. Almost as if they’re saying: “Hey, Apple, we can be close-mouthed too. In fact, we can be downright laconic.”
According to reports today, MS’s player and music service will be available by Christmas. Its “killer” feature seems to be that it’ll let users download music over the air directly to the device, with no need for an intermediate computer. The suggestion is that this would give the player an edge over the iPod, which currently lacks this functionality. However, it seems to me that there’s still plenty of time for an iPod revision before Microsoft launches their own player, despite rumors of an iPod delay.
Still, at the moment, Microsoft is all talk. They’ve certainly thrown some heavyweights at it, in the form of X-Box managers J Allard and Robbie Bach (pictured), but it’s one thing to brag about beating Apple; it’s another thing to do it. Furthermore, one wonders what the existence of an official Microsoft music store will do to their partnership with MTV.
Throwing the xBox heavys at it doesnt mean squat in my book, only when they cut the price drastically did the xBox outsell the gamecube in america and worldwide it was still third behind Nintendo and Sony.
Microsofts going to have the same uphill battle here. People have invested too much money into Apple to switch and the number of people who dont have a iPod or use iTunes is much too small at this point to allow Microsoft to get a sizeable foothold.
Only a misstep at this point by Apple could give Microsoft the help it needs which while not unheard of (especially from Apple) is at this point very unlikely.
I read in Gizmodo that MS will scan your iTunes and will give you all the songs in your library to be used on the new MS "killer" (ha, ha)... sorry couldn't help myself.
If that is the case, that is a "tempting" resolution for some iPod owners. Not the diehard ones as we are. Who knows.
This MS "thing" sounds all well and good. The one point that I'm sure MS will not emphasize is how much the air time will cost to download music.
Hmmm... download music wirelessly? Isn't that called radio?