Microsoft sought iPod support from Apple for its upcoming on...

[MacBytes]

Category: News and Press Releases
Link: Microsoft sought iPod support from Apple for its upcoming on-line music store (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20040826104831)
Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)

Approved by Mudbug

[redAPPLE]

as long as Apple keeps selling iPods in a sufficient rate, then i would be "happy".

is it known, if m$ would only have a US store?

[ZildjianKX]

I wonder if they'll have a mac compatible store, and a way for playing them on macs...

[Qunchuy]

...Microsoft has made several overtures to Apple to make its store compatible with the industry-leading iPod but has been rebuffed.
That could mean either that Microsoft offered to license WMA-DRM to Apple so it could be put on the iPod, or that Microsoft asked Apple if they could use Fairplay for their store's music. I suppose "several overtures" implies that it could have been both.

Is there a significant downside to making the iPod able to play songs purchased from the rest of the music stores in the world? (Besides giving money to Microsoft, that is.)

[Jamvan]

Playing different drm'd music on the iPod is only the half of it. What about the jukebox? What concerns me most about M$ getting into this game is the fact that WMP10 will provide access to purchase as well as play music from multiple music stores due to the WMA format. While I'm content with purchasing from the iTMS and syncing with my iPod, THAT really is my only choice. I purchased music from Real and burned and re-ripped to manage it in iTunes. Many, MANY others will want to have that choice of comparing stores content and price and be able to play through one system without having to burn and re-rip. iTunes can only play drm'd content from iTMS, RP10 can only play drm'd content from Real and Rhapsody, Napster has their own management system, etc. M$ appears to be the only one that is going to have the ability to play music from multiple music stores through the same jukebox because the own the WMA format.

This fact only will make it extremely hard for Apple to compete in the download wars.

[stoid]

If Apple allows other music stores to work with the iTunes jukebox and the iPod, suddenly their tight, simple and insanely easy integration goes away and they become just another music product. The reason that Apple had been kicking the ever living ***** out of these n00b stores is that Apple has everything so integrated and easy to use, not to mention stylish that all other methods become clunky and painful to use. With Apple, you download the song, hook up the iPod and you are good to go. With the others, you download the track, load it into your jukebox software, then plug in your mp3 player to sync it, then you can go. That extra step can make all the difference as we are seeing. Now, if WMP 10 has the music store built in, NOW you're finally heating up some real competition for Apple.

[srobert]

is it known, if m$ would only have a US store?

Maybe they'll go international. But before downloading music you will have to fill a form in your native language and tell them (click radio button) if you are a O Male or a O Bitch.

(no offense intended here, simply making reference to one of Microsoft's past international blunder)

[Sharewaredemon]

yeah but i doubt the windows music store will actually work i mean comon
it's windows!!
it's gonna crash all the time!

:p

[nagromme]

They're expected to open with 600-700k songs? That can't be right. They would just wait before they'd play catch-up to Apple's million from THAT far behind.

[Earl Urly]

Picture, if you will, Bill Gates' office about 7-8 years ago with Steve Jobs kneeling and saying 'puhhhleeeeaze pretty puleaze make Access for the Macintosh!' Gates says, 'Oooo, sorry Steve, not enough market share. And we gave you a crappy version of FoxPro anyway so be happy with that.'

Picture if you will, Steve Job's office about 7-8 days ago with Bill Gates kneeling on one knee (he'll never prostrate for anyone, except maybe Melinda on an extra-PMSsy day) and saying 'puhhhleeeeaze pretty puleaze let the iPod take Windoze Media songs!' Jobs says....... ;)

You might argue that this was a blessing in disguise as this eventually came back to haunt Microsoft when Apple started Claris and made FileMaker Pro.. but let's say in an alternate universe they DID make Access for Mac.. Macs would have penetrated a lot further into the enterprise than they did, and Microsoft would have reigned supreme for quite a while to come in the desktop database area..