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CES: Microsoft Music Service and Entertainment
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On a different note, as MWSF gets nearer I find myself getting increasing edgy about the whole Intel thing. Now even more so since Microsoft have introduced their iTunes rival - 2million tracks sounds llike rather a lot to me - what's the iTunes count at the mome?
Also, with Intel openly embarking on the Viiv platform, a potential iMac/MacMini media centre equivalent, the whole Windows/Vista/Mac/OSX thing is all starting to blur into a nightmare mish-mash that could well damage the credibility of the Mac Platform.
Wintel and Mactel machines will be running the same processors, effectively the same hardware and all that may differ between the two will be the design and, dare I say it, the price, with the Mac being the premium product!
I think I preferred the two completely separate platforms opposite each other which at least made the Mac a <superior> platform in itself.
Yes, the new machines are no doubt and exciting Mac transition, but I'm concerened about the long-term effect of all of this. I just hope The Boy Jobs has got his sums right...
Also, with Intel openly embarking on the Viiv platform, a potential iMac/MacMini media centre equivalent, the whole Windows/Vista/Mac/OSX thing is all starting to blur into a nightmare mish-mash that could well damage the credibility of the Mac Platform.
Wintel and Mactel machines will be running the same processors, effectively the same hardware and all that may differ between the two will be the design and, dare I say it, the price, with the Mac being the premium product!
I think I preferred the two completely separate platforms opposite each other which at least made the Mac a <superior> platform in itself.
Yes, the new machines are no doubt and exciting Mac transition, but I'm concerened about the long-term effect of all of this. I just hope The Boy Jobs has got his sums right...
cwedl
macrumors 65816
I really think that Microsoft may get some market share from this, the only problems and its big is windows media player! its awful in every sense of the word! There are some great Portable music players out there including iRivers, Can't wait to see what apple will bring out this january, one things for sure, they will not let microsoft get away with this.
iPod killer?Lacero said:
I have a feeling that the iPod killer will be all the Windows Mobile smartphones.🙁
Hey Steve I've got a need for a smartphone and/or tablet that plays nice with my home desktop. And I've got £500 and some puppies waiting for you to step up or my next PC will be Windows!
somairotevoli said:
Well, the domain is owned by Viacom International Inc. and the current server has Linux as operating system with Sun-ONE-Web-Server/6.1 as server software.
Microsoft fowl play
Can anyone confirm if the microsoft website allows them to view the Vista page from within Safari? It just won't let me in but Firefox has no problems. Just visit microsoft.com and click the 'Windows Vista -> bringing clarity to your world' next to Showtime.
Can anyone confirm if the microsoft website allows them to view the Vista page from within Safari? It just won't let me in but Firefox has no problems. Just visit microsoft.com and click the 'Windows Vista -> bringing clarity to your world' next to Showtime.
BenRoethig
macrumors 68030
windowuser82 said:
Welcome to the Mac world. No offense guys, you you don't have much tolerance for opinions other than "everything Apple does is good and everything everybody else does is bad."
animefan_1 said:
Actually it goes something more like this...
Win 95 = Win 4.0
Win 95B = Win 4.1
Win 98 = Win 4.5
Win 98B = Win 4.6
Win ME = Win 4.9
Stella
macrumors G3
I wouldn't write microsoft off with this attempt so quickly.
So what if it can't support the iPod. There are more people who listen to music who do not have an iPod, so lack of compatibility doesn't matter ( thanks Apple, again for your closed system 😱 ).
microsoft are not always going to be lagging in this department, they have more than enough money to throw at the problem until they succeed, and they must. Digital stores whether it be music or movies is going to be a money spinner in the future and microsoft *want* to be there.
So what if it can't support the iPod. There are more people who listen to music who do not have an iPod, so lack of compatibility doesn't matter ( thanks Apple, again for your closed system 😱 ).
microsoft are not always going to be lagging in this department, they have more than enough money to throw at the problem until they succeed, and they must. Digital stores whether it be music or movies is going to be a money spinner in the future and microsoft *want* to be there.
dernhelm said:
That's the Sun Microsystems logo, the maker of the server software they are using.
KindredMAC
macrumors 6502a
MTV? They don't even play music anymore! How are they going to help M$? Give them all their crappy re-hashes of Real World and Road Rules as well as their Teeny Bopper Sex infused Ho Bag Dim Whitted Beach Bunny shows about how hard it is to be a Cool Kid in today's world????
Ahhhhhh.... I feel much better now
Ahhhhhh.... I feel much better now
iPod killer? OK. Everyone has gone mad... How can you possibly think that there'll be an iPod killer any time soon? Apple has sold millions of iPods. Tens of millions of iPods. Any new product that Microsoft could suddenly release would need the time and effort that Apple has put into the iPod. By then Apple would of course respond in time to beat the competition.
Now where I think Apple does need to show us better stuff is in the video and movie market. I think the "problem" is that the videos they sell are intended to be played on the iPod. If you think about it, with the millions of video-capable iPods they probably already sold this holiday season is more than a good reason to make videos compressed for the iPod. However, the home media market is beginning to grow rapidly once again. Just taking a look at the news that's been announced at CES gives you an idea where 2006 is going. I think Jobs's "year of HD" statement was ahead of its time. I think 2006 is the year of HD. Finally the consumer will be able to buy their Bluray or HD-DVD player for that HD television in which they rarely see high-def content.
I think it's Apple's best chance to take advantage that with digital video on your computer or home media device, you don't have to decide what format to side with or discs to worry about either.
Let's see how Apple plays it out next week. I think 2006 is going to be a real exciting Apple year. 😀
Now where I think Apple does need to show us better stuff is in the video and movie market. I think the "problem" is that the videos they sell are intended to be played on the iPod. If you think about it, with the millions of video-capable iPods they probably already sold this holiday season is more than a good reason to make videos compressed for the iPod. However, the home media market is beginning to grow rapidly once again. Just taking a look at the news that's been announced at CES gives you an idea where 2006 is going. I think Jobs's "year of HD" statement was ahead of its time. I think 2006 is the year of HD. Finally the consumer will be able to buy their Bluray or HD-DVD player for that HD television in which they rarely see high-def content.
I think it's Apple's best chance to take advantage that with digital video on your computer or home media device, you don't have to decide what format to side with or discs to worry about either.
Let's see how Apple plays it out next week. I think 2006 is going to be a real exciting Apple year. 😀
AidenShaw
macrumors P6
This is the most rational comment so far....mpw said:
My cellphone runs Windows, Outlook, Excel, Word, map applications, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, and hundreds of other ports of Windows apps.
It has WiFi, Bluetooth, "Cellular DSL" (EVDO) with 700 Mbps downloads,...
Add to that the new things that Bill showed at CES, and it's huge.
Maybe if Apple has "Mobile OSX" ready for a handheld they can avoid losing this battle (although "losing" isn't really the right word - Apple hasn't joined the game).
Why'd you hide that?mpw said:
And, btw, add "home media center and game console" to the list....
Les Kern
macrumors 68040
JDOG_ said:
Nah. If you read closely the reviews of the event, it was nothing more than "some" upcoming items and "mostly" dream/vapor ware. The only thing missing was the blue screen of death (becasue you and I BOTH know that's what would have happened if those items had ACTUALLY been hooked to Vista!). This was scripted, and used technology that hasn't been "invented" yet.
As for "Urge", it's doomed, though unlike some I DO like the logo.
Lacero
macrumors 604
Rational comment, it isn't. You are not the typical average person.AidenShaw said:
I'd like to see old men and ladies shopping Rodeo drive fiddling around with a smart phone. And those who use smart phones are not using it in the gym to listen to music. More features does not translate to more success against something iconic like the iPod.
Here's to the Crazy Ones 
Les Kern
macrumors 68040
BenRoethig said:
I read through the posts and didn't get the impression that GUYS meant EVERYONE as your note implies, so I think that's unfair.
Some are "worried", some don't give a rat's ass (me), some are the old-style MS-haters, some don't have the intelligence to MAKE a valid point.
Just like the PC-forums I visit!
Lacero said:Rational comment, it isn't. You are not the typical average person.
I'd like to see old men and ladies shopping Rodeo drive fiddling around with a smart phone. And those who use smart phones are not using it in the gym to listen to music. More features does not translate to more success against something iconic like the iPod.
Here's to the Crazy Ones
Exactly. Unfortunately, most posters here think that the "average" consumer is the "average" MacRumors poster...
1 - Most people don't even know "smartphones" exist;
2 - Most people don't care or don't want a smartphone, they have a thousand buttons and feel more like "jack of all trades, master of none" (have you ever seen one actually?)...people want SIMPLICITY;
3 - "Smartphones" are expensive in any country, unless you get an abo/subscription with'em;
4 - They are still bulky when compared to either down-to-earth mobiles or iPods.
Bottomline? No, thanks...they are not competition to Apple right now, or for at least 2 more years.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/experiences/music.aspx
I love my ipod, but this is a serious threat to the itunes/ipod, in a big way than it ever been.
I love my ipod, but this is a serious threat to the itunes/ipod, in a big way than it ever been.
Les Kern
macrumors 68040
AidenShaw said:
Hope they never are, IMO. First, cell phones/PDA's/Radio/Music-players with all those extra features are without a doubt the most annoying, over-rated tech items in the history of the world. Please, what's more annoying than listening to some no-neck screaming on their Nextel to some guy a few miles away, the static making the voice on the other end all but white noise. And that f-ing "BEEP!!!" after the mike button is pushed... over and over and over again. It's all I can do not to grab it and crush it under my size 15's.
PDA's themselves are over-rated. I am in the tech business. I know more power-users than most. Only a very, very few ACTUALLY use PDA's to their fullest. The vast majority play games during boring meetings, or are updating crap on them. Dumb waste of time.
Apple got OUT of the PDA business a long time ago. They don't need to go back. So what to make of my ASUS wireless PDA running Win CE? GREAT bathroom companion with Scrabble.
Sport73
macrumors member
oskar said:
I came to a frightening realization. I already knew it, but it turns out I'm a true Apple zealout. I look at these announcements from Microsoft, and the lovely (truly) XBox 360 sitting below my 50" HDTV and think - "I wish I could do that." I wish I had a box that could show me my photos, music, and movies navigated by remote control; I wish I could record (like on my HD Tivo from DirecTV) and easily move that content from the living room to the bedroom and onto a portable device. I wish I could download HD movies (current releases) direct to my TV, which I'd gladly pay at least $10 per film for...I wish my XM radio was more integrated into my home stereo...
Oh, there's a solution for what I want, it's called Microsoft Vista Home Media, XBox 360 Media Center, and the 'family' of partner products supported by Windows Media; and that scares me.
For those that haven't used one, Microsoft got the 360 RIGHT, it's the iPod of game consoles in elegance and design.
BUT, I love my 6 Macs, my 4 iPods (in the house), and iTunes. I respect Apple for LEADING the world into legally downloaded digital content. I WANT Apple to win because I know the Apple experience will be a better one in the end.
I already have a few problems. I use a PowerBook in the living room connected to my iMac's music library and my Airport Express to play music - it works GREAT and is nearly perfect. The only problem is that if my wife or I get the whim to buy a song from the neatly integrated iTunes store, that file gets stored LOCALLY on my Powerbook, and I have to remember to transfer it to my iMac library if I want it to show up there (homebase for my music collection). I could try sharing the iTunes Library with both iTunes, but it clearly wasn't built for that and I worry about corrupting the precious 5,000 song library I built.
I have a Mac Mini connected to my HDTV, but I almost never use it. Even less since my 360 arrived and I can watch photos straight from my Digital Camera in seconds, and download/watch HD movie trailers in the XBox 360 Marketplace.
Apple doesn't have a link into my Living Room, and I desperately want them to. But I worry about them trying to go it alone. I love XM Radio, I love my iPod with Video. I don't really need or care about portable XM radio outside of my car, but I guess it would be nice to have one device that did XM, mp3 (AAC) music, portable video, and photos. I have a PSP for portable gaming; it's a nice system but I don't care to buy UMD's for movies nor store my music on the small/expensive flash memory cards; it's a good game machine though.
I have DirecTV, mainly because of PQ and NFL Sunday Ticket, and I LOVE my HD Tivo (Tivo is the only other company besides Apple that earns passion from its users). I have a Hitachi HDTV; a Yamaha receiver, an XBox 360 and a Mac Mini in the entertainment center as well. As much as I want to buy from Apple, the ideal experience would be HD movies purchased and download straight into my HD PVR, not yet another box (spare HDMI ports are hard to come by), so unless Apple is prepared to replace my DVR...
The point is that Apple was performing perfectly and LEADING the world into legal, portable, digital music; somewhere along the way they decided to 'wait and see' on video, and now Vongo and Microsoft have begun to steal the thunder and momentum...
I believe Apple will have a solution for me, and I'm willing to wait for the company I love...But eventually, I'll have to yeild reluctantly to the forces conspiring to give me what I want. The pressure is on Apple and Monday's KEYNOTE may be the most important since Steve's return.
PS> For anyone who thinks I'm bashing Apple, bear in mind that I still believe OS X is lightyear's beyond anything else, and use Macs exclusively, even in a corporation with 3,000 other Windows users. I have personally 'sold' or bought more than $200,000 worth of Apple products in the past 2 years, having convinced my entire extended family, friends and coworkers to switch to the Mac platform and the accompanying iPod etc. I LOVE APPLE. I WANT APPLE TO WIN. For the first time in years, however, I'm nervous. This is all moving very fast...
1macker1
macrumors 65816
I have a Windows smartphone, and i use it to go jogging. It does it all, and once the SD memory limit jumps, I think these devices could really challenge the iPod.
Mp3's
Video
Internet
Outlook
Word
Text Messages
MMS Messages
Tons of Java Games
I like my phone more that i like my iPod mini.
Mp3's
Video
Internet
Outlook
Word
Text Messages
MMS Messages
Tons of Java Games
I like my phone more that i like my iPod mini.
Lacero said:Rational comment, it isn't. You are not the typical average person.
I'd like to see old men and ladies shopping Rodeo drive fiddling around with a smart phone. And those who use smart phones are not using it in the gym to listen to music. More features does not translate to more success against something iconic like the iPod.
Here's to the Crazy Ones