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Microsoft Argo: iPod Killer?

Well I guess Steve needs to get on the ball with a counter-product.

I wish Microsoft could be more innovative with their products.
 
[The Microsoft music player could be a huge success if Microsoft wants it to be. MS could offer them at such a low price they they would sell fast. Of course MS would loose a pile of money on each unit but why would they care if the goal is to run the competition out of bussenis. A $50 player with 10 GB of space would pretty much kill the iPod.
 
bcharna said:
After really looking at the photo, either Micro**** literally gave the 3G iPod plastic surgery or that is completely Photoshopped. It is SO similar to the 3G iPod with added ugliness to make it Genuine Micro****.
Click to expand...

After looking at that photo I believe it's an ergonomic nightmare. Well, maybe not exactly a nightmare but certainly it's not the most ergonomic of designs. Having the play/pause button on the bottom right like that forces your thumb into an unnatural position to operate it.

Bearing this in mind, I proclaim this image REAL!!! 😀

Only Microsoft would produce a design as dumb as that.

Lets hope when it ships they get class action after class action for people claiming it gives them RSI

😉

RodC
--
www.expodition.com - for iPod users who love to travel
 
bcharna said:
After really looking at the photo, either Micro**** literally gave the 3G iPod plastic surgery or that is completely Photoshopped. It is SO similar to the 3G iPod with added ugliness to make it Genuine Micro****.
Click to expand...

I think you're giving the design too much credit. I wonder how that silver disc is even operated
 
Hmm... so if Microsoft's track record with Vista can tell us anything. I predict this should be ready around Christmas of 2009! 😀 All kidding aside, I don't see Apple resting on its laurels. As long as Apple continues to come up with new ideas, Microsoft is going to continue to play catch up.
 
Apple knows what their doing. They will wait as long as they can on the 5G. Then before competition arises they will release a new one to stay on top. I wouldn't doubt that they announce a new iPod during the WWDC(a month away, eeekkk!). Jobs talked a little bit about the iPod the last few years, at the WWDC.

Then again, Microsoft lost money on every Xbox sold just to get their foot in the door. It's possible they will do the same thing on the "iPod Killer". Time will tell.
 
I'd wager that the photo is probably fake, but the info sounds real. It makes sense that M$ would cash in on their successful XBox name. The problem with Origami is that they had other people do it and that the Windows name doesn't hold much clout nowadays. You would think that Microsoft would actually put some of their R&D team on Vista so they can release it within a decade of XP instead of coming up with all these other hair-brained ways to waste their money.
 
if MS makes it cheaper than an iPod then Apple might have some trouble. Parents/grandparents who are technologically ignorant will generally buy whatever Bestbuy salesman pimps to them for their kid. So if it is cheaper than an iPod with similar functions then a lot will be bought.
 
it will be a good competition after all. it's MS. not just small mp3 player makers. but I doubt that new product will take a piece of ipod so called 'ipod killer'? it's not how ipod killer looks but how it can integerate both hardware and software like itunes so well. whatever MS do, they have gizliions of money to put anyway.

on the other hand, Apple already knows MS plan. Apple will release new 6G ipod before MS will do or at the same time. plus movie download service could be launched becasue MS makes Apple to hurry for going more further way. it will be interesting to watch the competition. 🙂
 
sikkinixx said:
if MS makes it cheaper than an iPod then Apple might have some trouble.
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Of course it will be cheaper, there is no question. On even comparable products Microsoft always goes with the cheaper price, and Apple can charge a premium right now b/c iPod holds 80% of the market. If something comparable comes out, Apple will be forced to drop their prices.
 
Can you say, "Solviet era?"

Not that it is the most clunky thing MS as spawned, but elegant-it ain't. I can imagine that whatever craptacular iteration of a music player Gates can come up with will be trounced nicely by the much more desirable next gen iPod. It must be tough to be so egotistical insofar as their products are concerned and yet untalented in making them. I hope they never get rid of Balmer and his ilk-they keep MS user unfriendly and thats the way I like it.
 
netdog said:
They will. Microsoft doing this will definitely cause Apple to be less stingy with the R&D and get some great small products to market.

God, I really hope that Leopard is more of an upgrade than Tiger was.
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You don't think tiger was a significant upgrade? wtf?? lol.. it was packed with new features.
 
it's the movies

the key to apple succeeding this battle is to win the rights with the movie industry.

if bill gates gets there 1st, apple's in trouble.

the immediate danger is that the movie execs now know that there will be 2 players, thus, I would imagine, lessening apple's power in negotiations. bad for us potentially given jobs' desire to create a level pricing field for dloaded movies.

i would love to be a fly on the wall inside apple these days. i have a funny feeling that the 'ipod video' dev team is working overtime fixing issues and getting it ready for market.

go apple go.

🙂
 
hyperpasta said:
Steve Jobs knew about this in January... this says a lot about his vision. I'm confident that he is already well-prepared for this and has something up his sleeve to counter it.

There will NOT be a sudden exodus to Argo from iPod. If it ever happens, it will be gradual and easy to fix.
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I would agree, but then I think about how Microsoft was late to the party regarding the internet and their release of IE. The exodus from Netscape to IE was virtually overnight.
 
it is a microsoft type design, but...

In all seriousness the photo shown looks like a microsoft type design. the truth is as much as i love all the ipods, apple is a little behind. there are loads of companies with products out there that out do the apple ipod gen5.
If you look at the photo of the microsoft player you can see that there are many companies that have come up with stuff almost identical. look at the creative zen for example. they are really similar in design.
I'd say to all the companies "watch out for apple", because apple mmust have something big up their sleeve to compete in the longrun. A good track record won't save apple forever.

I want to add that i love my mini, my nano, and i intend to buy a next gen video when it comes out.

These comments are all proving one thing... Windows is bearly competing with the companies that are barely competing with apple. Apple will blow everyone away with upcoming ipods! YOU ALL JUST WAIT! IT WILL BE AMAZING!!!!!
 
lmalave said:
I dunno, the XBox seems to be doing pretty well, and I don't see how one could say that Microsoft had a monopolistic advantage there. All they really had was a brand name and mucho $$$ for marketing, and they managed to establish a foothold in the game industry.
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The first XBox lost lots of buckets of money. Jury's still out on XBox 360.
 
It's would be fun if Microsoft released this player and Apple introduced the rumored full screen iPod a few days later..

800px-1fullipodav.jpg
 
sikkinixx said:
if MS makes it cheaper than an iPod then Apple might have some trouble. Parents/grandparents who are technologically ignorant will generally buy whatever Bestbuy salesman pimps to them for their kid. So if it is cheaper than an iPod with similar functions then a lot will be bought.
Click to expand...

I think people are very wrong here.

iPod is the cool thing. It is the brand name. It is what everyone asks for, even if they're using a generic term.

If you have an identical iPod and identical Microsoft brand side by side, people will go for the iPod, because it is the standard they are comfortable with. Even my grandparents konw what an iPod is. It is the Windows / MS Office of the music player world.

I know its a hard thing to wrap our minds around, but in this particular space, Apple is the established gorilla and everyone has to fight for the extra mindshare. People gravitate to the iPod, and will look at an MS offering with suspicion. "What does Microsoft have to do with Music? Aren't they a computer company?"
 
There's an awful lot of cock-suredness on this board.

If MS releases this player, which will have full wireless integration with the msTunes Music Store through your home PC with WMA10 or your XBOX360 some people could be persuaded to get it. The end-to-end process in a major part of the iPod experience, and this is MS's plan to get in on it.

Would I get one? No, because I have an Apple computer - but 90% of the world still runs windows, and now they won't have to install third party software or worry about integration issues. Their new PC (or old with new and improved WMA10) will connect right up and automatically fill up their new, media device - all without wires!

Give MS the benefit of the doubt here. If you dismiss them, you run the risk of falling prey to their marketing/sales/monopoly-position machine.
 
Here we go again....

This goes to show that Microsoft is not done taking business from others.🙄

Even if this does generate some sort of competition for Apple and the iPod, Microsoft will be miles behind Apple as usual.

I hope this does not become a repeat of what happened back in the 80's. That is, first Apple comes out with great products and all is well for some time. Then Microsoft comes out with a poor copy of that product then takes 95% of the market.
 
I know this is an Apple site and having recently "switched" I'm in no way knocking Apple or their products, but at the risk of getting flamed, why do people buy the video ipod with its tiny screen when there are other, better, video players out there already?

I have one of these and its fantastic. Great battery life, large vibrant screen, 30GB hard drive, plays movies, audio and records off the TV. Works great with my nice new 20" intel iMac too using handbrake and VisualHub.

I know brand loyalty plays a major part in peoples purchasing decisions but buying an ipod to watch video on a screen as small as that? Don't think I could stand it for long.

IMHO, both Apple and Microsoft will have to go some way to beat the COWON A2.
 
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