Microsoft Music Store in 2004?

[Trimix]

Is that so noteworthy ?
Who really deep down cares wether they get into it or not ?
At least they will push out dorks like this Blum character -

 

[Wonder Boy]

there are already a lot of windows music stores. just because its from microsoft, does in mean it will be any better? i dont think so...

 

[jcshas]

I don't like the sound of this (pun intended)!

 

[ebow]

Originally posted by avus
From WSJ:

A spokeswoman for the software giant confirmed that Microsoft's MSN Web site will offer such a service in 2004, but declined to provide further details.

If that's the case, then Apple has nothing to worry about...right?

Sadly, many Windows users I know (and these aren't totally braindead people, either) use MSN as their homepage... very likely because it's the page that loaded by default when they first booted their computers. So hey, why not browse those headlines? Oh, I can click straight into my Hotmail account? And get maps... Why bother setting my own homepage? And hey, why not check out this new "Buy Music" link I just noticed?

Sigh... by having it as part of MSN it'll get a LOT of notice, I'm betting. 🙁

 

[Hawthorne]

Two things

Us poor chaps in europe have no download service worth using so apple really should start offering a service to us too...

1. Apple would love to do just that (and Canada, too). However, dealing with the legal hassles re: licensing and copyright is proving to be a beeyatch. Steve will be hyping iTMS to the skies come Macworld, I wouldn't be surprised if he unveils iTMS for either/both Europe and Canada then.

2. Anyone want to place bets that installation/use of the Micro$oft Music Store will "accidentally" break the functionality of Napster, MusicMatch, and iTunes?

 

[gwuMACaddict]

Originally posted by ebow

Sigh... by having it as part of MSN it'll get a LOT of notice, I'm betting. 🙁

i dont think it matters where microsoft puts it at all... they have the money to burn and the instant name recognition to boot. ought to be interesting. i still want to know if the same artist can be represented by all these services?

 

[cr2sh]

Re: surprise surprise

Originally posted by vwcruisn
what! microsux copying apple! now thats a first 🙄

Should we be worried though that they're only a year behind us now? Its like they're narrowing the gap! 😱

Originally posted by mj_1903
Walmart has greater revenue.

I heard a statistic the other day that 8% of everything sold in the US.. is sold by Walmart. Scary.

 

[MorganX]

My bet is this music service working with Xbox Live! will be a big promo.

Apple cannot reasonably expect that iPod will be the single dominant player forever, and they are tied to that.

I would like to see iTunes become the defacto music management/store browser software for all players. But that will only be possible when the iPod becomes marginalized.

 

[stoid]

I don't think that it matters that Microsoft is coming in late to the party, that's their style. Reminiscent of Dick Tracy they always bust down the doors machine guns at the ready and mow down anyone who stands in their way.

I think that MS will find a way so that in order to play music on their computers you have to have a subscription account to their music service. And since you are already paying for it, you might as well use it.

I hope very much that Microsoft mis-judges the market just like they did with the XBox and their inferior product still doesn't attract the consumer.

Further more, yes Apple does have integration, but you can easily use other services, oh wait, no one else makes a service for Macintosh. Microsoft on the other hand has many services available to it's Windows lemmings, and still MS will force these poor people to use their service.

Oh, yeah, and count on Microsoft claiming that they pioneered the market or something.

*sheds a tear for the end of the free computing world

 

[hayesk]

Originally posted by walexx

I think Apple need to introduce a cheaper ipod for people who just want music and not a portable HD aswell. Bring back the 5gig iPod at say $99.00 and bring down the price for the rest of the range, and then they will dominate the market pushing out any newcomers. Also please please please apple put in a built in FM radio.

PowerMac G5's at $500 would be popular too, but that doesn't mean they can do it without losing money.

A 5G iPod at $99 can't be done profitably. I doubt even $199 is possible.

 

[Photorun]

[sigh] yes, sadly peecee weenie press and people will hail Microcrap's music service as "genius" and they'll all jump on it like it's the newest thing sinces sliced bread.

The problem is that Microsoft controls the vertical AND horizontal, Windoze lusers are by majority a lot of clueless chumps that feed on the bile laden chum M$ pumps out and haven't a clue there is options out there, despite Apple or other marketing. As noted by the person above, the default browser (which of course is by M$) points to MSN, which of course is super bias laden to all things M$ (understandably).

Fact is Microsuck CAN throw gobs of dough at thep problem because they have the gobs of dough. They could sell tunes for $49 and loose money on each track and just wait while all other music services die out, including iTunes use on the peecee. Then of course, and it'd be typical Microshaft to wait until there was no other options then jack the prices back up.

M$, the champions of mediocrity, be prepared to be underwhelmed, lulled, then the masses of zombies that use their crap held captive.

 

[the_mole1314]

Originally posted by hayesk
PowerMac G5's at $500 would be popular too, but that doesn't mean they can do it without losing money.

A 5G iPod at $99 can't be done profitably. I doubt even $199 is possible.

Tehehehe 😀

I won't say anything.

 

[iEric]

God damn Microsoft can never think of their own ideas.

 

[racolvin]

I dunno but ..

Originally posted by Analog Kid
Same as always, I'd guess. "We told MS to play nice, and they said they would, so we're dropping the charges."

They have a pretty good case this time-- Apple is bundling, so there's no reason they shouldn't be able to.

We can't sit here and laugh about how Apple is so far ahead in integrating features and building a seamless experience and then ask to have MS legally barred from doing the same...

.... I think my feeling just boils down to this: Regardless of Microsoft screwed Apple early on, I'm just totally F'ing tired of seeing Microsoft's name everywhere and on friggin everything. Let them come out with a music store, hell everyone else is so why not? *I* certainly won't buy into it, purely on principle but that certainly won't keep them from grabbing marketshare.

But I do have one question: When Apple introduced the ITMS originally, why didn't they bloody well patent the idea of having access to the store from inside the jukebox software, etc? That at least would have kept the competitors at a disadvantage for a while ...

Oh well .. yet another good Apple innovation soon to be relegated to the footnotes section of computer history

 

[Java]

this could be bad

Jeez. Before too long, Microsoft could be seen as a monopoly…oh wait😛 .

 

[stoid]

Originally posted by Photorun
They could sell tunes for $49 and loose money on each track and just wait while all other music services die out, including iTunes use on the peecee.

I'm guessing you meant 49¢ 😉

Anyway, good point, as I said, like the XBox, a product sold at loss value to gain a market share.

Originally posted by the_mole1314
Tehehehe 😀

I won't say anything.

Then please don't waste our time by trying to raise your post count.



Anyway though, I think that we should trying to focus on the positive here.

So..... ummm...... *looks for the bright side.....


Ah! It's possible that once this comes out, Apple will innovate like hell and make a product so durn advanced that even MS with all it's advantages (legal and not-quite-as-legal) won't be able to snuff it out.

 

[rjwill246]

Re: Microsoft Music Store in 2004?

Originally posted by Macrumors
While Microsoft is only one in a series of music download services being launched over the next year, it has the unique position of being able to promote its service with all Windows installations which could provide them with a significant base market Apple presently enjoys this advantage on the Mac platform with their iTunes jukebox software.

Interesting: I wonder what happened to iTunes for Windows? Must have been an Apple flight of fantasy!

 

[stoid]

Re: Re: Microsoft Music Store in 2004?

Originally posted by rjwill246
Interesting: I wonder what happened to iTunes for Windows? Must have been an Apple flight of fantasy!

Does anyone have numbers on the latest market shares? Has good ol' Napster that's not Napster been "gaining public knowledge and slowly stealing iTunes market share?"

It would be great to get an update as to how iTMS is faring on the dark side.


(just noticed: the built-in speller checker doesn't like Napster, or BuyMusic, but it has no problem with iTMS. 😀 )

 

[DeusOmnis]

I dont think it would be wise for Microsoft to get into this battle... It would be smarter for them to rebrand another service.

 

[krossfyter]

Originally posted by mj_1903
Nope. Microsoft has more cash than Walmart, although Walmart has greater revenue.

yes but why does walmart have the ability to throw more cash around than microsoft?

think hard.

 

[IJ Reilly]

The antitrust case settlement didn't do much, but one thing it did accomplish was to prevent Microsoft from standing in the way of the OEMs bundling the software of their choice with the Windows PCs they sell. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft came barreling into this market, so we can only hope that Apple is working diligently with the PC makers on including iTunes for Windows.

 

[the_mole1314]

Originally posted by stoid

Then please don't waste our time by trying to raise your post count.

Just trying to drop clues and info without going all out. Read what I've said and you can piece it together. If you don't want me to speak, then fine.

 

[SiliconAddict]

Originally posted by avus
From WSJ:

If that's the case, then Apple has nothing to worry about...right?

Never mind the fact that every purchased PC and every downloaded and installed copy of IE points to MSN. Ya nothing to worry about.

I don’t want to be the eternal pessimist but iTunes is dead or if not that will be relegated to niche market yet again. 🙁
Lets look at Microsoft.
-They have millions to shell out on this.
-They have a 90%+ market share.
-Every copy of Windows ships with Media Player.
-They can advertise their music store right inside windows so they can reach a 90%+ market share as easy as adding a prompt to install a new version of Windows Media player with Windows update.
-They have 70%+/- market share of music players. (iPod owns 30% of the market.) I don’t have a figure as to what % of that 70% can play WMA but its got to be a big % and for those that only support non-DRMed WMA it would be a simple task to update the ROM.
-Finally like it or not 90% market share brings more clout then Apple has when it comes to getting the various music companies to open up. (This is why less then 5% market share is a long term death sentence to Apple.)


I wish Apple all the luck in the world and I will continue to use iTunes simply because by next year I will have a rather large collection but I think Microsoft is going to slowly kill iTMS. It’s not going to be an overnight thing but in 5 years iTMS will be at 5% market share. God I hate that company. Every day I wish for an EMP to flash fry MS Campus. 🙂

 

[greenstork]

Originally posted by the_mole1314
I think there is one way to for Apple to ruin M$'s plans.....

Allow for iTunes to convert WMA to AAC or MP3. That'll kill them.

I was just about to say something like this. this battle will be about codecs. If MS can get the RIAA to think AAC is bad, they will have gained an enormous leg up.

That said, I just don't understand the move. Microsoft is entering a loss leader market with no hardware to compensate for insignificant profit from online music sales.

There must be something up their sleeve, you can bet they'll be doing something in the home media domain that we haven't heard about yet.

 

[scat999999]

They say it will be available through the MSN website...>

I wonder if that means you'd have to be an MSN user to access it? It may not necessarily be iTunes they are targeting, but using it as a way to pull customers from AOL, Earthlink and other ISPs to grow their MSN service. MSN is monthly income coming in. Gates and MS are all about revenue.