Microsoft's anti iPod shuffle webpage

[mgargan1]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/flash.aspx

I also like point #6. That really sticks it to apple

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I really liked the CD quality definition: WMA@64k...

 

[Sun Baked]

I really liked the CD quality definition: WMA@64k...

Well, you do know they use similar MS-branded compression scheme on Windows to stuff all those nifty features into it. And MicroSoft will tell you that the quality of the Windows user experience doesn't suffer one bit.

 

[applekid]

I actually find it interesting how Microsoft never actually attacks Apple directly. They allude to it though. I guess Microsoft is technically on good terms with Apple still (as in developing software anyway; eventhough I do think Windows Media Player is really half-assed on the Mac side).

 

[DavidLeblond]

Bah. I can see wanting FM (not all that bad though, the only good station down here is the oldies station... all the other ones only play 5 songs) but the voice recorders are all highly overrated. The last MP3 player I had had one... it was horrible and I never found a use for it anyway.

I don't mind being "locked in" to iTunes. At least if I decided to quit using iTunes I wouldn't lose all my songs (ala Napster To Go.) Plus the aforementioned 64kps music... bah!

 

[~loserman~]

I don't mind being "locked in" to iTunes. At least if I decided to quit using iTunes I wouldn't lose all my songs (ala Napster To Go.) Plus the aforementioned 64kps music... bah!

It only make sense that Windows users would use 64kbs wma, because Windows users are used to lower quality.

 

[Belly-laughs]

It only make sense that Windows users would use 64kbs wma, because Windows users are used to lower quality.

…and they don´t even know they are.

 

[maya]

Reading those definitions really makes me not want the Shuffle, I mean come on now without an FM Tuner and Voice Recorder why even bother.

 

[Inspector Lee]

I think MS is frighteningly scrapping when it comes to the music aspect of the digital lifestyle. They flat-out missed the boat and I am surprised heads haven't rolled in Redmond. Then again, Billy Gee really has no desire to do anything "great" save introduce some boxy wrist-top computer that can tell you whether or not it is raining in Cleveland...

FM radio has become a joke, an insultingly derivative joke. The same songs over and over and over again (e.g. "here's The Stones and Shattered") played by automatons who are stuck in a time warp and think it is still slick to be a deejay a la Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincy.

I am grateful I live in a college town where I can tune into the commercial-free campus radio (88.9 Impact). And that is the only FM radio I listen to.

I apologize for the rant.

 

[Mav451]

It only make sense that Windows users would use 64kbs wma, because Windows users are used to lower quality.

?

Windows users have been used to 128Kbps since 1999, 192Kbps in 2000, and 320 since then. Heck, you could have 320Kbps since the release of dbPowerAMP.

Just depends on your sources, mon ami. (*cough*)
Napster revolution? KazaaLite? WinMX? Those weren't Mac firsts. Those started on PCs.

Not advocating P2P of course though. Bad, BAD.

 

[clayj]

It only make sense that Windows users would use 64kbs wma, because Windows users are used to lower quality.

Yeah, seriously, man, that's just wrong. It's comments like that that make Apple users look like elitist jerks.

 

[Mav451]

None of my songs are in .wma

Then again, I also have an iPod. Everything I rip is in .mp3 or .mp4 b/c those are the best formats (.mp3 for being widely supported, AAC for reducing file size). Loseless...is meh, too much hard drive space.

The only .wma files I have are those nasty 32KBPs ones people embed in their webpages.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

I don't know what so bad about it - would you see Apple doing anything different? They're in competition, so they're going to play up they're strengths and for them its best to mention using more stores that have they're format.

And at the end of the day, who's doing better?

D

 

[clayj]

None of my songs are in .wma

Then again, I also have an iPod. Everything I rip is in .mp3 or .mp4 b/c those are the best formats (.mp3 for being widely supported, AAC for reducing file size). Loseless...is meh, too much hard drive space.

The only .wma files I have are those nasty 32KBPs ones people embed in their webpages.

ALL of my songs are in WMA... iTunes converted them into AAC for use on my iPod, an excruciating 20 hour process. I just can't tell the diff between AAC and WMA when I listen to both formats (WMA vs. native unconverted AAC), so I stick with WMA. It also helps that I don't buy music online... all my music is ripped from the original CDs.

 

[Mav451]

ALL of my songs are in WMA... iTunes converted them into AAC for use on my iPod, an excruciating 20 hour process. I just can't tell the diff between AAC and WMA when I listen to both formats (WMA vs. native unconverted AAC), so I stick with WMA. It also helps that I don't buy music online... all my music is ripped from the original CDs.

Heh, talk about 2 poles. I guess I should be ashamed I don't have "MS" pride to have WMA's hehe.

...I just said MS pride out loud. Scary.

 

[PlaceofDis]

i, personally, see a huge difference between 128 WMA and 128 AAC, but to each their own really

on another note, this really is just your regular run of the mill competition, no different than Apple having posters that told redmond to start their copiers....

 

[quackattack]

I love their point, that with an FM tuner you can have a "professional" pick your playlist....

This is assuming that this "professional" knows exactly what you like to hear and what your tastes in music are.

Thats half the reason I have an iPod, so I don't have to listen to pop clear channel crap.

 

[Lacero]

i, personally, see a huge difference between 128 WMA and 128 AAC, but to each their own really

Yes. I see a huge difference too. One is spelled "AAC" and the other is spelled "WMA". I guess they share an "A" in common, but otherwise, the difference is huge!

 

[devman]

I think MS is frighteningly scrapping when it comes to the music aspect of the digital lifestyle. They flat-out missed the boat and I am surprised heads haven't rolled in Redmond. Then again, Billy Gee really has no desire to do anything "great" save introduce some boxy wrist-top computer that can tell you whether or not it is raining in Cleveland...

FM radio has become a joke, an insultingly derivative joke. The same songs over and over and over again (e.g. "here's The Stones and Shattered") played by automatons who are stuck in a time warp and think it is still slick to be a deejay a la Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincy.

I am grateful I live in a college town where I can tune into the commercial-free campus radio (88.9 Impact). And that is the only FM radio I listen to.

I apologize for the rant.

Hey IL, no need to apologise. As far as rants go, it wasn't bad...

 

[Bern]

.... I don't mind being "locked in" to iTunes. At least if I decided to quit using iTunes I wouldn't lose all my songs (ala Napster To Go.) Plus the aforementioned 64kps music... bah!

I wouldn't mind either... that is of course if ITMS was available in Australia

 

[Yvan256]

ALL of my songs are in WMA... iTunes converted them into AAC for use on my iPod, an excruciating 20 hour process. I just can't tell the diff between AAC and WMA when I listen to both formats (WMA vs. native unconverted AAC), so I stick with WMA. It also helps that I don't buy music online... all my music is ripped from the original CDs.

Ok, let's see here (not trying to flame/troll):
- all your music is ripped from your original CDs
- you use iTunes
- you have an iPod

My question is: why are you using WMA? And if you're using iTunes, how do you rip your music to WMA? Are you ripping with another program, then import/convert the WMA to AAC in iTunes?!

Sorry, but it's not making any sense to me...

 

[JeDiBoYTJ]

typical MS...

Many portable music players can do more than just play music. Some players have a built-in voice recorder, FM recorder, or stopwatch. And some come with extra accessories like high-quality headphones, a belt clip, or an armband. Because most of these features are included at no additional cost, make sure the device you choose is filled with these fun extras.

...yeah, because we all need a voice recorder, and an FM recorder, and a stop watch in every device we buy

If I want a Portable Mp3 player, I will buy a Portable Mp3 player... if I wanted a stop watch, I will buy a stop watch. All those extra features will just end up confusing the consumer... thats why Apple is doing so well, because all the Shuffle does is play music... and it does it well.

When you have hundreds of songs on your player, you really need an easy way to select your music by artist, album, or genre. This is critical if you want to find that one song or artist you really want to hear. A display also comes in handy when you're looking for your favorite radio station.

...But if you are going out Jogging, do you really want to stop what you are doing and squint at a small display to choose a new song... do all that BEFORE hand... thats the point of the 'Shuffle. 99.9% of the time when im out jogging, my 30GB iPod is in my pocket, playing a predeterminined Playlist, or Album. im not going to stop in my tracks to look at the display or change the song.

Having an FM radio lets you put your player on autopilot as you mountain bike, cycle, or rollerblade. And when you're sweating it out on the stationary bike at your health club, you can listen to the program airing on the club's TV. You want to have something that is fun, lightweight, and flexible. And FM radio is a key feature that many players offer at no extra cost, even for less than $100.

...Having an iPod Shuffle lets you put your player on autopilot as you mountain bike, cycle, or rollerblade. hence the term 'Shuffle'? If I have over 200 songs on an iPod Shuffle, thats constantly being changed and updated when I plug it in to the computer, I dont need no stinkin FM radio.

...Number 5 is laughable.... 64kb/s is CD Quality? hahahahahhaha...

Have you ever been on the hunt for a particular song? Some obscure indie rock tune or rare jazz performance you heard on the radio? You might have to shop at more than one store before you find the song you're looking for. Having the flexibility to choose from over 1 million tracks of music from multiple online music stores such as MSN Music, Napster, MusicMatch, and Wal-Mart can be the key to getting the music you want. Several stores even offer subscription services so you can download all the songs you want for about the cost of a CD each month

why have a choice when the iTMS is already nearly perfect?

 

[ziwi]

F! Microsoft. If they are the flash drive music experts - let them own the market of music stores and players - what they don't - oh, so no wonder they are crying foul. If they are not the center of the universe then everybody else is out of their mind - maybe, just maybe peole given the alternative to the world dominator - sometimes take it

 

[Nickygoat]

Ok, let's see here (not trying to flame/troll):
- all your music is ripped from your original CDs
- you use iTunes
- you have an iPod

My question is: why are you using WMA? And if you're using iTunes, how do you rip your music to WMA? Are you ripping with another program, then import/convert the WMA to AAC in iTunes?!

Sorry, but it's not making any sense to me...

I was under the impression that iTunes on a PC offered to convert WMA files if you had already ripped them onto the computer. at least that's what happened when I installed iTunes on my dad's PC after he had put some CDs on there.
I also thought the "Plays For Sure" was limited to only a few devices so far - correct me if I'm wrong - it was a while since I looked.

 

[Arcus]

The reason I use an MP3 player in the first place is because that "professional" plays garbage. There is not a SINGLE radio staion in my area thet I can listen to for more than a half hour ever since WDRE shut down (yea its been that long if you know what station im talking about). Its either beat to death lepplin and the like, easy listeneing, top 40 , urban or nu-metal played over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over ... and over.

I dont want some corporate cronie deciding for me what is good. Even now I'm on hold with Verizon in pure anguish listening to Gloria Estephan and 3 Doors Down. Someoe shoot me or recharge my iPod dammit. Im at work too much.