Microsoft's anti iPod shuffle webpage

[stcanard]

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.

Very simple. The problem goes right to the top. Microsoft doesn't know where computers are going, and are having to scramble to keep up.

If you think about it, they've missed everything about the digital lifestyle.

They let Netscape get > 90% market share before they realized there was a problem, and had to devote considerable resources to wrenching it back.

They let AOL and Google steal the ISP and search market before they even knew it existed and are still scrambling to get it back.

They let Apple take the digital music market, same deal.

They've finally started to wake up and are trying to get into movies, but they're still behind there (again, to Apple).

The digital market has shifted to something outside their vision, and they no longer see the way through. Instead they have had to switch into defensive mode and try to wrest control of the markets other people see. This page is a perfect example of that.

 

[andiwm2003]

Very simple. The problem goes right to the top. Microsoft doesn't know where computers are going, and are having to scramble to keep up.

If you think about it, they've missed everything about the digital lifestyle.

They let Netscape get > 90% market share before they realized there was a problem, and had to devote considerable resources to wrenching it back.

They let AOL and Google steal the ISP and search market before they even knew it existed and are still scrambling to get it back.

They let Apple take the digital music market, same deal.

They've finally started to wake up and are trying to get into movies, but they're still behind there (again, to Apple).

The digital market has shifted to something outside their vision, and they no longer see the way through. Instead they have had to switch into defensive mode and try to wrest control of the markets other people see. This page is a perfect example of that.

one has to be fair:

M$ has provided the best Office suite. Even to apple fans it's a good set of programs. Apple neglected the business sector.

M$ provides a good and widespread database.

M$ provides a worldstandard for project management.

M$ has with outlook a good mail/calender software.

that are all programs with billions of sales. of course they ignored the small music market. i'm happy with that because it leaves the creative/fun market to people who understand it and make it even more fun.

i'm not a M$ fan but it's not that they are all incompetent there. they have some good people (o.k. a few).

 

[stcanard]

M$ has provided the best Office suite. Even to apple fans it's a good set of programs. Apple neglected the business sector.

I agree, but what does that have to do with the digital lifestyle?

Not a single thing you mentioned related to the internet / media content. MS has a huge blind spot there.

 

[applebum]

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

Well, except that it is apparently true. Afterall, it is Microsoft that is actually touting 64 kb/s as high quality. So, then one of two things is true:

MS themselves has absolutely no clue what high quality is (could be true)

or, more likely

MS knows what high quality is, but realizes that its customers are perfectly willing to accept quantity over quality

Call Mac users elititst, but you should question why MS does this with marketing.

PS - I see you now have an iPod despite early posts saying you wouldn't get one until it supported WMA (congrats). Now, I say give it another 6 months and you will be bashing MS along with the rest of us Mac elitists.

 

[clayj]

Well, except that it is apparently true. Afterall, it is Microsoft that is actually touting 64 kb/s as high quality. So, then one of two things is true:

MS themselves has absolutely no clue what high quality is (could be true)

or, more likely

MS knows what high quality is, but realizes that its customers are perfectly willing to accept quantity over quality

Call Mac users elititst, but you should question why MS does this with marketing.

PS - I see you now have an iPod despite early posts saying you wouldn't get one until it supported WMA (congrats). Now, I say give it another 6 months and you will be bashing MS along with the rest of us Mac elitists.

Thanks. Yeah, I bought an iPod... I was bored and needed a new gadget, and it doesn't look like anyone (including Sony) is going to put out anything comparable anytime soon. But I still want WMA support on the iPod, and now that I own one, I feel I have a legitimate complaint. No one should have to sit through 20 hours of conversion from one format to another.

And if you think I'll be bashing Microsoft, don't hold your breath. You may have read up on me, but I don't think you've read enough.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Thanks. Yeah, I bought an iPod... I was bored and needed a new gadget, and it doesn't look like anyone (including Sony) is going to put out anything comparable anytime soon. But I still want WMA support on the iPod, and now that I own one, I feel I have a legitimate complaint. No one should have to sit through 20 hours of conversion from one format to another.

And if you think I'll be bashing Microsoft, don't hold your breath. You may have read up on me, but I don't think you've read enough.

well if you really dont want to be tied to any platform you should have ripped your music in good ol' MP3 format to start with, all players support that format, and you wouldn't have had to convert anything at all either WMA is a MS proprietry format, so of course apple isnt going to support it, or pay the licensing fees for it to be supported in the iPod. AAC is the open standartd that apple went with, but you can still encode your songs in MP3 through iTunes if you prefer

 

[clayj]

well if you really dont want to be tied to any platform you should have ripped your music in good ol' MP3 format to start with

Well, originally I did... 64 kbps MP3. When I decided to re-rip everything, my research* indicated that 128 kbps WMA was better than 128 kbps MP3, so I switched to WMA. And I was already halfway through re-ripping AGAIN (to 192 kbps WMA) when I decided to buy an iPod. Most of my music playing is actually through Windows Media Player 10, playing from my main PC through my home theatre system... so AAC/M4A as my "standard" isn't even an option. (And before you suggest I switch to iTunes... this is a Windows Media Center PC, and I have Media Center Extenders for Xbox, so switching to iTunes is not an option.)

* It would be nice if some independent organization would do a comparison of all of the formats, at all of the bit rates, so that people like me who have 400 CDs (in other words, it takes a LONG time for me to rip and catalog everything) could make the best decision about what format to use without having to worry about having made the wrong choice. Sadly, no one has done this.

 

[kgarner]

It would be nice if some independent organization would do a comparison of all of the formats, at all of the bit rates, so that people like me who have 400 CDs (in other words, it takes a LONG time for me to rip and catalog everything) could make the best decision about what format to use without having to worry about having made the wrong choice. Sadly, no one has done this.

Here is one of various codecs at 128 kbps. Link

 

[Sutekidane]

Radio

I just don't see what the big deal is with FM radio being a feature on mp3 players. I don't know about anyone else, but I bought my mp3 player so I didn't have to listen to the radio.

 

[Mav451]

I just don't see what the big deal is with FM radio being a feature on mp3 players. I don't know about anyone else, but I bought my mp3 player so I didn't have to listen to the radio.

A feature I think would be better (building off of that) is a reception of either Internet-based or Satellite Radio. If the world is eventually wired like many of the college campuses around the US are, just imagine if you could tune into web radio stations just by entering the IP address >> or, supplement this with a search function on the iPod.

Web radio is quite different from the conglomerate (in the hands of the few) convential radio structure that we have today. In fact, there's game music radio stations, anime music, and even my friend has a web radio station for asian music (http://www.bigbradio.com/ >> hehe, shameless plug).

 

[jesped8]

This is no different to what Apple are doing on their website. Any company will, of course, tell you that their products are better than the competitors'. And most of you will probably say, "well, Apple's products ARE actually better." That's not entirely true. AAC is slightly better than MP3, 128 AAC is about equal to 172 MP3. But iTunes is a mediocre program with very few options in terms of sound setting and file management. I know, I use iTunes on my computer. I haven't used the iTunes Music Store, so I don't know about that, but it probably requires iTunes on the computer to download (correct me if I'm wrong). Windows Media Player has a clear advantage over iTunes in being able to play video files as well as files directly from the Internet.

Oh, and if you're bitching about Apple bashing on Windows's webpage, take a look at this one. That's far worse than what Windows is doing. But I guess because it's Apple it's ok. No need to get all un-bias on the topic.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

M$ has provided the best Office suite. Even to apple fans it's a good set of programs. Apple neglected the business sector.

True, I couldn't agree more... But Pages and Keynote shows that Apple has gotten aware of this...

M$ provides a good and widespread database.

Widespread yes, but good? H*LL no, the SQL dialect and overall design of Access is dreadful...

M$ provides a worldstandard for project management.

Ok... not sure most Mac users (potential or actual users) really cares... but maybe this is an area where Apple can improve itself...

M$ has with outlook a good mail/calender software.

Outlook is maybe the biggest piece of c*ap ever implemented. Outlook (and its little brother Outlook Express) is singelhandly responsible for Billions of $ in lost productivity and dataloss because it has proved to be much better at distributing viruses than mail messages due to a too close integration with the OS.

Mail/Address Book is much better designed and implemented (and has, until now, proven impregnable to attacks). And for personal use iCal is a really good calendar software, and there are pro solutions for those who needs to share calendars and integrate timemanagement, invoicing and accounting...

 

[Passante]

one has to be fair:

M$ has provided the best Office suite. Even to apple fans it's a good set of programs. Apple neglected the business sector.

M$ provides a good and widespread database.

M$ provides a worldstandard for project management.

M$ has with outlook a good mail/calender software.

that are all programs with billions of sales. of course they ignored the small music market. i'm happy with that because it leaves the creative/fun market to people who understand it and make it even more fun.

i'm not a M$ fan but it's not that they are all incompetent there. they have some good people (o.k. a few).

I take exception to the comment BEST office suite. They have the ONLY office suite for the same reason they have the dominante OS. Thier early ties to IBM and the lemming like adherance to thier products by IT people in the late 80's and early 90's.

 

[tommy.hanks]

I think the bottom line is, with over 300 million songs sold, apparently someone out there doesn't mind being "locked-in" to one music store. At least the store that we are "locked-in" to isn't crap.

 

[Frump]

this one[/URL]. That's far worse than what Windows is doing. But I guess because it's Apple it's ok. No need to get all un-bias on the topic.

Even Apple can be misleading with their information. The 2nd point they make on that page is that OSX does not crash. Well then, Microsoft must have made my Mac because I have had it crash. Not to often mind you but a few times. I am talking total freeze crash and only a hard restart can help.

I have just sold my PC so I am Windows free. The Mac is not perfect (yet) but it is a better chioce.

Frump.

 

[IanC]

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

oh man thats great. As someone else pointed out, they neevr seem to attack apple directly, just do it in ways like this.

 

[ClarkeB]

OMG I just heard Micro$oft is releasing a new version of DOS! That's the big Longhorn secret! I mean...c'mon...everyone knows that DOS, WMA, WMV, and Windoze Movie Maker are in and OS X, AAC, MPEG-4, and iMovie HD are out!

 

[Yvan256]

OMG I just heard Micro$oft is releasing a new version of DOS! That's the big Longhorn secret! I mean...c'mon...everyone knows that DOS, WMA, WMV, and Windoze Movie Maker are in and OS X, AAC, MPEG-4, and iMovie HD are out!

Finally! I hope they improved the XMS and EMS drivers, though...