Gates vows to fight iPod

Microsoft Courts Hollywood Allies

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-micro17jul17,0,3776901.story?coll=la-home-business
from WinCustomize Forums
Microsoft is not standing idly by as Apple's iPod helps lead the digital media revolution.  Microsoft is aggressively partnering up with media producers of all kind.  With Longhorn about a year away, Microsoft sees the time as right to take a new stand.  Read the full article at the LA Times for more...
7,615 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Great. I can see it now. Restart the player after every song download. Patches, viruses, and worms. Micro$oft should stay out and embrace the iPod, which is keeping people off the Mac with its support for Windows. They should concentrate on making Longhorn reliable and powerful and doing the same for the XBOX 360 instead of getting distracted by this and wasting time.
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Great. I can see it now. Restart the player after every song download. Patches, viruses, and worms. Micro$oft should stay out and embrace the iPod, which is keeping people off the Mac with its support for Windows. They should concentrate on making Longhorn reliable and powerful and doing the same for the XBOX 360 instead of getting distracted by this and wasting time.


DITTO
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Actually, if Microsoft does one thing right, it's hardware. I have owned many Microsoft mice and joysticks, and they outperformed and outlasted any other competitor's devices. I hate iPods. I hate them with a passion. The only reason they sell so well is because they are made by Apple, and it's "cool" to own a Apple or Mac product. In all honesty, I would rather have a Creative Nomad mp3 player than an iPod any day. The price is better, and the features are better.

So, I am in full support of Microsoft producing an mp3 player device.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
dlapoint, I don't think 6.1 million people purchased iPods last quarter simply because they are made by Apple. Otherwise, everyone would have picked up a Mac mini by now, as well.

People buy them because they give great UI.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmmm, well I guess Bill's got to blow that $90 Billion of his somewhere. Might as well throw it after a losing cause.
MS entered the gaming console market with the XBox, and have had their asses handed to them on a plate by Sony Playstation. Now they have a possibility to gain some ground with the XBox 360, they seemed to actually take the styling a litle more seriously this time, and it looks to have some pretty good features, but it's long odds for them to take the crown from Sony, and I think even longer odds on dethroning the ipod.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Er Citizen dlapoint are you for real? Ok your one of those Creative Zen owners aren’t you,

I think the Microsoft player will ether be a copy of the iPod’s navigation, or really hard to use!
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I actually think the MS Intellimouse Explorer is about the best thing MS ever made....so yes, they aren't that bad at Hardware...
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Great. I can see it now. Restart the player after every song download. Patches, viruses, and worms. Micro$oft should stay out and embrace the iPod, which is keeping people off the Mac with its support for Windows. They should concentrate on making Longhorn reliable and powerful and doing the same for the XBOX 360 instead of getting distracted by this and wasting time.


Why would you assume they're pulling people from Longhorn for this?

Competition is great. If their player becomes as bad as you suggest, then the market will reflect that. If they turn out a good product, the market will reflect that too, and Apple will be forced to work harder and/or lower their prices. Where's the downside?

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Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Right on. Tarkus....the competition is required to provide options and lower prices to consumers through a non-monopolised market. Manufacturers are also driven to perform better when there's healthy competition, so yeah...ditto.

As for Longhorn (Vista), well MS is such a massive organisation with unlimited resources. it could embark on a number of alternative ventures and still adequately source whatever is required to the new OS.

Given all the hype, I too am looking forwards to the full release of this much anticipated OS, but if the delay is to improve upon and release a better, more reliable product, then I welcome that too. A rushed release with instabilities is not what we as end users want, so more power to MS if they're delaying to get things right/better.

I'm still using an outdated disc machine for my portable music and it'll be great to have another option when the time comes that I can update.