How is this for the pot calling the kettle black?
A senior microsoft manager came out in an interview saying that the recently announced deal where HP computers would sell the popular iPod and have links to the iTunes digital store a deal which would hurt customer choice.
"Windows is about choice, you can mix and match all of this stuff," said David Fester, general manager of Microsoft's Windows digital media division. "We believe you should have the same choice when it comes to music services."
Windows is about choice? It took a court order for computer hardware makers to be allowed to take the Internet Explorer icon off their desktop.
As usual, Microsoft is behind the 8 ball in the innovation front, and have plans to offer a music store through their MSN service later this year.
A Dell spokesman also said that he thinks it will hurt consumers because customers will want industry standard choices.
So let me get this straight, ACC and MP3 aren't industry standards while Windows Media are? Until Microsoft decided to push thier own digital media standard (WMV), MP3 and ACC were close to being universally accepted standards.
I think that the big guys like Microsoft and Dell are shocked to see that some other company has come up with an idea that has actually brought innovation and new gizmos to the desirious computer buyers.
Apple computer only has about 5% of the market share. In order for Apple to survive they need foresight and have to continually innovate. The big guys can continue to offer 6 month old technology and consumers are stuck with it.
I have disagreed with Apple in the past, but in the end, I must admit that their decisions are good for the company and good for technology.
The branding of their iPod to be sold as an HP product will further bring high technology digital music players to more and more people.
And so what if the little guy beats the big guys to the punch and offers truly innovative technolgy instead of stagnation?
Posted by psugrad98 at January 11, 2004 10:35 AMI agree with your thoughts. The HP license should help AAC fight off WMV. More support for AAC from media players should soon follow. As the record companies move to take their industry into digital distribution I expect lossless compression will be utilized for a more Hi-Fi distribution, perhaps from retail stores recording a CD on order for pickup or delivery. Record production may become custom manufacturing.
Posted by: Robert Boylin at January 11, 2004 06:28 PMExcellent points. Isn't the other name for AAC = MP4? My understanding is this is a refinement of the mpeg compression standard. I guess MSFT thought WMV would succeed MP3? This HP development is really great and will help force MSFT to make their software play MP4 just as it already does MP3.
Let's hear it for open published file standards that prevent proprietary standards from ever having a chance. Even Apple saw the wisdom of not using Quicktime files for their music!
Posted by: Tom E M at January 11, 2004 07:26 PMNo, Fester is right. Microsoft is about the same choice. There is only one choice and it's the same everywhere, i.e. one and only choice. If there are other choices, Microsoft will squash them.
Posted by: Null at January 12, 2004 01:50 AMI always thought Apple should have played up the MP4 connection, as AAC is the audio component of MP4. That way, the MP3 crowd would easily make the connection that MP4, is the next generation of MP3. By using the term AAC, MS's Windows FUDians are able to confuse the masses into thinking AAC is something new, different, strange and to be avoided at all costs.
Posted by: KenC at January 12, 2004 02:06 AMMicrosoft is all about choice in the same way that Henry Ford was all about choice. Henry Ford let the car buyer have any color he wanted - so long as it was black. Microsoft lets the user have any choice he wants - so long as it is Microsoft's way.
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