Microsoft targets iPod
When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer came to town late last year he told me during an interview that he was all geeked about some new digital music players had had just seen during a trip to Japan. He liked them so much that he said he was bringing one back for his kids. The iPod, Ballmer said in that coy just-you-wait-and-see style of his, would not be the only game in town for much longer. And Bill Gates himself has talked a lot about music players over the past year, making it clear Microsoft had plans. Big plans.
Now, according to Reuters, some music companies are reportedly seeing the result of those plans: A new iPod rival that does everything the Apple device does and more - wirelessly connect to the net and other computers to download music. The gizmo is expected to be on shelves by Christmas and reportedly will be accompanied and serviced by a new Microsoft Web service to rival Apple’s iTunes.
Can’t help but wonder if Microsoft is way too late for the party with this. The iPod has over 70% of the market now. Besides, Microsoft’s track record for bringing product to market when promised is the reason we have the term vaporware.
With both the latest verion of Office and the Vista successor to Windows XP now delayed for the umpteenth time until 2007, the goal of having this new digital player ready for Christmas has to be viewed with some skepticism. At least by me.
Update
Apple, meanwhile, reportedly has plans for an 8 GB iPod that will be wireless that many think will be out by fall, beating Microsoft to the punch yet again.
July 6th, 2006 at 7:37 am
I love my iPod, and have no plans to try something else. But don’t underestimate Microsoft’s ability to bring out a great product and grab the marketplace by the throat.
Remember the XBOX?
July 6th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
I will be happy to have anything but an ipod. The ipod is a joke. You can only play it in your “i tunes” player. Thank you Microsoft for coming to the rescue. I will enjoy seeing a better model that will allow me to play songs where i want to play them and not in what apple makes me play them on.
July 6th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Don’t get your hopes up, Chris–Creative’s product was supposedly “better” than Apple’s, too, and now due to poor market share and near bankruptcy they’ve had to resort to suing Apple.
Microsoft has shown time and time again that their attempts at “lifestyle” soft and hardware can’t compete with Apple.
July 6th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
I remember Netscape having over 70% of the browser market…
July 7th, 2006 at 7:06 am
Hey Mark, if Microsoft wants to bundle a $250 media player for free with every copy of Windows like they bundled IE, I’ll use it, too.
I don’t know what Chris is talking about…I use my iPod everywhere, and love it. My whole CD collection is in MP3 format, I don’t need to use iTunes unless I want to. The iPod is successful because it does what it needs to do with simplicity and style.
There are lots of gadgets out there that do “more” than the iPod. Archos makes some that look pretty sweet, but you don’t see them crushing the market like Apple. I’ll wait to see what Microsoft brings to the table…I think it is funny that Microsoft is admitting to just buying something they saw and marketing it as their own, instead of designing something from scratch like Apple.
July 7th, 2006 at 10:04 am
Come on Mike, Microsoft has a long history of coming from behind, i’m happy to wait and see what they produce, the iPod isn’t perfect. Also, your constant bashing of Microsoft and love affair with Apple is getting really really old. It would be nice to see you be less biased in your reporting.
July 8th, 2006 at 12:02 am
Hey, Mike. These embedded “advertislinks” are really annoying. I certainly hope they’re not a permanent fixture!