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Gadgets Gates Hints at Microsoft MP3 Player
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - February 12, 2006 1:30 AM

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32 comment(s) - last by mindless1.. on Feb 13 at 10:55 PM

Rumors continue to spread that Microsoft may finally be ready to try and take on Apple in the portable media player market

Many are speculating what Microsoft may have planned to try and combat Apple in the MP3 player market. While speaking at a Seattle area high school, one of the students asked Bill Gates the inevitable question about whether or not Microsoft was planning to develop a product to take on the iPod. Although Gates gave an answer, he was careful not to give a direct answer to the crowd of students, and speculation only continues to build.

"We are talking with partners about how we, working with those partners, can make even better music players. We've got some in the market today. I'd say in total they have about 20 percent market share, which is lower than we like, and so we're seeing where we can come together to make a device that's less expensive and connects in better ways, does photos and videos in better ways."

Assuming that the company does manage to get a product on the market, things don't won't get easier. As mentioned in earlier news posts on DailyTech, Microsoft will have several marketing issues that it will have to clear up before a successful push to take on Apple can be made.

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Eh...

By butane317 on 2/12/2006 9:56:53 AM , Rating: 2

I guarantee that it's going to be MTP, not UMS. Also, I bet it will be drowning in DRM. No Linux compatability, which is to be expected I guess. Perhaps someone will come up with a way to hack it. :)

RE: Eh...

By tuteja1986 on 2/12/2006 12:29:11 PM , Rating: 2

I don't Think M$ will not go ahead with MP3 player plans. They are just thinking about it but i doubt they will go ahead.

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RE: Eh...

By Bonrock on 2/12/2006 12:47:34 PM , Rating: 2

My guess is Microsoft is simply encouraging these rumors to try and scare their partners (Creative, iRiver, etc.) into finally making a competitive MP3 player.

The iPod is successful because of the hardware AND the software (iTunes). From what I've seen, the upcoming Windows Media Player 11 may finally surpass iTunes in quality. Now it's up to the hardware vendors.

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RE: Eh...

By latrosicarius on 2/12/2006 2:29:39 PM , Rating: 2

Yeah, my only concern would be all the DRM & copyright security that MS seems to be jumping to defend. MS isn't even a music reseller, yet it feels compelled to integreate all this secruity crap that's more of a hastle than anything else.

It's simply a mistrust of their own customers, treating us like we're little children that will go out and break the law every chance we'll get. Nobody in the industry seems to remember that the VAST majority of us have extensive CD collections that we ALREADY bought and paid for, that we simply want to rip to the computer or an MP3 player or a mix CD for the car or boombox.

I hope MS learns to be more hands-off, especially since they aren't even affiliated with the music or movie industry.

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RE: Eh...

By jkresh on 2/12/2006 4:33:33 PM , Rating: 2

If you think Microsoft likes DRM you are mistaken, they are tolerating it because if they don’t then content providers won’t give them any content. They know that it slows things down, limits adoption of the technology, and aggravates their users, so they would prefer not to have it. Gates even spent some time trying to ignore hdcp in VISTA, but when it came down to the wire it was decided that having BlueRay/HDdvd support was more important then fighting hdcp. I suspect Microsoft feels that if they went against the content providers then someone else would yield and whoever did could gain market share (especially in media centers…) so they decided to cave for now.

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RE: Eh...

By mindless1 on 2/13/2006 10:52:15 PM , Rating: 2

WRONG!

Content providers are looking to make a buck every way they can. Since windows is on the vast majority of PCs, if they have to do without the market or do without the level of content protection they want, they will do without the content protection. Hint- That's exactly what is happening TODAY.

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I've only seen the iPod advertised

By Nekrik on 2/12/2006 1:52:52 PM , Rating: 2

I think one of the huge reasons that the iPod is so succesful, while all the other devices fail, is the advertising. It's not the adds themselves (personally I hate the damned trendy ass bright color crappy music playing ads), it's the coverage they get. The only device people ever remember when they think MP3 player is iPod because those are the only adds they remember seeing. Apple knows how to hit its target market, they have billboards, adds in primetime shows, print ads in non tech oriented mags, etc... They know where to hit the typical consumer, and the different age ranges. The only ads I remember ever seeing for any player that wasn't an iPod has been in a tech magazine or online, and those of course only reach a small percentage of the music listeners out there.
Just my two cents, but I think it's something all the other vendors have overlooked.

RE: I've only seen the iPod advertised

By Griswold on 2/12/2006 2:22:05 PM , Rating: 2

Right on the money. Here in europe, they even cover new ipod launches in the news - not tech news or some such, its the friggin prime time news. Why is that? Because everybody thinks you're hip and cool when you got an ipod - not an "ordinary" mp3 player. ipod has become a lifestyle brand, as sad as it is.

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RE: I've only seen the iPod advertised

By Enoch2001 on 2/13/2006 12:00:11 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
Nekrik said: I think one of the huge reasons that the iPod is so succesful, while all the other devices fail, is the advertising.

LOL - not quite. The iPod has been so successful because from day one the iPod did what it did extremely well. Not to mention, Apple was good at securing a distribution model with big labels very early on and then getting the music out there cheap. In fact, Apple makes very little to no money off of iTunes sales - it's the sale of the iPods themselves that has made Apple what they are today...which is why we see new (but barely changed) models appearing regularly.

Let's face it: Apple today are the new Sony circa 1980. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple starting concentrating on other home and portable electronics on top of their computers and iPods...

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RE: I've only seen the iPod advertised

By Nekrik on 2/13/2006 2:55:51 AM , Rating: 2

You're missing the point, LOL right back at you.

Your comment doesn't have anything to do with the concept I was talking about. -"The iPod has been so successful because from day one the iPod did what it did extremely well."- That may be true, but that's not what made it a success, it contributes to it, but there's more to it.

You can have the greatest UI in the world, best controls, whatever, but if you don't get it noticed by the general public it won't sell. People can't buy somehting if they don't know it exists.

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So how does that statement imply that M$ wants to make their own PMP?

By sxr7171 on 2/12/2006 2:01:07 PM , Rating: 3

You people haven't even considered that all he means is to help their partners make better players.

RE: So how does that statement imply that M$ wants to make their own PMP?

By diz on 2/12/2006 5:14:42 PM , Rating: 3

quote:
You people haven't even considered that all he means is to help their partners make better players.

Absolutely agree. It's the same situation as what Microsoft does with cell phones and PDAs. They don't build the hardware, but they work with partners to build the software for them. The better the hardware can work with the software, the better it is both for the hardware manufacturers and for Microsoft and ultimately the consumer.

I doubt Microsoft will be getting into the mp3 hardware business. Trying to achieve/maintain profitablity in their other hardware businesses (xbox, mice/keyboards, etc.) is difficult enough. I think it would scare investors away more than anything. Improving the interaction between hardware from a diverse set of manufacturers with Microsoft services like music.msn.com, and extending those services to better support photo/video scenarios would probably have more bang for the buck (help the manufacturers deliver better products, open up new revenue sources for Microsoft, decrease the market share of Apple, and give the consumers more/better choices.)

Kudos to Apple for delivering the ipod, but I think it sucks that there are so few alternatives to the ipod that have an equal/superior level of polish and function. I hope Microsoft does put some pressure on the manufacturers to deliver better products.

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RE: So how does that statement imply that M$ wants to make their own PMP?

By Dissonance1 on 2/13/2006 6:16:30 AM , Rating: 2

*remembers the xbox*

If and when microsoft releases an mp3 player, I hope it's a tiny bit smaller than the xbox. ;)

They've been trying to shove full-fledged PC's running Windows in every device we have nowadays.

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Why not?

By codeThug on 2/12/2006 8:35:35 PM , Rating: 2

Why not? Everybody else is.

I'm waiting for Home Depot to come out with a model. One that's steel and leather with a tape measure built in.

Might end up a dud?

By mindless1 on 2/13/2006 10:55:33 PM , Rating: 2

Methink MS isn't willing to be aggressive enough to win much market share, it'll end up being like their foray into networking products.

What they COULD do, is develop a touchscreen tablet of VERY small size running WinCE that just happens to have very high quality audio (MP3/etc) player integral. To win the market they need more featues and leveraging their own Windows product as running on the device to enable more features is the answer, not just another proprietary interface into windows-on-a-desktop system as they're probably thinking of doing.

please

By msva124 on 2/12/06, Rating: -1

Well now...

By Shinei on 2/12/06, Rating: -1

RE: Well now...

By littlebitstrouds on 2/12/2006 5:45:20 AM , Rating: 2

Wow. While I/everyone agrees that windows can be a crappy OS... damn am I tired of these kind of useless comments. Everytime Microsoft is brought up in these, someone has to chime in with this useless crap. How about a worthwhile post. I woulda been fine with a "First Post" just tired of this.

On a side note. We all know that Ipod sound quality is crappy and that, while it's possible, backing up files from Ipod to computer can be anoying. If MS can make a better player, have at it.

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RE: Well now...

By AnnihilatorX on 2/12/2006 7:18:48 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
We all know that Ipod sound quality is crappy and that

Yeah that's why I always preferred the Creative Zen players
But, they are an annoyance for backing up files because of their weird memory formatting.

If Microsoft does have a player that is superior in both of those, which is unlikely in the sound department, it'll be something of worth

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RE: Well now...

By lealwai on 2/12/2006 9:52:26 AM , Rating: 2

I dont really understand why so many ppl say that the ipod sound quality is bad. Just dont use the given ipod earphones. I use the Sony mdr ex-71's and i find the sound quality pretty darn good. I usually consider myself pretty picky about audio quality too. Nothing much else to complain about on ipod besides the poor battery life of video.

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RE: Well now...

By Griswold on 2/12/2006 2:18:07 PM , Rating: 2

As if the ipod aint expensive enough. How about apple delivers good earplugs for that price?

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RE: Well now...

By vision33r on 2/13/2006 12:21:53 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
by lealwai on February 12, 2006 at 9:52 AM
I dont really understand why so many ppl say that the ipod sound quality is bad. Just dont use the given ipod earphones. I use the Sony mdr ex-71's and i find the sound quality pretty darn good.

Because you only have an ipod and nothing else to compare it with.

As a senior reviewer for a tech magazine, I find most people will defend the ipod without actually experiencing other MP3 players.

Just about all the new HD MP3 players in our lab have measurable better sound quality than the ipod. Apple understand that marketing > micro-tech.

They didn't bother to change the sound chips in the ipod over the years, while the competition have gotten better.

Check out Sony HD5, iAudio X5, and iRiver h340 all have superior sound quality, response, and bass level.

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RE: Well now...

By vision33r on 2/13/2006 12:22:39 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
by lealwai on February 12, 2006 at 9:52 AM
I dont really understand why so many ppl say that the ipod sound quality is bad. Just dont use the given ipod earphones. I use the Sony mdr ex-71's and i find the sound quality pretty darn good.

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RE: Well now...

By BladeVenom on 2/13/2006 8:53:27 AM , Rating: 2

Link?

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RE: Well now...

By shuttleboi on 2/12/2006 3:41:58 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
We all know that Ipod sound quality is crappy

This is complete BS. The iPods's sound is fantastic. Obviously you don't know what you're talking about.

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RE: Well now...

By mindless1 on 2/13/2006 10:50:00 PM , Rating: 2

Well I DO know what I"m talking about. The gain is too low, it can't drive higher Z cans which are required to isolate the L & R channels enough.

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RE: Well now...

By Nekrik on 2/12/2006 7:26:27 AM , Rating: 2

If your still gettings BSODs you should check your install. Most likely it's a user error. I haven't had a single BSOD on a single one of my personal machines in well over two years. Last one was in Win2000, and due to a crappy ATI driver, not the OS.

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RE: Well now...

By tmp8000 on 2/12/2006 7:34:57 AM , Rating: 2

I haven't had a BSOD in around the same time, and the last time I had one was because of a HARDWARE error. I am by NO means a MS fanboy, but come on the BSOD jokes are neither funny, nor relevant anymore.

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RE: Well now...

By armagedon on 2/12/2006 8:34:13 AM , Rating: 2

agreed. I haven't seen any in a longtime. Still cudo for Bill to be able to harmonise a million possible harware combinations.

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RE: Well now...

By Maximilian on 2/12/2006 10:37:54 AM , Rating: 2

Yep, windows with an NT kernal is a very good OS. Just because one idiot cant manage it properly and gets BSOD's dosent mean its the OS's fault.

As for a "Winpod" i would like to see one of those, i trust microsoft to make a decent product. They managed it with mice, keyboard and gamepads. Why not MP3 players too?

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RE: Well now...

By SNM on 2/12/2006 5:37:56 PM , Rating: 2

The difference between a music player and a gamepad/keyboard/joystick (which Microsoft does indeed do well) is that an mp3 player needs an interface. And while some people like Windows, I've never known anybody who liked it for its Microsoft-supplied interface.

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Win CE?

By Xenoterranos on 2/12/2006 7:27:40 PM , Rating: 2

Windows CE always had a servicable interface. I'll give credit where credit is due, the iPod interface is rock-solid, but I doubt that's the reason "anyone-who's-anyone" is wearing one on their belt. It's all about sound quality, physical-size, and battery-lfe for me. For the video-flavor, storage space and screen quality (I'll take a better screen over a bigger screen ay day)

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