TechZ
September 4th, 2004, 04:16 PM
Let's say you're an executive at Apple Computer. Microsoft comes to you and says, "Look, we're coming out with this new music store called MSN Music, and we'd really like to make it work with the iPod.
We know that you're disabling support for Windows Media Audio in the iPod before you ship it to customers, but we'll give you a good deal on WMA licensing--maybe even make it free--if you just let iPod users listen to WMA music on their devices and optionally purchase music from MSN Music."
But you deny the request for perfectly valid competitive reasons. OK, fine. When a reporter later asks you about MSN Music, what's your response? How do you frame this answer after you just refused to work with Microsoft? Naturally, you blast the company for not being compatible with the iPod. In an interview with ZDNet this week, Apple Vice President of Applications Eddie Cue said--and yes, I'm serious--that MSN Music's "biggest problem may be that its downloaded songs can not play on the iPod." Nice, eh?
But wait, there's more. In an official statement, Apple actually wrote, "The iTunes Music Store is currently selling over 16 million songs per month ... How many songs will Microsoft's new online music store sell during its first month?"
You know, we can complain until we're blue in the face about how a dominant Microsoft acts, but isn't it interesting to see how petty things get when the shoe is on the other foot? This company is the one supposedly standing up for the 'people,' folks. Ugly, isn't it?
View: Full Story (http://www.winnetmag.com/windowspaulthurrott/Article/ArticleID/43851/windowspaulthurrott_43851.html)
We know that you're disabling support for Windows Media Audio in the iPod before you ship it to customers, but we'll give you a good deal on WMA licensing--maybe even make it free--if you just let iPod users listen to WMA music on their devices and optionally purchase music from MSN Music."
But you deny the request for perfectly valid competitive reasons. OK, fine. When a reporter later asks you about MSN Music, what's your response? How do you frame this answer after you just refused to work with Microsoft? Naturally, you blast the company for not being compatible with the iPod. In an interview with ZDNet this week, Apple Vice President of Applications Eddie Cue said--and yes, I'm serious--that MSN Music's "biggest problem may be that its downloaded songs can not play on the iPod." Nice, eh?
But wait, there's more. In an official statement, Apple actually wrote, "The iTunes Music Store is currently selling over 16 million songs per month ... How many songs will Microsoft's new online music store sell during its first month?"
You know, we can complain until we're blue in the face about how a dominant Microsoft acts, but isn't it interesting to see how petty things get when the shoe is on the other foot? This company is the one supposedly standing up for the 'people,' folks. Ugly, isn't it?
View: Full Story (http://www.winnetmag.com/windowspaulthurrott/Article/ArticleID/43851/windowspaulthurrott_43851.html)