Microsoft music player to come?

July 6, 2006 By

A wifi-enabled player? Oh, the rumors printed in the New York Times are interesting, particularly given the job I’m starting next week. Of note to my career are the wifi and the video screen.

For the record, I hadn’t seen this player before I left (it was a pretty well-kept secret internally). Sounds like the Christmas season is going to be pretty interesting.

Apple’s side of the rumor fence isn’t quiet either with some patent drawings being unveiled.

I wonder which player will have the best recording capabilities?

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  • anon

    Great, more origami project-like hype from Microsoft.

    Microsoft’s MP3 player product will be just like the rest of the products it makes: without a coercive bundling advantage dependent on an existing monopoly distribution channel, mostly ignored, disliked and undesired by the mass market.

  • anon

    Great, more origami project-like hype from Microsoft.

    Microsoft’s MP3 player product will be just like the rest of the products it makes: without a coercive bundling advantage dependent on an existing monopoly distribution channel, mostly ignored, disliked and undesired by the mass market.

  • anon

    Great, more origami project-like hype from Microsoft.

    Microsoft’s MP3 player product will be just like the rest of the products it makes: without a coercive bundling advantage dependent on an existing monopoly distribution channel, mostly ignored, disliked and undesired by the mass market.

  • RL

    In defense, I will give you points on that MS has bragged alot about their products. In response let me just give a little bit of customer testimonial.
    I did not buy most of these things for the MS brand, but researched what they did, and how they would benefit me.
    I am typing on a MS keyboard, the ergonomics are great and the quality of the plastic and response is awesome. I love the fact that there are built in keyboard shortcut keys that I can assign or let them remain at defaults. All of those quirky lil office shortcut keys are clearly marked. I bought it 4 years ago, prior to the rise of Logitech.
    I also use a MS mouse, it happens to have a fun lil shortcut button that allows you to have an onscreen magnifier. It has many of the same features mentioned above for the keyboard.
    I am one of the few consumers that bought the home networking equipment from MS. That was when it was the same price as linksys, and prior to the price wars between the two. The router is more stable than a linksys, allows to me to create a DMZ very easily and a GUI you can almost dance to. It also has a little web filter on it. I have never used it but you can filter content by name or keyword. On the wireless adapter, it actually works with Windows 98. Find me a Linksys adapter that can do that. You can find a Cisco one that can, but they were a lot pricier than the MS or Linksys version. As a side note I wish MS would go back into the home networking hardware market.
    MS watch I have never had so I can’t comment on that, but then again why would I need a watch when I have a PPC. Who wears watches now?
    Tablet Pc, another one I can’t comment on, yet.
    MS Mobile phones, I can comment plenty on. I own a MPX220 smartphone and a HP IPAQ pocket pc phone. I have NEVER had to buy a ringtone or wallpaper. I just drop a wav/midi/wma file in and there’s my new ringtone. Wallpaper is easy too. Drag and drop from the PC. Email is simple, whether I use Exchange, or pop3. If I get bored, well that’s what the BBC news and Internet Explorer is for when I am standing in a long line. If the Q is like any other Windows Mobile device, you can easily assign a shortcut key to the speaker phone.
    I will agree with the online music/video stores, and I have only used it twice. Mainly because the DRM is irritating, but so is everybody else’s including apple’s. When I get more comfortable with managing the MS DRM, they may get some more of money too.
    I own both the xbox, and the 360. Both are awesome, yeah they have lost money on that, but they have made money on the software. Can anyone say HALO 3? HALO 2? How about a HALO movie? Also, Live Arcade is a pretty little money maker too. Look at the sales there. I know they have gotten 50 bucks off of me.
    Media Center, if you don’t own one, you may not get it. I replaced my cable company’s dvr box with one and got a nice little surprise. I actually get a guide that is accurate compared to my cable companie’s one. Oh and I can pause and rewind live radio too. The shows I record can be placed on DVD and archived, or I can sync them up to my PPC where I have an “ipod” video experience. My music is available to me from anywhere on my network as well as my videos and pics. And, I can use the 360 to watch tv, or listen to my music files, or play an audio sideshow.
    All these being said, the failure of MS is not in the product, but in the Marketing of the products and bragging too much before they sell.

  • RL

    In defense, I will give you points on that MS has bragged alot about their products. In response let me just give a little bit of customer testimonial.
    I did not buy most of these things for the MS brand, but researched what they did, and how they would benefit me.
    I am typing on a MS keyboard, the ergonomics are great and the quality of the plastic and response is awesome. I love the fact that there are built in keyboard shortcut keys that I can assign or let them remain at defaults. All of those quirky lil office shortcut keys are clearly marked. I bought it 4 years ago, prior to the rise of Logitech.
    I also use a MS mouse, it happens to have a fun lil shortcut button that allows you to have an onscreen magnifier. It has many of the same features mentioned above for the keyboard.
    I am one of the few consumers that bought the home networking equipment from MS. That was when it was the same price as linksys, and prior to the price wars between the two. The router is more stable than a linksys, allows to me to create a DMZ very easily and a GUI you can almost dance to. It also has a little web filter on it. I have never used it but you can filter content by name or keyword. On the wireless adapter, it actually works with Windows 98. Find me a Linksys adapter that can do that. You can find a Cisco one that can, but they were a lot pricier than the MS or Linksys version. As a side note I wish MS would go back into the home networking hardware market.
    MS watch I have never had so I can’t comment on that, but then again why would I need a watch when I have a PPC. Who wears watches now?
    Tablet Pc, another one I can’t comment on, yet.
    MS Mobile phones, I can comment plenty on. I own a MPX220 smartphone and a HP IPAQ pocket pc phone. I have NEVER had to buy a ringtone or wallpaper. I just drop a wav/midi/wma file in and there’s my new ringtone. Wallpaper is easy too. Drag and drop from the PC. Email is simple, whether I use Exchange, or pop3. If I get bored, well that’s what the BBC news and Internet Explorer is for when I am standing in a long line. If the Q is like any other Windows Mobile device, you can easily assign a shortcut key to the speaker phone.
    I will agree with the online music/video stores, and I have only used it twice. Mainly because the DRM is irritating, but so is everybody else’s including apple’s. When I get more comfortable with managing the MS DRM, they may get some more of money too.
    I own both the xbox, and the 360. Both are awesome, yeah they have lost money on that, but they have made money on the software. Can anyone say HALO 3? HALO 2? How about a HALO movie? Also, Live Arcade is a pretty little money maker too. Look at the sales there. I know they have gotten 50 bucks off of me.
    Media Center, if you don’t own one, you may not get it. I replaced my cable company’s dvr box with one and got a nice little surprise. I actually get a guide that is accurate compared to my cable companie’s one. Oh and I can pause and rewind live radio too. The shows I record can be placed on DVD and archived, or I can sync them up to my PPC where I have an “ipod” video experience. My music is available to me from anywhere on my network as well as my videos and pics. And, I can use the 360 to watch tv, or listen to my music files, or play an audio sideshow.
    All these being said, the failure of MS is not in the product, but in the Marketing of the products and bragging too much before they sell.

  • RL

    In defense, I will give you points on that MS has bragged alot about their products. In response let me just give a little bit of customer testimonial.
    I did not buy most of these things for the MS brand, but researched what they did, and how they would benefit me.
    I am typing on a MS keyboard, the ergonomics are great and the quality of the plastic and response is awesome. I love the fact that there are built in keyboard shortcut keys that I can assign or let them remain at defaults. All of those quirky lil office shortcut keys are clearly marked. I bought it 4 years ago, prior to the rise of Logitech.
    I also use a MS mouse, it happens to have a fun lil shortcut button that allows you to have an onscreen magnifier. It has many of the same features mentioned above for the keyboard.
    I am one of the few consumers that bought the home networking equipment from MS. That was when it was the same price as linksys, and prior to the price wars between the two. The router is more stable than a linksys, allows to me to create a DMZ very easily and a GUI you can almost dance to. It also has a little web filter on it. I have never used it but you can filter content by name or keyword. On the wireless adapter, it actually works with Windows 98. Find me a Linksys adapter that can do that. You can find a Cisco one that can, but they were a lot pricier than the MS or Linksys version. As a side note I wish MS would go back into the home networking hardware market.
    MS watch I have never had so I can’t comment on that, but then again why would I need a watch when I have a PPC. Who wears watches now?
    Tablet Pc, another one I can’t comment on, yet.
    MS Mobile phones, I can comment plenty on. I own a MPX220 smartphone and a HP IPAQ pocket pc phone. I have NEVER had to buy a ringtone or wallpaper. I just drop a wav/midi/wma file in and there’s my new ringtone. Wallpaper is easy too. Drag and drop from the PC. Email is simple, whether I use Exchange, or pop3. If I get bored, well that’s what the BBC news and Internet Explorer is for when I am standing in a long line. If the Q is like any other Windows Mobile device, you can easily assign a shortcut key to the speaker phone.
    I will agree with the online music/video stores, and I have only used it twice. Mainly because the DRM is irritating, but so is everybody else’s including apple’s. When I get more comfortable with managing the MS DRM, they may get some more of money too.
    I own both the xbox, and the 360. Both are awesome, yeah they have lost money on that, but they have made money on the software. Can anyone say HALO 3? HALO 2? How about a HALO movie? Also, Live Arcade is a pretty little money maker too. Look at the sales there. I know they have gotten 50 bucks off of me.
    Media Center, if you don’t own one, you may not get it. I replaced my cable company’s dvr box with one and got a nice little surprise. I actually get a guide that is accurate compared to my cable companie’s one. Oh and I can pause and rewind live radio too. The shows I record can be placed on DVD and archived, or I can sync them up to my PPC where I have an “ipod” video experience. My music is available to me from anywhere on my network as well as my videos and pics. And, I can use the 360 to watch tv, or listen to my music files, or play an audio sideshow.
    All these being said, the failure of MS is not in the product, but in the Marketing of the products and bragging too much before they sell.

  • http://podslug.com/blog PodSlug (Erik Herz)

    I just installed Windows Media Payer 11 and looked around for any sort of RSS support. I did not see any. I am surprised that they don’t just turn the WMP into an iTunes killer and bundle it with every OS shipped.

    Has anyone else see any RSS support in WMP?

  • http://podslug.com/blog PodSlug (Erik Herz)

    I just installed Windows Media Payer 11 and looked around for any sort of RSS support. I did not see any. I am surprised that they don’t just turn the WMP into an iTunes killer and bundle it with every OS shipped.

    Has anyone else see any RSS support in WMP?

  • http://podslug.com/blog PodSlug (Erik Herz)

    I just installed Windows Media Payer 11 and looked around for any sort of RSS support. I did not see any. I am surprised that they don’t just turn the WMP into an iTunes killer and bundle it with every OS shipped.

    Has anyone else see any RSS support in WMP?

  • Molly C

    @Bob Jones
    “Granted, Apple’s iPod is clearly the superior product, unlike Windows compared to OS X.”
    ————–

    Huh? How about letting Microsoft actually release their player before automatically declaring the iPod to be “clearly superior”. Good Lord.

  • Molly C

    @Bob Jones
    “Granted, Apple’s iPod is clearly the superior product, unlike Windows compared to OS X.”
    ————–

    Huh? How about letting Microsoft actually release their player before automatically declaring the iPod to be “clearly superior”. Good Lord.

  • Molly C

    @Bob Jones
    “Granted, Apple’s iPod is clearly the superior product, unlike Windows compared to OS X.”
    ————–

    Huh? How about letting Microsoft actually release their player before automatically declaring the iPod to be “clearly superior”. Good Lord.

  • Guest

    I can hear it now. The MS fanboys will say that to get the most out of the new MS player you’ll need Vista, WMP 11, Media Center PC and a music subscription.

    Molly: How long do we have to wait? How long as the iPod been around and MS still doesn’t have a competing product? They must be busy getting Vista and Office 2007 out on time. :-)

  • Guest

    I can hear it now. The MS fanboys will say that to get the most out of the new MS player you’ll need Vista, WMP 11, Media Center PC and a music subscription.

    Molly: How long do we have to wait? How long as the iPod been around and MS still doesn’t have a competing product? They must be busy getting Vista and Office 2007 out on time. :-)

  • http://blog.nordquist.org Brett Nordquist

    I can hear it now. The MS fanboys will say that to get the most out of the new MS player you’ll need Vista, WMP 11, Media Center PC and a music subscription.

    Molly: How long do we have to wait? How long as the iPod been around and MS still doesn’t have a competing product? They must be busy getting Vista and Office 2007 out on time. :-)

  • dmad

    #38. Maybe because history says they likely won’t come close to threatening the iPod. MS seems to build products for their own employees (geeks) and rarely appeals to the common consumer. The only exceptions are the keyboard, mice and Xbox. What do all those have in common? Apparently none of them run Windows. ;-) If this thing has any hint of a Windows OS as its core then you can pretty much bet it will be confusing, bloated, non-intuitive and a pain in the ass to use. Like someone said earlier, prove us wrong. But we’ve seen this movie before and we know how it ends.

  • dmad

    #38. Maybe because history says they likely won’t come close to threatening the iPod. MS seems to build products for their own employees (geeks) and rarely appeals to the common consumer. The only exceptions are the keyboard, mice and Xbox. What do all those have in common? Apparently none of them run Windows. ;-) If this thing has any hint of a Windows OS as its core then you can pretty much bet it will be confusing, bloated, non-intuitive and a pain in the ass to use. Like someone said earlier, prove us wrong. But we’ve seen this movie before and we know how it ends.

  • dmad

    #38. Maybe because history says they likely won’t come close to threatening the iPod. MS seems to build products for their own employees (geeks) and rarely appeals to the common consumer. The only exceptions are the keyboard, mice and Xbox. What do all those have in common? Apparently none of them run Windows. ;-) If this thing has any hint of a Windows OS as its core then you can pretty much bet it will be confusing, bloated, non-intuitive and a pain in the ass to use. Like someone said earlier, prove us wrong. But we’ve seen this movie before and we know how it ends.

  • Edward

    There is an NT OS at the core of the XBox, albeit a stripped down and heavily modified version.

  • Edward

    There is an NT OS at the core of the XBox, albeit a stripped down and heavily modified version.

  • Edward

    There is an NT OS at the core of the XBox, albeit a stripped down and heavily modified version.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Oldie but goodie…

    Up to 33 SKUs, whooo. ;) Ok, I better stop now.

    iPod Microsoft Style (Ver 1.2)

    iPod Home – only 100 songs allowed. Same as regular iPod just with control lock (which will be hacked).

    iPod Home Premium – Now with 150 songs, and 2 extra solitaire games.

    iPod Professional Edition – Vague add-ons and unlimited songs. But looks corporate, brooding stock-photography Office-looking pictures on the packaging.

    iPod Readers Edition – Same as regular iPod, just with a CD sampling of Audio Books, and a few included Audio Books and some Shakespearean-looking packaging.

    iPod Sports Edition – Added program to monitor heartbeat and calculate miles jogged. Also has cutesy sports-themes. Lacks skinning support however.

    iPod Plus! Edition – Same as regular iPod just with more eye-candy and theme makers and totally k-rad PC quality 3D screen savers (which will render your iPod comatose). Only Edition that offers themes and skinning support.

    iPod Mobile Edition – An Activesync-like program to sync with Windows Mobile 2005 and Smartphones and the odd ‘Plays for Sure’ devices. Mobile as defined as not connectivity, phone or Blackberry-like functionality, rather merely sync’ing to other Mobile devices.

    iPod Gamer Edition – Full solitaire Suite with Pac Man and MS Arcade Pinball.

    iPod Photo Edition – Picture support. With a nice but generic photo album and sync software. Since requires firmware upgrade only the Ultimate Edition has same functionality. Firmware will be bootlegged and spread on fan sites, following with lots of calls to warranty support. No Video support.

    iPod SPOT Edition – Just a bigger and more ugly version of the SPOT watch, but can play around 40 mp3’s too. No Photo or Video Editions.

    iPod Ultimate Edition – Regular iPod just bigger HD, with all Plus!, Reader, Sports and Mobile and Gamer Edition add-on’s. Costs nearly twice as much, and eventually comes in differing colors. The only model with real good support levels. And the only Edition without a Software Assurance subscription that is avail. for firmware upgrades. Lacks Enterprise and Office Edition functionality. ‘Ultimate’ is not meant to be defined literally.

    iPod Ultimate Media Center Edition – Just like regular Ultimate Edition, except has the customized Media Center interface. Also firmware upgradeable.

    iPod Video Edition – Video, but not the iPod Photo Edition, includes not the Photo or Photo Album functionality. Ten new SKU’s: iPod Video Home Edition, iPod Video Home Premium Edition, iPod Video Professional Edition, iPod Video Readers Edition, iPod Video Sports Edition, iPod Video Plus! Edition, iPod Video Mobile Edition, iPod Video Gamer Edition, iPod Video and Photo Edition, iPod Video Ultimate Edition. SPOT Video not avail. as not enough CPU power. Office and Enterprise not offered in Video format.

    iPod Media Center Edition – The SKU with Video and Photos, comes with a customized interface. Pen support not avail. with Media Center Edition.

    iPod Pen Edition – Touch-screen functionality, separate isolated SKU. Ultimate and Ultimate Media Center Edition does not include Pen Support. Pen not avail. with Photo or Video Editions. Has iNote program, for taking and inking notes. Eventually Pen and Media center will fold into the next version of iPod, but only if you have the Ultimate bundle will you be able to upgrade your firmware.

    iPod Starter Edition – Flash-sticks, cartoonish-color themes. Marketed at ‘Developing’ Markets, aka, teens.

    iPod N Edition – Comes without a Music Player at all, just stores your mp3′s. Sort of a Flash card, with playback buttons that don’t do anything at all.

    iPod Office Edition – SmartPhone-like Outlook contact/calendar functionality, worse than a toothache in terms of usability. Has many versions, each requiring and upgrade to Ultimate Edition. Hold-outs, presented in Dinosaur adverts.

    iPod Enterprise Edition – Wifi, but only hooks into Exchange servers. A lame attempt at push-email that won’t really work. Costs triple regular iPod and a Software Assurance subscription is required. Also only version that gets premium iPod OneCare support.

    iPod LIVE Edition – Monthly fee-portable Web-based iPod, allows you to sync your regular iPod songs to an online site, for times when not carrying an iPod, yet have web access and want to listen to your playlists. Requires iPod to work, cannot sync songs direct without the iPod. Limit of 4 syncs or 40 songs per month (whichever comes first). No collaboration or sharing features.

    iPod SmartPhone Edition and iPod SmartPhone Video Edition – TBA. But has a secret viral-marketing countdown website pointed at by key Microsoft bloggers.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Oldie but goodie…

    Up to 33 SKUs, whooo. ;) Ok, I better stop now.

    iPod Microsoft Style (Ver 1.2)

    iPod Home – only 100 songs allowed. Same as regular iPod just with control lock (which will be hacked).

    iPod Home Premium – Now with 150 songs, and 2 extra solitaire games.

    iPod Professional Edition – Vague add-ons and unlimited songs. But looks corporate, brooding stock-photography Office-looking pictures on the packaging.

    iPod Readers Edition – Same as regular iPod, just with a CD sampling of Audio Books, and a few included Audio Books and some Shakespearean-looking packaging.

    iPod Sports Edition – Added program to monitor heartbeat and calculate miles jogged. Also has cutesy sports-themes. Lacks skinning support however.

    iPod Plus! Edition – Same as regular iPod just with more eye-candy and theme makers and totally k-rad PC quality 3D screen savers (which will render your iPod comatose). Only Edition that offers themes and skinning support.

    iPod Mobile Edition – An Activesync-like program to sync with Windows Mobile 2005 and Smartphones and the odd ‘Plays for Sure’ devices. Mobile as defined as not connectivity, phone or Blackberry-like functionality, rather merely sync’ing to other Mobile devices.

    iPod Gamer Edition – Full solitaire Suite with Pac Man and MS Arcade Pinball.

    iPod Photo Edition – Picture support. With a nice but generic photo album and sync software. Since requires firmware upgrade only the Ultimate Edition has same functionality. Firmware will be bootlegged and spread on fan sites, following with lots of calls to warranty support. No Video support.

    iPod SPOT Edition – Just a bigger and more ugly version of the SPOT watch, but can play around 40 mp3’s too. No Photo or Video Editions.

    iPod Ultimate Edition – Regular iPod just bigger HD, with all Plus!, Reader, Sports and Mobile and Gamer Edition add-on’s. Costs nearly twice as much, and eventually comes in differing colors. The only model with real good support levels. And the only Edition without a Software Assurance subscription that is avail. for firmware upgrades. Lacks Enterprise and Office Edition functionality. ‘Ultimate’ is not meant to be defined literally.

    iPod Ultimate Media Center Edition – Just like regular Ultimate Edition, except has the customized Media Center interface. Also firmware upgradeable.

    iPod Video Edition – Video, but not the iPod Photo Edition, includes not the Photo or Photo Album functionality. Ten new SKU’s: iPod Video Home Edition, iPod Video Home Premium Edition, iPod Video Professional Edition, iPod Video Readers Edition, iPod Video Sports Edition, iPod Video Plus! Edition, iPod Video Mobile Edition, iPod Video Gamer Edition, iPod Video and Photo Edition, iPod Video Ultimate Edition. SPOT Video not avail. as not enough CPU power. Office and Enterprise not offered in Video format.

    iPod Media Center Edition – The SKU with Video and Photos, comes with a customized interface. Pen support not avail. with Media Center Edition.

    iPod Pen Edition – Touch-screen functionality, separate isolated SKU. Ultimate and Ultimate Media Center Edition does not include Pen Support. Pen not avail. with Photo or Video Editions. Has iNote program, for taking and inking notes. Eventually Pen and Media center will fold into the next version of iPod, but only if you have the Ultimate bundle will you be able to upgrade your firmware.

    iPod Starter Edition – Flash-sticks, cartoonish-color themes. Marketed at ‘Developing’ Markets, aka, teens.

    iPod N Edition – Comes without a Music Player at all, just stores your mp3′s. Sort of a Flash card, with playback buttons that don’t do anything at all.

    iPod Office Edition – SmartPhone-like Outlook contact/calendar functionality, worse than a toothache in terms of usability. Has many versions, each requiring and upgrade to Ultimate Edition. Hold-outs, presented in Dinosaur adverts.

    iPod Enterprise Edition – Wifi, but only hooks into Exchange servers. A lame attempt at push-email that won’t really work. Costs triple regular iPod and a Software Assurance subscription is required. Also only version that gets premium iPod OneCare support.

    iPod LIVE Edition – Monthly fee-portable Web-based iPod, allows you to sync your regular iPod songs to an online site, for times when not carrying an iPod, yet have web access and want to listen to your playlists. Requires iPod to work, cannot sync songs direct without the iPod. Limit of 4 syncs or 40 songs per month (whichever comes first). No collaboration or sharing features.

    iPod SmartPhone Edition and iPod SmartPhone Video Edition – TBA. But has a secret viral-marketing countdown website pointed at by key Microsoft bloggers.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Oldie but goodie…

    Up to 33 SKUs, whooo. ;) Ok, I better stop now.

    iPod Microsoft Style (Ver 1.2)

    iPod Home – only 100 songs allowed. Same as regular iPod just with control lock (which will be hacked).

    iPod Home Premium – Now with 150 songs, and 2 extra solitaire games.

    iPod Professional Edition – Vague add-ons and unlimited songs. But looks corporate, brooding stock-photography Office-looking pictures on the packaging.

    iPod Readers Edition – Same as regular iPod, just with a CD sampling of Audio Books, and a few included Audio Books and some Shakespearean-looking packaging.

    iPod Sports Edition – Added program to monitor heartbeat and calculate miles jogged. Also has cutesy sports-themes. Lacks skinning support however.

    iPod Plus! Edition – Same as regular iPod just with more eye-candy and theme makers and totally k-rad PC quality 3D screen savers (which will render your iPod comatose). Only Edition that offers themes and skinning support.

    iPod Mobile Edition – An Activesync-like program to sync with Windows Mobile 2005 and Smartphones and the odd ‘Plays for Sure’ devices. Mobile as defined as not connectivity, phone or Blackberry-like functionality, rather merely sync’ing to other Mobile devices.

    iPod Gamer Edition – Full solitaire Suite with Pac Man and MS Arcade Pinball.

    iPod Photo Edition – Picture support. With a nice but generic photo album and sync software. Since requires firmware upgrade only the Ultimate Edition has same functionality. Firmware will be bootlegged and spread on fan sites, following with lots of calls to warranty support. No Video support.

    iPod SPOT Edition – Just a bigger and more ugly version of the SPOT watch, but can play around 40 mp3’s too. No Photo or Video Editions.

    iPod Ultimate Edition – Regular iPod just bigger HD, with all Plus!, Reader, Sports and Mobile and Gamer Edition add-on’s. Costs nearly twice as much, and eventually comes in differing colors. The only model with real good support levels. And the only Edition without a Software Assurance subscription that is avail. for firmware upgrades. Lacks Enterprise and Office Edition functionality. ‘Ultimate’ is not meant to be defined literally.

    iPod Ultimate Media Center Edition – Just like regular Ultimate Edition, except has the customized Media Center interface. Also firmware upgradeable.

    iPod Video Edition – Video, but not the iPod Photo Edition, includes not the Photo or Photo Album functionality. Ten new SKU’s: iPod Video Home Edition, iPod Video Home Premium Edition, iPod Video Professional Edition, iPod Video Readers Edition, iPod Video Sports Edition, iPod Video Plus! Edition, iPod Video Mobile Edition, iPod Video Gamer Edition, iPod Video and Photo Edition, iPod Video Ultimate Edition. SPOT Video not avail. as not enough CPU power. Office and Enterprise not offered in Video format.

    iPod Media Center Edition – The SKU with Video and Photos, comes with a customized interface. Pen support not avail. with Media Center Edition.

    iPod Pen Edition – Touch-screen functionality, separate isolated SKU. Ultimate and Ultimate Media Center Edition does not include Pen Support. Pen not avail. with Photo or Video Editions. Has iNote program, for taking and inking notes. Eventually Pen and Media center will fold into the next version of iPod, but only if you have the Ultimate bundle will you be able to upgrade your firmware.

    iPod Starter Edition – Flash-sticks, cartoonish-color themes. Marketed at ‘Developing’ Markets, aka, teens.

    iPod N Edition – Comes without a Music Player at all, just stores your mp3′s. Sort of a Flash card, with playback buttons that don’t do anything at all.

    iPod Office Edition – SmartPhone-like Outlook contact/calendar functionality, worse than a toothache in terms of usability. Has many versions, each requiring and upgrade to Ultimate Edition. Hold-outs, presented in Dinosaur adverts.

    iPod Enterprise Edition – Wifi, but only hooks into Exchange servers. A lame attempt at push-email that won’t really work. Costs triple regular iPod and a Software Assurance subscription is required. Also only version that gets premium iPod OneCare support.

    iPod LIVE Edition – Monthly fee-portable Web-based iPod, allows you to sync your regular iPod songs to an online site, for times when not carrying an iPod, yet have web access and want to listen to your playlists. Requires iPod to work, cannot sync songs direct without the iPod. Limit of 4 syncs or 40 songs per month (whichever comes first). No collaboration or sharing features.

    iPod SmartPhone Edition and iPod SmartPhone Video Edition – TBA. But has a secret viral-marketing countdown website pointed at by key Microsoft bloggers.

  • solomonrex

    I’m not feeling it. Apple has a huge lead, this will only tick off MS’s partners and that is becoming a trend for MS.

    Worse, MS has no reasonable expectation of doing well with hardware. It took a lot of outside help to create the X360, and it’s hardly considered perfect hardware. The controller was %1,000 better than the original xbox, but there’s no reason it should have taken them 3 revs. Face it, if J Allard and co. are MS hope, they’re doomed. I’m buying an X360, but there’s no way I’m giving up my ipod. And I sincerely hope to get X360 2.0 when the overheating, huge power supply and overpriced network adapter are fixed (not holding my breath). Yes, MS’s online console doesn’t have builtin wifi, but they’re mp3 player will?!?

    What MS needed to do was move Sony to WMP11, since they have had great products with sucky software and they’re the only mp3 maker that has a sliver of cred next to Apple (no longer the case). Good software, good hardware both with name brand recognition would work. But since MS made the Xbox, that’s not going to happen and now MS is stuck ticking more partners off by siphoning their customers away.

    Since Sony can’t produce competent music software and Yahoo is buddying up with MS, I predict Amazon will start competing, compounding MS’s problems.

  • solomonrex

    I’m not feeling it. Apple has a huge lead, this will only tick off MS’s partners and that is becoming a trend for MS.

    Worse, MS has no reasonable expectation of doing well with hardware. It took a lot of outside help to create the X360, and it’s hardly considered perfect hardware. The controller was %1,000 better than the original xbox, but there’s no reason it should have taken them 3 revs. Face it, if J Allard and co. are MS hope, they’re doomed. I’m buying an X360, but there’s no way I’m giving up my ipod. And I sincerely hope to get X360 2.0 when the overheating, huge power supply and overpriced network adapter are fixed (not holding my breath). Yes, MS’s online console doesn’t have builtin wifi, but they’re mp3 player will?!?

    What MS needed to do was move Sony to WMP11, since they have had great products with sucky software and they’re the only mp3 maker that has a sliver of cred next to Apple (no longer the case). Good software, good hardware both with name brand recognition would work. But since MS made the Xbox, that’s not going to happen and now MS is stuck ticking more partners off by siphoning their customers away.

    Since Sony can’t produce competent music software and Yahoo is buddying up with MS, I predict Amazon will start competing, compounding MS’s problems.

  • solomonrex

    I’m not feeling it. Apple has a huge lead, this will only tick off MS’s partners and that is becoming a trend for MS.

    Worse, MS has no reasonable expectation of doing well with hardware. It took a lot of outside help to create the X360, and it’s hardly considered perfect hardware. The controller was %1,000 better than the original xbox, but there’s no reason it should have taken them 3 revs. Face it, if J Allard and co. are MS hope, they’re doomed. I’m buying an X360, but there’s no way I’m giving up my ipod. And I sincerely hope to get X360 2.0 when the overheating, huge power supply and overpriced network adapter are fixed (not holding my breath). Yes, MS’s online console doesn’t have builtin wifi, but they’re mp3 player will?!?

    What MS needed to do was move Sony to WMP11, since they have had great products with sucky software and they’re the only mp3 maker that has a sliver of cred next to Apple (no longer the case). Good software, good hardware both with name brand recognition would work. But since MS made the Xbox, that’s not going to happen and now MS is stuck ticking more partners off by siphoning their customers away.

    Since Sony can’t produce competent music software and Yahoo is buddying up with MS, I predict Amazon will start competing, compounding MS’s problems.

  • http://lance.geekswithblogs.net/ Lance Robinson

    There has been a Microsoft music player for years. It just has other capabilities too. :P

    http://geekswithblogs.net/lance/archive/2006/01/24/PocketPCtoiPod.aspx

  • http://lance.geekswithblogs.net/ Lance Robinson

    There has been a Microsoft music player for years. It just has other capabilities too. :P

    http://geekswithblogs.net/lance/archive/2006/01/24/PocketPCtoiPod.aspx

  • http://lance.geekswithblogs.net Lance Robinson

    There has been a Microsoft music player for years. It just has other capabilities too. :P

    http://geekswithblogs.net/lance/archive/2006/01/24/PocketPCtoiPod.aspx

  • http://alfredo.octavio.net/ Alfredo Octavio

    The idea that the iPod needs Wi Fi is bogus. Take any of the Wi Fi phone users. I bet they are downloading stuff in their computer and then moving it to the phone. I know I am (Nokia N80, use the audio player mostly for podcasts). Is faster and better. Besides, the Microsoft iPod will probably not be Mac or Linux compatible, so people will see it as another Microsoft Attempt to lock them into Windows. Since people do not want that anymore, it will flop.

  • http://alfredo.octavio.net/ Alfredo Octavio

    The idea that the iPod needs Wi Fi is bogus. Take any of the Wi Fi phone users. I bet they are downloading stuff in their computer and then moving it to the phone. I know I am (Nokia N80, use the audio player mostly for podcasts). Is faster and better. Besides, the Microsoft iPod will probably not be Mac or Linux compatible, so people will see it as another Microsoft Attempt to lock them into Windows. Since people do not want that anymore, it will flop.

  • http://alfredo.octavio.net/ Alfredo Octavio

    The idea that the iPod needs Wi Fi is bogus. Take any of the Wi Fi phone users. I bet they are downloading stuff in their computer and then moving it to the phone. I know I am (Nokia N80, use the audio player mostly for podcasts). Is faster and better. Besides, the Microsoft iPod will probably not be Mac or Linux compatible, so people will see it as another Microsoft Attempt to lock them into Windows. Since people do not want that anymore, it will flop.

  • Christopher Coulter

    Since Sony can’t produce competent music software

    Umm yah forget about Soundforge, Acid 6 and the new Cinescore? Sony makes some of the best music software out there. Now music player codecs and stuff like that, well ok. But Sony is a big company with many parts…

  • Christopher Coulter

    Since Sony can’t produce competent music software

    Umm yah forget about Soundforge, Acid 6 and the new Cinescore? Sony makes some of the best music software out there. Now music player codecs and stuff like that, well ok. But Sony is a big company with many parts…

  • Christopher Coulter

    Since Sony can’t produce competent music software

    Umm yah forget about Soundforge, Acid 6 and the new Cinescore? Sony makes some of the best music software out there. Now music player codecs and stuff like that, well ok. But Sony is a big company with many parts…

  • Goebbels

    I love this nonsense so much I wish it were true: add WiFi support that will not always be available when 802.11g is hopefully months away from finalization. Add MVNO support that requires additional add ons and subscriptions… add a claim that iTune files will be transfered when MS does not have all the content the iPod has… plus, I can place any purchased iTunes on any iPod; does that mean I can transfer any and all iTMS tracks from anybody’s collection to WMA rather easily? Plus, hasn’t this “top secret plan” been around for six months? They are going to successfully deliver every rumored feature that iPod fans have been predicting for 3 years into a product at launch after failing with PlaysForSure, MSNMusic, and now Urge? Right!!! And this one product alone will have several loss leaders built into it: iTune transfer, a nonprofitable store, and an MVNO? I can’t wait…

    And Scoble keeps acting like it comes down to recording which has been available for years but 99% of the people don’t care about! Lovely…

  • Goebbels

    I love this nonsense so much I wish it were true: add WiFi support that will not always be available when 802.11g is hopefully months away from finalization. Add MVNO support that requires additional add ons and subscriptions… add a claim that iTune files will be transfered when MS does not have all the content the iPod has… plus, I can place any purchased iTunes on any iPod; does that mean I can transfer any and all iTMS tracks from anybody’s collection to WMA rather easily? Plus, hasn’t this “top secret plan” been around for six months? They are going to successfully deliver every rumored feature that iPod fans have been predicting for 3 years into a product at launch after failing with PlaysForSure, MSNMusic, and now Urge? Right!!! And this one product alone will have several loss leaders built into it: iTune transfer, a nonprofitable store, and an MVNO? I can’t wait…

    And Scoble keeps acting like it comes down to recording which has been available for years but 99% of the people don’t care about! Lovely…

  • Goebbels

    I love this nonsense so much I wish it were true: add WiFi support that will not always be available when 802.11g is hopefully months away from finalization. Add MVNO support that requires additional add ons and subscriptions… add a claim that iTune files will be transfered when MS does not have all the content the iPod has… plus, I can place any purchased iTunes on any iPod; does that mean I can transfer any and all iTMS tracks from anybody’s collection to WMA rather easily? Plus, hasn’t this “top secret plan” been around for six months? They are going to successfully deliver every rumored feature that iPod fans have been predicting for 3 years into a product at launch after failing with PlaysForSure, MSNMusic, and now Urge? Right!!! And this one product alone will have several loss leaders built into it: iTune transfer, a nonprofitable store, and an MVNO? I can’t wait…

    And Scoble keeps acting like it comes down to recording which has been available for years but 99% of the people don’t care about! Lovely…

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  • Christopher Coulter

    …after failing with PlaysForSure, MSNMusic, and now Urge?

    Hope (or rather failure) springs eternal at Redmond. Plus they never view failure as failure, seeing it in the Clay Christensenish lucid-dreaming way of ‘failure as a success’, and that the path to success is paved with many failures — and in fact depends on it. Failure instead of a stigma, is now considered an evental path to success.

    It’s that type of insane thinking that will mortally wound Microsoft eventually.

  • Christopher Coulter

    …after failing with PlaysForSure, MSNMusic, and now Urge?

    Hope (or rather failure) springs eternal at Redmond. Plus they never view failure as failure, seeing it in the Clay Christensenish lucid-dreaming way of ‘failure as a success’, and that the path to success is paved with many failures — and in fact depends on it. Failure instead of a stigma, is now considered an evental path to success.

    It’s that type of insane thinking that will mortally wound Microsoft eventually.

  • Christopher Coulter

    …after failing with PlaysForSure, MSNMusic, and now Urge?

    Hope (or rather failure) springs eternal at Redmond. Plus they never view failure as failure, seeing it in the Clay Christensenish lucid-dreaming way of ‘failure as a success’, and that the path to success is paved with many failures — and in fact depends on it. Failure instead of a stigma, is now considered an evental path to success.

    It’s that type of insane thinking that will mortally wound Microsoft eventually.

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  • Mary Gilmartin

    I bought an ipod shuffle saturday and returned it sunday due to all the problems I had trying to set it up. And I am not the only one burned off the ipod due to poor customer care, help documention and product.
    Check out the ipod shuffle help forums on apple to get an idea of the problems.

    I was really looking forward to an mp3 player. At least I still have the psp. Easy to use, easy to transfer files, easy to find help.

  • Mary Gilmartin

    I bought an ipod shuffle saturday and returned it sunday due to all the problems I had trying to set it up. And I am not the only one burned off the ipod due to poor customer care, help documention and product.
    Check out the ipod shuffle help forums on apple to get an idea of the problems.

    I was really looking forward to an mp3 player. At least I still have the psp. Easy to use, easy to transfer files, easy to find help.

  • Mary Gilmartin

    I bought an ipod shuffle saturday and returned it sunday due to all the problems I had trying to set it up. And I am not the only one burned off the ipod due to poor customer care, help documention and product.
    Check out the ipod shuffle help forums on apple to get an idea of the problems.

    I was really looking forward to an mp3 player. At least I still have the psp. Easy to use, easy to transfer files, easy to find help.

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