Apple has dominated the handheld MP3 player market since shortly after they released the iPod in 2001, and erstwhile competitors have failed to make a dent in Apple's marketshare, one after another. Most of those competitors have been based on Microsoft's WMA technology, but now Microsoft reportedly plans to step into the ring itself. Will Microsoft manage to succeed where its 126 licensed devices have all failed? I'm skeptical, but competition is always a good thing.
Robbie Bach, former head of the XBox division, is rumored to be in charge of this project, which will involve both a portable music player to compete with the iPod and an online music store to compete with iTunes. A Reuters report suggested that Microsoft will emphasize an a la carte download model, like iTunes does, but also provide a subscription service, like Napster and others do. There has been no word yet on what form of security Microsoft will use and whether the restrictions will be stronger or weaker than those from iTunes.
Tidbits leaked to entertainment executives suggest that the new portable music player will have built-in wireless communication capability for music downloading on the fly. A Wi-Fi function could also enable localized ad transmission and ad hoc short-range networks.
Other speculation ranges from the almost-certain — that the new device will have a larger screen than the current iPod — to the wild, including one rumor that Microsoft's service will scan your iTunes library and grant you free licenses to any music you've already purchased. The vast potential for fraud there seems an insurmountable obstacle, and I suspect that rumor is little more than wishful thinking. The labels certainly won't want to give anything away for free; a large chunk of their income over the years has been format replacement, as people switched from LPs to cassettes to CDs and so on. Microsoft has enough cash on hand to spend a billion or two underwriting this process if they choose to, but it seems unlikely that they would pour so much money into a hole that is more likely to grow deeper with time.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - matt
i love my ipod and itunes but it has been a long time since apple has done anything innovative. where is my wifi? where is my bluetooth? they could use a nice kick, especially if the product is on the same quality level as the 360.
2 - Mark Saleski
i will be shocked if microsoft is able to produce a device that's nearly as elegant as the ipod.
it's just plain weird to even be using the words 'elegant' and 'microsoft' in the same sentence.
3 - Will
Short of making the battery last longer what more really needs to be done with regards to MP3 players? The problem we're going to see with future "better" versions of the iPod, from Apple and anyone else, is that the new lot will almost certianly add a bunch of costly service driven features geared toward selling/marketing to consumers on the go. I can just hear the execs saying, "With WiFi consumers can take the music store with them!" which is their way of saying, "We want to follow you everywhere!" No. I refuse. I've already taken the time to either rip a CD or search for music to download, for FREE by the way because 99 cents a track is still a rip off. Once my music is on my iPod I just want to listen. I don't want to worry about digital copyrights, licensing, usernames, passwords, and connecting to another service who wants my info so they can send me another daily e-mail telling me what everyone is or should be listening to. I don't want interactivity. If I did I'd be the one PLAYING the music. I just want to LISTEN.
4 - JB
Title: "Microsoft Announces "iPod-Killer,"
Sorry, where is that announcement? Makes a good title, but all see is rumors and speculation.
5 - cjdore
Just what BILL GATES NEEDS another billion dollar device, money turns to money
6 - Phillip Winn
Mark (#2), the XBox is a pretty sweet unit, though it's a different type of device than the iPod.
Matt (#1), meet Will (#3). Will, meet Matt. You two want completely and totally different things out of your portable music players. My guess is that Microsoft will produce a device that satisfies your craving for features, Matt, at the cost of beauty and elegance. My guess is that you don't need to worry, Will, because Apple will always have a very nicely-designed device for you, even if they also produce a more feature-packed model for those that really want Bluetooth or whatever.
7 - anon
It is to hard to find what you are looking for one one of these things when you have 5000 artists. I just load what i want on my cheapo flash mp3 player when I am on the go and use eJukebox for all my music on my touchscreen pc. The day one of these things has an interface like eJukebox is the day I buy one.
8 - R
I don't think MS can do it, though the iPod may not be perfect, and to some lacking other features, it'll still come off best.
If MS make a player with a huge screen, huge hard drive, possibly touchscreen with bluetooth or Wi-Fi do you have any idea how much that'll drain the battery? Even if MS make the battery last longer with the extra features, the battery life (over months) would suck.
And if MS makes the battery easily replaceable that might not go down too well because people prefer the simple un-openable shell of the iPod.
9 - jesus
If it uses an OLED screen the battery would last allot longer not to mention look a hell of allot better.
10 - Jason
Typical MS BS.
I mean how many attempts have their been to dethrone Apple as the MP3 king? Heaps...
The fact is they have done it better than anyone else. Their dominance in the market reflects this.
The other players have been complete rubbish up until now. Have a look at the previous generation Sandisk as an example.
11 - albi
Microsoft should get in the car and real estate bussiness. They're perfect for the new trends in Microsoft:
1. Go with new markets that have nothing to do with what you've been doing up until now/
2. Build on an idea thats as old as it can get without becoming "classic".
12 - Sean
The iPod is a terrible mp3 player. It gets on my nerves when people go on and on about how much better it is than all the other mp3 players out there. There are many superior players for example the Zen Sleek Photo. The Zen (which has recently come way down in price due to it's production life coming to an end) has better sound quality, a better interface, excellent battery life and is much nicer to look at.
I dream of the day the iPod is seen for the hyped up pile of wank that it is so I can point and laugh at all the sheep who can't research players and discover the better ones. I know it'll probably be a long time, luckily I'm paitent :)
13 - Namesbond
The Creative Vision M is my IPOD Killer.
14 - Adam
I am with Sean on this... I can't stand it when people say "The Ipod is the best mp3 player out" or anything like that.
If you listen to the sound quality of something like the Cowon X5L (small audio player) or the Cowon A2 (4 inch screen video/audio player)you will see why people that actualy know about other brands prefer them over Apple.
Honstly... If I can get 9 hrs of battery life watching movies and 18 hrs of battery life listening to music on my Cowon A2, that has so much better sound quality then a Ipod, has much better codec support, doesn't need Itunes to put music on the player (God I hate that), and has so many more features it's hard to keep track of them all, why on earth would I buy an Ipod???
15 - ama78guy
I wrote a blog on this very subject today as a matter of fact:
16 - Mr. Real Estate
Sounds like Microsoft's version might have some nice aspects added. The only downside is that if it's made by Microsoft, it will likely freeze up when you're playing your favorite songs. I think I'll stick with iPod/iTunes. Apple was successful with the iPod because it found a niche and perfected what people wanted. Microsoft is just stealing their idea and adding some things to it, which Apple can easily add to the iPod. Microsoft's biggest problem is that it rarely creates anything original anymore, which is why it keeps having to play catch-up with Google, Apple and everyone else that creates anything new and unique.
17 - Joel
Can you back up that in the past (before the emergance of the ipod) that it's an all or nothing market for portable music devices? I doubt it.
I think Microsoft will have a chance just like other competitors introduced increased skip protection and less expensive cd players in the late nineties.
18 - Orchid
Regarding Adamd (#14's) comment, I agree that the iPod is not the best MP3 player out there but one has to see its popularity as some sort of karmic repayment for Apple (tongue is in cheek here, kids).
Macs have been and are better computers than Windows-based PCs yet PCs outsell Macs by a huge margin. Now, Apple has the best-selling MP3 player but not the best one. "Best-selling" and "best" rarely go hand in hand.
Crappy PCs outsell Macs based on price rather than quality. Apple's iPods outsell other MP3 players based on style instead of substance. It goes to show that average consumers have different (not incorrect or wrong) priorities than most geeks.
19 - Ali
#8 R
"And if MS makes the battery easily replaceable that might not go down too well because people prefer the simple un-openable shell of the iPod."
but the problem is you have to replace the battery after a year or so because they are cr*p and that requires sending off to the factory and a huge cost. i dont see anyone complaining about mobile phones and how they open! if microsoft make a mp3 player that i can replace the battery i will be giving it a try if its within my price range. i currently have a sony mp3 cd player its got 144 (one four four)hour battery life and replacable batterys :o) and forget all about the crashing rumours. they are rumours you dont know! MS is the most widely used OS in the world. i bet your on it now #16 and if microsoft are copying apple i dont see anyone complaining about macs AND pcs both being on the market? its your choice
20 - Oscar
Quite honestly I have enjoyed my Ipod. However, I have 3 computers at home and one at work and using Itunes between multiple computers has been a real pain in the rear. I hope this competition will cause Apple to make some modifications to Itunes by making it more user friendly.
Actually, I purchased the 3 year warranty from Best Buy when I purchased my Ipod. So until that warranty runs out, I don't plan on spending more money on another gadget as long as this one serves it's purpose. I am sure I am not alone - Something to think about if you are counting on Microsoft stock to skyrocket.
21 - jesus
Lightning Strikes Teenager Listening To iPod
Sign from above?
From Drudge Report Today (Click URL for full story):
A teenager who was hit by lightning over the weekend talked about his close brush with death Thursday.
Jason Bunch was mowing the lawn and listening to his iPod at his home in Castle Rock in the 3200 block of Cherry Plum Way on Sunday when he was struck.
He was taken to the hospital and was then put into the intensive care unit. Bunch recovered and was released from the hospital.
"I woke up and blood was coming out my ears," Bunch, a Douglas County High School senior, said.
22 - Yo!Yo!
Adam #14 : What kind of BS are you talking about. The sound quality of the iPod is one of the best available. You DON'T Have to use iTunes only Morrons have to, because i think that there are even MORE ways to put music on your ipod than on any other MP3 Player.
Sean #12 : You are also talking BS "The Zen is much nicer too look at". How can you even say that, compare The Zen with a iPod Nano (the most brilliant MP3 Player of this time) and you would want too puke on your fucking Zen.
People get real the iPod is just too great, perfect sound quality nice design easy too use what do you want more in a MP3 PLayer.
23 - myke
like everyone is saying competition is good..
hopefully Microsoft will release a better and more innovative product to rival Apple.. as at the moment, there is no real competition for Apple - and Ipod are dominating the market.
24 - Diego
Archos AV500.....
-Widescreen 4 inches...
-Intuitive Controls (not like ipod but somehow close)
-USB Host (for cameras, pen drives, mp3 players)
-Built In Speaker.
-Infrared sensor for remote control
-Removable Battery (included 8 hours for video, 15+ for music)
-Movie formats: avi, mpeg (some), wmv (low res)
-Music: mp3, wma, wma drm, wav
-Voice and line-in recorder
-Video Recorder (with scheduler)
-30 GB or 100 GB
THATS MY IPOD KILLER (by the way it cost $400 30GB version)
25 - Adam
At Yo!Yo! (#22): As I said, you will say it's best beacuse you either...
1: Havn't listened to any of the better quality ones.
2: Listen to music that has a bitrate of 128.
3: Use the sh*tty standard headphones that came with your player.
4: Are a complete retard.
5: Or you are almost deaf.
And at Diego (#24): Here is a good comparison between the AV500 and A2 (I didn't write it, but I have used both and it is a very accurate comparison)
"- HD space.
The question you should ask yourself is: how long will you be away from your computer at a time?
Sure, 30GB doesn't look like all that much. I was very hesitant about that point before buying my A2.
Well, it's not that big of a deal really. On a daily use, I really don't need to carry around that much content.
Going on a long trip is a different thing, true, but even then I found 30GB were enough with some sensible management.
I went on a month-long trip, mostly away from a computer and took about 1200 pictures with my digital camera in that time.
Stored them all on my A2. When I ran out of space, I simply deleted a movie that I had already watched...
- Screen quality
I have seen both the AV500 and the A2 screens so I speak of first-hand experience.
The AV500 is VERY bright (almost too bright for my taste) but more importantly, it looks really fragile!
If you (gently!) push on the LCD with your finger, it actually disturbs the crystals... :woh:
The A2 has a rock-solid plastic plate. Sure, you lose a *little* brightness but do you really want to carry around a fragile screen on a daily basis?
I couldn't tell a difference between the color quality though.
- Recording
OK, I have never used the recording feature of my A2 yet, even though it was originally a "key" requirement for a PMP on my list.
Why? Well think about it: you can't carry around a PMP with you AND have it sit at home recording a show at the same time!
And if you're home already, why not watch the show directly on your TV or record it with your TiVO or VCR...?
As for movies, ripping and encoding DVDs will always give you MUCH better quality than recording them directly. So really, why bother!
- Removable battery
True, you cannot remove the battery of the A2. But it lasts much longer than the AV500.
Also, I guess you could always get a 3rd party external battery pack if you really need that juice.
As for replacing the battery if it ever dies... well, it *seems* that it's not all that hard to open the A2 and remove the battery.
Cowon would of course replace it for you, for a fee. But anyway, how long do you expect your PMP to last you?
Come the day your battery dies (for the sake of argument, let's say maybe 5 years down the road)
are you sure you won't rather buy the latest new gadget anyway...?
There are a few other key aspects that you have not mentioned in your post.
- Key/value for money
Depending on where you live, the A2 will be MUCH cheaper (or at worst, about equally priced) to the AV500.
It however also comes already with a pleather case and a battery that lasts significantly longer than the one in the AV500.
If you want to buy the AV500 you need to factor in the cost of a case, of an extra battery...
- Portability (TV connections)
To connect the A2 to your TV (for recording or TV-out) all you need is a cable.
In contrast, you have to carry around a whole pod with your AV500
(and it's definitely more complicated to connect than the A2).
Finally, you briefly mention firmware updates but maybe you don't realize how big of a difference there really is.
Go to archos.com and look at the firmware update history. Do the same on iaudio.com. No further comments!
I won't even mention all the features the A2 has and the AV500 lacks. OK, maybe I will after all. From the top of my head (without much thinking):
Multitasking, TXT, subtitles, radio, DMB (if you live in Korea), about three times the number of codecs... and since firmware 1.76, here come
DOC, PDF, PPT, XLS, whatever you want!"
Both are good players, for what I use mine for I really prefer the A2 over the AV500.