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*** This will crew Microsoft ***

Everyone share your Protected AAC files. MS won't know if they are authorized to play or not. Then convert them over...millions of songs...that MS pays for...then don't do anything with them. Convert the same songs over and over with multiple accounts. Just to screw with them.

I have nearly 1000 protected AAC files myself. I would love to put them up as a torrent or on LimeWire et al.

What do you all think?

"going to let you download for free any songs you've already bought from the iTunes Music Store"

i dont get it?
so the idea just to make itunes song playable on other hardware. but still have to buy from itunes?

If the record Co's think that allowing MS to be the monopoly is in their best interest instead of Apple, they are asking for a huge dose of "be careful what you wish for".

Microsoft: Do a million things and do them wrong.

What a great backup plan! I'll continue to purchase music from iTunes and then have it backed up from Microsoft for free. Goody Goody

Quoting from the article:

"Right now the new player is schedule to launch in November, but our source also tells us that Microsoft isn't stopping with a WiFi-enabled PMP, they're actually going to launch an MVNO next year using all Windows Mobile-powered HTC handsets."

Uhh... LOL. Can anyone tell me WTF they're saying, beyond the fact that there's another MS POS on the way?

LMFAO. Lame.

Ohhhh I'm scared...

...for about a whole 2 seconds.

Because everything Microsoft makes is junk.

"To attract current iPod users Microsoft is going to let you download for free any songs you've already bought from the iTunes Music Store. They'll actually scan iTunes for purchased tracks and then automatically add those to your account. Microsoft will still have to pay the rights-holders for the songs, but they believe it'll be worth it to acquire converts to their new player," Rojas reports.

I think this is the best news Apple could get about a competitor.

If, after offering to give away potentially millions of dollars worth of songs, Microsoft's effort fails, then nobody will come after the iPod again.

"Right now the new player is schedule to launch in November"

Um . . . in light of MS's track record of announcing products that never come to fruition, it should be mandatory to not speak as if they exist.


Again, they should be focusing their A.D.D. minds on their O.S. Let the experts handle the Pods

me: iTunes knows if your protected AAC files are authenticated or not so moving a bunch of iTunes music into your library won't work.

ahmad: The idea is to stop buying from iTunes once you have Microshit music.

Wouldn't this be a violation of antitrust law?

Typical Mafia$oft - if you can't compete fairly and legally, buy out the competition or run them over with your Monopoly Dumptruck.

To the Microsoft execs:

*Pant pant* *Slobber*Yes so I've arranged a deal with the record companies by threatening to start up a monopoly on the records market with amazing new artists like The Sweaty Monkeys and Bill Gates and his Hinges that will take all sales away from existing artists, so I got them to let me have all their music for free...*drools all over shirt*

This means we can offer you Micro$hoft DRMed WAV files at 768kbps uncompressed on our dedicated server with, wait for it....256kbps broadband! This is shared with the entire world, remember, so we don't have to pay anything for bandwidth hardly, leaving us raking in the $$ from selling our bloatware player....which runs a scaled-down version of Vista on even more scaled down hardware, leaving the consumer with an entertaining 5 minutes start up time every time they want to play music. Oh and, its vulnerable to malware as it has open internet access all ports open, through its WiFi, but its incapable of running anti-malware programs. Also has no format option so they have to buy a new one every so often.

*Pisses himself*

*Goes to have a bath in $50 notes*

I wonder what MSFT is going to do about all the videos and audiobooks that Apple has sold.

This isn't sounding like a well thought out plan. Casting this rumor into the rumor bin.

I'll make those dumbasses pay for all my iTunes collection, then trash their music.

I don't need 2 of everything

This is just like Microsoft. If you can't beat 'em, lose money until you do!

- Beat Netscape by giving away software (well, it was a novel idea at the time)

- Establish Xbox by selling it at a loss.

- Now give away songs just to try and win people over to their WidoP gadget (upside down and backwards, as always)

Pathetic if true.. but entirely in keeping with their past.

micosoft tried to own every market, what's next GMO food?

Agreed, this sounds like nothing more than a poorly thought out rumor.

Mr. Ballmer, if you think I'm going to let you secretly replace my premium roast coffee with freeze-dried Folgers Crystals, to quote Judas Priest, you've got another thing coming.

MW: means. As in, the ends justify the means in Mafiasoft's warped view.

As long as Apple maintains high quality, it's going to be hard for people to go elsewhere. They just won't want to.

If people have been used to Windows as "good enough," they've gotten a taste of great. Chances are, they'll stay.

Some trends are empty and shallow and some are trends because their legitimate, culture-wide phenomena based on something real, useful, and interesting. The iPod isn't a flash in the pan.

Hmm, lemme see if I can do this.

iTunes has sold over a billion songs. Microsoft proposes to allow its users to redownload any AAC-protected songs in WMA format. But the record companies -- greedy bastards -- certainly won't buy into a straight-across trade, so MS is gonna have to pay *something* for the new download.

We know that Apple doesn't make more than about a dime on the dollar for downloads. The record labels get the other $0.90. So, let's say Microsoft strikes the deal of the century and gets to re-download the songs in WMA format for $0.50.

1 billion songs time $0.50 is, um... 500 million dollars.

And if every one of us iPod users downloads every AAC-protected song in our library from MS on Microsoft's dime, and then downloads NOTHING ELSE from Microsoft...

Could be a VERY expensive education.

MW "certain" -- MS is CERTAIN to regret this ill-conceived decision.

Microsoft should stick to software, which they already do badly enough.

So, this "iPod killer" is going to overheat, crash frequently, get viruses over its WiFi connection, accidentally delete your whole music library once a month and need to have its OS re-installed every week.

Hmmm... okay. Bring it on Microsoft!

http://getkickedoffaplanewearingthis.blogspot.com/

"They'll actually scan iTunes for purchased tracks and then automatically add those to your account."

Shouldn't I be a little concerned that M$ is offering to "scan" my computer?

What else will they be looking for, or placing there?

Why for god sakes would I want to replace my current songs with the same thing from them? How does this somehow make it any better? I'm sorry but I don't see any point to it except wasting a lot of bandwith for something I already own and works perfectly. This just doesn't make any sense at all.

If this is true, it sounds like Microsoft is trying to beat Apple at it's own game.

-Apple releases Leopard which will allow users to run their PC apps without Windows.

-Microsoft releases x-player which allows users to listen to their iTunes songs without iTunes or an iPod.

This competition is getting interesting.

1. Sounds just like the move MS made against Netscape (people still remember Netscape?) by giving away IE for free and then eventually "integrating" it with the OS.

2. Sounds like the move MS made against Sony by selling each Xbox at a loss to gain market share (same with the 360).

Apple will need to come out with all new iPods and iTunes content for the xmas season to blow MS away.

Why for god sakes would I want to replace my current songs with the same thing from them?

------------

The only reason you would do this is if in fact Microsoft releases a player that is actually better than the iPod. I highly doubt this will happen, but anything is possible...

Microsoft is like a spoiled kid in a toy store: "I want that! And that! And that and that and that..!"

It absolutely feels it must own every market it enters. Be the dominant player. Make the rules. Set the standards. It's willing to lose prodigious piles of money placing product at a loss in order to gain market share and eventually own the market.

That's what they are going to attempt to do here. They will lose money on this project, maybe for years, thinking that the end result is worth it.

The mind of a greedy, socially maladjusted 5-year-old: "I want that! And that!"

This could be just a judas goat, a trial balloon floated by M$ to see if it can flush out Apple's willingness to license Fairplay while freezing the iPod upgrade cycle.

There are a lot of things that could go wrong with M$'s ploy, but I cannot help but wonder if this is part of the FUD war, not so much designed to entice current iPod owners to switch--how does this make you want to switch from your iPod?--but as to convince new iPod buyers and prospective iPod upgraders to wait for the M$ product, AND possibly startle Apple into licensing Fairplay.

If this is true, it sounds like Microsoft is trying to beat Apple at it's own game.

-Apple releases Leopard which will allow users to run their PC apps without Windows.

-Microsoft releases x-player which allows users to listen to their iTunes songs without iTunes or an iPod.

Good point Maczeus. The whole Leopard virtualization has got to be pissing of Redmond big time! This may be Microsofts way of getting even. God knows they have the money to do it.

Still Microsoft would have to come out with one heck of a player to entice iPod users to switch. Especially if Apple comes out with a WiFi iPod.

This is nothing short of paying a huge price for a razor, but giving away the blades for free. Except for in this case, everone is a huge hairy gorilla who'll need hundreds of "free" blades, but only one razor.

past that...

1. MS will make sure you have purchased a "player" before you can make swap songs.

2. Each player will have an ID#, so it can't be used on more than one account.

3. MS will also DELETE your iTunes AAC files as part of the bargin.

4. It will only work on XP, there will be no Mac support.

If Microsoft are this desparate so early in the game, imagine what they will become like when the competition from Apple really hots up.

This is going to be extremely funny to watch. The entire organisation will be doing through the equivalent of the Monkey Dance!!

And that really will piss Redmond off big time.

Next step Apple licenses OSX. NEVER HAPPEN.

Though It would be a very strange turn of events watching the two companies switch roles wiith Microsoft moving to a closed end-to-end solution for music while Apple moves towards an open system with OSX. But still, for good reason, Apple would never do it.

why the hell would you want a Wi-Fipod-majig?

kill your battery searching and downloading music instead of listening to it.

You'd want a copy on your computer for back up any way which means you'd have to sync with your computer anyway.

I hardly believe your going to be standing in line at the store and think "oh . . . i need to download a song right now."

Just seems like a stupid idea. . . . a good idea for people with nothing better to do.

Wow! MS is going for the throat on this one.

However, here's Peabody's prediction: If by this time next year MS hasn't been able to actually pull iPod users away from iPods (in mass), it will so firmly entrench Apple's PMP foot hold in the market they really will be untouchable.

A little like trying to get your oven to self clean... If you heat it up real hot you'll succeed in doing one of two things: 1)Burning everthing inside to the point that all you have to do is wipe it out, or, 2)Form a molecular bond between the organic material and the metal which you may never get out.

This is the stupidest rumor ever! Imagine by the time MS did replace all the song sold on iTune, it would be almost two billion songs!!! Stupidest!!!!

A mobile phone with enough memory, good gui and the ability to chat, do your e-mail, listen to your music and surf is tempting. And Microsoft is making a huge dent in the mobile market with windows mobile. I hate to say it, but they just might be able to have a really good proposal through what they do with windows mobile. Apple need to innovate faster going forward, because sadly, not much happening right now.

Everybody will get the free songs out of spite and then not buy the player! Lost $$$$$.

Jeffrey:

Microsoft had better NOT delete any files/software I have purchased off my computer. In fact, they bettter not change anything other than install software that I agree to install. If they do, the legal battle that ensues will make what happened to Sony look like a walk in the park. I'll have Steve Ballmer washing and parking my car for me by the time the lawyers get done with Microsoft...

Apple seen countering Microsoft with wireless iPod

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1866

MacPinchi has landed on the problem in this plan.

Apple achieved 1 billion songs back on 23/02/06, whilst selling songs at approximately 3.0 million tracks/day.

If iTMS has continued at that rate, Apple has probably sold somewhere between 300 and 425 million more tracks.

And in 90 days - 4th October 2006 - Apple will have sold another 270 million tracks.

It's possible that Apple possibly makes between 5¢ and 8¢ of retained income for each track, which means that Apple has to give away nearly 90¢. Even if you assumed that MSFT would save on card processing fees and hosting, they're still looking at a bill of around 70¢/track.

So, are MSFT really going to say to their shareholders that they're going to commit to an open-ended redemption scheme that is likely to cost them over a billion dollars and not guarantee that a single consumer is going to stop using an iPod. That's the equivalent of surrendering some 2% of their short-term asset base: I'd want some guarantees that they'd done some solid market research before giving away a billion dollars that would be better used for a continuing share buyback program, especially as the market cap of the company has declined by some 18% since September 2004.

What's funny is that people can just continue to use iTMS and they will now have a viable way to play those tracks on another player besides iPod.

But yeah, how will they know if the tracks are authorized or not?

1 Billion songs @ 50 cents a pop = $500 million.

$500 million = less than 1 percent of Microsoft's estimated $56 Billion in cash reserves.

And last quarter was Microsoft's MOST profitable quarter in its history. Even with all their problems.

This is not a joke, folks. Somebody's going to have to ask the government to step into the picture again.

The only way Microsoft can defeat Apple in the online music business is to convince the record labels to drop DRM completely. But that would not help Microsoft at all. They need DRM just as much as Apple does. But to have a level playing field in the players and online stores, DRM has to be eliminated. Unfortunately, the RIAA is just too plain stupid to recognize that.

---actually---

" . . not much happening right now"


Not much needs to happen right now. There is no threat. The ideah of an object, which does not exist, seemingly exciting, in terms of features, is not a threat! I can make up the idea of an object with seemingly cool features and it is still not a threat. a formidable threat would entice a market or fill a market void. Microsoft does not poes a threat to do such a thing.

MCCFR,

Those figures are assuming that every one of the more than 50 million iPod owners would switch to Microsofts player and need their ITMS library converted. That will NEVER HAPPEN. Microsoft would be lucky if 5% of iPod users switched.

Surely you will have to prove that you have already bought some Microslop gizmo before you get the free tunes?!

On the other hand MS has enough $$$ to get the "replacement tunes" just to get you to use WMA. For them, that's a good investment.

As long as the iPod keeps dominating, so will iTunes and the iTMS. I'll believe a "cool" MS device when I actually see it.

The difference between the MS player and all the other 'iPod killers' is that MS can afford to subsidize it - and subsidize it massively.

If MS brings something like the iPod video on to the market for half the price, then Apple might have problems.

And if the "entry fee" for being allowed to convert songs is the purchase of a WMA player, MSFT had better have done some solid work researching why the average consumer (well, at least seven out of ten) appears to prefer the iPod/iTunes/iTMS platform.

Also, if MSFT starts "tying" purchases together (you must buy a player) whilst "loss leading" on downloads, it's going to take around 20 nanoseconds for Apple, Loudcloud, the European Union and any publicity-hungry state's Attorney-General to go after MSFT and start beating it with a stick.

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

If Microsoft had to pay 500 million dollars to get 50 million people to buy their players.. Let's see that's

50 million players @ $249 = $12,450,000,000

Basically, they'd be spending 500 million to make 12.5 Billion.