“Microsoft is… considering launching an online music service to rival Apple Computer’s iTunes, [Yusuf Mehdi, the head of Microsoft’s MSN Personal Services & Business division] said. Such a service would likely replace Microsoft’s current service it offers in partnership with Pressplay,” reports Joris Evers for IDG News Service.
“However, plans for a music service are still in the very early stages, if they could be called plans at all, according to Mehdi. Demonstrating that, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates said on Thursday that he does not see a music service as a money-making service. ‘It’s maybe a feature your platform should offer, but it’s not like you’re going to make some [big] markup,’ Gates said in response to analysts’ questions at Microsoft’s annual financial analyst meeting at the company’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters,” Evers reports.
Full story here.
Typical MSFT sowing of FUD. When you’re a monopoly, you can merely mention something like this and completely change the market. We’ve seen it all before. They should at least not be allowed to publically speculate on not-even-close-to-shipping products.
Hmmm… if they want people to avoid iTunes for Windows until they see what MS comes out with, that won’t work… seeing as how it’s free to use iTunes: you only pay for the songs.
Bill Gates has PROVEN that whenever he says these types of things, that some time after he’ll most certainly have his ‘innovattive’, competitive product available.
His statements are always nothing more than ‘time-buying’ FUD.
Oh good another M$ attempt at ripping off the public. Should be good for several laughs, if they screw it up like they do every thing else. It’s really nice to have a company like M$ to hate, they deserve it.
Microsoft hasn’t said they are releasing a music service, if anything it’s the opposite. They can’t mark up the prices very high so they don’t make much money off it. It makes good sense from that point of view. I’d be surprised if we see anything like iTMS from Microsoft anytime soon. For now they seem more likely to let others provide the service.
what a surprise