Mossberg: ‘MSN Music is no match for iTunes – yet’

23 Comments

“In the battle to dominate the emerging business of online music sales, the 800-pound gorilla finally is taking the field. Today, Microsoft rolls out its MSN Music store, directly challenging its nemesis, Apple Computer, which so far has ruled that business,” Walt Mossberg reports for The Wall Street Journal. “I’ve been testing Microsoft’s new store in advance of today’s launch and comparing it with Apple’s much-praised iTunes music store. While the Microsoft entry has a few nice touches, it is typical of many brand-new Microsoft products — fairly basic and bland, but marred by some rookie mistakes and accompanied by promises to get much better over time.”

“Overall, MSN Music is no match for iTunes — yet. But if you don’t have an iPod and want or need to buy music in Microsoft’s format, it may be a good choice over time,” Mossberg reports.

The full article looks at the pros and cons of Microsoft’s new offering in-depth. Read it here.

MacDailyNews Take: There always seems to be a promise of some nebulous future greatness from Microsoft about their products. We’re still waiting. Who actually would want or need their music in Microsoft’s format? Do yourself a favor: if you want to get into online music and carry it with you in your pocket, just download iTunes for free and get an iPod. Why settle?

23 Comments

  3. I had a look at the System Requirements page, which also tells you how to install the thing. I wonder how your typical Windows user will cope with them:

    < http://beta.music.msn.com/help/requirements.aspx >.

    I am trying to recall the process of installing iTunes on the Dull at work. I think it was: click download. click install. use program. All without ActiveX security concerns.

    Is there a betting pool on when it will blow up?

    Mike

    Reply

  4. By the end of the day iTunes and the iPod will fall flat on their faces. I have already downloaded 1,200 songs from the new MSN music store and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. The WMA format is so superior to Apple’s it makes my ears fart. I am selling my 4G iPod and buying a new HDNT 21000-56-SM Creative Plus DeeJay, which plays video, checks *****, does laundry and turns viruses into delicious little gummi bears. All the iPod does is play music.

    Bye bye, Apple.

    Reply

  9. M.T. MacPhee…

    Re: The installation instructions for MicroSoft’s new music site…

    YIKES! You were correct… I’ve been a Mac user for 2.5 years and I’ve forgotten what a dog’s breakfast Windows can be.

    If every Windows user has to wade their way through this swamp of installation requirements, then iTunes wins. Period.

    Yikes!

    Everyone… Check out what has to be accomplished to run the Windows Music Store…

    < http://beta.music.msn.com/help/requirements.aspx >.

    Reply

  10. ‘There’s nothing that the iPod does that I say: ‘Oh, wow, I don’t think we can do that,” Gates says.

    I think it’s the Microsoft way. Look at what Apple does and do the same thing. The question is: When will Microsoft do something original? And beat the iPod? I don’t think so….

    Reply

  12. Show your support for Apple and buy a song or album from iTunes now! I did!
    DJ Food/Kaleidoscope (not available on MSN Music)
    ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  14. Microsoft keeps touting that they encrypt at a higher bit rate. This is just a variation of the old “Mhz myth’. If Apple and MS were to use the SAME encryption, then this would be a valid comparison. But, they are different, and it is very possible that AAC (the audio portion of the open source MPEG-4) can be equal to, or even better than, another encryption codec even though it is a lower bit rate.

    The more significant factor in audio quality is often the quality speakers, not to mention the individual tastes of the listener. [Note: if you listen to your music with four 14″ sub-woofers in your backseat, you’ll NEVER hear the subtle differences in the upper frequencies that are between various bit rates.]

    It will be some time, when more of the MSN users try to download their music onto their variety of players, if we will see any tides turning. I predict it will the very same experience that the MS users are accustomed to, the “10-10-100 Rule”; MS is just like like Apple except it requires 10 times the mouse clicks, takes 10 times longer, and has 100 times the frustration.

    Apple offers innovation.
    Microsoft offers promises.

    Reply

  15. To all you guys/gals – you are right on the money with your comments.

    You know, I reckon Bill Gates gets a $1 for every bad comment published about Microsoft.

    Why do you think he’s so rich?

    Reply

  17. While I would not buy a PC or use Windows out of choice (ever), the instructions on how to get MS Music Store to work are all pretty basic. If you read the intructions, everything should work by default, you only need to change things back to default settings if you’ve monkeyed around with security settings.

    The real problem I think is with ActiveX being the method of delivering music content.. I don’t think it will take long before someone figures out how to monkey around with this, but we’ll see…

    Reply

  20. no one else gets credit for future greatness…

    why? because they put out crap but make lots of money, so the improvement over the next version SHOULD be huge..

    then again, look at Safari compared to IE—night and day..

    Big deal.. they’re already the best WMA store..?? Who cares.. they have 30% of the market.. and the site, which is basic and clean, offers nothing that ITMS doesnt have..

    Whats this radio plus.. ITMS has free radio.. eh..

    Reply

  22. If M$, in over twenty years of trying, has never come remotely close to a produce a Window$ OS the equal of Mac OSX; what makes these pundits believe that MSN Music will ever be remotely close to being equal to the iTunes/iPod music experience? Let alone, better.

    M$ ‘vision’ is to copy, steal or buy any kind of innovation that has shown any kind of market potential. Says Gate$, “Media today is so far short of what it can be,” and what does M$ does? They badly copy what apple does, and cripple it with their own “innovations to come up with a third rate product. Gate$ must have been thinking to himself “Windows Media today is so far short of what iTunes already is”

    Keep waiting you longsufering windows users. If nothing else the gap is widening as window$ keep getting worse and the mac experience continues to improve by leaps and bounds.

    Reply

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