“In its latest bid to compete with Apple’s stunning iPod success, Microsoft is considering investing in or even buying portable device maker Creative, and potentially other device makers. In the meantime, Microsoft is working to ensure that Creative’s products integrate better with Windows Media Player (WMP), a capability that will be key for WMP 11, due in beta form this November. After initially promising that Creative would beat Apple in the MP3 player market, the company now plans to simply ‘survive,’ which is a slightly lowered outlook, I guess. Unless Microsoft plans to purchase Apple Computer, I don’t see how it will ever stem the flow of iPods coming out of Cupertino. It’s newsflash time, guys: Get used to being number two,” Paul Thurrott writes for Windows IT Pro.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: The number two digital media player in terms of market share? Technically, it’s HP with their lineup of “Apple iPods by HP.” Some “lost cause” and so much for “plowing aside,” huh?
Before Apple announced record iPod sales, their highest quarterly Mac sales in four years, and record earnings and revenues, Thurrott latched onto a BusinessWeek article that wrongly predicted flat iPod sales. Thurrott wrote, “Apple… isn’t immune to the natural ebb and flow of business cycles and consumer demand. And all we’re seeing here is an arguably overdue correction of Apple’s recent spate of incredibly good fortune.” Of course, Thurrott was wrong again.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Thurrott: Windows-based music services will plow aside’ Apple’s iTunes Music Store – April 15, 2004
Thurrott: Apple iPod by HP ‘a lost cause and completely uninteresting’ – August 27, 2004
HP adds ‘Apple iPod shuffle from HP’ to digital music player line – July 01, 2005
Apple smashes street with record revenue, earnings; shipped 6.155 million iPods – July 13, 2005
Hewlett-Packard adds ‘Apple iPod mini from HP’ to iPod digital music player lineup – June 02, 2005
Hewlett-Packard expands branded iPod lineup, announces ‘Apple iPod photo from HP’ models – April 12, 2005
Hewlett-Packard-branded Apple iPod to debut Friday – August 26, 2004
Beat Paul over the head with 4 to 6 million iPods quarter after quarter and he finally sees the light.
Paul who?
“Well, Mr. Bobby Boucher, looks like Mama’s wrong again!”
number two refers to that plop plunk sound when Ballmer goes to his exective ‘little boys room’
I guess M$ paycheck is late again for Mr. Turd-head!!!!
Interesting that MDN hasn’t found the time to post THIS story.
Hmmm. I wonder why.
Thurrot said that?! Everything is going dark…My heart.. the pain aghh!!! ;(
A few minutes of CPR and I’m back. I just can’t believe that!!
That’s right, there is no way in hell that Micro$oft is going to be able to do anything against the iPod. Their company is too big to change it’s lame way to “innovate” as Billy boy calls it. The only way they innovate is when the use their check book to buy a company to get maybe one product they like, and then they just change the name, sometime they are so lazy they don’t even change the name.
Talking about changing names. Did you guys heard they are trying to change the term”Podcasting” to something like “blogcasting” or some other lame Micro$oft term, they can’t stand the fact that the iPod is everywhere!
Thurridiot is either schitzo or a whore or both.
We have got to be real, the ipod flow will decrease over time, the thing is, and i thought this article was going to mention it, that apple continues to improve the ipod, gives it more functionality and it simply makes people feel like they need one.
Now, i bought an ipod like 2 years ago, then o bought one for my mother, one for my girlfriend, sister, brother, cousin, girlfriends sister, girlfriens dad, girlfriends brother and im about to buy one for my boss, haha shes awesome!, the thing is that i feel like mine (the first one i bought) is really old, 15 gig model, and im thinking about ebaying it, and going for a new one. Maybee ill sell it to someone here in south america, they pay good prices for used ipods.
But the flow improves, and i want to get a new ipod, almost every year and a half or so, so when will the market flat-line, when apple stops creating new ipods.
mw = gee, you gotta flow, gee, you gotta microphone thing so blow me!
There are some markets money can’t buy –
For everything else, there’s Micro$oft…
Dumbass, er, Bryan:
Sony grabs Japan flash-based music player lead from Apple ahead of Japanese iTunes Music Store – MacDailyNews, Thursday, July 14, 2005
Bryan
Actually they kind of did – although the MDN take was a little weak on this one…
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/6269/
I think those littel Sony players are cool – too bad they can’t work with the iTunes Music Store!
It’ll be interesting to see upcoming products from Apple to see how they can defend their leading position ever further forward.
Hey Bryan,
MDN posted that story yesterday.
Dolt.
FactChecker!
Beat me by a minute! Good job…
The only reason Sony’s beating Apple in Japan: no Japan iTunes Music Store.
Check next quarter, after Apple opens the Japan store…
MDN magic word ‘somewhat’ as in “That’s a somewhat misleading story, since tfa also says that Apple is spanking Sony in every other market, like the US and Europe.”
Paul I don’t see how buying Creative which can’t compete with the iPod would help Microsoft in any way. Two negatives don’t make a positive.
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The holdup in the iTMS Australia has been Sony/BMG music and guess who holds a majority stake– Sony. My guess is that the same is true in Japan. Sony knows it will get it’s as* handed to it as soon as Apple has the iTMS Japan up and running.
where the hell is sputnik?
Where’s Lisa and Reality Check? I think they should marry!
version 11 already? hmmmm must need a new number for blogcast support
stunning iPod success – I can remember not to long ago when our “boy” was singing a very diffrent song!
Never fear …today’s month full is just a pasting thing and by this afternoon he’ll be back to the same old sad tell of doom!
where the hell is sputnik?
—
he turned 15.. sarcasm stopped being witty
Microsoft saying they need to make sure WMP is more compatible with creative (and other) players basically highlights the fact that if they’re dominant in the market (ala windows) then they’re willing to offer poor quality software that doesn’t really work and is a ‘mare to connect things to. Only when they get their asses kicked by a superior piece of hardware and software do they even start to consider that making their stuff work properly might be of use to their customers.
If only Windows users could be made to realise that Microsoft couldn’t give a shit about them we’d all be better off. Apple are out to make money but at least they seem to want to make it on merit.
Thurott is really in MS’s camp – no doubt about that but he also knows that Mac users know how to use computers and will want to read inflamtory items either way so he dances on both sides – why?
PAGE VIEWS.
That’s all it is. He’s an attention and click-link whore – reading through MacDailyNews is PERFECT. We want to help out MDN in everyway – Thurott’s pages – NEVER. Everything you respond to him or go to his page, that’s just extra coins in his pocket and his ego as a ‘mover and a shaker’ in the PC industry – he might’ve known what he was talking about 18 years ago but he’s now skating by and scrambling to sound on top of things.
And by making outlandish proclaimations – he gets attention and clicks. He is like the crazy person shouting across the street – if you pay any attention to him, he will follow you down the street. That’s THurott – just let him shout all he wants because in cyberspace, if you don’t email or click to his site, google will not write you a check …
And Thurott wrote Creative “plans to simply ‘survive,’ which is a slightly lowered outlook”
Where on earth in any language just “simply survive” equate to “slightly lowered outlook.” What’s this guy on?
Tempus fugit-send Paul some crow.