09/16/2004, 9:00am, EDT

Thursday, September 16th

Microsoft MSN music store modeled after iTunes

David Pogue has a look at Microsoft's iTunes Store in the latest edition of The New York Times, noting that Microsoft looked to Apple's implementation for guidance: "The Microsoft music store (in beta at music.msn.com) couldn't look more like Apple's iTunes music store (itunes.com) if you ran it through a copying machine. 'Apple set the bar very high,' a Microsoft manger admitted. 'We're trying to match that. We told our developers, 'Look at how Apple does it.'" [free registration required]

"Microsoft is running a simple multimillion-dollar experiment to force an answer to this question: If all other variables are equal (price, selection, features), which music system do people like better: Apple's or Microsoft's? At the moment, it's not a completely valid test, because MSN Music is not, in fact, ready to compete head-on with Apple's store," lacking a long list of Apple's convenience features--many of which Microsoft says that it will eventually add. The article notes that Microsoft's music store has a few unique features, such as live playback of radio station music (whereas Apple offers only a listing of songs) and unique/exclusive albums, but offers differing personal music rights for certain songs, causing much confusion.

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ronjamin

Lawsuit

09/16, 9:11am, EDT

Like that wasn't an invitation to sue Microsoft, admiting they copied iTMS, lol.

Why don't they just join the crowd and become a iTMS partner.

Baninated

Joined May 2002

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nat

duh

09/16, 9:27am, EDT

what, ms would actually come up with something innovative? original? what in their history would make anyone ever think that? if someone doesn't lead the way they pretty much sit there twiddling their thumbs waiting for the next big thing to rip off.

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um,

09/16, 9:59am, EDT

that is sooooo original of M$ to copy innovation once again.

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kw14

microsoft playbook

09/16, 10:04am, EDT

Yup. Microsoft playbook page 1: Copy Apple!

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Tengu

Radio

09/16, 10:27am, EDT

So MSN Music does radio..
So what is that "Radio" button in iTunes for?

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Roehlstation

It will never be the same

09/16, 11:28am, EDT

Unless they build the music store into the player, the experience will always be very clunky. iTunes is so great because they built the browser into iTunes specifically to work with their site.

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HeatherEcsedi

09/16, 11:56am, EDT

Microsoft does what it has always done : copy Apple. What should you expect from MS after all ?

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vickys-box

Not the same

09/16, 12:36pm, EDT

I've said this before. The MSN Music store is nothing like the iTunes Music Store. What scares me is that people believe it is the same. This either means there's a bunch of people who don't know how to use iTMS, or don't realise how great it does things. The MSN Music store is clunky, visually stale and behaviourally incompetent. (Mind you, there are plenty of other things that MS have done that could be evaluated with the same conclusions.)

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suhail

IE and Netscape

09/16, 12:50pm, EDT

IE and Netscape Navigator = MS Music and iTunes

De Ja Vue

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Joined Nov 1999

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Toyin

Unbelievable

09/16, 1:41pm, EDT

Didn't MS initially claim that their music store and it's design was not influenced by the iTunes Music store?

"Apple set the bar very high," a Microsoft manger admitted. "We're trying to match that. We told our developers, 'Look at how Apple does it.'"

Un-friggin-believable

Also, Pogue erred. There are several albums on iTunes that you have to buy in their entirety.

Mac Elite

Joined Nov 2000

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