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Microsoft, Toshiba, take on Apple's iPod

updated 12:40 pm EDT, Thu June 1, 2006

MS, Toshiba take on Apple


Microsoft, Toshiba, Victor, NTT DoCoMo, and five more companies are teaming up to challenge Apple's dominance in the digital music industry. The companies plan to develop a portable audio/video player for the Japanese market, according to a report from Bloomberg. Microsoft said it will develop the software, while Toshiba and Victor work to create the portable player. Japan's largest mobile phone operator DoCoMo already said it will provide a cell phone that is compatible with software from Microsoft which will allow consumers to transfer music files in Windows format from PCs to the handset.


by MacNN Staff

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 industry, digital music/video

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  1. pjdesign

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 2002

    0
    06/01, 12:45pm | report spam | Reply |

    Yawn!

    Wake me up when the next iPod is introduced, because that is all that matters.

  1. t_hah

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Dec 2000

    0
    06/01, 12:49pm | report spam | Reply |

    Wow... it takes them all.

    Let's all gang up... it is sad that Microsoft does not have the talent to do it themselves. They definitely have the R&D money, why not just hire someone who is an expert... is it because they would just hire the same type of people they already have, or because they would not let them design it any other way than what they want?

    Anyhow... zzzzzz... I am curious to see Apple's new iPod... whenever it should come out.

  1. lkrupp

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2001

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    06/01, 01:07pm | report spam | Reply |

    Never underestimate...

    the power of the collective hive whose controlling intelligence is in Redmond, Washington. Just hope that Steve Jobs has learned from experience how to stay one step ahead of the lumbering beast and not get trampled as it plods along. I don't believe Gates has the ability to turn MS on a dime anymore but they are still a formidable force to be reckoned with. Brute force can still prevail sometimes.

  1. crayola

    Junior Member

    Joined: Jul 2003

    0
    06/01, 01:11pm | report spam | Reply |

    jeepers

    seems like every week there's a story about companies teaming up to try and de-throne the ipod. my guess is that microsoft should just concentrate on getting vista out the door and stop worryng about who has the top mp3 player

  1. dweebert

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2001

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    06/01, 01:31pm | report spam | Reply |

    M$ will develop software

    It could have been interesting, but then I read the line: "Microsoft said it will develop the software".

    Thank you, come again. Next!

  1. JRox

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2006

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    06/01, 01:41pm | report spam | Reply |

    Ugh, not again!

    Ha! That just goes to show you the power of the iPod. It takes all those companies to take on Apple? Apple is on top for a reason. They listen and understand what people want, thus creating the iPod+iTunes system and all it took was one company. That is why Microsofts new system wont work. Even working together you will still have different people and companies working on conflicting things and then try to tie it all in together. Bah...

  1. kw99

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 2001

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    06/01, 01:46pm | report spam | Reply |

    That's the problem

    It's FIVE companies. Each will have its own agenda and need to profit individually from the venture. And there is the challenge of planning, designing, coordinating, and marketing in consistent and compatible ways.

    Apple has just one agenda (in this area of its business). Promoting the iPod "platform." It'd OK if the iTunes Music Store is a break-even business. It doesn't have to pay Microsoft to license its software (or give it a cut of profits). And by the time the competition has started to catch up (if they ever do) in the digital music business, the iPod will have moved on become the heart of a "wearable computer" system. Playing music will be just one of iPod's many functions.

  1. spyinthesky1

    Joined:

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    06/01, 01:49pm | report spam | Reply | delete

    The blunderbuss effect

    Calling in the cavalry is one thing but really do they seriously need a herd of stampeding Wilderbeast to try to get an impact?

  1. GORDYmac

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Dec 1999

    0
    06/01, 02:03pm | report spam | Reply |

    After the late '90s...

    Beleaguered indeed. I swear, I chuckle every time I read these headlines. Back then, who knew? Well, Steve did...but...who else? Okay, Ive, Avie, and a few select others did, but, really, out side of Apple, who knew?

  1. dynsight

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2005

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    06/01, 02:04pm | report spam | Reply |

    Please give me an example

    Why would owners of ipod, iTunes songs and other "paraphenalia," chuck it all for a new, untried platform. Has this ever happened? Arguably apple computers, but they never had this kind of dominance (despite what you may remember, I was in Drexel in the mid 80's, and had to buy a MAC...but PC's were still more common).

    Competition is good, but Crayola is right. If I were a MS share holder (hey, wait, I am), I would tell them to focus on their core business. US companies don't really do the diversification thing well, and after they expand, they always contract (Think GE, DANA, BASF, etc.)

    So the challenge is to dethrone a product that is somewhat proprietary and has about 60% or so of the market? Has this happened?

    Closest thing I come up with is PDA, and Palm's "fall" to windows CE...but at that time, PDA's were not as ubiquitious as ipods.

    'nuff said.

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