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November 06, 2006
MS attempts to add another monopoly
Wow, I was reading this article on the BBC's website about how the upcoming Zune mp3 player will *not* support music sold, by Microsoft, via the MSN music service.
I seem to remember that a little while ago, Microsoft's main beef with the ipod/itunes juggernaut is that it was a homogenous ecosystem. The music store was apple's and the music bought from it would only play on the ipod and the ipod would not play music sold by competing stores ( assuming they were drm'd, which they almost all are ). In light of this "issue", MS and pays launched the "play for sure" program. It included multiple music stores and players by multiple companies. This was all done under the auspice of offering more "choice".
Well, now that MS has it's own player, they're taking their ball and going home. The Zune will not be compatible with the "play for sure" system and the MSN store will stop selling music. MS will now sell music through the zune music store, that music will not be compatibility tested with any other players and "play for sure" songs may not work, MS won't be testing them either.
It seems like MS tried to get people to band together against "the man", apple in this case, until they could put together a program to challenge the man on its own turf, a fully integrated, and competitor free, music ecosystem.
Booooo Microsoft, Booooo. You tried to play the "but they aren't playing nice" card and then turn around and adopt the same tactics. I hope those partner companies that consolidated on your "play for sure" platform get pissed and do whatever is in their power to exact some for of pain/seek compensation from you. Unfortunately, that probably isn't likely because of how successful your tactics has proven in the past.
I do feel bad for you in a way. You had the opportunity to create a music player that was unique and it doesn't look like you did, the zune is aesthetically similar to the ipod from a few years ago, and you had the chance to compete fairly, in the free market, and you choose not to. You keep saying you're reformed your ways and I just don't see it. Hopefully someone there will see that you should compete on your product and not the might of your monolithic empire.
Posted by bucjos at November 6, 2006 10:33 AM