MSN Music vs. iPod/iTunes

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is running an article with an interview from Yussuf Medhi, VP over in MSN land.  Yussuf talks about the upcoming MSN Music service and new portable music devices. Do you think Microsoft will make a dent in iTunes's market lead?  Do you refuse to give up your iPod?

"Number one, our strategy is certainly to offer a multitude of devices. I think the iPod’s a great product, but there’s a lot of opportunities. They’re only in 4 percent of U.S. homes today, even with all the success they’ve had. There are a number of other great devices that are coming out. I personally have spent time with a bunch of hardware manufacturers who will launch hardware products when we ship our service that will look and feel as good as the iPod product. And they will undoubtedly be a little bit less expensive. … The proposition is that you can buy a number of different devices with the MSN Music service as opposed to just a single device from Apple.

"The other thing is, of course, we’ll have a very broad selection of music. My goal is that if we don’t have the broadest selection, we’re tied for the broadest selection of music. We’ll have the best discovery (of songs), it’ll work with your Windows PCs, and that alone I think will give us a big enough market share that we certainly should be able to go out there and be in a nice horse race, if not take the lead at some point in the future."

As a part time musician, I've been watching the "music player" war sort of heat up quite a bit lately, and it seems to me that, The IPod is fast becoming a success.

I'm curious where Sony, who not only owns quite a bit of the content, is really headed in this arena.

Will MSN be able to break IPods stride? I dunno, it sort of amazed me that people still prefer a "brick and mortar" for buying music.

I think MS will defintely make an impact on this market just because they are who they are. I don't think you'll see iPod switchers, however. I can't seen MS make an iPod for the 80 bucks they've announced. I still remember the first time I saw that thing... Plus it's much more than a music player when used on a Mac. I have some Apple customers so I store an OS9 and X installation I can boot from when I'm there. I would'nt be supprised if Apple makes it possible to put you home folder on you ipod in the near future. That way you have 'your mac' wherever you are.
I for one have no interest to watch a movie on a 3" screen. But everyone has their own preferences. That's what choices are all about!!

My PocketPC is a great portable music device.

Microsoft proved with the XBOX that if they want to make a serious impact on a new market nobody can stop them. Microsoft knows how to hire the right people for the job and to make some very cool products. I don't think that Mac owners will abandon their iPods. Instead the whole market will grow. A key aspect is what formats it will support. I will have to support both MP3 and Windows Media. And then some.

/Lars

The beauty of the iPod and iTunes is that it is an excellent and easy to use device and software combination for doing one thing very well that that's music.  It's not trying to be a phone, a PIM, or a video player.  It's positioned as a music player.  If Microsoft or Sony comes out with a competing device, the only way it will win is if the it proves to be a better music playing device.  Adding non-music features like playing videos will now allow it to beat the iPod.

I own a ipod and I'm ready to sell it the moment MS makes a better product. Then again I love MCE and so I would feel better just not supporting apple in ANY way.

They (MS) needs to:

1. Have great hardware that out specs the apple items
2. Undercut apple in the hardware and music prices
3. Let the player play aac files. If apples in it just for the money and not the downloads then allow it to play music from apples store.
4. Start a great - anti apple ad.


Just my 2 cents,

Microsoft is coming out with an MSN Music service? Cool.

There was a song (which Walmart didn't have) that I had to get for school and had no choice but to download and install iTunes (ugh) to get it. I would have loved to have purchased it through Microsoft.

Anyway, I think Microsoft will be successful; throughout Microsoft has been sucessful because of its superior products and I think that this would be the same.

By the way, what will the DRM restrictions be?