CONSUMER
Microsoft sees 'better iPod than Apple'
31-05-2004
by Silicon.com
As Microsoft spreads its technological reach ever wider, it seems the men and women at Redmond fancy themselves as the next Steve Jobs.
One executive revealed that Microsoft is planning on getting involved with the MP3 player market.
Not just any old MP3 players, mind. MP3 players that will apparently retail for USD50. And, according to Microsoft's corporate VP of MSN Yusef Medhi, it will "look and feel" as good as the iPod and work with Redmond's software.
Medhi sees a "multitude" of players arriving on the market in the near future to work with its software at a fraction of the cost of Apple's.
It seems that Gates and Ballmer could well be trying to emulate the success of arch-rival Apple. Apple's success in the on-line music market started with its on-line song-shop iTunes and led to the tsunami of iPod buying.
Microsoft has already announced its efforts in the song shop field, but according to Mehdi, a selection of MP3 players that work Microsoft's Portable Media Player will hit the shops around about the same time and offer consumers more choice than Apple.
Jo Best writes for Silicon.com.
Reprinted with permission from Silicon.com.
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