Comments on: Jobs offered to let Sony into iTunes, report says

Apple Computer's CEO pitched a digital-music alliance to counter Microsoft at a golf tourney, according to a Japanese newspaper.

[Shauheen]

PMPs that play MS format

Christophe Guillemin says: "Microsoft's music downloads, on the other hand, can be read by a far larger number of music players", I tried to find a good supporting info for the above sentence!

I came up with another article on CNET News.com by Ina Fried [1] wich says:
"..the bigger question is whether Apple will be able to maintain its current lead--claiming 70 percent of legal music downloads and roughly half of the U.S. digital music player business."

so I wonder how the writer concluded FAR larger number of music players play MS format???

[1] http://news.com.com/MSN+Music+is+off-key%2C+Apple+says/2100-1027_3-5345131.html

[Shauheen]

PMPs that play MS format

Christophe Guillemin says: "Microsoft's music downloads, on the other hand, can be read by a far larger number of music players", I tried to find a good supporting info for the above sentence!

I came up with another article on CNET News.com by Ina Fried [1] wich says:
"..the bigger question is whether Apple will be able to maintain its current lead--claiming 70 percent of legal music downloads and roughly half of the U.S. digital music player business."

so I wonder how the writer concluded FAR larger number of music players play MS format???

[1] http://news.com.com/MSN+Music+is+off-key%2C+Apple+says/2100-1027_3-5345131.html

[crichton007]

Should Have...

With the way sony is going they should have partnered with Apple. I like the ATRAC format but their players only play that and it is a real pain, even with a fast PC, to transcode your music for their players.

[alek_nedic]

I like the ATRAC

http://www.analogstereo.com/vacuum/miele_vacuum_airflow.htm

[crichton007]

Should Have...

With the way sony is going they should have partnered with Apple. I like the ATRAC format but their players only play that and it is a real pain, even with a fast PC, to transcode your music for their players.

[alek_nedic]

I like the ATRAC

http://www.analogstereo.com/vacuum/miele_vacuum_airflow.htm

Device support for WMA

HI, I'm CNET News.com's department editor for the Internet and Networking sections. Apple is the market leader in digital music sales, both on the hardware sales and commercial song download side. But more portable music player devices support Microsoft's Windows Media format. There are about 70 devices on the market that you can buy that play WMA files. By contrast, only the iPod plays iTunes songs. That said, the MP3 format has the most support--almost every device supports it, including iPod--but not many paid download services use it because MP3 doesn't have a digital rights management scheme to protect against unauthorized use.

[Shauheen]

Number vs Brand

Unfortunately Evan Hansen is making the same mistake as the writer of the article.

Facts:
1. Apple is the market leader in digital music sales; both hardware (iPod) and commercial song download (iTunes)

2. There are many other companies that produce portable digital music players than Apple (e.g. Creative, RCA, Rio ?)

But:
The number of iPods sold, and already in the market (at least US market) is equal to the total number of all other 70 companies that produce and sell PMPs which play WMA together. Therefore it is defenitely not true to say "Microsoft's music downloads, on the other hand, can be read by a FAR larger number of music players"!!
maybe you could say "More brands can be found in the market, which can read Microsoft's music downloads".
which still would not be an informative phrase cause it misses the point that their number is FAR less than iPods!

Device support for WMA

HI, I'm CNET News.com's department editor for the Internet and Networking sections. Apple is the market leader in digital music sales, both on the hardware sales and commercial song download side. But more portable music player devices support Microsoft's Windows Media format. There are about 70 devices on the market that you can buy that play WMA files. By contrast, only the iPod plays iTunes songs. That said, the MP3 format has the most support--almost every device supports it, including iPod--but not many paid download services use it because MP3 doesn't have a digital rights management scheme to protect against unauthorized use.

[Shauheen]

Number vs Brand

Unfortunately Evan Hansen is making the same mistake as the writer of the article.

Facts:
1. Apple is the market leader in digital music sales; both hardware (iPod) and commercial song download (iTunes)

2. There are many other companies that produce portable digital music players than Apple (e.g. Creative, RCA, Rio ?)

But:
The number of iPods sold, and already in the market (at least US market) is equal to the total number of all other 70 companies that produce and sell PMPs which play WMA together. Therefore it is defenitely not true to say "Microsoft's music downloads, on the other hand, can be read by a FAR larger number of music players"!!
maybe you could say "More brands can be found in the market, which can read Microsoft's music downloads".
which still would not be an informative phrase cause it misses the point that their number is FAR less than iPods!