Comments on: Music stops for Mac Windows Media Player

Microsoft halts development of its Windows Media Player for the Mac and says it has no plans to provide future updates.

[technewsjunkie]

Who cares about WMP for music, it's about video compatibility!

Telestream's Flip4Mac is not the same. It conflicts with other
software that QuickTime handles.

Unfortunaltely, I need WiMP for video, because some
exclusionary websites (and devices, and the increasingly
important burgeoning mobile video) offer only Windows Media
video, shutting out Real and QuickTime. This is in large part due
to the Windows monopoly which in effect stifles competition.

There's more here than meets the eye. Didn't Microsoft submit
it's codec VC-1 to the Standards body for approval in a
purported effort to offer compatibility? Sure, as long as it's
Windows. Hey about the noew kids on the block, Linux and
resurgent Apple Computer.

Long live the monopoly. "Emerging markets" (other than the
desktop PC) will, by default, end up using Microsoft-Windows
technologies, not for their merit, but once again, becuase of
volume.

[Earl Benser]

Won't be missed...

Still have Quicktime. Realmedia and WMP will be gradually dumped
for Flash all across the internet. MS is canceling the development
of a dead concept. I would expect WMP for WIndows to follow in
the not too distant future

[technewsjunkie]

Who cares about WMP for music, it's about video compatibility!

Telestream's Flip4Mac is not the same. It conflicts with other
software that QuickTime handles.

Unfortunaltely, I need WiMP for video, because some
exclusionary websites (and devices, and the increasingly
important burgeoning mobile video) offer only Windows Media
video, shutting out Real and QuickTime. This is in large part due
to the Windows monopoly which in effect stifles competition.

There's more here than meets the eye. Didn't Microsoft submit
it's codec VC-1 to the Standards body for approval in a
purported effort to offer compatibility? Sure, as long as it's
Windows. Hey about the noew kids on the block, Linux and
resurgent Apple Computer.

Long live the monopoly. "Emerging markets" (other than the
desktop PC) will, by default, end up using Microsoft-Windows
technologies, not for their merit, but once again, becuase of
volume.

[Earl Benser]

Won't be missed...

Still have Quicktime. Realmedia and WMP will be gradually dumped
for Flash all across the internet. MS is canceling the development
of a dead concept. I would expect WMP for WIndows to follow in
the not too distant future

[CentrOS]

What people want is choice!! (or at least that's what MS tells us)

So MS, I thought your mantra was that people want choice when it
comes to buying Music online. With no further development on the
Mac of WiMP, how would Mac users ever buy your music? You can
have any choice you want, as long as it's Windows!

Oh, and MS, I DON'T want choice, I want 1 thing that works really
really well. Oh look, I already have that. Thanks Apple!

[The user with no name]

so why you crying?

you said it yourself you dont want choice and you are already happy.... so why do you CARE what MS does?

Now go play with your happy self and be sure not to run that windows emulator since you already happy with Apple....

yeah thats what I thought...

[CentrOS]

What people want is choice!! (or at least that's what MS tells us)

So MS, I thought your mantra was that people want choice when it
comes to buying Music online. With no further development on the
Mac of WiMP, how would Mac users ever buy your music? You can
have any choice you want, as long as it's Windows!

Oh, and MS, I DON'T want choice, I want 1 thing that works really
really well. Oh look, I already have that. Thanks Apple!

[The user with no name]

so why you crying?

you said it yourself you dont want choice and you are already happy.... so why do you CARE what MS does?

Now go play with your happy self and be sure not to run that windows emulator since you already happy with Apple....

yeah thats what I thought...

Only half of the movies worked

while the others said I needed a codec that MS thought we Mac
users didn't need? Just stopped even trying to view wmvs after a
while. Won't miss it at all.

Only half of the movies worked

while the others said I needed a codec that MS thought we Mac
users didn't need? Just stopped even trying to view wmvs after a
while. Won't miss it at all.

[andyengle]

WMP for Mac is junk

I hate the worthless Windows Media Player for Mac. Is there an alternative? I feel like I have to use this pathetic software when I want to listen to WMA files because I know of nothing else that can handle such formats. Any suggestions?

Yes there is

It is called VLC.

VLC is open source, is multi-platform (Windows, OSX, Linux, BSD, etc.), has many Codecs, can read CD/VCD/DVD, can stream (oh yes), and more!

[michael902]

iTunes

iTunes converts .wma's to .mp3 when you import..itunes is 100000000000000000000000000 times better than WMP. i think winamp has a mac version also, and that plays vids.

[steve19150]

Great plugin

that allows you to watch WMP video and audio within Quicktime.
Check it out here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/
windowsmedia/player/flip4mac.mspx

[andyengle]

WMP for Mac is junk

I hate the worthless Windows Media Player for Mac. Is there an alternative? I feel like I have to use this pathetic software when I want to listen to WMA files because I know of nothing else that can handle such formats. Any suggestions?

Yes there is

It is called VLC.

VLC is open source, is multi-platform (Windows, OSX, Linux, BSD, etc.), has many Codecs, can read CD/VCD/DVD, can stream (oh yes), and more!

[michael902]

iTunes

iTunes converts .wma's to .mp3 when you import..itunes is 100000000000000000000000000 times better than WMP. i think winamp has a mac version also, and that plays vids.

[steve19150]

Great plugin

that allows you to watch WMP video and audio within Quicktime.
Check it out here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/
windowsmedia/player/flip4mac.mspx

[R. U. Sirius]

Typical Microsoft

Let's see, so MS gets a bunch of content providers to go exclusively with the Windows Media format, and now they are ditching support for the format on Macs. Sounds kind of like their usual MO. I think it's time to dump my PC and buy a new Intel based Mac.

[andyengle]

You won't be disappointed

I love my Mac. It's crashed only two times in the four years I've owned it. Unlike windoze, I don't have to reinstall the operating system once a year (I've never reinstalled the OS, for that matter), don't worry about viruses, and it still runs like a charm after four years of near daily use. My windoze machine at work can't touch it. You might pay a little more, but unlike windoze, you actually get a quality product.

[philpacker]

Go ahead the water is fine

Go for it. People are way too married to this company (MS). Thier
products are almost second or third rate, their support is
ridiculous, and they make you pay for their lack of product quality
with either time or money. I gave up MS 18 months ago and have
enjoyed computing ever since. I miss nothing except the
headaches of virus attacked, re-intalling software, and
combersome licencing protection schemes.

I now wonder why I didn't do it years ago.

[Giuseppe S]

I switched and never looked back

After 10 years of Windows and several PCs, I switched to a Mac, and it was the best computing decision I've made in my life. In fact, I had totally forgotten that using a computer ISN'T worrying about the next virus/spyware, patching the system, reinstalling XP twice a year and living in fear.

Like another poster said, my only regret is that I should have done it sooner.

[R. U. Sirius]

Typical Microsoft

Let's see, so MS gets a bunch of content providers to go exclusively with the Windows Media format, and now they are ditching support for the format on Macs. Sounds kind of like their usual MO. I think it's time to dump my PC and buy a new Intel based Mac.

[andyengle]

You won't be disappointed

I love my Mac. It's crashed only two times in the four years I've owned it. Unlike windoze, I don't have to reinstall the operating system once a year (I've never reinstalled the OS, for that matter), don't worry about viruses, and it still runs like a charm after four years of near daily use. My windoze machine at work can't touch it. You might pay a little more, but unlike windoze, you actually get a quality product.

[philpacker]

Go ahead the water is fine

Go for it. People are way too married to this company (MS). Thier
products are almost second or third rate, their support is
ridiculous, and they make you pay for their lack of product quality
with either time or money. I gave up MS 18 months ago and have
enjoyed computing ever since. I miss nothing except the
headaches of virus attacked, re-intalling software, and
combersome licencing protection schemes.

I now wonder why I didn't do it years ago.

[Giuseppe S]

I switched and never looked back

After 10 years of Windows and several PCs, I switched to a Mac, and it was the best computing decision I've made in my life. In fact, I had totally forgotten that using a computer ISN'T worrying about the next virus/spyware, patching the system, reinstalling XP twice a year and living in fear.

Like another poster said, my only regret is that I should have done it sooner.

[jhunk2001]

Headline missed the good news entirely

It seems like the headline (as usual) totally skipped over the
important part of the story and the commenters also seemed to
have missed it. There is an alternate already (MacWorld just
gave it high praise). And the story specifically does eventually
mention that Microsoft has arranged for the alternate to be
made available for free (currently it is shareware).
The alternate, as per the story, is Flip4Mac. So, since just
about everyone thought that the Microsoft software was crap (as
I did), Flip4Mac is supposed to be very good and works with
QuickTime and Safari as a plug-in. Sounds like we all win on
this one.

[Flernk]

Video on MSNBC and other sites

Where this becomes a serious problem is when a site such as
MSNBC check to see which version of Windows Media Player you are
using before it allows you to see video. Flip4Mac may be a great
plug in (it is, I've been using it), but it won't give us access to
MSNBC's videos.

[jhunk2001]

Headline missed the good news entirely

It seems like the headline (as usual) totally skipped over the
important part of the story and the commenters also seemed to
have missed it. There is an alternate already (MacWorld just
gave it high praise). And the story specifically does eventually
mention that Microsoft has arranged for the alternate to be
made available for free (currently it is shareware).
The alternate, as per the story, is Flip4Mac. So, since just
about everyone thought that the Microsoft software was crap (as
I did), Flip4Mac is supposed to be very good and works with
QuickTime and Safari as a plug-in. Sounds like we all win on
this one.

[Flernk]

Video on MSNBC and other sites

Where this becomes a serious problem is when a site such as
MSNBC check to see which version of Windows Media Player you are
using before it allows you to see video. Flip4Mac may be a great
plug in (it is, I've been using it), but it won't give us access to
MSNBC's videos.