Apple v. Microsoft?

thuh freakthuh freak
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I was just thinking about this new music service from Apple. Back in the day, they were pretty much bit for bit against microsoft: apple made a great OS, microsoft made a similar looking OS; microsoft made .net, apple made .mac; ie, safari; and the general vibe i always had was that they were at odds.



this music service, and perhaps a riding trend behind it to make apple a more music-oriented company, seems to put behind that antimicrosoft feel. anyone else feel that? i mean, i still hate bill gates, but now its like Apple could become huge again, and not even have to compete or attack Microsoft to get there.



[conspiracy mode: activated]maybe this is all a clever ploy by Apple to get big so they can then destroy microsoft and all its evil[/conspiracy mode: disabled]



what do you guys think?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    709709 Posts: 2,016member
    I think that if Apple doesn't get their shite together and release iTunes4 for Windows real soon we'll be saying a year from now "AppleMusic? Yeah, I was into that for a while, but MusicStore has a way, way better selection".



    I think Steve said it perfectly in the Time interview: "That's what we do at Apple, we invent stuff". Well, that's great and I'm a big fan of your work Mr. Jobs, but if you don't have people in place to run with the ball while you're off inventing the bigger, better ball...you're screwed. Inventors don't get rich.



    Maybe Apple felt it was too small to handle the onslaught of traffic from the other 97% of the world, I don't honestly know. But this whole 'Mac users first and available for the PC sometime in the next decade' thing is getting old. Sure PC users drool over the iPod and the iApps, why shouldn't they? They're easy, intuitive and pretty damn sexy. But once the buzz of introduction has worn off and all of us are playing happily with our new toys, PC users are still waiting for a friggin USB2 cable. 'Screw that, I'll get a Rio instead. It's good enough.'



    And therein lies the problem. PC users are used to 'good enough', heck, most will argue 'better than'. If Apple wants to tap into the other 97%, it's going to have to capitalize on the post-RDF buzz within weeks, not months.
  • Reply 2 of 33
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by 709

    I think that if Apple doesn't get their shite together and release iTunes4 for Windows real soon we'll be saying a year from now "AppleMusic? Yeah, I was into that for a while, but MusicStore has a way, way better selection".



    And it doesn't cross your mind that the deal that Apple has with the Big 5 prevents MS from doing the same?
  • Reply 3 of 33
    kneelbeforezodkneelbeforezod Posts: 1,120member
    The Register reported (scroll to end) that Apple had two of the five on board for a Windows version....which would suggest that the current iTunes music store deal is Mac only.
  • Reply 4 of 33
    709709 Posts: 2,016member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by JLL

    And it doesn't cross your mind that the deal that Apple has with the Big 5 prevents MS from doing the same?



    Not for a minute. The Music Industry's greed is umatched except for that of MicroSoft. The Big 5 have signed on for a year with Apple...maybe just enough time for MS to buy its way to the top.
  • Reply 5 of 33
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    What Microsoft wants, Microsoft gets. It's only a question of how much time it takes, therefore how much money they pour into the process. X Box will displace PlayStation, MSN will displace AOL, PocketPC will displace Palm, Windows Server will displace Oracle, NOvell, Sun, Linux, BSD, etc., and if MS decides to get into music sales, same there. You make your money where you can while you can, but MS rules everything in the end.
  • Reply 6 of 33
    klinuxklinux Posts: 453member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    What Microsoft wants, Microsoft gets. It's only a question of how much time it takes, therefore how much money they pour into the process. X Box will displace PlayStation, MSN will displace AOL, PocketPC will displace Palm, Windows Server will displace Oracle, NOvell, Sun, Linux, BSD, etc., and if MS decides to get into music sales, same there. You make your money where you can while you can, but MS rules everything in the end.



    Not really. Playstation still reigns. Quicken still reigns over Money. I thought (and own) a PocketPC will overtake Palm but Palm just relased new formidable products. Oracle still trumps MS SQL Server although MS SQL server is a lot cheaper and easier to administer. Sidewalk was not a success and was sold to Citysearch (now owned by USAi). Expedia was working for a while and it was sold to USAi.



    So, for every success story there is also an failure. Microsoft really is a very nuanced company to study.
  • Reply 7 of 33
    mrmistermrmister Posts: 1,095member
    Buon, MSFT is not Sauron. They are big, but they aren't omnipotent.



    The Register article only says that 2 of the 5 are already locked down--that's not even remotely a bad sign. In fact, it's good...I'm surprised that any of them have been able to commit already.
  • Reply 8 of 33
    jutusjutus Posts: 272member
    .mac can't be compared to .NET. One is a collection of online services and special promotions. The other is a development platform.



    There was one keynote where Jobs compared the two.. saying something like "[speaking regarding MS's .NET] we actually understand how the net works so we made .mac"... but that statement makes no sense.



    The closest thing .mac could be compared to are some of msn's services.
  • Reply 9 of 33
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jutus

    There was one keynote where Jobs compared the two.. saying something like "[speaking regarding MS's .NET] we actually understand how the net works so we made .mac"... but that statement makes no sense.



    The closest thing .mac could be compared to are some of msn's services.



    Keep in mind that MS used to relate everything to .Net (they are now dropping the name many places), and Jobs was comparing .Mac to the .Net services.
  • Reply 10 of 33
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    True, hate to sound like such a fatalist, but this hypothesis if you will has yet to be proven wrong. AOL's martshare is dwindling, PocketPCs are eroding Palm's market, X box is doing much better, etc. Like I said, MS can wait 10 years if it has to and pour money into project that folded other companies several times over. Anyway, the point I should have made with that is that Apple has to get in quickly and do what they can because MS or anyone else for that matter is going to get in on their act eventually. I think Apple has to be nimble with their products and services, to get there first or do them better until the others can of course follow their lead and take Apple's market away. They have to do this often enough to keep ahead.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    aquafireaquafire Posts: 2,758member
    Applemusic,

    I love music but don't really want to be bothered chasing trax & downloading them ..maybe its no 4 me..but when all the hyper buzz died down after Applemusic's launch, even I was shocked & suprised that it was only available to Mac users..& not to Pc...I could hear ears all over the world switching off..

    How fr..ggin dumb can Apple be....

    Is this the way to follow up & support PC IPOD users....

    Dumb Dumb Dumb

    Stoopid is as Stoopid duz...

    Apple music will be finished in 12 to 18 months tops..

    also Applemusic is only available to US clients & no other mac users world wide...
  • Reply 12 of 33
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aquafire



    Dumb Dumb Dumb

    Stoopid is as Stoopid duz...

    Apple music will be finished in 12 to 18 months tops..



  • Reply 13 of 33
    serranoserrano Posts: 1,806member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by aquafire

    Applemusic,

    I love music but don't really want to be bothered chasing trax & downloading them ..maybe its no 4 me..but when all the hyper buzz died down after Applemusic's launch, even I was shocked & suprised that it was only available to Mac users..& not to Pc...I could hear ears all over the world switching off..

    How fr..ggin dumb can Apple be....

    Is this the way to follow up & support PC IPOD users....

    Dumb Dumb Dumb

    Stoopid is as Stoopid duz...

    Apple music will be finished in 12 to 18 months tops..

    also Applemusic is only available to US clients & no other mac users world wide...







    Music Store will be available to windows by the end of the year, when the iTunes port is complete.



    This is a test market, you have to lead the Big 5 by the hand. As Steve has said, Napster shell shocked them; if this is a success, and it seems there's reason to believe it will be, then by years end Apple will have resigned the last 3 of the 5 and open the service to windows.
  • Reply 14 of 33
    klinuxklinux Posts: 453member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    Like I said, MS can wait 10 years if it has to and pour money into project that folded other companies several times over.



    While it is true that MS may be able to put money into projects that could bankrupt other companies, it is also not known for waiting long before pulling the plug on losers.
  • Reply 15 of 33
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by klinux

    While it is true that MS may be able to put money into projects that could bankrupt other companies, it is also not known for waiting long before pulling the plug on losers.



    Exactly how many years and how many hundreds of millions of dollars did it take for them to get IE up to speed? How about Visual Basic?



    MS will kill off total failures (MS Bob), but Gates is famously patient if he thinks a product or service is tactically important.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    o and ao and a Posts: 579member
    If microsoft is setting up to compete with the music store they must have been or are spending tons of cash to setup the infrastructure for this. This takes time and testing and god knows that it will be difficult for them having to support so many different flawed versions of there os to get this going. Microsoft maybe picked up on this a few months ago and well chances are they got about another 6 months left before they can release something halfway usable. I think apple will release itunes for windows in november.



    What does apple have going? iTunes. Hands down the best music jukebox app out there. Windows users love it too and when it comes to that platform whats gonna be on the left of the application screen? iTunes music store.



    Apple has a head start as far as we can tell.



    I guess now we know why apples profit wasn't all that high with its spending being as much as dells.
  • Reply 17 of 33
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by O and A

    If microsoft is setting up to compete with the music store they must have been or are spending tons of cash to setup the infrastructure for this. This takes time and testing and god knows that it will be difficult for them having to support so many different flawed versions of there os to get this going. Microsoft maybe picked up on this a few months ago and well chances are they got about another 6 months left before they can release something halfway usable. I think apple will release itunes for windows in november.



    What does apple have going? iTunes. Hands down the best music jukebox app out there. Windows users love it too and when it comes to that platform whats gonna be on the left of the application screen? iTunes music store.



    Apple has a head start as far as we can tell.



    I guess now we know why apples profit wasn't all that high with its spending being as much as dells.



    not all windows users love it...most dont see why its better then winamp
  • Reply 18 of 33
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Remember, when Microsoft comes out with something, people just assume it's about as good as they can hope for. Most would be ignorant of anything otherwise. MS = computers. Besides, MS would throw together a teamthat's literally 10 times the size of Apple's team and put something out just to have it out. When CNN announces that MS has its own service, the battle for mindshare is mostly over. It's just a matter of going through a few revisions, and getting it "good enough" to make the differences between it and Apple's product to be qualitative (as opposed to quantitative, i.e., the feature count counts for everything). The feature list just has to be equal to Apple's and most of Apple's momentum is stopped. Most people assume that the user experience with these things is "seen one, seen them all," that how these things work is inherently complicated to the user. Generally speaking, most computer users don't really place a value ($$$) on ease of use anyway.



    Apple has to keep at it, capture a hard-core audience, and move to the next thing that MS hasn't thought of or hasn't focused on yet. Apple doesn't necessarily need to be the first to introduce these new ideas/products, they just have to be the ones to get it right, grab their spoils while they can and move on.
  • Reply 19 of 33
    jaredjared Posts: 639member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    What Microsoft wants, Microsoft gets. It's only a question of how much time it takes, therefore how much money they pour into the process. X Box will displace PlayStation, MSN will displace AOL, PocketPC will displace Palm, Windows Server will displace Oracle, NOvell, Sun, Linux, BSD, etc., and if MS decides to get into music sales, same there. You make your money where you can while you can, but MS rules everything in the end.



    Not really. Do you remember when MS wanted the AOL protocol to put into their MSN Messanger? AOL said no way...



    Apple came around and asked AOL for their protocol and now, look at iChat.



    Are you forgetting who AOL is?



    America Online Time Warner



    I think Time Warner is maybe number 1 on the top 5 largest record company's of all time. I do not think AOLTW would want to work with Microsoft on such a music service if one were to pop up.



    Besides, I would not trust a Microsoft infrastructure/backend to any music service. Do any of you remember when they put up that test box running Windows 2000 and they had a competition to see who could hack it? It always went down...
  • Reply 20 of 33
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Yeah, but AOL's market share is eroding to MSN's. As that happens, AOL's clout with the instant messenger protocol will also erode, as Messenger is also taking AIM's market away... slowly. Besides, just because we don't trust MS servers, everyone else buys them, even when they don't trust MS.
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