OMG! Microsoft's "guide" for choosing the right flash MP3 player

monkeyastronautmonkeyastronaut
Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
I saw a link to this article on the humor mac news site "2 Guys, a Mac and a Website" and I had to share it with you.



It must really piss off MS that the Shuffle sells even without all the features they say a flash MP3 player must have.



It's a fun read, enjoy.



The 2 guys, a Mac and a Website story



Microsoft's guide to buying a flash memory MP3 player

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    dfilerdfiler Posts: 3,420member
    That was a funny read.



    It's basically a Microsoft plea to consumers, don't buy an iPod. Why? Because microsoft alleges that consumers would prefer a list of auxillery features over the near UI perfection of iPod/iTunes/iTMS. Is the product any good? Who cares, MS thinks all you need is a long list of features.



    My favorite part:

    "Approximate figures based on CD-quality WMA (64 Kbps)"

  • Reply 2 of 10
    feraliferali Posts: 175member
    features features features. makes me sick. I wonder why they call it an "mp3 player" because with all those other things it obviously is more.
  • Reply 3 of 10
    a_greera_greer Posts: 4,594member
    Apple has an advantage with the shuffle, It is called iTunes, an incredible databaseing tool with the music plugins ready to go - not a player with a half assed media manager tacked on.



    Imagine if Apple had bloated QT player with a side car and a raw list of music files on the HDD with little to no management capabilities and DRM on consumer-ripped CDs, that is exactly what MS has done. This is pretty much why you need a display on the MS players, to do the management that you cannot do on the computer.



    If M$ would put thought into design and end user experiance, (not to mention security which is a thread in its self) in stead of just tacking crap on for the sake of having another buzzword for the marketing scum, we would be more locked into M$ than we are now.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    monkeyastronautmonkeyastronaut Posts: 1,343member
    Quote:

    3. You'll want a display.



    I loved that.



    Quote:

    4. Let a professional make your next playlist. Having an FM radio lets you put your player on autopilot as you mountain bike, cycle, or rollerblade.



    FM radio is your autopilot, these guys are creative hehehe.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    kingofsomewherehotkingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,180member
    my Mini has nearly 5 DAYS worth of music on it ... if I mountain bike, cycle or rollerblade long enough to run out of music then I'm probably in no mood to listen to an FM radio station full of commercials



    but ... at anywhere from 3 to 10 miles a day, 5 days a week, I can't remember my HD based player EVER skipping while jogging.



    now, the 512 Shuffle might be bearable, but with one GB of music I'll agree that I DO want an interface of some sort... but that's why i have a Mini rather than a Shuffle.





    On the other hand ... I was in Seattle last month and my niece was begging her dad for an iPod (he works for M$) ...
  • Reply 6 of 10
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    "Let a professional make your playlist."



    Are you f*cking kidding me? Is that the best argument they can come up with for an FM tuner? It's even half-way insulting, insinuating that we as owners of music aren't smart enough to come up with something that WE'RE going to like.



  • Reply 7 of 10
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I'm sure if Apple suddenly put a voice recorder and FM tuner in the shuffle they would still be stupid technologies.



    It's really too bad guys like you are out there making Mac users look like imbeciles.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    ijerryijerry Posts: 615member
    The only reason I would, or rather might use an FM transmitter and perhaps the best argument for one that I can think of is that at the gyms I frequent they have televisions that allow you to tune in to listen to them. Sometimes even when I am listening to my music, something comes on the news or somewhere else that I would like to listen to, fortunately for me I am usually on a treadmill with a built-in tuner so I disconnect from my shuffle to the tuner.



    Outside of that, I wouldn't use it that much, though that is not to say several thousands or millions wouldn't either. All the rest of the bells and whistles seem to be market specific, and if that is how you want to use the tech then there are add-ons specifically for you. I like the generality of the iPod, with the 3rd party support for specificity.



    For my uses, even if Apple came out with the tech, I would still be shaking my head. But, I highly doubt Apple would unless they really start catering to the PC crowd, even moreso than they are currently, but I guess if you can't beat them, join them huh?!



    Boy, I started rambling, didn't even realize it till now. Sorry for the waste of your time!!
  • Reply 9 of 10
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    I'm sure if Apple suddenly put a voice recorder and FM tuner in the shuffle they would still be stupid technologies.



    It's really too bad guys like you are out there making Mac users look like imbeciles.



    I hope your comments weren't directed at me. You should know me better than that, groverat -- or maybe you don't.



    Let's back up a minute: I personally would be fine with iPods having FM tuners. I think it's fine that the other manufacturers put FM tuners in them. All I'm saying is that they need to come up with a better way to promote them. Don't say that a professional is making your playlist. Just flat out say that sometimes you want to listen to the radio or tune into your TV's gym, and these products allow you to do that.



    That's all. Just don't mask it with some ridiculous notion that the "professionals" at the radio station are so good at making playlists for you -- or better than you can. I think it's just a poor promotion scheme.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    the cool gutthe cool gut Posts: 1,714member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by CosmoNut

    I personally would be fine with iPods having FM tuners. I think it's fine that the other manufacturers put FM tuners in them. All I'm saying is that they need to come up with a better way to promote them. Don't say that a professional is making your playlist.



    Thats right. The point isn't if it would be good if the shuffle had a tuner - of course it would be great if it worked well. But the fact that they are just listing off features the iPod doesn't have looks pretty lame.



    And regarding the autopilot comment, WTF? I mean, how is not just playing through your play lists or putting it on shuffle, not on autopilot?
Sign In or Register to comment.