Support Our Site
Get Better Gear!
- Poldera’s iKeep Holds Your iPhone Close from Poldera LLC, US$19.99
- Mediadevil’s Easyscreen Screen iPad Protector Is Unusual from Mediadevil, £16.97 (US$22.09)
- ecodock Brings a High-Tech Megaphone to the iPhone 4 & 4S from K-Array, US$19.95
- Mediadevil’s Magicwand Stylus Has A Twist from Mediadevil, £9.97 (US$12.73)
- Chris Robertson’s Story Book App Updates Tooth Fairy from Chris Robertson, US$2.99
Top 5 Free Apps
iTunes New Music Releases
Top 5 Paid Apps
Discover New Music
The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)
- Pink Floyd
- Okay, someone had to say it, and though others on the iPO staff are more qualified to review this album, I decided the time was now. This is the quintessential concept album. Though others came before
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More, with Feeling
- Various Artists
Most musical episodes of TV shows frankly stink. They are usually little more than ill-conceived vehicles intended to let the stars show off what musical talent they have. Once More, With Feeling,
- Bauhaus
Go Away White is an album I've been waiting more than 20 years to hear, and the good news is that it was worth the wait. The latest -- and last, no...for real this time -- album from
- Nine Inch Nails
In the sprawling post-A&R rock and roll world, there are two camps: the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles are the artists that like to explore, evolve, and change styles. The Stones are the artis
- The Strokes
The Strokes set the music world on fire with this 2001 album, with headlines declaring that the New York band was here to save Rock and Roll. While the band hasn't made as much of a splash since t
Reader Specials
Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!
News
Arrival of the iPod Killer?
Monday, May 29th, 2006 at 3:00 PM - by Brad Cook
Windows Media Player 11, coupled with the new music service Urge and iRiver's new 2GB clix MP3 player, could finally make a dent in the iPod's stranglehold on digital music, according to a pair of editorials published on Tuesday. Tony Briggs, writing for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, calls Media Player 11 "a digital media Swiss Army knife, smoothly combining a raft of digital music, video and photography related functions into one elegant package."
While he acknowledges that "elegant" is "a word you rarely see associated with a Microsoft product," he believes that this one has earned it, from its impressive functionality to its automatic connection with Urge, which is a joint venture between Microsoft and MTV. However, Media Player 11 also allows access to other pre-Urge music stores.
Mike Langberg, writing for the San Jose Mercury News, echoes Mr. Briggs' comments, noting that consumers of iTunes Music Store content are locked into using those songs and videos only with an iPod, while Urge is hardware neutral. Its downloads work with any MP3 player certified through Microsoft's "PlaysForSure" program, and those players in turn work with competing online music stores from AOL, Napster, Yahoo! and Wal-Mart.
In addition, Mr. Langberg touts the merits of the iRiver clix, which sells for the same price as the 2GB iPod nano but offers a larger screen (2.2 inches versus 1.5), a built-in voice recorder, and an FM tuner.
"It's important to note that Apple did nothing underhanded in gaining its near monopoly with iTunes and the iPod," the columnist said in summary. "The company simply created a customer experience that far exceeded the competition. But Apple can't be expected to think of every bright new idea in digital music, and won't change its ways unless there's a real threat that customers will go elsewhere.
"So even the most devoted fans of iTunes and the iPod should be hoping Urge and iriver, or some other competitor, keeps Apple from insisting we all sing the same song."
Recent Headlines
- Apple Addresses iBooks Textbook Issues with App Update
- 3 Free Panorama Apps for iPhone
- Apple Clarifies iBooks Author EULA, Excludes Claim on Content
- Germany Overturns Injunction, Apple Resumes iPhone Sales
- Reader Discussion: Apple, iPhones & NFC
- German Court Gives Motorola iCloud Injunction
- Motorola Ruling Halts Some iPhone Sales in Germany















Post Your Comments