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."