Microsoft’s response to yesterday’s unveiling of iTunes for Windows, along with access to the iTunes Music Store:
“Unless Apple decides to make radical changes to their service model, a Windows-based version of iTunes will still remain a closed system, where iPod owners cannot access content from other services. Additionally, users of iTunes are limited to music from Apple’s Music Store. As I mentioned earlier, this is a drawback for Windows users, who expect choice in music services, choice in devices, and choice in music from a wide-variety of music services to burn to a CD or put on a portable device. Lastly, if you use Apple’s music store along with iTunes, you don’t have the ability of using the over 40 different Windows Media-compatible portable music devices. When I’m paying for music, I want to know that I have choices today and in the future.”
Lame. Microsoft is lecturing music fans about choice? When their crappy Windows Media Player won’t even let people rip MP3s? When their software is so full of DRM nonsense that has more to do with keeping lawyers happy than consumers? When the “other services” referred to have been pitiful failures so far even with the huge market open to them? Puh-lease.