iLounge

41

I find it funny reading all the “iPod will never support WMA” comments after seeing the same comments before about the iPod supporting Windows.

Get some perspective here, this is not an Apple vs. Windows thing, this is a lets make money for Apple thing.  Everyone and their mother supports WMA, only Apple and a handful support AAC.  Not even the software Apple contracted for iPod windows support (MusicMatch) supports AAC.

Its in Apple’s interest to have more “Yes” features than “No” features.  Lack of WMA support is an issue that prevents people from jumping into the iPod camp.

Posted by Jason on January 12, 2004 at 5:29 PM (PST)

42

What’s all the fuss about different formats and trying to create ONE dominate format. Do you know of any other filetype that is dominated by ONE format! I don’t. There are tons of TEXT formats. Tons of IMAGE formats. Tons of Video formats. Why such a need to limit Sound formats to one dominate type?

Posted by digitaltrapper on January 12, 2004 at 7:13 PM (PST)

43

From a recent MacRumors.com post:

“Update: From what appears to be a very reliable source, Apple is not currently planning on introducing WMA support in either the HP iPod or regular iPod.”

Not that this is news to anyone. Thurrott is reliable in one thing - his unreliability.

Posted by Atomic Bomb in Mid-Atlantic on January 13, 2004 at 6:22 AM (PST)

44

More…

Hewlett-Packard confirms no WMA support for iPod (or hPod):

“Contrary to reports, Hewlett-Packard will not be supporting Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format in its forthcoming HP-branded iPod,” Leander Kahney reports for Wired.

“According to Paul Thurrot’s WinInfo newsletter, HP is working with Apple to add support for WMA to the iPod. Thurrot’s report was widely circulated online on Monday. However, a spokesman for HP denied any such plans,” Kahney reports. “‘We’re not going to be supporting WMA for now,’ said Muffi Ghadiali, product marketing manager for HP’s digital entertainment products group. ‘We picked the service that was the most popular (Apple’s iTunes Music Store),’ said Ghadiali. ‘We could have chosen another format, but that would have created more confusion for our customers. Most customers don’t care about the format they’re downloading.’”

Posted by Atomic Bomb in Mid-Atlantic on January 13, 2004 at 6:34 AM (PST)

45

Seriously, what is all this crap about AAC being the open standard?  First, it is not open.  Second, standard is what the consumer say it is, not one company (Sony-Betamax, Microsoft-WMA, MPEGLA-AAC, etc) say it is.

Seriously, if MPEG wants AAC to be the de facto standard, it could first lower the cost of its licensing!

(FWIW, I do rip my CDs to AAC but that is still does not mean I think AAC is an “opn standard”.)

Posted by Ken on January 13, 2004 at 9:39 AM (PST)

46

The little picture of the iTunes icons means nothing. You find more pronounced ones on a Mac anyways. It just means iTunes plays those formats. iTunes is free, so supporting all types of formats is an great idea. The iPod is not, and keeping to AAC will be helpful for Apple to keep their market share. Apple has been associated with all other sorts of codec standards, shall I begin a list…..

Posted by Mike W. on January 13, 2004 at 7:50 PM (PST)

47

Yes… Please name a few.

Posted by digitaltrapper on January 14, 2004 at 1:59 PM (PST)