iLounge

1

Yeah, as long as Apple’s music store has the best selection then this arrogant stance is ok I guess...but if the iTunes store starts lagging behind then iPod users are stuck with a BRICK.  Does anyone remember ‘Beta’?

Posted by mr_bodhisattva on November 5, 2003 at 7:06 PM (PDT)

2

That’s the same attitude that helped Apple get a whopping 5% marketshare while Microsoft and Intel got most of the rest.

Posted by wickerbill on November 5, 2003 at 7:18 PM (PDT)

3

You’re right, their strategy is to offensive. They need to step back and make things more open.

Posted by Bob on November 5, 2003 at 7:46 PM (PDT)

4

Well said wickerbill
I see Mr Jobs hasn’t learned anything
I hope he reconsiders his stance on this. 
All I can see for the Ipod is more success if he adds wma support.

Posted by TOU on November 5, 2003 at 8:26 PM (PDT)

5

Here’s an idea to enhance the ipod - make the features in the third generation models also appear in the first and second generations.

Posted by themantis on November 5, 2003 at 11:04 PM (PDT)

6

There is nothing wrong with making a mistake the first time. The problem is when you don’t learn from that mistake.

Apple seems to never have learned from theirs and this is why they continually position themselves against the flow instead of with it. They have an opp to be the most widely used MP3 player and music service on the market and each day another MP3 player and Music store is released that supports WMA Apple loses a little footing. And it WILL catch up to them eventually.

Posted by SpideyXP on November 6, 2003 at 10:36 AM (PDT)

7

Regarrding WMA on iPod, you guys *do* know that software support for WMA has been in the PortalPlayer 500X series (the basis for the iPod design) since Day 1. It’s simple sheer bloodymindedness by Apple that denies WMA support to iPod users.

http://www.designchain.com/coverstory.asp?issue=summer02
“Realizing that the MP3 market was still in its infancy, Apple developed a layered design chain tuned for an early-stage market to create the iPod. Even more unusual for Apple, it relied on a platform and reference design created by a third party, PortalPlayer, of Santa Clara, Calif.”

http://www.portalplayer.com/products/fact.htm

“Realtime decoding of MP3, WMA, AAC, and ACELP®.NET formats”

It’s worth checking out the PP5002 specs to see how much of the possible functionality Apple has deliberately left *out* of the iPod. The 5002 reference platform includes digital I/O and flash media access:

“Provides integrated SDRAM, SRAM, and NAND Flash controllers

Provides GLF interface to Sony Memory Stick®, SmartMedia, MultimediaCard, CompactFlash™, and Secure Digital (SD) formats

E-IDE controller provides GLF™ interface to CD-ROMs, CD-R/Ws, HDDs, and IBM’s Microdrive™

Two RS-232 serial interfaces

I2C Serial Control Interface and S/P-DIF”

Apple haven’t even begun to tap the more advanced 7002 platform yet. I also noticed that PortalPlayer provide a Bluetooth solution…

http://www.portalplayer.com/news/Impulsesoft_PortalPlayer_FinalPR.pdf

Posted by MC9 on November 6, 2003 at 10:59 AM (PDT)

8

Gotta love the bouncers on Mr.Jobs.
NOT!!!

Posted by Christianicononev.2 on November 8, 2003 at 5:13 PM (PDT)