Microsoft Admits Inferiority (Implicitly)
Whenever I have to observe MSFT struggle with its crap products, it makes me uncomfortable. Every time Bill Gates says something stupid like how Vista is the most secure operating system ever, I get embarrassed. I get awkward, much in the same way that I did every time I had to watch Kevin Arnold of The Wonder Years try to impress Winnie Cooper.
Well, it looks like Microsoft is finally conceding that someone else has a better product -- at least when it comes to media, that is. And what makes that product better than what Microsoft offers is that it doesn't come bundled with a slew of functionality and options that users don't need to enjoy its primary function. In other words, now that PCs are much more personal, users are a lot more savvy, and you can't get away with telling them what works because they are know what works for them.
Media has to be the best of examples. Back in the day, Winamp was the player of choice because it was light, functional, customizable, and it didn't do anything that music lovers didn't need it to. For similar reasons, Apple has been trumping Microsoft in the world of media consumption. All of iPod, iTunes, and iTunes Store are three distinct products that offer separate functionality , but are designed to compliment each other. One is a portable media player (iPod), one is a tool for organizing media (iTunes), and one is a place where users can acquire media (iTunes Store).
From this perspective, Windows Media Player doesn't have anything on the Mac Media Trinity. First, Microsoft hasn't been able to deliver a media player that can compete with the iPod. Secondly, not only is the WindowsMedia.com interface on the Windows Media Player is much more like the homepage for Yahoo or AOL, but it seems dedicated to selling physical media (screenshot at left) -- a product that is at odds with the future and very concept of digital media.
What's stranger is that Microsoft seems cognizant (at least latently) of these facts, and isn't/hasn't done anything about it. Something else you'll notice in this screenshot is the stock photo I've outlined in red: the user is using a Mac Powerbook.
Now, it can be argued that Microsoft is trying to convince Mac users to use Windows Media Player, but I doubt it. What likely happened is that nobody over at Microsoft scrutinized their stock photography closely enough. But the point is pretty much the same: just as MSFT could let this pretty symbolic item go unnoticed, they seem to also be ignoring just exactly where the future of applications are going.
