Microsoft advises against iPod shuffle?

Macnn.com ^ | 03/23/2005 | Macnn.com

[r5boston]

Microsoft's "PlayForSure" has published "six tips for buying an MP3 player with flash memory." The checklist, which offers advice that appears to be geared against iPod's shuffle, advises users to "make sure you're getting all the goodies" -- voice recording, FM recording, and a stopwatch. The report also says "you'll want a display ... this is critical if you want to find that one song or artist you really want to hear." The list emphasizes FM radio: "let a professional make your next playlist ... having an FM radio lets you put your player on autopilot." On the topic of music purchasing, PlayForSure says "don't get locked into one online store ...Having the flexibility to choose from over 1 million tracks of music from multiple online music stores such as MSN Music, Napster, MusicMatch, and Wal-Mart can be the key to getting the music you want."

[July 4th]

Actually, Microsoft is just advising against crappy flash players. The Shuffle is all marketing, no product. Nothing against Apple - the iPods are great - but the Shuffle is a total technological waste.

[peyton randolph]

Microsoft probably advises against Firefox as a browser too. Pope is Catholic. Bear defecates in the woods. No surprises here.

[GMMAC]

Yawn ... seems like valid - and even ethical - criticism of a competing product in a competitive market place.

Lotta people seem to feel that anything from Apple is somehow beyond reproach. While its computers may be fine for those who prefer them, its Quick Time player isn't far off behaving like a virus when it comes to its unrelenting aggressiveness - IMHO.

[SengirV]

I know I use the stopwatch feature on my MP3 player at least 10 times a day. What idiots. The reason M$ is doing this is to push their own WMA format. Since the iPod has the lions share of hte market and does NOT support M$'s format they say don't buy it. Simple as that.

[SengirV]

a virus? Perhaps you need to look into the things other players like Real Audio do. If you think QT is a virus, you'll think RA is the plague.

[SlowBoat407]

As long as they make it clear that the info is coming from Micro$oft and it's an advertisement, have at it! The marketplace will judge what's important to them.

(I am a dedicated Apple cultist, by the way)

[anonymous_user]

FM radio would be my reason for buying portable music player, not a feature.

[MAEsser]

the iPods are great - but the Shuffle is a total technological waste.

I'm with you on the shuffle, but I think the iPods are pretty much a waste of cash, too. The only thing it's got going for it is the ClickWheel. The sound is pathetic, the features are sparse. And support? Apple still has yet to determine why the November iTunes update causes a "corrupt file, run chkdsk" error on 4th generation players...

I got myself an iRiver H320. In addition to playing MP3s with sharp audio clarity, I can record my classes @ 128 kps, listen to FM radio, view text files, watch movies and look at pictures on its brilliant color screen. All for the low, low price of $260.

[anonymous_user]

Mac ping?

[scab4faa]

Hmm the reason I bought a mp3 player was so I didn't have to listen to FM radio anymore. Too much crap programming and advertisments.

[anonymous_user]

Hmm the reason I bought a mp3 player was so I didn't have to listen to FM radio anymore.

That's exactly what I meant. If anything drives me to buy a portable music player, it will be disgust with local FM stations.

[Terpfen]

The Shuffle is based on marketing, yes--Apple's market research told them that most people only load a few mp3 files on their player and use the Shuffle feature exclusively. So, they responded to what their market was doing, and they've made thousands of dollars off it.

Now, if you're not a casual user of technology, you're going to hate the Shuffle. But for people who just want something to listen to--which is most of the music player market--the Shuffle is perfect.

I wish people would stop ignorantly bashing the Shuffle. You don't like it, don't buy it, simple as that.

[Swordmaker]

Mac ping?

Do you think this warrants one? I try not to ping for trivial things...

[jordan8]

$99 dollars was pretty cheap for 512Mb of memory when the Shuffle came out, other than that there is nothing to it.

[ironwill]

But for people who just want something to listen to--which is most of the music player market--the Shuffle is perfect.

Exactly! My wife got me an Ipod shuffle for my birthday last week and there hasn't been a day I haven't used it. I don't care if it has no display. All the songs I have on there are all songs I like so it doesn't matter what order they play in...I like them all. I just want something to play the music I like and it does it well w/o all the bells & whistles.

[antiRepublicrat]

. The Shuffle is all marketing, no product.

I wouldn't buy one, but it's apparently the "nothing" that is popular among runners. At .78 ounces, you can't even feel it hanging around your neck on a lanyard. And runners aren't about to stop to fiddle with a display -- they just want music while they run with the smallest, lightest product possible.

[antiRepublicrat]

FM radio would be my reason for buying portable music player, not a feature.

They've had headphones with FM radios built into them for years.

[BikerNYC]

I had an MP3 USB stick player with all the bells and whistles, FM, voice recorder, screen. I never used the extras because the thing stayed in the pocket of my gym shorts at the gym. It was on the heavy side, too, for such a little thing.

I bought a Shuffle since I get a lot of my music from iTunes. It's light weight, works great and my 1 gig player holds a lot more than other sticks. You can set it to shuffle or to play your music in order. I don't need a screen to tell me what song I am listening to.

[Liberal Classic]

Microsoft advises purchasing Microsoft products. Film at eleven.