… For years, Microsoft saw no threat to its Windows Media Player from such competing music programs as Musicmatch or RealPlayer, which demanded that users either pay up for a full-featured “Pro” or “Plus” version or put up with frequent nags to upgrade.
So Microsoft’s program saw minimal improvement; the company put more effort into enhancing the audio and video formats it plays, which it would love to see Hollywood adopt.
But last October, Apple released a Windows version of its iTunes music jukebox — and PC users no longer had to choose between Windows Media Player’s inadequacies or Real or Musicmatch’s annoyances. They could download a free program that provided all the functions, from MP3 ripping to fast CD burning, that cost extra elsewhere.
Somebody at Microsoft must have noticed this change, and so we have the new Windows Media Player 10. With this update — a free download, Windows XP (news – web sites) only, at www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia — Windows Media Player moves from unacceptable to usable, and in a few cases, exceptional….Read the whole article here.
Competition leads to more innovation and often also to better products. At the end of the day the user/consumer benefits.
