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You've heard this song before
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Microsoft's shameless imitation of the iPod is just one of many strategic shifts
shameless imitation of the iPod , only a strategic shift in Microsoft's many a
WHO in his right mind would step into the ring against the iPod? Apple Computer's sleek music-player, and its iTunes software and online store, dominate the digital-music industry as comprehensively as Microsoft's Windows operating system dominates desktop computing. But just as Apple has tried for years to loosen Microsoft's grip on computing, so Microsoft now hopes to loosen Apple's hold on digital music. On November 14th, the software giant will launch Zune, a music-player that looks and works very much like an iPod.
whenever a clear head the company, which one dares to break into the world of digital music player iPod challenge it? Apple's elegant and simple music player with iTune software and online music store together, the Executive acknowledged leaders in the digital music industry for many years, as Microsoft's Windows dominates the personal computer operating as the world. But in recent years, Apple has always tried to Microsoft in the personal computer industry, trouble, and now Microsoft has decided to counterattack at Apple launched a home. November 14, the software giant Microsoft will release its own music player, Zune, an appearance or function, whether the products are exactly like the iPod.
Zune is unlikely \first 25 years, he says, Microsoft succeeded above all by bringing computer technology to businesses; to succeed in its next 25 years, it must turn its attention to consumer gadgets
lace wigs, for that is where the innovation and growth will be. But the formula with which Microsoft achieved its dominance in the first round appears not to be working in the second. So Zune is based on a very different business modelevidence that Microsoft is changing.
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Fashion Synthetic Wigs, Zune is not likely to \Microsoft's first 25 years of success, first of all thanks to computer technology for their success into a business. For the next 25 years continue to be successful, Microsoft must turn our attention to the electronic consumer goods, this area will be full of innovation and growth. But the problem is that Microsoft has won the last round of competition dependent on the secret, does not seem to apply to the next stage of the game. So Zune came into being, its release and in the past based on a completely different business model, which also confirmed that Microsoft is indeed to adjust business strategy.
Microsoft's music-player is a device that is tightly coupled to music-library software that runs on a computer, and to Zune Marketplace, an online music store. The Zune device does not work with other online stores, even those of Microsoft's partners; and Zune Marketplace does not offer songs for non-Zune devices. Zune, in other words, is a proprietary bundle of hardware, software and serviceexactly like Apple's iPod-iTunes combination.
Zune music player will be tightly integrated with the other two components, working together, they are installed on your computer's music library management software, and online music store Zune Marketplace. Zune, Zune Marketplace will not be with online music stores other than the use of, even Microsoft partners does not work; and Zune Marketplace can not be outside for the Zune music player offers. In other words, Zune is a set of hardware, software and services in a package of patents Apple iPod-iTune with exactly the same combination.
For Microsoft this amounts to an about-face shocking enough that Robbie Bach, the executive who runs the company's entertainment division and who devised the strategy, goes out of his way to play down its importance. Microsoft's traditional approach is to stay out of hardware and concentrate on making software, such as Windows, which it licenses to as many hardware companies as possible. Competition turns hardware into a low-margin commodity, but Microsoft, as owner of the software standard, makes a fortune.
For Microsoft, this strategy is no doubt in the 180-degree turn. Surprisingly, the company responsible Robbie, president of Entertainment. Bach, in the personal development strategy formulated after the Zune, but also specifically said they did not expect Foreign Zune a success in three to five years. Microsoft's traditional strategy is not involved in hardware production, focus only on software production. For example, Windows operating system, although just a software, but it is compatible with many hardware manufacturers release certification. Fierce competition has become a low-margin commodity hardware, but Microsoft as a software standard-setter who was snatched from a lot of wealth.
In recent years, Microsoft tried to use the same approach with consumer technologies. It developed music and video software and invited gadget-makers to build hardware around it, and other firms to build compatible online stores to sell content. This \the iPod remained unchallenged.
recent years, Microsoft has tried in the consumer market using the same strategy. First they developed a music and video software, and consumer electronics manufacturers around the invitation of Microsoft's software development hardware, other companies and then create software compatible with Microsoft's online store. A company called Matt. Rosoff in the evaluation of the professional research firm, said Microsoft, the route, this \In the field of music, Microsoft's PlaysForSure software is not successful: not all stores have all the music players will be able to play at all. iPod is still invincible.
So Microsoft has ditched the idea of providing enabling software to other firms in favour of Apple's approach of doing everything itself. Its first move in this direction came with its Xbox games consoles, in which hardware, software and an online service are tightly coupled. (The Xbox division also reports to Mr Bach.) Zune is much more controversial, however, because Microsoft's pre-existing hardware and service partners are left high and dry. \its business partners, \strategy. The first step of this new strategy is the Xbox game console action
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In Stock Celebrity Lace Wigs, software and online services are tightly integrated together. (Xbox is a unit of Mr. Bach.) But by contrast, Zune will lead to much more controversial, because in this product, Microsoft's hardware and services to partners before all abandoned. \
The about-turn on digital music is not the only recent shift in Microsoft's strategy. Having campaigned for years against open-source software, it has lately changed its stance. Last month it formed a partnership with Zend, a small Israeli-American firm, to make PHP, an open-source programming language that powers many large websites, work better with Windows. And last week it struck a deal with Novell, a long-time enemy that is now a strong proponent of Linux , the open-source operating system that competes with Windows, to ensure that Windows and Linux can run smoothly alongside each other on big computers.
strategy for digital music industry 180-degree turn, not only Microsoft's recent strategic shift . After years of resisting open source software, Microsoft recently has finally adjusted the strategy. Last month, Microsoft's main PHP with a joint venture business in Israel and USA to establish a partnership with Zend, PHP is an open source programming language, many large sites that use this language, it is with the Windows operating system Compatibility better than other languages. Last week, Microsoft has agreed to a deal with Novell, which in the past has always been Microsoft's enemies, and now strongly support the Linux operating system. Linux operating system is Microsoft's rival Windows, Microsoft and Novell in this transaction, to ensure that Windows systems to large-scale parallel computer with Linux.
This does not mean that Microsoft now thinks open-source software is a good thing. It hopes to make Windows more attractive to firms running large websites, and by promoting Novell's flavour of Linux as the natural partner for Windows it hopes to undermine other flavours backed by Oracle, IBM and Sun. But previously it would have nothing to do with open source at all. Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's boss, once called it a \the open source software that Microsoft has endorsed. Companies with Zend, Microsoft just want to enhance the Windows on the attractiveness of companies with large websites. The deal with Novell, will pull into the Windows, Linux allies, only to subvert based on Oracle, IBM and SUN and other systems. But with Microsoft in the past to draw a line of open source software, compared the attitude, this is a great shift. Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer • open source software had become a \
Microsoft has also been shifting its business model for delivering software in response to Google and other firms that let users access e-mail, word processing and other software via the web, rather than installing software on their own computers. The mission of Microsoft's new online-services division is to become, in effect, an in-house Google, while Mr Bach's division does its best to imitate Apple with Zune.
Google and other companies have developed many web-based applications that enable users do not need to own any software installed on your computer, you can send and receive e-mail or web page word processing document. In response to this trend, Microsoft has begun to adjust their business models. Mr. Bach's entertainment with the Ministry of imitation iPod Zune concocted, like Microsoft's Online Services Division of the newborn, in fact, another company but Google only.
As Microsoft borrows from Apple, the opposite is also true. After failing to defeat Microsoft in operating systems, Apple learned a valuable lesson and has opened up its music technology just enough to make it a standard. It licensed the iPod's connector-plug so that other firms could make accessories for it, and it made the iPod and iTunes available on Windows, something that would once have been unthinkable. The great irony of the epic rivalry between Apple and Microsoft, says Mr Bajarin, is that the longer they fight, the more they resemble each other.
Tips Microsoft stole from Apple, while Apple has learned a lot from Microsoft. Lost the battle in the operating system Microsoft, Apple learned a valuable lesson: open. In the field of digital music, Apple has established a technical standard, iPod interface standard certification to enable other companies to produce accessories for the iPod. More importantly, Apple iPod and iTune allowed to run in Windows, which is unthinkable in the past. Mr. Baha Lin, Apple and Microsoft battle in the most ironic is that the two companies struggle longer, the more similar to each other.
[This post last edited by the telaviv 2006-11-10 17:11]
