MS considered partnering with Apple on iPod

Go to microsoft.com (1) figure out what they're selling on that site and (2) see if you can find the link to Zune. Click on it. Try to buy one. Congrats - you get to schlep to OfficeMax and Staples.

Are they kidding? Are they trying to keep this stuff a secret?

Not to Allchin et. al. - if you want to be nearly as successful as the iPod, DO WHAT IPOD DOES. This will not necessarily guarantee success, but it's better than hiding your dream player under a rock.

hows i can u prove that theres money on this network.

"How can we get the [player makers] to create something that is competitive with the iPod?"

Keep breaking antitrust law and Microsoft's products will win.

Arent they forgetting one small detail? Apple dont partner with other companies when it comes to the iPod. Have they ever done a iPod deal with IBM, Dell or Gateway? The only partners Apple have needed so far are the content providers (ie. the music companies).

well, Apple partners with other companies that are selling hte iPod, such as Best Buy, Target etc. But also with Dell who sold iPods for a while. And remember the HP-branded iPod that Apple made for them. I think it is possible that Apple could have supported windows media, at least the file format. Less convinced that they ever considered opening up the iPod for syncing with Windows Media Player like they did for Musicmatch early on.

is that just because a large monopolistic computer and software company wants to control everything....that other players in the market can still compete against them....blah, blah, blah.....so since AAPL can or will refuse a partnership with MS in the iPod catagory....then the big MS monopoly is somehow less of a evil player....somehow its' still a strech for me to imagine that no other tech company can build a real mp3 player and intergrate it with a content pipeline backbone....a few e-mails between MS execs can't prove that MS is not a very large overweight monopolist.....regardless of what AAPL does, continue to watch as lawyer-types everywhere start a vicious campain to rid the world of the evil tech monsters who surely will be responsible in the future for the success or failure of mankind....stay tuned bros...but don't fear..... the house of law will continue to steal your wealth and eat your young....

maybe you choose the wrong forum.. Go to greenpeas or the former USSR website, please!

I think you can change the 'considered' in your headline to 'considering'.

MSFT would have to first agree to port and support their Media Player software to OS X.

In that possible situation, Apple might agree to open up the iPod to DRM'ed WMA.

But I still think that is unlikely since Apple has nothing really to gain since they already own the windows market with the iPod.