Monday, November 13, 2006
Modern media madness
Technology is a large part of my life, but even I find myself lost in the craziness of the modern media era. Ever since my mp3 player was stolen en route to be fixed, I have paid much closer attention to the mp3 player market. There are so many decisions to make that companies are making incredibly difficult.
The first is basically Apple iPod or all else. If you get an iPod, then you are locked into Apple's fenced in utopia of media. This is great for most people, but iPods simply lack important features such as store choice (you only get iTunes) and a built in FM tuner. It all comes down to using iTunes and iPods together, or neither at all. I find it very difficult to buy into this.
Elsewhere there is the Microsoft PlaysForSure market. You can pick from a variety of stores, and a variety of players and things "should" work. This is nice because you can pick whatever player you want (except an iPod, or the new Zune) and use a subscription based service where you get unlimited access to music for 10-15 bucks a month. I think that's a far better deal than buying songs for a buck a piece that you'll listen to for a limited amount of time anyway.
To make matters even more confusing, Microsoft is launching a player called the Zune that is similar to the iPod in that it's locked down. Want a Zune? Then you MUST use Zune Marketplace (~iTunes). Unfortunately, the player is a bit bulkier, and the content is less plentiful.
Well, I've basically decided against the iPod because I want a video based player that can sync with a Windows Media Center PC (~Tivo) and play shows I've recorded on it. As a result, I think Microsoft is slightly more on track in integrating your entire media experience. However, this only narrows it down to the Zune (maybe, I don't know if it works with Media Center) or any other PlaysForSure device. Each of which have their own set of problems.
Even more problematic is that once you pick a Zune or an iPod then you're stuck with it. For example, if you buy a bunch of iTunes content, then you better stick to iPods or you're going to lose the ability to play everything you bought.
Overall, I don't know what I'm going to end up getting, but this entire market is a mess. Things need to become standardized and companies need to start making things a little more sensible for their millions of customers.
The first is basically Apple iPod or all else. If you get an iPod, then you are locked into Apple's fenced in utopia of media. This is great for most people, but iPods simply lack important features such as store choice (you only get iTunes) and a built in FM tuner. It all comes down to using iTunes and iPods together, or neither at all. I find it very difficult to buy into this.
Elsewhere there is the Microsoft PlaysForSure market. You can pick from a variety of stores, and a variety of players and things "should" work. This is nice because you can pick whatever player you want (except an iPod, or the new Zune) and use a subscription based service where you get unlimited access to music for 10-15 bucks a month. I think that's a far better deal than buying songs for a buck a piece that you'll listen to for a limited amount of time anyway.
To make matters even more confusing, Microsoft is launching a player called the Zune that is similar to the iPod in that it's locked down. Want a Zune? Then you MUST use Zune Marketplace (~iTunes). Unfortunately, the player is a bit bulkier, and the content is less plentiful.
Well, I've basically decided against the iPod because I want a video based player that can sync with a Windows Media Center PC (~Tivo) and play shows I've recorded on it. As a result, I think Microsoft is slightly more on track in integrating your entire media experience. However, this only narrows it down to the Zune (maybe, I don't know if it works with Media Center) or any other PlaysForSure device. Each of which have their own set of problems.
Even more problematic is that once you pick a Zune or an iPod then you're stuck with it. For example, if you buy a bunch of iTunes content, then you better stick to iPods or you're going to lose the ability to play everything you bought.
Overall, I don't know what I'm going to end up getting, but this entire market is a mess. Things need to become standardized and companies need to start making things a little more sensible for their millions of customers.
