Microsoft May Build Copyright Cop Into Every Zune

[Woochifer]

Well, I forgot where I read this, but isn't it true that to transfer music/video files in Zune w/o being restricted, all you have to do is change the file name extension and then move the through to the image file transfer folder? Frankly if it's that easy, then I'm sure Microsoft's copy-cop won't be a genius either.

The only way to make sure that this works would be for the Zune to only play videos with DRM tags, which would exclude not only copyrighted non-DRM vids, but also vids that you created yourself with no copyright restrictions whatsoever! This sounds like another one of MS' vaporware scams, and they seem to have pulled it over NBC/Universal by promising a technology that may or may not ever be feasible.

By the way, Zune will run Linux, sort of, but much of the functionality is lost. There are also all sorts of hacks to get Linux boxes to work with Zune, but everytime someone publishes it, Microsoft "updates" the stupid thing and disables that. Microsoft really does hate Linux, I think.

Of course they hate Linux. They can't control it, and they don't make money off of it. MS hates any open format that they cannot co-opt and fork into a proprietary Windows extension. The Zune is just another play to keep people locked into the Windows Media formats. Apple purposely excluded MS' proprietary Windows Media formats in favor of the open AAC and MPEG-4 H.264 formats. Apple's no different from MS in that the iPod also uses a closed architecture, but the difference is that the iPod already has the market share and media partners on board.

MS has been trying to break into the media player market ever since the iPod took off and built up sizable market share leads for Apple in both media player hardware AND digital media download sales. MS' first attempt was through their PlaysForSure program, where they lined up manufacturing partners to support PlaysForSure. Some people thought this would take off because those players supported more formats than the iPod and often gave the user greater flexibility. When those players sold poorly, MS simply abandoned their partners by introducing the Zune (which is the same kind of closed ecosystem as the iPod) and now switching off the MSN music servers in August (anyone who doesn't lock their MSN-purchased music files to a specific computer by that time will find them unplayable).

Yeah, if I had to buy a new one, any digital music player for that matter, it would definitely be an iPod, and barring that a Sensa or something from Creative. But for now, My Rio is still working just fine - when it dies I'll probably buy an iPod Touch.

The Touch will become even more intriguing when the iPhone developer's kit (which can also be used for the iPod Touch) gets more widely circulated next month. Even though Apple wants to maintain control over distribution of iPhone and Touch applications, the developer's kit is actually free for anyone to download and use to develop their own applications. My understanding is that anyone who knows how to build apps for Mac OS X will already know how to develop apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch. And that developer's kit includes a virtual environment that lets you run and test iPhone apps using a Mac. Catch of course is that you need a Mac to run the iPhone SDK!