Microsoft, Mobile Phones, and Music

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/09/10/microsoft_sees_music_opportunity_in_cell_phones/' target='_blank'>http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/09/10/microsoft_sees_music_opportunity_in_cell_phones/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"U.S. software giant Microsoft is aiming to get its audio and video software into mobile phones before it is beaten to the 650-million-handsets-a-year market by rivals like Apple. Microsoft has quietly made preparations to make its media software available to chip and handset makers, enabling consumers to play music they have saved in the Windows Media format on their PCs on their handsets."</i><br /><br />Microsoft has stated their intentions, but the reality is far from here - <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/devices/msfd.aspx">there's no Smartphone listed on this page</a> of "Music Service Friendly" devices. But wait, it seems we're not just talking about Windows Mobile Smartphones here:<br /><br /><i>"U.S.-based Motorola and Japan's NEC have Microsoft's media decoders integrated into their handsets for third-generation mobile networks, which is still a very small market. Microsoft is now looking at the entire market, and specifically at market leader Nokia from Finland, Germany's Siemens and Japanese-Swedish Sony Ericsson."</i><br /><br />So could it be that the Windows Media team is talking to Nokia about creating a Symbian-based Windows Media Player? That would be my bet, even though it will nullify one of the competitive advantages that Windows Mobile Smartphones currently have - being able to play WMA and WMV media. A move like this has precedent though - a few years back Steve Ballmer was openly talking about bringing .Net to Palm devices, because they wanted to push the platform onto as many devices as possible.<br /><br />What do you think? Will we see a Windows Media Player on a Symbian-based phone?

[phillypocket]

Assuming that Nokia wanted to, is there anything today that would stop them from developing a media player that played windows media? I was under the impression that the licensing fees were not prohibitive. Or are you saying that there are no codecs available that can be utilized on the symbian platform?

P.S. I'm sure there are many business reasons they may not want to, I'm just wondering if it's technically/economicaly feasable or if Microsoft has more development work to do before this can even be considered?

[Mike Temporale]

It wouldn't surprise me to a Symbian based Windows Media player. The quicker they do that, the better off they are to fight the iPod fad.

[TANKERx]

[i]...That would be my bet, even though it will nullify one of the competitive advantages that Windows Mobile Smartphones currently have - being able to play WMA and WMV media.

Microsoft has to make a choice and decide which market is going to be it's best bet for income in the short term. Elbow in the Music Industry is probably more important right now since it is still struggling to sell Smartphones in any significant numbers and it knows that putting WMP on a Symbian Smartphone will give it a huge user-base (assuming that if it isn't pre-installed in the ROM, the millions of Symbian users out there would be willing to install it :roll:)

Of course, what would happen in the long term is anybody's guess; Make the WMP software unavailable to Symbian once everybody has hooked into it? Sue Symbian for putting Real Player onto Symbian phones by default, claiming that Real has an unfair advatange? Far from it, I'm sure.

Who knows, but I for one would be loathe to put a Microsoft Media Player on anything that hasn't got it already. I never use it on my MPx200 and never used it on my SPV on account of the fact that I don't like WMA/WMV - I don't like the restrictions. I'm sure I'm not alone.

[Jason Dunn]

Assuming that Nokia wanted to, is there anything today that would stop them from developing a media player that played windows media?

Sure, I think they could do that - they'd just have to license the technology from Microsoft. The issue is that they probably won't. ;-)

[Jason Dunn]

...on account of the fact that I don't like WMA/WMV - I don't like the restrictions. I'm sure I'm not alone.

What restrictions are you speaking of?

[darrylb]

I doubt we will see WMA on Nokia/Symbian.

I think that Microsoft are looking at the Nokia and Ericcson market share. I think they will use devices like the SDA to compete with these devices and take on more market share....

See http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/15/t-mobile_music_phone/ for a sampling of these devices.... (probably covered here earlier).

[Mike Temporale]

(probably covered here earlier).

Sure was. :wink:

The catch is this: There are no Windows Mobile Smartphone devices listed as Music Service Friendly. That means you can buy the music online, but you can't transfer it to a Windows Mobile Smartphone. :( The SDA-Music is a great phone, but it doesn't have the power.

[TANKERx]

...on account of the fact that I don't like WMA/WMV - I don't like the restrictions. I'm sure I'm not alone.

What restrictions are you speaking of?

By restrictions, I mean not having native copyability to my other devices (like Smartphones on other platforms, MiniDisc players etc), and I've also found that even after turning off licensing, some CDs tracks don't transfer (though on that last point, I believe it may be my head that can't manage the right buttons).

Basically, I like a format that is truly cross platform which is why I always rip to MP3; that way, I can listen on my Microsoft SMartphone, Symbian Smartphone, MP3 player, MiniDisc Player and one day, may even my fridge! ;-)

[Jason Dunn]

By restrictions, I mean not having native copyability to my other devices (like Smartphones on other platforms, MiniDisc players etc)

It's true that MP3 is more generally compatible, but I've personally run into glitches with MP3s created using the LAME encoder that won't work properly in some software, so I think it's fair to say that nothing is certain.

...and I've also found that even after turning off licensing, some CDs tracks don't transfer (though on that last point, I believe it may be my head that can't manage the right buttons).

You said it, not me. ;-) As long as you have the DRM turned off when ripping, the files are NO different than MP3s or anything else. It's a box you check once, then never again.

But I won't argue that MP3 isn't the #1 dominant format. ;-)

[me]

I don't like WMA/WMV - I don't like the restrictions. I'm sure I'm not alone.

What restrictions?

Of course DRM-protected music is restricted--that is the very nature of DRM. Is DRM-protected AAC bought from Itunes any less restricted than DRM-protected WMA?

But in hinting that WMA is by nature "restricted", you are spreading misinformation. I don't purchase DRM music from those online stores. I'd rather buy the CDs, have the music uncompressed, can compress it as I wish for portable devices, etc. In that case, there is absolutely no more restriction (on a non-DRM WMA, i.e. one that I ripped from CD) than on an MP3.

So, yes, you are "alone" --in imagining that the compression format WMA is by nature somehow "restricted". That is simply not true.