Microsoft In It for the Codec?

"I believe Microsoft came out with Zune not to counter the iPod hardware but to make WMV/WMA relevant again. To be more precise they had to counter the iPod to make their CODEC relevant, but they don't care about the hardware itself, they care about the CODEC, and that's the exact opposite of Apple."

So why DID Microsoft decide to enter the Apple dominated portable media player market? Technology Envagilist blogger Benjamin Higginbotham thinks it was for the sole reason of making Microsoft codecs important again. Check out Benjamin's thoughts on this topic, and tell me what you think. If you look at recent Microsoft initiatives, from Media Center to Xbox 360 to Vista, it appears that Microsoft recognizes the importance of the digital lifestyle, and intends to be an important player in that arena. Zune is a natural, and important, extension of that initiative. To offer a full media experience, Microsoft needed a player of its own. Third party PlaysForSure and PMCs not performing well enough, Microsoft opted for the Xbox path and go it alone.