Improving the Hub: Windows Media Player 10

Windows Media Player 10, released in Sept. 2004, improves support for getting music and video onto a PC and then transferring it to portable players, with features such as automatic synchronization of content, driverless connections, and better integration with online stores. The changes bring Microsoft and its partners closer to the ease of use offered by Apple’s digital media products, while presenting a greater choice of content sources and compatible devices.

Simplicity Versus Choice

Although the aesthetic appeal of Apple’s iPod devices deserves much credit for Apple’s success in the digital media space, another reason is that its products and services, which were originally designed to fit into its iLife family of integrated digital media tools for Macs, offer a smooth user experience (on a PC or Mac). Apple’s iTunes software lets users rip files from an audio CD in either full-bit-rate MP3 or Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) format (based on MPEG-4), download songs or albums to a computer from the integrated iTunes Music Store, synchronize this content with an iPod, stream playlists (selections of songs from a user’s digital library) over a network to other computers, and stream audio to other home entertainment devices using Apple’s Airport Express wireless networking technology. By and large, these products work together with little user intervention required.