speak.to

Microsoft seems to like getting spanked by Apple. In digital music they keep positioning themselves to be a better target.

Earlier this week, Microsoft ended its PlaysforSure certification program, used by nearly all successful services and music players other than Apple's. PlaysforSure has now been assimilated into the Vista certification program, causing some confusion, especially for users of Windows XP.

I'm a happy subscription music user. Subscription services also use PlaysforSure, and are great if you like to explore lots of new music (otherwise, they're not). Microsoft hasn't been very successful promoting subscription music, and this is another bad move. Although I've spent hundreds of dollars happily renting music for years, I've never purchased music with DRM and don't ever plan to.

Previously, Microsoft forked PlaysforSure into the incompatible Zune; it was a bad and disturbing move, but didn't affect me directly. Changing it to "Certified for Windows Vista" is so idiotic--it's hard to imagine much Windows media stuff, other than Zune, surviving. Unfortunately Zune is foolishly based on the only bad thing about the iPod; its closed ecosystem. I guess I should start looking for alternatives.

Microsoft's Reality-Distortion Field apparently allows them to be convinced that Vista will soon be ubiquitous. They want to prepare for this, and encourage it, by giving Vista more visibility; Vista-branding all the Zunes and music they expect to sell, and forcing their music partners use Vista branding for certification ('till they're extinguished by Zune). It's crazy; and Microsoft doesn't appear to be coming up for air anytime soon.