Sunday, May 25, 2003

Why Rent?

Microsoft prepares reply to iTunes "Services such as Pressplay, which uses Microsoft technology, have been put on the defensive with news that Apple has sold more than 2 million downloads since April 28, the day its iTunes Music Store launched. But Microsoft is betting that new security enhancements planned for later this year could make renting music, rather than owning it, more attractive to consumers.

Microsoft said it is developing software that makes it easier for subscription services to transfer music to portable music players. These services now provide unlimited downloads of hundreds of thousands of songs to a PC for a monthly fee, but they typically do not allow files to be moved around much. Microsoft said it will soon address this shortcoming with technology that will allow unlimited downloads to a portable device--a dramatic improvement. "

How can it be made more attractive? You don't own the music. One day, when you don't pay your bill not only could your PC OS stop working, your music, your documents, your stereo system could all be made useless or inaccessible. This is the future?

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