Channeling Sales

Today comes news that Microsoft is fed up with the 10k other companies who have tried to take a run at Apple’s iPod hardware advantage.  Surprise, they intend to do it themselves.  With a rich history of quality hardware design in the PC space I am absolutely sure that they can succeed where every other company in this category has fallen short against the iPod.  It is a measure of their lack of understanding of this market that they have reached this conclusion.  Instead of pressing their true advantage, the universality of their DRM solution and the clear difference of their approach to the digital music store market with “Plays for Sure” and all you can eat subscription models, they are focusing on a battle they can’t possibly win, trying to outdesign the design leader.  Maybe a few dollars spent marketing Plays for Sure would help?