[THIN] Re: [windows2000] CES Lookout Apple!...Gates unveils his "Urge"
- From: "Jim Kenzig http://ThinHelp.com" <jkenzig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: windows2000@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 19:05:51 -0800 (PST)
His entire Keynote has been posted at:
http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/speeches/2006/01-04CES.asp
Some cool stuff..
JK
----- Original Message ----
From: Jim Kenzig http://ThinHelp.com
To: thin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; windows2000@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 7:07:36 PM
Subject: [windows2000] CES Lookout Apple!...Gates unveils his "Urge"
Gates unveils his 'Urge'
http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/04/technology/ces_gates/
In challenge to iTunes, Microsoft unveils music service and other entertainment
plans.
By Amanda Cantrell, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 5, 2006: 2:40 PM EST
LAS VEGAS (CNNMoney.com) - Bill Gates aims to take over your living room and
late Wednesday he unveiled a new music service and new software to do it.
Using an appearance with Justin Timberlake, the Microsoft chairman debuted a
new music service, Urge, to directly compete with the iTunes music store and
interface. Urge launches with over 2 million tracks for purchase or as part of
an all-you-can eat subscription, an option the iTunes music store doesn't have.
The offering will include exclusive material from MTV, though it will not be
compatible with iPods, which are currently the most popular MP3 player.
Music is just one part of Gates' vision for the impact he hopes Microsoft
(Research)'s software will have on entertainment. Speaking at the annual
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Gates outlined his vision for a future
where entertainment integrates with practical applications like messaging, word
processing and Web browsing, with software that can work across various devices.
"We've talked about this as decade of digital lifestyle, work style," he said.
"What that means is all these tools become mainstream. Software will come in
and make things both simpler and more effective. Not having to think about
disks, entertainment, having a digital jukebox anywhere in the house so you can
call up the movies you want and see anything you want to."
Gates' vision extends to TV as well. Gates announced a partnership with Direct
TV and its British Counterpart, BSkyB. The Direct TV partnership will allow
consumers to get Direct TV video onto a Windows Media Center PC as well as on
its gaming console, the Xbox 360.
"These (partnerships) will allow you to enjoy high definition content and take
that away on a portable media device" for what Gates called both the "two-foot
experience and the 10-foot experience."
At the core of these enhanced media applications is Microsoft's partnership
with Intel around Viiv, Intel's new chip designed for entertainment PCs that
allows consumers to run various entertainment applications as well as record,
pause and rewind and fast-forward through video.
Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director of market research
firm Jupiter Research, said Gates spelled out more clearly than he ever has his
vision for how Microsoft's software can integrate entertainment applications.
"They did a good job of taking a complex message, simplifying it, and putting
some clarity around their vision for the digital home," he said.
What will Apple do?
Gartenberg added that he is interested to see whether "the other shoe will
drop" at next week's MacWorld Expo, where Apple is expected to unveil its first
Macs with Intel chips as well as enhanced media software and more content deals
for its video iPod. This could mark competition for Microsoft in the digital
home turf war.
A centerpiece of Gates' digital living room will be Vista, Microsoft's first
upgrade to its Windows operating system in five years, which will include
enhancements to Microsoft's Windows Media Center software to enable all the
souped-up new applications. And users can use Vista to by-pass the TV and plug
directly into high-definition cable feeds.
Also unveiled in Vista: a new interface with features including live preview in
the task bar, which will allow users to see all applications as they are
running, as well as a "3D" bar that lets users flip through applications.
The company also discussed HD-DVD, which allows for greater interaction for
consumers watching DVDs. For example, users can search and find information on
actors in a film while the movie is still playing.
Microsoft indicated that later this year, it will start selling external HD-DVD
drives, which will enable users to watch high definition DVDs via their Xbox
machines and also allow greater interactivity. At the outset, the new drive
will be only for movies and does not include games.
Xbox executive Peter Moore reiterated that the company hopes to achieve sales
of 4.5 to 5.5 million Xboxes by June 2006 and said they are "on track" to
achieve those targets.
Whether Gates' vision will goose the long-stagnant stock price of Microsoft
(Research) remains to be seen. Shares have been trading in a range from around
$25 to $30 a share for going on three years and closed Wednesday at $26.97 in
advance of Gates' speech, which took place hours after the market close in New
York.
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