Microsoft’s iPod Killer
Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times revealed yesterday that Microsoft is developing a digital-media player to compete with Apple’s iPod.
What’s being developed is actually a complete line of Xbox-branded digital-media products, including a device that plays media, a software media player and an online media service.
The project, or at least part of it, is referred to internally at Microsoft by the code name Argo — a reference to the huge warship used by the hero Jason in Greek mythology.
Argo is being developed within the Xbox group under the leadership of Xbox co-founder J Allard. His team includes people who previously worked on MSN Music, an online music service that had a promising debut in 2004 but fell victim to Microsoft’s dithering over its music strategy.
Oh, Bill, you clever bad-ass. I know your plan, which has already been dubbed “Xboy” by Joystiq. You’re going to release an entire family of X-somethings, aren’t you? Xgirl, Xcousin, Xgirlfriend, Xfags, X-Malcolm. You’re building a breed of these devices that can only be called “Xs of the Corn,” or something that eats people’s brains in a way iPod could not.
