Everything Microsoft | Going Beyond Windows

With Macworld opening tomorrow, Microsoft has begun discussing the “Apple Tax” again. The company last brought up this concept in October, just before Apple released more-expensive-than-the-previous-version MacBook and MacBook Pro models, which was good timing. And indeed, my initial take on this was that Microsoft was on to something. I wrote about this in a WinInfo article back in October.

Now, a few months later, Microsoft is again discussing the Apple Tax. And while I know a significant number of people will simply take offense to this for whatever reason, I feel even more strongly than before that Microsoft is right. Here’s an article going out in WinInfo tomorrow:

On Eve of Macworld, Microsoft Again Highlights 'Apple Tax'

With the economy in freefall, Microsoft this week continued its discussion of the "Apple Tax," what it says are the additional costs associated with using the Mac platform instead of a Windows-based PC. According to the company, the severity of the Apple Tax has only gotten worse in the past few months, as Apple has released expensive new Macs despite ever-worsening economic conditions. The discussion is occurring the day before Apple opens its Macworld trade show in San Francisco.

"Windows is more compatible than the Mac, but it's also more compatible with today's budgets," Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Windows Consumer Marketing Brad Brooks told me in a briefing on Monday. "Around the globe, people need to balance the interests they have with the realities of the economy. Windows PCs are a better value than Macs, and that's true at every price point."

Microsoft first began discussing the Apple Tax concept in October, just before Apple shipped new Macbook notebook computers that were even more expensive than their predecessors, a curious move given the economy. At the time, much of the discuss was around the cost of switching, comparisons of Macs and PCs at different price points, and the lack of innovative new hardware features. These issues continue to this day, Brooks pointed out. But the problem is exacerbated by the value of Windows, Apple's continued insistence on only serving the high end of the market, and the design aesthetics of Apple hardware, which limits choice.

"Apple fans like to say that the company is like the BMW of the PC world," Brooks said. "Fair enough. But we're Toyota, and we have the Corolla on the low-end and Lexus on the high-end. And both offer tremendous value across the board."

"Microsoft has been delivering low cost technology to the masses for over 30 years," he continued. "And we're going to push this concept of 'Life Without Walls' going forward and explain to people the value they get when they run Windows on the PC, on the Internet, and on their phones." Brooks noted that the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas was an obvious time for make this renewed push for Windows, including Windows Vista and 7 on the PC, Windows Live on the Internet, and Windows Mobile on phones.

"Look, the Apple Tax gap is widening, not shrinking," Brooks said. "And it plays out in so many different ways. There is the upfront cost of the machines, the lack of technology innovation, the compatibility of the devices, the lack of form factor choices, and so much more. The gap has never been greater." Brooks said that Apple machines were luxury items while PCs happy straddle the gap between utility and luxury. "You can get even more technology in Windows at the same price point than you can with a Mac than you could as recently as October," he added.

Brooks hinted that PC users should stay tuned to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's CES keynote address on Wednesday evening. "Let's just say it's going to be an interesting talk," he told me.

And, for completeness sake, some Microsoft charts highlighting some examples of the Apple Tax. Enjoy.

As I suspected, and mentioned on last week’s podcast, the driver problem that dogged Zune 30 devices on December 31, 2008 was, in fact, Toshiba’s fault and not Microsoft’s. I assume all those anti-Microsoft rants will be adjusted accordingly.

After doing some poking around in the source code for the Zune's clock driver (available free from the Freescale website), I found the root cause of the now-infamous Zune 30 leapyear issue that struck everyone on New Year's Eve.

The Zune's real-time clock stores the time in terms of days and seconds since January 1st, 1980. When the Zune's clock is accessed, the driver turns the number of days into years/months/days and the number of seconds into hours/minutes/seconds. Likewise, when the clock is set, the driver does the opposite.

The Zune frontend first accesses the clock toward the end of the boot sequence. Doing this triggers the code that reads the clock and converts it to a date and time.

As Sebastian V. notes in an email (thanks for the heads-up), “Apparently, the Zune 30 was not the only device which had the Y2K9 issue. Also Toshiba Gigabeat S30 and S60 have had the same problem. Both Microsoft's and Toshiba's devices share similar hardware, including the Freescale MC13783 processor.” This is exactly what I suspected, since the first-gen Zune is just a rebranded (and slightly modified) Toshiba design.

Time to move on to some real news…

On the latest episode of the Windows Weekly podcast, and in this article, I was complaining about the new default behavior for Windows Live Messenger under Windows 7: Instead of placing its icon in the tray notification area, Windows 7 gives it a full-fledged taskbar button when minimized, and two or more buttons if other windows (like the main window or chat windows) are open. I don’t like this, and while I appreciate the effort to clean up the tray, the effect is to simply clutter up another part of the UI instead.

Turns out you can “fix” it. I got a very helpful email today explaining that you can simply run Windows Live Messenger in Windows Vista compatibility mode to move its icon back to the tray where God intended. To do so, quit Messenger. Then, find the executable file, msnmsgr.exe (it’s in C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Messenger by default), right-click it, choose Properties, and visit the Compatibility tab. Under Compatibility Mode, select “Run this program in compatibility mode for” and then choose Windows Vista from the list. Click OK and restart Messenger. Voila!

Thanks very much to Marcus F. for the tip.

There are a handful of Windows 7 features I’m haven’t been able to test yet, and one of them is Play To, part of Windows Media Player 12. I wrote about Play To back in October in Part 4 of my Windows 7 Preview. This description was based on a Microsoft demo of the feature in the pre-PDC reviewers workshop:

WMP 12 include a demo-rific new feature called Play To that lets the player control network-connected media devices. All this requires is a device that supports the industry standard DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) 1.5 digital media renderer. (It also works with other Windows 7 PCs.) The possibilities here are quite exciting. You could "play to" other devices around your home, say during a party. And you can combine media streaming with Play To, controlling a connected media receiver while streaming content to it from another Windows 7 PC on the home network. I hope to spend some time experimenting with this feature soon.

I don’t believe I have any Play To compatible devices, and I’m curious if anyone knows if there are any yet. But if you have the Beta version of Windows 7, the Play To application window can be manually started by running the application WMPDMC.EXE, in the Windows Media Player folder. Here’s what it looks like:

I don’t see a way to Play To other Windows 7 PCs, but that seems like an obvious way to test it. I’m also surprised you can’t Play To an Xbox 360.

UPDATE: Thanks to xiphi in the comments section, I was able to get Play To working from Windows 7 PC to PC. Here’s a shot:

Nice! Thanks xiphi.

If you’re one of the 17 people who actually own a first generation Zune 30 (I am, by the way), you awoke this morning to discover that the device will not boot. The problem, apparently, is a software glitch tied to the date (December 31, 2008). I can confirm that this is the case with my own Zune 30, and I’m awaiting word from Microsoft on a resolution. (Pardon the pun.)

Update: Tom Warren tipped me off that Microsoft is working on a fix. On their Zune support page, Microsoft acknowledges the issue like so:

Status:

Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware.  We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!

Update 2: Problem solved

Microsoft has figured out what went wrong. As expected, no big deal. Here’s a post from yesterday:

The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009.   We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on.  If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device.

BTW, I love how the press over-reacted to this. The Zune 30 was only sold in North America (and mostly in just the US) and is the poorest-selling Zune model. The Mac/Apple community has been particularly childish about it. Weird that they’d have such a hang-up over such a non-competitive device, eh? Sorry it wasn’t more serious, guys.

Looks like everyone over at ZDNet is resorting to downloading the pirated version of Windows 7 build 7000 (Beta). In doing so, Ed Bott has discovered some interesting End User License Agreement (EULA) changes:

One of the first things I did before installing the software was to read the end user license agreement (EULA), carefully. Most of it was boilerplate, but I found a few surprises hidden within the legalese, including a revision code at the end, “EULAID:Win7_B.1_PRO_NRL_en-US,” which indicates that this is indeed Beta 1. Here’s a summary of some other interesting additions:

You can install as many copies as you want.

The software expires on August 1, 2009.

Activation and validation are alive and well [and] are not permitted to circumvent validation.

Check out the article for more additions and information.

Well, one thing’s for sure: The New York Times, at least, can’t decide whether the PlayStation 3 is doing well or not.

In the con category, we have:

Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player

Early results from this holiday season aren't promising. U.S. sales of the PS3 fell 19% last month from a year earlier, while sales doubled for the Wii console and rose 8% for the Xbox 360, according to research firm NPD. Analysts say they expect PS3 sales for this month to be flat or lower than last year, while sales for its rivals are likely to rise. And Sony may not reach its goal of selling 10 million PS3 consoles in the fiscal year through March, analysts say.

Sony's strategy of selling a pricey game machine with advanced features and cutting-edge components appears to be backfiring as a deepening recession has U.S. consumers more price sensitive than ever.

If Sony doesn't close the gap with its rivals, it could risk making the PS3 an afterthought to game publishers, who focus most of their resources on the machines with the most users. At the end of September, the Wii had a wide lead with nearly 35 million units sold since its launch in 2006 compared with about 22 million Xbox 360 consoles and 17 million PS3 machines. Nintendo last month sold 2 million Wii machines in the U.S., while Microsoft sold 836,000 Xbox 360s and Sony sold 378,000 PS3s, according to NPD.

Meanwhile, over in the pro category, yet another NYT article provides a slightly rosier outlook:

New Sony Game Nears Breaking Even

Sony is closer to breaking even on its new-generation PlayStation 3 videogame console because it costs 35% less to make than the previous model, according to technology-research firm iSuppli Corp.

Integration and key changes in components has brought the latest PS3's cost down to $448.73 from $690.23 for the first-generation model, said iSuppli.

The PS3 sells for about $399 in the U.S., at least $150 more than Wii and Xbox 360. However, the PS3 accounted for 16% of global videogame-unit shipments in the second quarter of 2008, second only to Nintendo's Wii, which accounted for 54% of the market.

Andrew Rassweiler of iSuppli predicted the PS3 may be able to break even in 2009 with further hardware revisions.

Just so we’re clear, the good news here is that Sony may soon stop selling the PS3 at a loss, not that it will somehow “break even” on overall PS3 costs. If these figures are correct, however, Sony still loses $50 for each console it sells. Not counting packaging and royalty expenses.

Sounds like a gangbuster business to me. :)

I mention in my Windows 7 Beta review that I don’t have a Device Stage compatible device so I can’t test that feature.  But I was told via email by Andrew that the Sansa Clip works, and sure enough, I do have one of those. Here’s a shot:

Nice!

I thought they were going to wait for CES for this, but I’m happy to report that I’ve been using one of these second-gen MediaSmart Servers for a few months now and they’re a huge improvement over an already-excellent product. I’ll have a review up in very early January.

HP Launches New Home Server for PCs and Macs

HP MediaSmart Server centralizes digital media and files for backup, remote access, sharing and uploading to social media sites

Dec. 29, 2008 – HP today launched a home server designed for use with both Windows and Mac computers.
Based on the Microsoft Windows Home Server platform, the HP MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 is a central repository for automatically backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos and documents from multiple computers on a home network.

The MediaSmart Server automatically organizes files across all PCs, streams media across a home network and the Internet,(2) and publishes photos to popular social networking and photo sharing sites.
“A growing number of digital-savvy households have both Windows and Mac computers, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of media files and documents scattered across these devices,” said Jason Zajac, vice president of strategy, Worldwide Attach Group, HP. “The HP MediaSmart Server protects, stores and organizes this content from anywhere on a network so consumers can access and share it any place they are connected.”

“HP continues to innovate on the Windows Home Server platform giving consumers even more options to enjoy and protect their precious memories and valuable data,” said Charlie Kindel, general manager, Windows Server Solutions, Microsoft. “We believe consumers will embrace the new MediaSmart Server as one of the most exciting computing products for the home.”

MediaSmart Server ex485/ex487 features include:

• HP Media Collector: conveniently schedules the MediaSmart Server to copy and centralize digital files and libraries from networked PCs
• Media Streaming: remotely streams photos and music to any Internet-connected PC or Mac
• Server for iTunes: centralizes iTunes music libraries on the server for playback to any networked Mac or PC running iTunes
• HP Photo Publisher: easily upload photos to Facebook, Picasa Web Albums and Snapfish
• HP Photo Viewer: allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family
• PC Hard Drive Backup: backs up networked PCs via the Windows Home Server backup feature
• Mac Hard Drive Backup: backs up Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software
• Server Backup: duplicates designated shared folders to a separate hard disk drive
• Online Backup: duplicates designated folders to Amazon’s S3 online backup service for an additional layer of protection
• Smart Power Management: can schedule times for server to go to ”sleep” and ”wake up,” saving on energy costs
• Processor: Intel Celeron, 2.0 GHz 64-bit. Two gigabytes (GB) of 800-MHz DDR2 DRAM now standard on MediaSmart Server
• Expandability: additional drives can be added for up to 9 terabytes (TB)

"Customers are always looking for the right mix of features and ease-of-use when choosing digital home products," said Danielle Levitas, group vice president, consumer, broadband and digital marketplace at IDC. "HP's focus and investment in software allows it to deliver a home server with compelling features for Mac and PC users while offering a great customer experience that helps simplify the complexity of the connected home. This unique offering will help expand the home server market."

Pricing and availability

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the HP MediaSmart Server ex485 with 750 GB of hard disk storage is $599 while the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 with 1.5 TB is $749.(4)

The HP MediaSmart Server can be pre-ordered beginning on Jan. 5, 2009, from Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com, Frys.com and NewEgg.com; it is expected to ship in February.

The first 200 consumers who visit HP Home & Home Office (www.hpshopping.com) or call +1 888 271 2982 between Jan. 5 - 11, 2009, to reserve a MediaSmart Server and use coupon code “AC5674” will receive a $50 savings off their purchase.

Good stuff. If you’ve been waiting on Windows Home Server, your wait is now rewarded.

I should have posted this days ago, but it’s been so crazy with the holidays. Bryant over at AeroExperience has posted an excellent interview with Windows Azure lead Amitabh Srivastava.

How would you define “cloud computing?”

Amitabh: Microsoft believes the cloud is fundamentally about enabling the developer eco-system to reduce complexity of delivering software. Today, as an industry, we have made some strides, but most of that innovation has come around removing the complexity of installing, maintaining and optimizing hardware. We think that there is a huge opportunity to move beyond hardware, and remove the complexity of the application platform itself; letting customers focus on their applications and end user experiences.

What kind of customers are you targeting with the release of Windows Azure?

Amitabh: Windows Azure was designed with developers in mind. This is about enabling developers within ISVs, System Integrators and businesses to quickly and easily create, deploy, manage, and distribute web applications and services.

What was Windows “Strata?”

Amitabh: Microsoft often uses code names for products during their early developmental phases. Strata was the code name for “Azure”

There’s a lot more at the source interview, of course. Check it out.