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Apple, Microsoft drive digital agenda

Time: 10:31 EST/15:31 GMT | News Source: InfoWorld | Posted By: Todd Richardson

INVESTING IN THE emerging digital platform, Microsoft and Apple have launched into the new year with strategies that signal what some believe represent the next wave of IT innovation. Keynote addresses by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco on Tuesday and by Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gate at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Wednesday this week surfaced divergent approaches to the digital revolution that analysts believe will ultimately reshape the use and delivery of enterprise applications.

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#1 By 3653 (65.190.70.73) at 1/11/2003 12:59:05 PM

adding Apple into the header is a disservice. Apple is a Windows cloner.

#2 By 11888 (64.230.25.146) at 1/11/2003 2:40:30 PM

http://www.slideshowplayers.com/files/Look_At_Me_demo.mp3

#3 By 2332 (65.221.182.3) at 1/11/2003 10:09:27 PM

I would say that while Apple certainly made the initial push into Digital Media as a center piece for computing, Microsoft has been leading the way recently.

With the release of the Media Center PC (which is light years ahead of anything Apple is currently offering), their new portable audio/video player (which Apple also announced), and Windows Movie Maker 2 (which, again, is comparable if not superior to iLife when combined with XP), Microsoft has show in means business.

All that, along with Windows Media 9, which as far as I can tell rocks (I was able to stream a 496k/s movie with NO BUFFERING over a line capable of no more than about 120k/s), I think Microsoft has the lead for now.

#4 By 2332 (65.221.182.3) at 1/11/2003 11:32:33 PM

#5 - Well, it's a $1500 PC that does almost everything 90%+ of computer users need, plus it has DVR and various other media capabilities... so I would say quite a few.

Evidently, CompUSA customers agree:

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,106466,00.asp

"The HP Media Center PC was the number one best-selling PC in Comp USA stores this weekend"

I don't think they intend it to be a number 1 seller... it's a niche market, but a large market nontheless. At any rate, it's something that nobody else has right now, and that was my point.

#5 By 442 (65.33.152.78) at 1/12/2003 11:06:27 AM

In response to #4, I seiously hope you're joking. I recently had the chance to download and test out the new Windows Movie Maker 2 on a friends PC. First off, iMovie 3 looks like a high end film studio compared to this latest attempt from Microsoft.

* There are "Wizard" like guides that walk the user through many steps. The first time or so this can be fine, however, once you know what you are doing they really get in the way and slow you down. It's a long multi-step process just to change the color of text in a title.

* There are a few nice titles and transitions in the application such as a very cool one that looks like glass shattering. However, you can't change ANY of the properties of how they act. Basically, you're stuck with the "canned" transitions and that's it. The same goes for video effects.

* Microsoft seems to have not understood what a transition is and what an effect is. They have fade-in and fade-out in the effects section. These are transitions, NOT effects. This can be confusing after a person learns more about video editing and begins to wonder why WMM has different names for things.

* Switching between the timeline and story-board view is jarring to say the least. The bottom section jumps around a bit when going between the different views and it's difficult to zoom in or out.

* You can not import QuickTime movies or MPEG 4 files. Nor can you save your finished product to any other format besides Windows Media. This means no DVD authoring from within the application. The only decent way to export your movie would be to a camera for VHS dubs.

* You can import still pictures and create a nice slide show. However, you can only zoom in or out of those photos. There is no panning and zooming "Ken Burns Effect" as in iMovie 3. Yes, there is the Plus! pack that does something similar, however you need to go into multips apps in Windows to get the same thing iMovie provides in a single window. iLife is highly integrated making it easier to do these tasks.

* There is only one track for audio. The second track is reserved for the sound from your video footage. You would not be able to do narration or sound effects on video unless you want to do it over a silent backdrop. One audio track is a severe limitation in my opinion.

* And finally, when I exported my 28 second clip to a finished Windows Media File it took almost 90 seconds to complete the export. This was done on a brand new Compaq laptop with plenty of RAM and a speedy CPU. Not very impressive.

So there's my take on Windows Movie Maker. It's not terrible, it's just not as easy as iMovie, has far fewer features, takes longer to accomplish the same tasks, is very limiting in what you can do, and has a confusing interface during some processes (titles for example). Take a look at what the new iMovie 3 has to offer and it's very sad to see Windows Movie Maker.

As far as the Media Center PC goes, let's see how they take off before they're declared a victory. I'm a little confused as to how an WinXP and MM2 are so amazing in your eyes. It's just an OS and ONE application. Comparing that to iLife, a highly integrated suite of digital media tools, is laughable.

Perhaps you should stop in an Apple store and try the apps before you ridicule them. That's what I did with MM2 so I'd have an accurate frame of reference. As I mentioned above, I was not impressed.

This post was edited by jaredbkt on Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 11:07.

#6 By 135 (208.50.206.187) at 1/12/2003 12:38:02 PM

jaredbkt - Sigh...

Does iMovie support the import and export of movies from Windows Media? No. So why do you bring up Quicktime, an Apple format?

Now according to Microsoft's website, MM2 includes more effects and transitions than iMovie. I don't know, could it be that you decided to pick one transition that Apple had Microsoft didn't, while ignoring others?

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/comparison.asp

Microsoft also claims you can publish to the web, and iMovie has no wizards, and such. Could it be that MM2 does things iMovie does not? Does that mean if you knew MM2 really well, and you went and looked at iMovie you wouldn't like it? Maybe you don't have a camcorder with DV but still want to use it? Oh dear, I think we might have found your problem...

I know your game... when I was an Amiga zealot we'd do goofy things like format floppy disks while trying to do other work. This was really impressive to us, for some reason.

Being an zealot is a disease, go seek help from a doctor.

#7 By 2332 (65.221.182.3) at 1/12/2003 12:42:40 PM

#8 - Well, I can't really respond to your claims about WMM2, since I've never used it. I've only read reviews, like the one here:

http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/wmm2.asp

"As far as the Media Center PC goes, let's see how they take off before they're declared a victory."

Yes, but sales do not always corrispond to what is the best product, as Mac fans will undoubtedly agree.

"I'm a little confused as to how an WinXP and MM2 are so amazing in your eyes. It's just an OS and ONE application. Comparing that to iLife, a highly integrated suite of digital media tools, is laughable."

Well, that "OS" part has a helluva lot of stuff in it. XP already has a great deal of digital media tools built directly into the OS. With the addition of the Plus Pack (review: http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/windowsxp_plus_dme.asp), I don't see anything that the Mac has that Windows doesn't... with the exception of iDVD.

In addition, there is the cost factor (although that is minor). WMM2 = free, Plus Pack = 20 bucks. iLife = 50 bucks.

Really, the only advantage I see iLife having over XP/WMM2/Plus Pack is iDVD. It seems like a cool product, although it still only supports Apple DVD drives. But since the vast majority of users don't have DVD writers yet, that won't be a big issue for at least another year.

#8 By 11888 (64.230.78.111) at 1/12/2003 12:43:41 PM

I agree, Microsoft's stuff always feels clunky. On paper the cool stuff is there, but if it's not nice to use, what's the point? I haven't tried WMP 9 yet, but I always found WMP confusing on how the UI would change based on whether my pointer was over the window or not.

#9 By 2332 (65.221.182.3) at 1/12/2003 12:43:43 PM

#8 - "Perhaps you should stop in an Apple store and try the apps before you ridicule them."

Oh, and when did I redicule them? I simply said I thought XP had the advantage for now. Being a bit on the defensive, aren't you?

#10 By 2332 (65.221.182.3) at 1/12/2003 12:45:13 PM

#11 - "I always found WMP confusing on how the UI would change based on whether my pointer was over the window or not."

You can turn that off pretty easy. I also use the classic skin.

#11 By 442 (65.33.152.78) at 1/12/2003 2:23:37 PM

To #10:

"In addition, there is the cost factor (although that is minor). WMM2 = free, Plus Pack = 20 bucks. iLife = 50 bucks."

Actually, if you read Apple's site, you'd find out that iMovie, iTunes, and iPhoto are FREE downloads. The upgrade to iDVD is $49 which includes all of the other digital media apps on the CD.

Also, anyone that bought a Mac on January 7th or later gets a FREE up-to-date CD with ALL of the iLife apps on it. Please do a little research before you post.

#12 By 442 (65.33.152.78) at 1/12/2003 2:30:18 PM

Let's also not forget that...

* There are no DVD chapter markers in MovieMaker 2 at all. You can have up to 36 in iMovie 3.

* Want to put your finished product onto a DVD? Better find a application then because MM2 doesn't come with one even if you have a DVD burne! You'll also have to export your movie which is a long process. iMovie simply tranfers your video in seconds to iDVD for instant work on your menus and burning.

Why should MM2 include QT and MPEG 4 support? Because they are industry standards. More content is created and edited using QuickTime than any other format. There were LOADS of QT and MPEG4 files that I could not add to my movie in MM2 becuse of this limitation. By Microsoft NOT allowing me to import whatever video footage I like they are limiting their product.

Please tell me what digital media tools XP has in it that are so great? Although I do like the "filmstrip" view for folders containing pictures, I can't seem to think of any other features? Keep in mind that ALL images in OS X are displayed an thumbnails anywhere in the system. And you can enlarge them to 128x128 in size for very easy viewing. Are you referring to having those "quick links" in the Task Pane for adding folders and sening email photos? iPhoto has all of those integrated tools into it for one click web publishing, one click email sending with photos, and more.

#13 By 442 (68.54.77.99) at 1/12/2003 9:41:24 PM

"iMovie doesn't burn DVDs either, you want to burn DVDs, buy a DVD burner and you get the software!"

If you actually read what I wrote you'd see that I was referring to how iMovie works seamlessly with iDVD to create your DVD. If you have a DVD burner equpied Mac, iDVD is included as a FREE application. Nice try :-)

"MM2 is not meant as an advanced tool with dvd features. It's a tool to create basic movies, nothing else."

That's exactly my point. Some people seem to think that MM2 is this amazing video editing tool when in fact, as you have just stated, it's a very basic video editing tool. And I do mean VERY basic. iMovie kills it hands down.

Why would Apple not allow other people to use their video codecs? All that would do is promote their codec even more which is why MS WILL NOT licence it. It has nothing to do with Apple not letting them.

"XP has basic tools, you want serious tools you need other software, same on the Mac, you can't rely on iMovie if you want to do professional movies."

I wasn't talking about pro video editing. We're speaking about consumer and pro-sumer digital media tools. For that the Mac, as usual, beats Windows. Windows is a great tool for accountants, not artists or anyone trying to work with digital media.

#14 By 2459 (24.233.39.98) at 1/12/2003 11:40:49 PM

Ya know, if I were even moderatly serious about movie creation/editing and price/functionality were really such an issue, why bother spending $1,000+ more than the cost of a better PC for a Mac, when I could use that $1,000+ for higher-end crearion/editing tools from companies like Adobe, Pennicle, or Avid?

Why would Apple not allow other people to use their video codecs?

Because Apple wants to promote their Player, and because their is an exclusivity clause in the Quicktime format license that I referred to in the other thread.

Content from other thread:

Taken from Apple's QT5 File Format License Agreement, Page 2:
http://developer.apple.com/mkt/swl/pdf/QT5FileFormat.pdf

2.2 Exclusivity If Licensee wishes to enable Licensee Products to Author and Read digital Video files then Licensee agrees that the QuickTime File Format will be the exclusive file format used for such authoring and reading of digital Video files in Licensee Products.

-------------------
BTW, in the consumer space, QT is nowhere near being standard except on Macs. With the building number of devices that support Windows Media, and it's availability to other platforms, shouldn't you ask why iMovie/Apple has no support for Windows Media. The iPod, for example, is virtually the only digital audio player in its class with no WMA support.

This post was edited by n4cer on Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 23:47.

#15 By 4240821 (45.149.82.86) at 10/26/2023 4:26:43 AM