Apple recycles Media Center
I do hope the people who were so outraged about Microsoft ripping off Apple “innovations” – the Windows Vista interface, Microsoft Gadgets, etc. – are slamming Steve Jobs right now for Apple’s blatant (and frankly pretty lame) ripoff of Windows Media Center Edition, Front Row. After all the buzz earlier this year about what a cool media platform the Mac Mini would be, this is a big letdown.
Peter Near and Thomas Hawk both say, “Eh.” And Microsoft’s Charlie Owen has a similar first reaction:
Frankly, I’m underwhelmed — I really expected Apple to have much more to brag about, especially given their momentum with iPod over the last couple of years. Based on everything I’m seeing, Front Row doesn’t even have feature parity with the first version of Media Center released back in October 2002. No hint of a developer platform either — that’s a shame — I was really looking forward to dusting off my Mac coding skills again.
But don’t get me wrong — I do think this is a good thing. The halls here in Building 50 are buzzing with excitement (and yes, it’s positive excitement — we love this stuff). It’s classic Microsoft vs. Apple, and we haven’t really had that for a lonnnnnng time, and some of us miss that competition.
So, welcome back Apple, it’s good to see you again!
Yes, and the killer feature Charlie didn’t mention: There’s nothing from Apple that offers anything like the Media Center Extender.
It appears they’re going after the dorm room, not the living room.
[Cross Posted at Ed Bott's Windows Expertise]