JJohnson
Banned
Apple's iPod is copied by Microsoft in August 2002, and called Zune, quickly followed by a color screen two years later. In 2003, Creative launches its own line to compete with Microsoft and Apple. By 2004, a three-way race evolved with Apple, Microsoft, and Creative each attempting to outdo each other in player abilities. Creative had the first photo viewer to allow gif and jpeg, while Microsoft's player became the first to allow wmv and avi files. Apple struggled to catch up with the video iPod, but the building momentum on the Zune culminated in the Zune Phone of March 2007, the big media event of that year.
Apple's thunder was stolen yet again by an aggressive Microsoft, whose touch-screen Zune phone and Zune store allowed customers to buy music or subscribe to music channels over wifi, and make calls while using Office Mobile on their phones, all while using wireless keyboards or the onscreen touch-keyboard.
In a close second, the audiophile choice, Creative's Zen X-Fi player, with wide compatibility, including Divx and Xvid files, and ogg/flaac support, make it a favorite amongst people with a wide variety of files. Apple did eventually release an iPhone in fall of 2007, but it was now seen as a copycat of Microsoft's successful Zune phone, and couldn't stem the tide. Apple had fumbled, and Microsoft recovered against the almost-cool-again Apple to become the 'in' company of 2008. Apple's sales have slid since 2004, and it's new OS X 10.4 has been delayed, with rumors of its shelving for touch-screen functionality to be built in.
Meanwhile, Windows Avalon, with its WinFS file system and fancy multi-touch interface, first seen in MS Surface, has wowed consumers in laptops and desktops for the third straight quarter since release in 2008.
What if the iPod had won? Would Apple be able to do something without fumbling it again?
(OOC: I hope this is how DBWI is done)
Apple's thunder was stolen yet again by an aggressive Microsoft, whose touch-screen Zune phone and Zune store allowed customers to buy music or subscribe to music channels over wifi, and make calls while using Office Mobile on their phones, all while using wireless keyboards or the onscreen touch-keyboard.
In a close second, the audiophile choice, Creative's Zen X-Fi player, with wide compatibility, including Divx and Xvid files, and ogg/flaac support, make it a favorite amongst people with a wide variety of files. Apple did eventually release an iPhone in fall of 2007, but it was now seen as a copycat of Microsoft's successful Zune phone, and couldn't stem the tide. Apple had fumbled, and Microsoft recovered against the almost-cool-again Apple to become the 'in' company of 2008. Apple's sales have slid since 2004, and it's new OS X 10.4 has been delayed, with rumors of its shelving for touch-screen functionality to be built in.
Meanwhile, Windows Avalon, with its WinFS file system and fancy multi-touch interface, first seen in MS Surface, has wowed consumers in laptops and desktops for the third straight quarter since release in 2008.
What if the iPod had won? Would Apple be able to do something without fumbling it again?
(OOC: I hope this is how DBWI is done)