Microsoft Not Immune to iPod Frenzy
Microsoft employees aren't being true to their school. At least that's what a high level Redmond executive who chose to remain anonymous told Wired on Wednesday. According to the source, people walking around Microsoft's campus can be seen with the trademark white headphones of Apple's iPod - and it's getting under the skin of management.
"About 80 percent of Microsoft employees who have a portable music player have an iPod," the source told Wired. "It irks the management team to no end."
Apparently, even Microsoft employees are not immune to the allure of the sleek iPod, which commands 65 percent of the portable player market and its iTunes Music Store 70 percent of online music sales, according to Apple.
Management has even gone so far as to send out memos discouraging the player's use on campus, causing some employees to switch out the headphones in order to remain undercover. "These guys are really quite scared," the source said. "Even though it's Microsoft, no one is interested in what we have to offer, even our own employees."
Mary Jo Foley, author of the Microsoft Watch newsletter, says she is seeing increased mentions and of the iPod and its features on Microsoft blogs.
Microsoft employee Chris Andersen recently wrote in his web log, "I picked [the iPod] up two days ago, and since have been in process of converting our 3000+ songs from WMA to MP3. I decided that I wasn't going to ever again rip to a proprietary format. I want my music where I want it, not where Microsoft or Apple dictates."
Robert Scoble, Microsoft's appointed evangelist blogger, recently wrote a public letter to Bill Gates complaining about Microsoft's lack of cool when it comes to Windows Media. "Even I want an iPod," Scoble wrote.
Wired reports that it has gotten to the point where e-mails were being sent out alerting to new shipments of the iPod at a local Apple store. However, that effort was quickly squashed by inside proponents of Microsoft's technology.
The manager said he himself owns an iPod and doesn't hide its use, no matter how others inside Microsoft feel. "If you want me to stop using it, give me a product that works and is as easy to use," he told Wired.
Neither Apple nor Microsoft would comment on the situation.