New and Noteworthy: Microsoft's iTunes Music Store; iPod the next pet rock

Microsoft's iTunes Music Store? David Pogue writes in the New York Times about Microsoft's new online music service, which looks suspiciously similar to Apple's iTunes Music Service: "Microsoft's site, derivative though it may be, looks nice and works well. For the Windows-only, non-iPod crowd, it joins Napster, Wal-Mart and others as a pleasant, if somewhat superfluous, addition." More.

iPod the next pet rock? Windows zealot Paul Thurrott makes yet another proclamation of doom for Apple: "In short, the future of digital entertainment is not just music, and only Microsoft and its hardware partners seem to have a handle on that. Furthermore, the future of music sales is with subscription?not a la carte?offerings. Apple is losing out in both cases by ignoring these crucial markets." More.

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