Format Wars

With all the recent news about more and more content providers making video available online, a disturbing trend seems to be happening. Mac users are being left out in the cold when it comes to access to this media. Many providers are requiring more recent versions of Windows Media Player than are available on the Mac. Sites such as Yahoo and NBC are two that I've come across that make it almost impossible for the growing number of Mac users to access.

While this alone isn't that notable in the large world of the web, it looks like more and more providers are having to choose sides in the platform debate. My opinion is that the success of the iPod and iTunes are causing some providers to rally together with competitive technologies. Now this isn't necessarily a new thing. Competition is usually good for innovation and whenever success occurs, there's always someone looking for a way to get in on the deal.

What is new is that for the first time, Microsoft is feeling the heat and doesn't like it. In the past, supporting the Mac for software companies was usually a question of profit potential. It appears now that there might be a few grudges creeping in to the mix about Apple's success. Plus with Apple moving to Intel, there's probably a feeling that Apple is capable of really challenging Microsoft's dominance in the next decade.

Some of this may also be due to how Apple tends to shut others out in sharing in their success. Apple doesn't sell music in iTunes that works with other MP3 players. Nor do the iPods support Windows Media Audio. While this doesn't pose a problem for me and my iPod, it's not out of the question to accuse Apple of playing dirty pool once in a while.

These format wars, while important to the media/content providers, just make it harder for us consumers to play along. In the end, it may not be about who wins, but that all of us can play together.