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Cupertino, CA - The ongoing cut-throat rivalry between Apple and
Microsoft has been raised another notch this week.
 Stealing
thunder from Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, whose new MSN Radio Plus
seeks to mimic the success of Apple's on-line "music store" iTunes,
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs has introduced the Macintosh P4
laptop to compete with Microsoft's iLoo portable workstation.
Targeting the company's younger artsy market, the P4 maintains Macintosh's
tradition of elegant simplicity, ease-of-use and cutting-edge product
design.
The P4 offers larger storage capacity - the 64-oz. model will cost
$2,995 - and comes in Indigo, Ruby, Sage and Snow (colors are subject
to availability).
As always, Apple's strategy will be to appeal to people who "think
outside the can."
Gates was in South Dakota last month, promoting his MSN Public Access
Network (PAN). "It's important to make sure internet bathroom
facilities become universally available," said Gates, who added
that he spends "several hours a day" on the toilet.
The PAN was one of 14 that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
is donating to the Watertown Public Library.
Apple isn't taking Microsoft's challenge to iTunes lightly. Jobs
is currently in negotiations with Procter and Gamble to develop a
waterproof wireless MP3 system for another huge crossover market:
people who sing in the shower.
"It will be a marriage of karaoke and soap-on-a-rope," explained
Hilary Rosen, chief executive officer of the Recording Industry Association
of America.
This story originally appeared at The
Specious Report
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