Microsoft releases Windows Media Player 9 for the Mac


With the
recent launch of iTunes
for Windows
, Microsoft has now released Windows Media Player 9 for the Macintosh.  The new Mac version of Windows Media player features a "brushed steel" skin designed to match Apple's OS X and most other Mac software.  The player also
includes a plug-in to support embedded windows media content in Internet
Explorer, Netscape and Apple's Safari browser.

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Microsoft claims on its website that this new Mac version of Windows Media Player 9 will give Macintosh users access to the best audio and video on the web.  The previous media player Microsoft provided for the Mac was version 7.1.  The new version adds support for the Windows Media 9 series.

Microsoft on Friday quietly released a new Macintosh version of its Windows Media Player software.

The company, which said in September that Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X was "coming soon," posted the software to its Web site on Friday. The new software follows the release of Apple's iTunes for Windows, which competes with the Windows version of Microsoft's media player.

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The new Mac version sports a "brushed steel" look designed to match the appearance of Apple's OS X operating system, and it has plug-in support to allow media files to be played from within Internet Explorer, Netscape and Apple's Safari browser.

"This new version of our player opens the world of Windows Media 9 content to Macintosh users, enabling them to access the best audio and video on the Web," Microsoft said on its Web site.

In June, Microsoft said it would stop developing new versions of Internet Explorer for the Mac because Apple had come out with its Safari browser. Although a five-year pact that required Microsoft to develop Mac software has ended, the software giant has continued to develop other software for the Mac and is currently working on a new version of Office for the Mac.

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Microsoft's previous Media Player was Version 7.1, which debuted in January 2002, with options for both Mac OS X and older systems, the company said. The company will continue to offer version 7.1 for older Macs.

The new player is available in English now. Microsoft said it plans to offer it in French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish during the week of Nov 10.

 

It is not clear if this Mac version of Microsoft's media player will also offer access to Microsoft's new music download service.  If so, then this will now be the second legal download service that is available to both Mac and Windows users.  It will be interesting to see what Macintosh users think of Windows Media 9 against their own MPEG-4 codec. 

Source: CNET Technology News

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