Microsoft has at last confirmed plans that it will launch its own music-download shop next year, putting it on the path to direct competition with Apple Computer’s iTunes and a growing list of rival digital song stores.
With unequalled software reach, Microsoft’s entry into the market will almost necessarily create a splash larger than that of virtually any other company, despite being as much as a year behind Apple and others. But the company’s service is also certain to be closely scrutinised by antitrust regulators who are already examining its music policies with a microscope.
The plans also represent a change in direction that has left some of Microsoft’s own customers feeling betrayed. When Apple’s store launched last year, Microsoft publicly stated it had no plans to compete directly, preferring instead to let other stores use Microsoft technology for their own efforts.
But those assurances changed over the course of the last few months, rivals said.
