Pros
Incredible playback on either platform

Cons
One has a cool new interface, the other is from 1995

Feature parity is a big buzzword these days. And for some programs, we get it. For others, we get a mixed bag of feature no-shows and necessary interface changes. And for with Media Player 7, we have a weird new chapter in strange differences. But it will take some explanation

Microsoft has a strange sense of humor when it comes to releasing products. When it has a program with no real competition (Word, Excel), they produce some of the greatest applications I’ve ever seen. However, when somebody comes up with something better, the fellas in Redmond get nervous and push out some crappy stuff.

So what is taking me three paragraphs to get to? A review with a mix of good and bad. PC good, Mac bad. Let me explain.

Besides forcing me to write a paragraph with two fragments in it, my opinion on Windows Media Player is really not about the player, but the company making it. Don’t get me wrong, I am a Mac-user, and I have done my levelheaded best at Microsoft bashing, but this product is not bad. It has impressive features on the PC side, but the Mac version is behind the times.

On both platforms, the playback is excellent. It is almost up there with Apple’s cross-platform QuickTime, and waaaaaaay better than evil RealPlayer. Got no problem with that. My problem is with what I alluded to in paragraph 2. There is no real way of Windows playing a lot of standard format sounds without the media player. While QuickTime can play all those formats, and more, Apple doesn’t have the installed user base of Windows PCs.

So, from a practical standpoint, no competition. And like I said before, no competitors, great app. My only complaint is that the "Windows Media Player for Macintosh" version 6.3 is nowhere near the PC version interface-wise, and it still requires QuickTime.

Recommended
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 0.00 American