Membranophonist's Ramblings

Apple adding WMA support?

Given Apple's involvement in the MPEG standards group, I can't see them adding support for Microsoft's proprietary media codecs.

Some argue that Apple will add it to support music purchased from other online stores. Aside from the paltry number of PressPlay and Rhapsody subscribers that existed before Apple launched the iTunes Music Store, how many people are there with pre-existing DRM protected files? There is also the matter of Apple having technical access to the DRM scheme used on files from other stores. No competitor is going to freely give Apple the ability to steal their customers.

Higher bitrate AAC files are a possibility, both for audio quality and marketing purposes. Most people know very little about audio encoding, thinking that the bigger the number, the better. Apple providing their new content at 160 or 192 Kbps would benefit consumers wanting better quality and allow Apple to market their store as providing superior content over that of its competitors.