Media Player development stop on Mac

According to the announcement made by Microsoft, will no loger update or develop new version of Microsoft Media Player for Mac OS.

This decision sounds resonalble for Microsoft. Microsoft Media Player is free, and their user base on Mac OS is small (about 4 percent). Apple's software is competing (direct or in-direct) with Microsoft's product, from media player (QuickTime, Windows Media Player) to office suite (MS Office, iWork).

Microsoft and Apple computer are parners and rivals for long time. Microsoft is a major application developer for Mac OS at the beginning, and later develop Windows operating system base on graphic user interface just like Mac OS. In 1997, when Steve Jobs came to Apple computer, he start new partnership with Microsoft. Microsoft start new development of IE (Internet Explorer) browser and Microsoft Office on Mac, but when Apple develop its own Safari browser, Microsoft stop its IE development on Mac.

Steve Jobs just announce at MacWorld 2006, a new 5 years contract with Microsoft to continue develop Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Unlike the media player, Microsoft Office is not free for Mac.

Mac OS X users can user Flip4Mac (a QuickTime plugins) to play Windows Media File format through QuickTime player.

Link:-
Microsoft to Stop Developing Media Software (for Macs), yahoo.
Microsoft to Phase Out Windows Media Player for Mac, technewsworld.com