Microsoft rebrands PlaysForSure to Certified For Windows Vista, confuses world

Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM just took another step closer to the grave with the help of some rebranding. Those of you with players from SanDisk, Nokia, and Creative among others, looking for compatible music from Napster, Real Rhapsody, Yahoo Music, Wal-Mart and such must now look for the "Certified for Windows Vista" logo, not PlaysForSure. Of course, Microsoft's Zune is also certified for Windows Vista, just not certified for Windows Vista so it won't play back the same protected files. Man, could DRM get any more consumer unfriendly?

[Thanks, Andrew]

[Grizz @ Dec 12th 2007 7:45AM]

Dumb.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 12th 2007 8:15AM]

DRM is the abbreviation of DRAMA

[superfresh @ Dec 12th 2007 8:18AM]

Or DHARMA...come back to me Lost!

[bondsbw @ Dec 12th 2007 8:57AM]

Actually, it's "Digital Raining Money". Or so they want to believe.

[Zoesch @ Dec 12th 2007 10:49AM]

More like Didn't Rain Money/Do Rabid Marketing

[Owen @ Dec 13th 2007 7:27PM]

more like do loafing, or Franklin Delano loafing

[Byzil Mystwing @ Dec 12th 2007 7:46AM]

"Certified for Windows Vista" just seems so bunk.. it's like a label they slap on anything to sell it. I've seen USB cables "Certified for Windows Vista" priced over non-certified ones.. monitors, headphones, keyboards, USB drives, modems, you name it, they'll put "Vista Certified" on it and up the price a bit.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 12th 2007 8:20AM]

"CERTIFIED FOR WINDOWS VISTA" is neccessary because Vista doesn't work well with a wide range of peripherals. My uncle for example bought an HP laptop pre-loaded with Windows XP. When he bought Vista Home Premium, Vista stopped the laptop from working with the built-in webcamera and the USB mouse, his Win TV and his USB race wheel.

Circuit City and Best Buy absolutely MUST push their products together because when lay consumers come to purchase a computer, they expect that everything will work right out of the box. If BBY or CC sold a USB product that''s been in the store for a long time, it is likely not to work with VISTA which thereby suggests any product they will sell should have the "VISTA CERTIFIED" logo.

By the way, When ZUNE was first released, it didn't work with "Plays for Sure" until the patches came later.

[michas_pi @ Dec 12th 2007 9:04AM]

@Flashpoint

The Zune never supported PlaysForSure.

[andyo @ Dec 12th 2007 9:56AM]

And also, there are such things called DRIVERS. They control peripherals in different OS environments. New OS, new drivers.

[bob e @ Dec 12th 2007 7:47AM]

I don't many will be confused by this and if anything it provides a level of clarification. With "Certified for Windows Vista" the consumer knows this product will work with their new Vista PC.

[Grizz @ Dec 12th 2007 7:49AM]

So it will not work on XP?

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Dec 12th 2007 8:39AM]

Stop playing dumb. M$ uses every chance to remind people that there is Vista here. And uses its usual OEM channels for /free/ PR.

Do they want to confuse everybody about status of XP support? - of course, that's intentional.

M$ is driven by sales people. XP is sold already. XP is long passed to them. Now they are on selling Vista. Business as usual.

[Richie @ Dec 12th 2007 7:49AM]

Wow, how to confuse everyone still using XP and Napster happily...

[w @ Dec 12th 2007 8:04AM]

when will they realise that their marketing department is a big turd?

[Andy S. @ Dec 12th 2007 9:41AM]

Maybe about the time that they realize that the Zune, Windows Vista, and DRM in general are also all giant steaming turds in their own right?

[Constable Odo @ Dec 15th 2007 12:00PM]

Who uses PlayForShyte nowadays? Isn't that stuff long dead and gone? Just have everyone move to iTunes and following the bouncing iPod.

It's just fine being lowest-ranked so knock yourself out, people. It's the only weak power you've got in this world.

[Bernhard @ Dec 12th 2007 8:07AM]

Not to forget that WMP 11 can't even back up your licenses in case you need a reformat... Where's my limewire, I am in the mood for some "File Sharing".

[Allan @ Dec 12th 2007 8:08AM]

As much as DRM totally blows... I wouldn't say that it's ALL of it that is confusing. It just seems that anything Microsoft touches that's DRM related becomes more and more confusing every week.

[John R @ Dec 12th 2007 8:09AM]

"CERTIFIED FOR WINDOWS VISTA..... (and nothing else)"

[dataminer49er @ Dec 12th 2007 8:11AM]

DRM needs to DIE

[Flashpoint @ Dec 12th 2007 8:13AM]

Another STUPID mistake by Microsoft which only loses more customers to iTunes.

Most of the time I own DRM protected content, I spend trying to figure out ways to break the DRM and use it unlawfully anyway.

[Tiptup300 @ Dec 12th 2007 8:13AM]

"Man, could DRM get any more consumer unfriendly?"

Yes, yes it will.

[Bobs @ Dec 12th 2007 8:14AM]

Hmm, you know, my cheep noname MP3 player from fry's isnt play for sure or whatever its called, so the songs i had bought wouldnt work on it. when DRM forces customers to use another service that supports the device, or worse, pirate the songs, you know its gone too far.

[Bobs @ Dec 12th 2007 8:16AM]

i doubt many people will make the jump to itunes, it only offically supports ipods, and you gotta use WMP to transer the songs. I see more people making the jump to something like bittorrent or something else that supports a wider range of devices.

[Gian @ Dec 12th 2007 8:21AM]

Remind me again how Apple doesn't care about its customers.

Seems to me, Microsoft Windows Vista is about as successful as Windows ME, and Microsoft is trying to brand anything it can to support adoption of Vista.

Let me help out the Apple-bashing Microsoft lovers: Redmond=dreary, Cupertino=sunny. Don't get me wrong. I love the Northwest. I used to live there. And I can assure you, the weather can affect people's moods. Depressed software architects result in crappy designs. What can I say? Microsoft should relocate and embrace a Unix-based kernel. :-)

[BobTurbo @ Dec 12th 2007 8:31AM]

All software architects are depressed.

[Andir3.0 @ Dec 12th 2007 8:45AM]

Embracing a *nix kernel means Microsoft would have to start competing fairly. That's not going to happen any time soon.

[Constable Odo @ Dec 12th 2007 8:48AM]

Microsoft loves all of its customers. That's how M$ became the most powerful software company in the world. Their great generosity to the little user paid off. PFS for Vista will go down in history of being one of the finest DRMs ever created for the masses just as Vista is.

What's confusing about PFS? It's as simple as choosing which Vista to use.
There's only about six versions of Vista. Far less than ice cream flavors at your local supermarket.

Dammit! Vista and Zunes are poised to take over the world if people would just shut the eff up. Peripheral drivers are nothing. Just buy the peripherals that work with Vista. Just because Vista runs slower than WinXP it doesn't mean it sucks. Well maybe it does suck, but it's more secure. (Don't) GIVE UP ON VISTA!

Who the hell am I kidding? GET A MAC AND ITUNES, M$ FANBOYS. Lose the shyte and get the shizzle.

As for DRM, I'm putting my Transmission into overdrive. Long live BT.

[MacVicta @ Dec 12th 2007 8:56AM]

Apple doesn't care about its customers, Gian, because they didn't issue a software update that gives the iPod 5.5G a touchscreen.

[MasterCKO @ Dec 12th 2007 1:54PM]

Vista is as successful as ME? What the hell are you smoking?

[rooshma @ Dec 12th 2007 11:49PM]

Redmond kicks ass, not sure where you went

[Travis @ Dec 12th 2007 8:52AM]

I have an easy solution, go out and buy a physical CD and rip it at lossless or 320. Or buy from Amazon. Then you will have no problems because it is both Mac and PC compatible and will play on every portable device.

In other news, my Zune 80 arrived this week and I have been immersing myself in the world of Zune both software and hardware. This is where it's at. Both are great as far as I am concerned.

So as far as I am concerned go Microsoft! DRM is not something they have created so much as a world they live in as dictated by the turds over at the RIAA. I hope they spin off the Zune and gaming unit. Give Jay Allard more power and let him make shit cool.

[Backlin @ Dec 13th 2007 8:55PM]

I've found that the price of the CD has risen, but you also get better sound quality. Most DRM tunes I've found are only encoded in 128kbps, it's a shame. GO ZUNE! And, the Zune Marketplace has DRM-FREE tracks.

[john @ Dec 12th 2007 9:07AM]

just use xp that's it

[JayMonster @ Dec 12th 2007 9:19AM]

Just another reason, I am more than happy that all the music I have purchased is from Amazon, and is DRM free. I will let Microsoft and Apple play their games all they want and hopefully when the record labels learn that this DRM is costing them customers (and money) they will finally give up on this stupid endevour.

[Rob @ Dec 12th 2007 9:26AM]

Just another way for MS to make you believe that you MUST get Vista, otherwise your music, and your new player, would not work. I can't stand the garbage MS comes out with at times. It's an MP3 file that has some DRM with it. There's no need to change the name of the DRM compatibility just because they want to shove down our throats an OS version people are not that interested in at the moment.

[Mike @ Dec 12th 2007 9:35AM]

Whoda thunk Microsoft had so many feet they could shoot themselves in?

6-ish generations of iPods and Apple's music DRM still works and hasn't changed to impact the user one whit.

[dcny @ Dec 12th 2007 9:46AM]

Micrsoft must be slowly trying to kill plays for sure and confusing the hell out of people along the way.

I think they should just combine all features of zune software and windows media player and then make the new windows media player that only syncs with zune

drop plays for sure from windows media player and make seperate program for plays for sure like first zune software. let mp3 player manufacturers include it and allow it to be downloaded on microsoft website. have plays for sure media player that syncs with plays for sure devices. and completely seperate plays for sure from windows media player

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Dec 12th 2007 10:17AM]

That's about as confusing as the name change.

[palehorse @ Dec 12th 2007 11:58AM]

¿QUE?

[dcny @ Dec 12th 2007 12:00PM]

im saying why does micrsoft give there own product the crappy zune software and plays for sure gets the good windows media player software it should be the other way around.

give plays for sure the crappy software and the better software for the zune as a way to draw people away from the plays for sure to the zune, just let manufacturers make there own software that works with plays for sure

[spyboy @ Dec 12th 2007 10:12AM]

Certified for Vista is just the Kosher of computer products, adds to the price and means absolutely nothing.

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Dec 12th 2007 10:16AM]

I would have loved to be in the meeting where MSFT thought up the name change. I'll bet it was during an off-site meeting at a bar.

[Timothy Bevil @ Dec 12th 2007 10:24AM]

I agree, Microsoft is confusing the world. I bought a Zune and foolishly thought either Napster or URGE would work on it. I was an existing member of Napster, but subscribed to URGE simply because it was tied in to WMP11 and I assumed it would work on the ZUNE. Wrong. I'm stuck with Napster, cancelled URGE and subscribed to Zune Marketplace. Totally ridiculous.

[ratnikh @ Dec 12th 2007 10:28AM]

I don't really see reason for all the fuss. This is Microsoft's attempt to give Vista wider brand recognition in the retail market for people who don't know better. It's no different than Apple branding everything they own. The potential for confusion is certainly no greater than that generated by all the different iPod versions and compatibility issues between various versions of the Mac operating system and Mac hardware. Apple users don't live in some shiny "all software works on all Macs" world despite what some people might lead others to believe. And iTunes, nice as it is, isn't free from DRM tyranny just yet. Yes options are becoming available, and workarounds abound, but that does not equal "DRM Free" yet. For now iTunes is no better in the DRM arena, and others are quickly taking up the slack. Amazon is becoming a very viable DRM-Free player with competitive costs.

Stupid users need brand/logo assurance. Smarter users look a bit deeper and fend for themselves. Microsoft already softened their initial stance on phasing out XP, but they have made a cmmitment, however half-assed, to branding Vista. Individual hardware vendors will no doubt label their products XP compatible as well so long as they remain so. They want sales, and they will aim for the wides tuser base.

[MasterCKO @ Dec 12th 2007 1:57PM]

thanks for saying that.

[WontPlayForsure @ Dec 12th 2007 12:11PM]

PlayForSure was a farce and a fraud to begin with. My dad's
eyesight is going so he was interested in Audio books from the
local library. Like most libraries in the US these days, his
local library uses NetLibrary (*cough*microsoft shill*cough*).
The instructions say that they can be used on any PlayForSure
certified player - great, just what he needs. He bought a
PlayForSure certified player (SanDisk, IIRC) and could not
get it to work. I looked into it and sure enough, the SanDisk
does not play the audiobook form. Yet it is certified!
So it was really MaybeItWillPlay-FeelLuckyPunk certified.

"The large print giveth, the small print taketh away"
- Tom Waits

[Loonie @ Dec 12th 2007 1:10PM]

Well, "Plays-for-Sure" was a pretty damn strange nomenclature to begin with...

[Matt @ Dec 12th 2007 1:43PM]

Yes, but at least you knew what it was referring to. "Certified for Windows Vista" doesn't tell you a damned thing. How do they expect people to associate that with playing protected media files?