Microsoft has now responded to our recent leading coverage of the VCast Music Store, claiming that we claimed that Microsoft locked out MP3 support and not Verizon. We did not state this. We stated that this was a policy Microsoft encouraged by not offering embedded device manufacturers a complete solution with MP3s. By also posting the MP3 hack, we made it clear that the additional removal of an external MP3 player was done by Verizon, not Microsoft.
We did make references to Microsoft’s promotion of the PlaysForSure model, which requires WMP10, and how that system depends on WMA. At the time, VCast MOD was fully endorsing PFS, and had no support for MP3. However, the facts are unchanged; MP3 support is removed from VCast phones and replaced with Microsoft software that cannot play MP3s without Windows Media Player 10.
Finally, we followed up with Verizon’s statement that native MP3 support will be added eventually to the VCast Music Store, which is a direct confirmation that Verizon would include MP3 in the system which would make it not WMA-exclusive. We saw no less than five Microsoft employees speak over the past 96 hours on this matter, and we feel that Microsoft�s concerted campaign to discredit our site is unwarranted, and their lack of direct communication with us profound. This was not a rumor, we are not a rumor site, this was a developing story that was correct at each point we reported on it.
