Microsoft's Jim Allchin Wanted Support for the iPod

Jim Allchin is Microsoft's Platforms and Services Co-President, and also the Microsoft top executive responsible for the "I would buy a Mac if I didn't work for Microsoft" email sent to Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer and to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, in January 2004.

Well, it wasn't the first time that Allchin had been flirting with the idea of a stronger relationship with Apple. In fact, one year before the "I would buy a Mac" email, Jim Allchin sent another message to Amir Majidimehr, currently the head of Microsoft's consumer media technology group.

In the email, Allchin is expressing his frustration associated with the existing digital media players on the market with the exception of Apple's iPod. In fact, he concluded that the association between Windows Media Player and the devices in circulation at the time was hurting WMP.

The solution Jim Allchin wrote at the beginning of the email involves turning to Apple's CEO for a partnership between Microsoft and Apple. In this regard, Allchin wanted no less than the Redmond Company to offer support for iPod.

"I think I should talk with Jobs. Right now, I think I should open up a dialog for support of the iPod. Unless something changes, the iPod will drive people away from WMP [Windows Media Player]," are the words of Jim Allchin.

Jim Allchin displeasure with the other digital media player devices ranged from the design, to the functionality and to the way Microsoft was getting involved with the necessary synchronization. At that time, Zune was not even a superficial plan over at Microsoft.

"Now you feel our pain. We have been unsuccessful in the past to convince these vendors to open their eyes and accept that there is better software out there than what they ship with these things. Of course, some are better than others but none are a match for Apple. For good or bad, the message is finally getting through with retailers threatening to sell iPod, but we are not waiting for that. Tomorrow, we have an entire crew descending on Creative and after that, Sansung and Rio to get them motivated to build the "right" device. We are putting incentives on the table in the form of cash, technical support, direct interface to developers, early access code for 9.1, etc. In other words, we are going all oul and hoping that at least a few will listen If none do, then it is lime for us to roll up our sleeves and do our own hardware," also noted Allchin.