GOOD DAY FOR: Joining ’em, after Rhapsody, co-owned by Real Networks and Viacom’s MTV, has embraced MP3 downloads, deciding its subscription service won’t beat Apple’s dominant iTunes Store. Rhapsody’s new service will sell unprotected MP3s, which can be played on almost any portable player. “We’re no longer competing with the iPod,” said Rhapsody Vice President Neil Smith. “We’re embracing it.” (Reuters)
BAD DAY FOR: XP fans, as Microsoft is ending the sale of its six-year-old version of Windows to retailers and major PC makers today, despite protest from people and businesses who don’t like XP’s successor, Vista. XP partisans will still be able to “downgrade” to XP after buying Vista Business or Vista Professional. Smaller shops that make PCs will be able to sell XP through January. (AP in Yahoo! Finance)
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