Apple: iTunes Users Should Wait on Vista


Feb 2, 11:04 PM (ET)

By MAY WONG

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Apple Inc. (AAPL) is urging some iPod and
iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista,
warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new
operating system from rival Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)

Apple said iTunes may work with many Vista computers, but the company
knows of some compatibility problems and recommends that users wait
until it resolves the issues with an iTunes update in the next few
weeks, the company said in a statement provided Friday by spokesman
Derick Mains. The iTunes software is key to synching music on
computers with iPod portable players.

Microsoft launched Vista, its first major overhaul of Windows in five
years, on Tuesday.

Though Microsoft and Apple are partners in some cases - iTunes works
with Windows PCs and Microsoft Office has a version for Macs - the two
are also entrenched rivals. With Vista's launch, Apple ramped up its
ad campaign attacks against Windows.



According to a notice posted on Apple's Web site, compatibility
problems include the inability to play music or video purchased from
the online iTunes store, difficulties synchronizing contacts and
calendars and possible failures of iPods plugged into a Vista
computer. Apple also outlined precautionary steps users could take to
try to minimize any problems should they upgrade to Vista now.

Adam Anderson, a spokesman for Microsoft's Windows division, said the
company did not believe iTunes users "should stop using Vista for
these reasons."

The company said it is working with a long list of partners, including
Apple, to make sure their software is compatible with Vista. When the
new operating system launched, Microsoft claimed more than 5,000
hardware and software products were already Vista-compatible.

The company has a dedicated team working with Apple on getting iTunes
running smoothly on Vista, and it will keep at it "until they have the
program running to the quality level they're shooting for," Anderson
said.

Apple has sold more than 90 million iPods since the product was
launched in October 2001.

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