As the wireless industry expands its array of data applications for the mass market, it might consider borrowing a few tricks from the gaming world. Indeed, gaming companies seem to have successfully navigated the non-interoperable wars. Wireless should sit at the feet of these ninja gaming masters to learn how to use incompatibility as a marketing tool instead of an operations flaw.
Almost immediately after Verizon Wireless released its Vcast music download strategy, bloggers began complaining loudly that customers would not be able to use their Vcast phones to play their MP3 music files. Verizon Wireless is using Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Media Player, which transcodes MP3s into Microsoft’s WMA format before moving them into a handset. However, users can convert their MP3s to the WMA format without damaging the original MP3 (although it’s not a completely painless process because it takes some time, depending on the number of files that need to be reformatted). Verizon Wireless said it decided to only support one media player in an effort to keep things simple, and because the WMA format is smaller than the MP3 format so users can store more music on their phone using WMA.
Well, you know what happens to the best-laid plans… Nonetheless, I found it interesting that people could get so mad at a wireless carrier for not supporting multiple technologies. Take a look at the gaming world: Console gamers can choose from among Microsoft’s Xbox and recently launched Xbox 360, Sony Corp.’s PS2 and soon-to-be-released PS3 or the Game Cube by Nintendo. For the most part, many games exist across all formats, but you can’t necessarily play an Xbox game on your PS2 console.
And instead of kvetching, some consumers are content to buy more than one console. Having a PS2 does not negate the need to buy the new Xbox-ask any 16-year-old boy. To borrow from the Guinness beer advertising campaign: “Brilliant.”
Interoperability has already proven its place in the wireless realm. SMS did not take off in the United States until messages could cross different networks. But in the end, Vcast Music does allow people to play the music they’ve already purchased-for free.
Interoperability is always going to be thwarted by innovations or competition among companies choosing different technologies. The wireless industry collectively needs to find a better way to spin that fact.
