Microsoft Gives Mac OS X Users Window Media Player!

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Neowin Windows Media Player for Mac OS X allows Mac users to easily enjoy playback of high-quality Windows Media Audio and Video content. The new release supports the latest industry-leading Windows Media Audio 8 and Windows Media Video 8, as well as Windows Media Digital Rights Management, and is available in six languages worldwide.

Microsoft press release

We designed the new Windows Media Player to be a great player for Mac OS X users," said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft. "Mac OS X users can now open the door to a world of great Windows Media Audio and Video content."

Windows Media Player for Mac OS X was built on Apple Computer Inc.'s new Carbon APIs to run natively in the OS X environment. The new player features the new Aqua interface, which provides a look consistent with many other new Mac applications. The player comes with two additional "skins," including a miniplayer skin for audio playback.

Windows Media Player for Mac OS X supports playback of streamed and downloaded files using the latest Windows Media Audio and Video 8 codec technology. These codecs provide the highest-possible video quality at all bandwidths and CD-quality audio at 64 Kbps, enabling shorter download times and storage of twice as much music with Windows Media Audio than with MP3.

Download: WindowsMediaInstaller.hqx (6.1mb, 1/8/2001)

Operating system: Apple Mac OS X version 10.1
Computer: Any computer supported by Mac OS X version 10.1 with a processor that is 233 MHz or higher
Memory: 128 megabytes (MB) or higher
Free hard disk space: 10 MB
Monitor color depth: 256 colors (Millions of colors recommended)
Web browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac, or America Online for Mac OS X