Longhorn to Block iPods

Downloading files to iPods and other storage devices is very easy to do in Windows. Too easy, say some IT Managers.

In the next version of Windows, currently called Longhorn, Microsoft will give big companies an easy way to block use of such devices while making it easier for consumers to connect their home systems to them, a company representative told CNET News.com.

USB keys, music players like the iPod, and other small gadgets that can store vast amounts of data are considered a security risk in some IT organizations according to feedback Microsoft received.

To put the new features in place, Microsoft is hoping to move to a common model for how wired and wireless devices connect to a PC in 2006, around the time that it releases the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn. For consumers, that means that wireless printers, networked music players, and other wireless devices should be able to connect to a PC as easily as the USB drives today, while IT organizations will be able to secure the use of these devices.

Microsoft showed its future technology, known as “Plug and Play Extensions,” at the recent Intel Developer Forum.