In recent years, Microsoft has moved more into content with projects such as MSNBC and Slate, the online magazine it has since sold.
But going forward, Di Bona expects the company to focus less on content, such as its music download site, and more on partnerships that encourage others to use products such as its Windows Media software and copyright protection technology.
"They don't want to beat the iPod per se; they want to provide the software that allows other people to beat the iPod," he said.
Leigh said a disadvantage of that strategy is that Microsoft has to coordinate with multiple hardware and content providers, and can't always control how good the end result is.
"The Microsoft ecosystem has a lot of moving parts, and in the Apple ecosystem, Apple has complete control," Leigh said.
Also, although Microsoft has traditionally built itself on successful partnerships, some companies may be distrustful of working with the world's largest software firm.
A big fear has been that to partner with Microsoft is to be owned by it, and the bullying tactics that came out during its antitrust case are still fresh on the minds of some technology executives.
Brad Smith, Microsoft's top lawyer, has made it a priority to settle most of the company's outstanding private US antitrust complaints, and a key part of some of those settlements has also been to forge business deals and increase goodwill.
Microsoft reached a massive antitrust settlement with Sun Microsystems Inc last year that included a pledge to work together. Outside the courts, the company has also signed deals such as its cooperation agreement with phone maker Nokia Corp in February.
Smith said the recent partnership push comes as the computer industry is evolving to be more focused on people using many different technologies over the Internet. That's forced Microsoft to change its philosophy, working to make its products more compatible and its relationships with others in the industry more harmonious.
"Consumers want to be able to use technology from multiple companies simultaneously, and so we have to work with each other in the industry, both to promote that kind of interoperability while we also continue to compete with each other," he said.
Companies such as Sun, Real and Nokia have also stressed that they continue to battle Microsoft on some fronts. And Di Bona said the partnerships shouldn't be taken as any indication that Microsoft, known for its brutally competitive streak, is getting soft.
"I don't think they view themselves as sort of the also-rans teaming up with the also-rans," he said. "They're definitely still in this to win. They're just deciding what stick they want to use."
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