Is Microsoft’s music store a threat to iTunes?

Microsoft is expected to announce its own online music store later this week, reports The New York Times [free registration required], and writer Laurie J. Flynn asks where or not this will be a threat to Apple’s current market dominance. “Microsoft will face a strong competitor in the online music market,” writes Flynn. “In 16 months, Apple has managed to capture almost 70 percent of the market for digital music downloads, according to Forrester Research.”