Zune, Zune, Zune

You are probably sick of hearing about this but get ready for another article about the new Zune, Microsoft’s media player and service that is attempting to go where only Apple have trod before (successfully).  Microsoft has confirmed the imminent release of the Zune line of products.

"Under the Zune brand, we will deliver a family of hardware and software products, the first of which will be available this year," said Chris Stephenson, general manager of market for entertainment and services at Microsoft, in an statement. "We see a great opportunity to bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together."

Microsoft intends to hit the market with the first Zune audio player before Christmas to take advantage of the holiday shopping season.  Devices under the Zune brand are expected to be WiFi enabled and have hard drives for media file storage.  The Zune brand includes the media service in addition to the hardware and should make audio and video media available to Zune subscribers.  It has been reported that the Zune players will be based on Windows Mobile.

(via CNN)

Comments

[acjif98]

My hunch is that Apple has set them up. It was widely reported through the rumor mill that Apple had been forced to delay releasing the gen 6 iPod until 2007. And then by coincidence we started to hear rumors about Microsoft releasing it's own device. Then Microsoft acknowledged it, and then released a few details about the device.
Not surprisingly, Apple has been very quiet.
Now this may be a great player with great features, but Apple is just a lot better at creating buzz and releasing products.
I may be wrong but I have a feeling that about 2 to 4 weeks before the Zune is released, Steve Jobs will hold a keynote announcing the new generation iPod and iTunes Music Store that will kill the Zune before it reaches the shelves and maintain their market share.

[Dave Zatz]

It'd be nice if MS converged their Portable Media Center software and Windows Mobile onto this platform... and then sel me one with an integrated multi-megapixel camera and phone.

[Tablet PC User]

Thanks JK for the heads up! There is an interesting new website, at http://www.comingzune.com/ It looks nothing like what MS would do!

As for acjif98...be objective and act as if you have a tertiary education! If you are so interested in war/killing, do the honorable thing and enlist in the army!

Your 'lord and master' Steve Jobs is do different from you guys... check out this 1997 Macworld video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOp5mBY9IY

My favorite quote "...We have to let go of the notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft must loose."

[acjif98]

Please, no Steve Jobs fanboy here - just an observation. They want to protect their 75% to 80% iPod market share so I will bet the house that they have something coming. The rumor is Microsoft is planning some license credits to customers to pry them from the ITMS. If it makes the market more competitive and the devices cheaper then I am all for it.
I am glad Zune will be based on Windows Mobile. Obviously an enertainment based PPC style device with a 30gb hard drive. Many possibilities.
I think we have been waiting for that combination.
As for joining the army - I am a little old for that but thanks for the tip.
As you know, business is competitive and there are winners and losers every day. Will Microsoft crumble if the Zune doesn't do well. Well no, but by being competitive in this arena the real winner in this battle (sorry for the military reference) will be the consumer. Devices improve and prices come down.
We see it every day.
To quote George S. Patton;
"Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more"

[Matt]

I went to MW 1997... Steve had just come back to the company and things were very different. Think no iPod, no iTMS, no iMac, no OS X... But still, you're right -- Steve's goal isn't to "kill" Microsoft, per se; that's neither realistic nor necessary. On the other hand, seeing one's vision for how people interact with technology dominate the market culture, if not always the market itself, provides a certain vindication and sense of accomplishment. Consider the "letting go of the notion" quote in this light; it doesn't mean the goal isn't for Apple to win, just that beating Microsoft isn't a necessary precondition to that.
What's that they say about imitation? My intuition is, if Zune is just an imitation (good or bad) of the iPod experience (the whole experience), it's going to have a hard time catching up. I think we'll have a much better idea when the details emerge. And, Apple has been really quiet, but then, they are notorious for that. I don't agree they've "set Microsoft up" (remember, beating Microsoft isn't the goal), but at the same time, I would doubt they've been resting on their laurels.

[acjif98]

Matt,
Good points.
This is not a Microsoft vs. Apple old world grudge match. It isn't to beat Microsoft, it is about shareholder value. Strictly business. If I owned a company with 85% market share in anything - I would not not stand still, I would remain aggressive to maintain it.
You are right that Apple being quiet is nothing new and OK using the term "set up" obviously set the wrong tone.
However, it isn't unusual for companies to put out press releases or generate PR to somehow get competitors to show their hand or change strategies. It was just unusual that there were rumors that Apple had some problems with the development of there next gen iPod.
Anyway,
The real question today should address how Microsoft "Plays for Sure" partners feel about the Zune. I'm sure Creative is pretty happy.

[Matt]

And then we have this rumor...
http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/22/apple-to-do-ebooks/
Hmmm...

[Oliver]

So if they're based on Windows Mobile, will these devices have PocketPC-like battery lives?

[Gary]

Will Zune be the wireless 30gb external hard drive that I need for my Q1?

[Mark Sumimoto (Sumocat)]

Oliver: My Pocket PC can play music all day and still have juice to spare on the standard battery. Of course, that's with flash memory, but even with its hard drive, the Zune should still run about the same and it will probably have a larger battery.

That said, the software is the key to the Zune's success. People seem to forget that the iPod was born as an extension of iTunes, a way to carry iTunes with you. Apple expanded the iPod to PC users by creating a version of iTunes for Windows. Bottom line: if iTunes sucked, no one would want an iPod. So all hype aside, we really need to see the software side of the Zune before any realistic "iPod-killer" talk can begin.

On a related note, wifi on the device is a good idea, but if it works like it does on Windows Mobile, this will be a geek-only feature. My wife and mother-in-law can both use iTunes with their iPods (after I got them set up, of course), but they would never get how to use wifi on my Pocket PC. The wifi operation on the Zune needs to be as easy as, well, using an iPod or this won't fly.

[Mike Cane]

It really makes me sick, the sniping about the "iPod monopoly" -- all coming from the Windows Monopoly!

That said, whatever happened to that Toshiba Gigabeat everyone licked their chops over earlier THIS year? Why didn't Toshiba ever release it?

And Zune is STILL the dumbest name I've ever heard.

[jk]

The reason the iPod/iTunes combination has been so successful is not because it's Apple or because the iPod hardware is so innovative. It is because it is so simple that computer neophytes can make it work and once it's working it continues to do so without problems and without intervention. Zune MUST accomplish the same feat or it will not be a serious competitor to Apple. Apple was not saved by selling iPods or music to their existing customer base, rather it was saved because it sells millions of iPods to the mainstream customer base. If Zune requires some skill level at WinXP to work well, it will not make a dent in iPod sales.

[Tablet PC User]

Sumocat & Mike Cane,

The Toshiba Gigabeat S30 & S60 have been out for quite sometime. It is truly a mini XP Media Center. IMHO, it is WAY better than the text-only interface of the other "popular" MP3 player(s).

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.gigabeat.com/

VIDEO OF INTERFACE: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3428996358728158914

C|NET Review & Video: http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_Gigabeat_S_MES30VW_30GB_white/4505-6499_7-31660763.html?tag=sub

AMAZON SALES: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EHCUIE/ref=pd_rhf_p_1/102-7447405-5945751?ie=UTF8

********

JK,

I disagree about the simplicity of the iPOD being the main selling factor; it is the cool factor that made the biggest hit. Creative has some very simple players too, but they aren't "cool"! Trust me...as a college student with 34,000 students at my University, cool is in for 2006! MS only needs make the Zune look really pretty and get enough "cool" people to say that the Zune is cool and it's a hit, even if it has sloppy battery, screens etc. Perfect example if this is the Sidekick series from T-mobile...not the best device for enthusiasts, but hey, Snoop Dog, Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton are cool so it must be cool!

[jk]

I just expanded on the simplicity theme being what made the iPod the raging success it is here:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2006/07/open_message_to.html

Yes, the iPod is "cool" but it is not the geek market that has to be penetrated as that market is small compared to the tens of millions of iPod buyers who are not computer savvy at all. That's the market that must be garnered to compete with the iPod.

[Tablet PC User]

Part II for JK,

Advertising is also a big minus for the other MP3 players. I asked some students why they purchased their iPod and they asked me, "are there other MP3 player?" It was a genuine question and it is clear from the numerous posters around my college that Apple has got it right with getting the word out.

Simple comparison...turn on your TV to your local FOX, CBS or ABC channel and see how many car commercials are on! Millions of car dealers get the word out about their deals and sales! Is there a car with the market share up to 80%? None - go to Wal-Mart and see that domestic cars nor foreign cars have a market share like the iPod has.

How many MP3 commercials are on TV? Where I'm at, I can't remember seeing one non-apple commercial! So, the MP3 players that are stuck at the <25% have their own marketing staff to blame! Of course, the latest Mac "Switch" ads have only made Apple computers look snobby and unappealing.

[acjif98]

I agree on the new Apple ad campaign. They kind of crossed line from "cool" to "snob". As for breaking the monopoly, awareness, coolness and simplicity kind of all contribute to 80%.
A snapshot of the market today shows the average consumer thinks every mp3 player is an iPod of some kind. It is pretty much a generic term. When someone goes into a Best Buy looking for an MP3 player they ask the salesperson where the iPods are. Most people probably think podcasts were invented by Apple and were first distributed on the ITMS. Thats what happens when you own a market.
jk's open letter hits the nail on the head. If Microsoft get's too geeky with this device, you might as well add it to the pile. The average customer just wants to turn it on, copy or purchase their music and TV shows and move on.
The cool factor plays into the X and Y gen demo but the non-computer savvy are the key. It is just too easy to use the iTunes Music store with an iPod.
It's great to have WiFi but what is Zune going to do with WiFi? If it allows me to sync my contacts, download music and video, turn on my GPS, skype somebody, play my Xbox remotely and slinbox my TV - well guys, I may think thats cool(despite battery issues) but I am positive many people would be too intimidated and will just leave it alone.

[Mike Cane]

Tablet PC User:

Sorry, you're wrong about the Gigabeat being out. If it isn't in stores, it ain't out.

Geeks swoon over the Cowon PMP, but so what? It's not in STORES.

[Tablet PC User]

Mike Cane,

I guess DELL computers ain't out either! I've driven all over my State and I can't find a DELL store anywhere! Oddly, my college has them everywhere! How odd is that??! Could it be that they...purchased them online...

[screams of pain...]

[Mike Cane]

Show me the TV ad blitz for the Gigabeat FIRST before you sully yourself by dragging in Dell (which now WANTS to be in stores, or haven't you heard?).

Stop living in NetGeekVille. Most people don't.

[Tablet PC User]

Mike Cane,

I'm aware of DELL moving into stores, although I haven't heard anything in my area. The original point was that the Gigabeat isn't out yet. If you take the time to look on the http://www.gigabeat.com website, you'll find a local store that has it. I found a store in my state. So it is a fact, the new Gigabeat is out to those who look for it. Has it been advertised? Has any other MP3 really been advertised? No, check my earlier comment and you'll see my complaint(s) about the lack of non-apple MP3-player ads.

Anyways, this topic is going off track. I'm going to enjoy "NetGeekVille" with my family while you split hairs over this. Have a good day...

[Mike Cane]

Don't go away mad, as the saying goes...

Listen, I just swept the major retailers in NYC today. NO Gigabeat. And there were REAL PEOPLE in these stores BUYING WHAT THEY COULD SEE FOR SALE.

Enjoy NetGeekVille. But you go too far asking me to believe its self-absorbed inhabitants could ever have a family.