Article: Why Microsoft's Zune scares Apple to the core

[Garritan]

Computerworld has an article (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=printArticleBasic&articleId=9003718) about Microsoft's newcompetitor to the Apple iPod, the wireless media player called Zune due out just in time for the holidays.

The article cites five reasons why Apple may fear the Zune, and why it may succeed where the dozens of imitators before it have failed.
"The Zune isn't just a music player, the article argues. Think of it as a portable, wireless, hardware version of MySpace. With the Zune, Microsoft is trying to launch a consumer media 'perfect storm.'" From the article: "Microsoft will make the movement of media between Windows, Soapbox and the Zune natural and seamless. The Zune interface is just like a miniature version of the Windows Media Center user interface and is very similar to some elements of Vista. Apple fans are overconfident in the iPod because Apple once commanded 92% of music player market share, a number that has since fallen to around 70%. About 30 million people own iPods. But Microsoft owns more than 90% of the worldwide operating systems market (compared with Apple's roughly 5%), representing some 300 million people. The company expects to have 200 million Vista users within two years."

[Richard Berg]

It will be an uphill battle, to be sure. Is 3 days / 3 plays enough bait to create "network effects" from scratch? (a critical mass of people; the chicken/egg problem) I wish they were a bit more liberal, especially when the underlying music is liberally licensed. As it stands, even if I want to distribute music I wrote myself over Wifi, the 3/3 barrier stands. (It does not "wrap them in DRM", as early critiques from Creative Commons and others thought, but the limitation is no less real.) Direct access to the Zune store, Soapbox, your PC, etc. does not work thru Wifi -- sure seems like a lot of $$ was spent on this feature without much payoff. My guess is that once the hardware is in place, the featuresets and community initiatives will be upgraded over time.

[Zacchino]

This is great news. Not that I'm a Microsoft fanatic, but because I'm just sick and tired of iPods and its bloated iTunes software (Just my honest user point of view).

I never bought an iPod because for me, having a cell phone, plus a media player, plus an usb key in my jeans is just too much. I'm more an all-in-one cell phone / media player / usb key kind of guy.

Anyway, competition benefits the consumer. So that's a great new.

[howardv]

Here's an interesting discussion exploring the Zune - Weedshare connection.

http://www.krimson-news.com/category/zune/

If you want to see how the 3-free-play thing works, here's a link to material I encoded a few years ago which I host on my own web site:

http://www.rtpress.com/weed_rt.htm

The only diifference I see between Weedshare and Zune is that Weedshare doesn't have a 3-day limit.

Howard

[David Abraham]

well it's not like Mr. Jobs didn't see this coming:


The problem is, the PC model doesn’t work in the consumer electronics industry, where you’ve got all these companies and some does one thing and another does another thing. It just doesn’t work. What’s going to happen is that Microsoft is going to have to get into the hardware business of making MP3 players. This year. X-player, or whatever.

(Steve Jobs)
from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10853916/site/newsweek/page/2/

[Olen]

Anyone see the amazing new iPhone today? Something tells me that Apple was never "scared to the core" by Zune.

[Gamera]

Does anyone know anyone that's bought a Zune?

- G

[Richard Berg]

The figures I saw for MP3 player sales during the last holiday season were along the lines of Apple 70%, Sandisk 20%, Creative 4%, Zune 3%, various others totalling 3%. Anecdotally, lots of Zunes in & around Seattle. Probably not as many in Cupertino ;)

[kitekrazy]

This is great news. Not that I'm a Microsoft fanatic, but because I'm just sick and tired of iPods and its bloated iTunes software (Just my honest user point of view).

I never bought an iPod because for me, having a cell phone, plus a media player, plus an usb key in my jeans is just too much. I'm more an all-in-one cell phone / media player / usb key kind of guy.

Anyway, competition benefits the consumer. So that's a great new.

So you don't think Microsoft bloats software?

I buy a lot of music off iTunes.

I don't own an iPod either. I guess you have to be careful with the ones that have a lot of moving parts.

I wonder with the next i-invention will be?

[Jcschild]

Does anyone know anyone that's bought a Zune?

- G

yup me
love it!

Scott
ADK

[Leaf]

IMHO, if you want a product to really succeed, you should name it something that starts with one of the popular letters in the alphabet, and Z is just not one of them. Nothing against the letter Z, it's just not on anyones list of favorite letters. Even Xerox had to greek out and use the letter X which has only medium popularity, but apparently the lowly X is not going to repel potential customers. I'm reminded of the soft drink that came out a few years back. Can't remember what it was called, but one thing you'll never forget about it is that it started with the letter Z, %- just when you would have thought everyone knew better.:D

[Jamie_H]

I have a Zune and I love it as well, though I don't buy much music online. I mainly rip my already purchased CD's to it. It's great for that, though the synching software that you run on your PC needs some work.

[Leaf]

I was having fun making fun of that peculier name, but i may get one if they are not priced too high.

[Boydbob]

Well, I have a 40GB Toshiba and a 30GB iPod, and I've helped several friends with 4GB iPod Nanos.

Although my Toshiba Gigabeat has excellent sound and I love the remote control for FF/RW and Volume - the learning curve was steep and the loading process is slow.

The iPods are way more intuitive. I picked one up and immediately figured it out. The iTunes software is fast and easy to use.

But - I control my software. It does not control me. All automatic functions, sync, software stores, etc are turned off.

Also, I've found for mid (128kbs) and low (speech) quality, Apple's aac encoding works great, but for high quality mp3's I use Lame at 190kbs VBR.

Just my thoughts

Boyd

[keithjfuller]

i'll just say that i have NEVER seen a person with a Zune, and if i did i bet it would be one Microsoft gave away for free to make people think that they are worth buying. this is just a sad attempt of Microsoft trying to feed off of the table scraps of Mac.

i remember on the SNL Weekend Update they did a little bit on Zune, it went something like this: "On Tuesday, Microsoft released their iPod competitor, the Zune. Zune, as in 'Hey, your Zune isn't as cool as my iPod.'"

good job Zune, good job.

[loydb]

Yeah, I run with a crowd that leeches on to cool technology at a crazy rate -- and I don't know a single person with a Zune. I don't think you're going to hear much about them in 12 months.

[Olen]

i finally got to try out an iphone yesterday at an apple store......pretty amazing......think I'll get one when my current contract runs out. Soooo, where's the mea culpa for thinking Apple was ever "scared" of the Zune? The Zune is an embarassing flop just like i knew it would be......funny how the apple haters were talking the Zune up when it first came out......what say you now? The worst feature is that lame clickwheel......MS tried to make it look like the ipod scroll wheel but it's just a 4-way button and doesn't do what the ipod scroll wheel does. And new ipods next week......good times! :|:

[fizbin]

Zune's are actually great hardware-wise. They have a larger screen than an iPOD and perform most normal functions just as well.

The real problem in my opinion is the software that you must use to sync media to your computer and the lack of video codec support on the Zune, that could probably corrected with a firmware update (this statement to support my theory that the hardware is good). For video it natively supports only wmv files. mov and mp4 files which iPOD supports, must be converted before loading them taking quite awhile. You can hack it into a drag and drop drive with a registry tweak on a computer, but it should have this capability out of the box. The rights management and machine-tethering that is being foisted on the end user leads to a more cumbersome experience than is necessary.

fizbin

[Olen]

zune is actually pretty lame hardware-wise...it's just a re-branded toshiba gigabeat, I wonder why more people don't know that......but pc people are used to lame hardware so I understand why some of them would think its okay......as I said, that lame 4way click wheel is suppose to look like the ipod scrool wheel, but it only does that in the sense that it is round......and it has no scrolling function to speak of......huge diff when interacting with the interface.

The zune screen is a little bigger than the current ipod screen, but the rez is identical which makes for not as sharp a picture. Then you have the iphone, which is part ipod, and the screen on it dwarfs the zune, and is very hi rez.

They made much of the "sharing" function of the zune....but what sharing? You have to actualy know someone else with a zune for it to work, and it is poorly implemented besides. You have to have critical mass for a feature like that to be any use, and it has to be designed in a way that only apple can pull off.

ms screwed their "plays for sure" partners when the introduced something else entirely for the zune....and if you were a "plays for sure" customer, you also were screwed.

Then you have the look of the Zune......its ugly....but appropriately enough comes in turd brown.

And the zune doesn't have itunes......another big diff in user experience.

NExt week the new ipods will embarass the zune, just like the iphone did.

[fizbin]

IMO the scroll wheel is no big deal. I probably spend more time listening and watching than scrolling and the Zune control works effortlessly for me when I do need to use it.

The bigger screen is *very noticeably bigger* and is nice in the same way a 27" TV screen is easier to watch than a 23" TV screen, both with the same resolution. "More blurry" is (dare I suggest it, but having heard it before) pure Apple fanboy regurgitation. I'm not saying the Zune is great, but when think I am hearing unadultered iPraise at the expense of viable alternatives, please forgive me if I grow yet a little more tired of it all.

[Olen]

IMO the scroll wheel is no big deal. I probably spend more time listening and watching than scrolling and the Zune control works effortlessly for me when I do need to use it.
You don't spend anytime scrolling, since you can't do that on a zune......and ratio of navigation/control to listening and watching is irrelevant. The scollwheel also adjusts volume....I'd hate to have to do it the zune way....but that's cuz the ipod spoils me. I spend more time breathing than I do going to the toilet, but I still want a restroom that's clean and functioning. Navigating the zune is lame compared to the ipod. I've had a few good laughs trying it out at best buy.....where they sit on the shelf being ignored while ipods fly out the door. The scrollwheel matters accept if you're an apple hater......in which case you pretend it doesn't.

The bigger screen is *very noticeably bigger* and is nice in the same way a 27" TV screen is easier to watch than a 23" TV screen, both with the same resolution.

The iphone *dwarfs* the zune screen and is hi rez.......apple has the bigger screen.....deal with it. It's the ultimate viewing experience for something so small.

"More blurry" is (dare I suggest it, but having heard it before) pure Apple fanboy regurgitation.

funny...I don't remember saying "more blurry" so I wonder why you put it in quotation marks. I said it is not as sharp. And.....it's not. Bigger screen plus same rez equals "not as sharp".....that really *is* how it works, and it matters to people with good eyesight. I can tell the difference. Again, you're in denial and trotting out the "apple fanboy" thing is what pc apologist always resort to when they're running on empty.

I'm not saying the Zune is great, but when think I am hearing unadultered iPraise at the expense of viable alternatives, please forgive me if I grow yet a little more tired of it all.
I don't supposed I really care how tired of it you are.......it's funny to see how miserably ms does when they can't leverage their monopoly to shove sub par junk down people's throats. Only a handful of pitiful apple haters are buying the zune....I mean, what real reason is there to buy it over an ipod. Not one.

and itt's good you're not saying the zune is great, because no one else is either......and it depends on what you mean as "viable alternative". Strictly speaking, a clump of grass is a viable alternative to a filet mignon.....but i know which one I'd rather eat.

next week will be fun.....new ipods and more envy from the ms camp. )(~

[fizbin]

In my book not as sharp equals more blurry. There are alternatives to your iExperience. Whatever. Enjoy your iLife. There is and will continue to be no envy here, but perhaps a smidgeon of pity. You have just proven yourself worthy of it.

[fizbin]

Gosh Olen, I hope you haven't shelled out nearly $200 more on your iPhone than it is now worth merely a few short weeks after its release.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/IBD-0001-19375706.htm

IMO, that would be what those other than the most ardent of Apple fanboys would consider a travesty of justice. Ya know, if Steve weren't an actual deity and all.