Andy McCue (silicon.com) spoke with Microsoft’s UK Media Director Gordon Frazer about Microsoft’s Zune, among other things. About Zune, Frazer explained:
At this stage we have no firm plans to launch anywhere else globally. Does this mean we’ll launch in the UK? I can’t tell you when [it will launch] for sure and I can’t even necessarily tell you if. We’re going to see how this goes in the US and what lessons we learn and see if we get that right, and then make the right decision for the UK. But right now that decision hasn’t been made, so the launch will only be in the US.
Today certainly Apple is the market leader, I don’t think anybody is questioning that and they are out ahead in a lot of ways. They deserve the credit they get, they’ve built up a large installed base, they continue to be the market leader. But we think there are things that can be done better. One of the big trends, broadly, not just in music, is around social networking and the ability for people to exchange and share information, ideas, music and experiences. It’s a new business for us and we’re enthusiastic about it. We’ll see where it goes.
Full article here.
This is the first semi-intelligent thing we’ve seen from Microsoft regarding their brown squirter: they make it easier on themselves financially and logistically to cut and run (à la PlaysForSure) once they figure out that Zune’s a failure, too.
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then whats the point in making it at all if your just gonna bring it out in the states? honestly this must be somekinda tax dodge cos this is gonna sink worse than the titanic
It’s because other countries have stricter polluting standards than the U.S.
I think MS know already that there is no sense in running anything other than a pilot scheme. The probably regret giving it so much attention and publicity already.
Compounding failure on failure is depressing, even if you are worth $260bn.
Yo’, Blair.
But we think there are things that can be done better. One of the big trends, broadly, not just in music, is around social networking and the ability for people to exchange and share information, ideas, music and experiences. It’s a new business for us and we’re enthusiastic about it. We’ll see where it goes.
Yawn.
If MDN would quit giving Microsoft free advertising for the Zune, it won’t even make a dent on the internet, much less retail sales.
But now it appears they are afraid and iPod users may be tempted to take a look at it. Just like the survey says.
In my countrys, Microtop testes the Zune.
Many peoples confused, look too much like poop.
Seriously, I can’t imagine ONE person buying one of these.
What possible rationale would a buyer have, except for deliberately being a contrarian who “hates” iPods?
I think Microsoft knows that the Zune will disappear faster than a corndog at a Hilton Family Reunion.
I’m sorry MDN.
“It’s a new business for us and we’re enthusiastic about it. We’ll see where it goes”.
Wow. That statement doesn’t exactly exude confidence, does it now?
I wonder how MS shareholders feel about that.
One thing about “social networking” and “communities” is that they form rather spontaneously. They are not the result of a marketing campaign.
M$ will likely fail in their attempt at creating their social network.
Quote: “If MDN would quit giving Microsoft free advertising for the Zune, it won’t even make a dent on the internet, much less retail sales.”
Rabid Dog, I think any Zune news here reaches a dead end. Though admittedly I’m curious to SEE the brown brick in person, I highly doubt that I, nor any other MDN reader (who isn’t a M$ planted Troll here) is going to run out and buy a Zune.
Only a huge sloth company that has run a myriad of focus groups, would actually coin the phrase in their marketing material “social networking.”
Yes, it is clear they think they can market this ability with Zune’s wireless capability, as it is the only thing the Zune has that is different to the other obese Zune, aka the Gigabeat…
What is so bizzare, is how MicroSoft’s ad agency can’t seem to figure out how to message the social networking thing within their marketing pieces, so they decided to just say it directly.
That is a advertising 101 no-no, but they did it anyways.
This type of campaigning will continue to deliver M$ fewer and fewer returns on investment. It’s post TV kids, wake up!
In my countrys, “social networking” is oral sex.
You see my movie today, OK?
Last night I wastched CNET’s “First Look” at the Zune. The reviewer rarely mentioned the competition, rather uncritically reviewed its “features”, and I had to wonder… Is he looking at what I’m seeing? Watching it in action, rather than in a glossy still, was an eye opener. To me it looks cheap, cheesy, totally lacking in refinement – like the half-baked prototype it is. The fact that the reviewer indicated he *likes* the brown may tell you something. I expect Microsoft to promote the hell out of it through such gullible, sympathetic, journalists.
In other countries, the dog pooper scoop law is different than over here in the states. I guess Microstuff wants to sniff the market here first to see how the territories reacts before they dump it overseas. In NYC, the pooper scoop law is very strict(they fine you with $$$), as in Paris it is very loose restriction.
Apple is really strong in the US. Zune has zero chance.
@ megamac.
That is VERY FUNNY stuff. (scratch)
what about us Canadians? Don’t we deserve a chance to not buy a Zune too?
Finally the USA behaves like an ally and keeps its mistakes to itself. Now if you could just do the same with Prezzdent Chimpy McFlightsuit, we’ll be happy…
“…I can’t even necessarily tell you if.”
Wow.
That’s some marketing.
Can you feel the passion that Microsoft employees have for their products?
It seems so very exciting!
“Maybe we’ll launch some products, be we have to see if anyone wants them, because, well, none of us really do, so we’re not sure how many people we can trick into buying them. If it’s not a lot, we might just bag the whole thing.”
I love all the esoteric feel-good BS about sharing ‘ideas’. Pu-leeeeze.
MS has never been concerned with such things.
It’s all about…
Show Me The Revenue Stream.
I haven’t seen it yet.
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Neither will they
-c
MW: ‘become’ (squirts from bees)
Winnie, are you making a funny about me?
Yo, Blair. How are you doing?
G8 conference, St. Petersburg, Russia, Jul. 17, 2006
I can’t get over the feeling that the whole Zune project is actually *designed* to fail.
I mean it’s too perfectly awful;
Who is this product for? Who is the person that wants to be part of this experiment because they just hate Apple so bloody much? What? Who are these people?
I mean, when your CEO actually uses the word ‘squirt’ to describe THE ONLY FEATURE YOU HAVE on the competition, the only feature you even bring up…
That’s just off the bloody map, folks.
That’s ‘Prince William’ talking.
I’m thinking, in my paranoid MJ12/Illuminatti kinda way, that MS is tossing a stink bomb into the ‘not iPod’ market. And in the process, they have not only introduced a direct competitor to their partners market, but they’ve paved the way for the possible demise of the competitor’s DRM model.
Either way, it seems that MS wins.
IF Zune takes off like iPod, and MS gets a good enough chunk to be unconcerned with PFS licensing revenue and cuts support entirely, then they end up with a nice chunk of the market and their own vertical model.
IF (and this is a very tiny ‘if’…) Zune takes off like a wet sack of gravel, MS dumps it (and all those scene kids at their stupid picnic) like SO many other hardware products, keeps on licensing PFS and a year from now it will be nicely erased from history.
Well, until Vista topples the company like Barad Dur.
-c
MW: ‘father’ (yes son? I’ve come to kill you)
Sry, I was having one of my episodes…
I meant, of course, ‘Prince Philip’
carry on.
Hmmmm, He said, “We’re going to see how this goes in the US and what lessons we learn and see if we get that right,”
Now, to me, that sounds just like they are going to try this thing out and see if it sells. But didn’t Ballmer say that they were going to push it so hard and long that iPod dies and Zune wins??????
MSN Music —- Dead
Plays for sure —- Dead
3rd party mp3 players using WMA plays for sure – dead.
Zune — Has not released yet and questions are already starting about how it will go . . . . or end!!! A Microsoft supported product for people who hate things that just work.
N.
Yo, Prez. Got yo’ back, ma bro. The shizzle is all a-fizzle. Catch you and yo biatch at the G8.
MDN: Choice: What choice do I have?