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Opinion: More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Microsoft pulls plug on Zune
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 05:34 PM EDT

By SteveJack

Hey, why bother waiting around for the official statement?

While I'm at it, here's an alternate headline that works for the other half of the thing: "More blood on Apple iTunes Music Store’s play button: Zune is dead."

You read it here first.

The title of this article is my opinion and I know I'm right. So there.

SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer and a regular contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.

[UPDATE: 7/26, 8:50am: Added "Opinion:" to headline to further denote that this is an opinion article.]

Related articles:
Zune: Apple cannot lose. Microsoft cannot win. - July 26, 2006
More blood on Apple iTunes Music Store’s play button: MyCokeMusic is dead - June 20, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver gives up on digital media player market - May 23, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: Sony's Walkman Bean is cooked - February 13, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: Dell dumps 'DJ' hard-drive MP3 player line - February 04, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: iRiver pulling out of Europe? - February 01, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: Thomson gives up on MP3 player, CE markets - December 12, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: BenQ withdraws from MP3 player markets - November 28, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: Olympus halts production of portable digital music players - November 09, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod's Click Wheel: Rio is dead - August 26, 2005
Apple's iPod has blood on its Click Wheel: Virgin Electronics is dead - March 08, 2005
Apple’s iTunes Music Store has blood on its play button: BuyMusic.com is dead - March 28, 2004

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Reader Feedback: ( = registered)

Jul 25, 06 - 05:42 pm Comment from: gforce

oh man...you had me all excited for a second.

Jul 25, 06 - 05:46 pm Comment from: s

Taking bets....
odd 100 to 1 for 5 years
odd 25 to 1 for 1 year
odd 10 to 1 for 6 months
odd 5 to 1 for 3 months

Jul 25, 06 - 05:52 pm Comment from: Midnight

While I'm sure this will turn out to become true in the foreseeable future - guys, let's not invent news. I went to read this because I thought it was real news, not made up.

Do we really need to make up stuff to make M$ look bad?

Jul 25, 06 - 05:54 pm Comment from: coolfactor

I agree with Midnight. While it is fun, it's also kinda childish.

Jul 25, 06 - 05:55 pm Comment from: Darren

Midnight,

This is an opinion article. Its not in the "News" section and there's even a note highlighting that fact.

Jul 25, 06 - 05:56 pm Comment from: stinky

since when has childish been above the mdn crowd?

Jul 25, 06 - 05:58 pm Comment from: Steve Ballmer

SteveJack,

I'll be back here in 24 months... aw, crap, even I know you're right.

Anyway, in 24 months, I'll be retired and cheating at golf daily.

Jul 25, 06 - 05:59 pm Comment from: coolfactor

Ah, wasn't supposed to be a headline. I retract my comment about this being childish.

Jul 25, 06 - 06:01 pm Comment from: well...

the RSS feed doesn't tell the difference between news and opinion so I got duped. not gonna click this one.

Jul 25, 06 - 06:01 pm Comment from: William

Agreed.

"More blood on iPod's clickwheel" should have been reserved for actual attrition.

MDN coined a wonderful term -- now it's flawed.

Jul 25, 06 - 06:02 pm Comment from: Zetsurin

Suuuuure...

People said this about PocketPC
People said this about XBOX
People will say this about Zune

They'll all be wrong. Microsoft can afford to stay in the market indefinitely, even if it doesn't 'win'.

BUT...

They will only win if the opposition kills themselves. Like Netscape. Like Palm. NOT from Microsoft doing a good job.

Lucky for us, Apple isn't Netscape or Palm.

Microsoft aint so tough when they don't have their monopoly to leverage.

Jul 25, 06 - 06:04 pm Comment from: Fred Mertz

Not only is this just a bit of fun, SteveJack is also right.

I think they'll go for 2 years before quietly forgetting about it.

If they can clean the dreck out of the market, they may stick it out for awhile longer, but I don't see MS bothering with it long term.

Jul 25, 06 - 06:07 pm Comment from: Alex

In the same vein:

http://www.crazyapplerumors.com/?p=644

Jul 25, 06 - 07:20 pm Comment from: Dave

I can't wait to tell Enderle.
I can't wait to tell Enderle.
I can't wait to tell Enderle.

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Jul 25, 06 - 07:33 pm Comment from: G-ZUS

Made up news is bad, mmkay?

Jul 25, 06 - 08:22 pm Comment from: Captain Obvious

G-ZUS,

See Darren's post above. Also note the multiple mentions, some even in bold type, that this is an opinion piece, not a "news" piece.

OT, but FYI: Most all news is "made up" to some degree.

Jul 25, 06 - 09:33 pm Comment from: LordRobin

I have to wonder how bad something has to perform before Microsoft will quit. Look at the XBox. It's lost about a gazillion dollars, was a huge joke for most of its life, and only began to sell near the end when PS2 market saturation meant everyone already had Sony's console. But Microsoft continued to pour million after million down the whole, and even conned the video game media into believing the XBox was a "success".

As long as Zune has a measurable marketshare and is bringing in revenue, Microsoft will continue to prop it up, no matter how much money they lose. Mind you, I'm not one of these idiots who believe that Microsoft can spend their way into success. They'll just continue lose money, month after month, year after year...

...until the day when Windows and Office revenue start to decline, and the shareholders panic. When that day comes, you will see the death of XBox, Zune, and anything else not pulling its weight.

Jul 25, 06 - 11:05 pm Comment from: BuriedCaesar

Everyone is entitled to an opinion - otherwise, why would we even deign to take the opportunity to express ours here?

For those who didn't bother to read far enough to learn that this is an OPINION piece, and not "news" - here's some news for ya - it happens in newspapers. And on TV. And in blogs, too.. And next to the water cooler at work. Everyone's got an opinion - even if it's not a very good one, or well-thought out, or even cogent to the discussion.

Get used to it already. Happens here, on this site. Every single damn day.

And while everyone is entitled to express an opinion - any opinion - it doesn't mean they're always right, or wrong. smirk

I still won't believe this so-called product by M$ event exists until I see it with my own two eyes. In person. Until then, it's my opinion that it's just so much smoke and mirrors by M$ to draw attention away from the iPod, and what Apple is going to be offering very soon to the hungry Christmas crowds in a few months.

Jul 25, 06 - 11:18 pm Comment from: The Friendless Mean Guy

Sensationalism is for those who desire attention and unjustly receive it. You need a hug, Steve Jack, a nice big hug..... After a kick in the groin.

Yours sincerely,
TFMG

Jul 25, 06 - 11:50 pm Comment from: Enderle

SteveJack

That's one way to get a lot of hit traffic. smile

Jul 26, 06 - 12:11 am Comment from: Pathetic

This site is getting worse and worse. Pathetic, actually

First it was the 20+ ads per page.

Then it was the text link ads in the articles which is normally found on PC site.

Now it is stupid, moronic articles obviously written to push page views.

MDN, what the heck happened to you. This used to be a great site, and now it is one tep away from MacOSRumors.

Jul 26, 06 - 06:37 am Comment from: Macjammer

Okay so it's an opinion article, fine by me only that if like me any of you guys clicked the link from within the MDN Widget* then you too should be excused from thinking that the above article was serious.

*To Windows users, yeah I know you're here, Widget is the correct term for these not Gadgets and Widgets have been around since 2003, not whenever Vista gets released way after the barn doors have been opened!

Jul 26, 06 - 07:13 am Comment from: Lardlad

Title was deceiving. Should have started with 'Opinion:' or 'M$ Will Drop Zune." This was clearly an attempt to get clicks. It worked on me, it's just not the Jedi way.

Jul 26, 06 - 09:17 am Comment from: Getting old ...

Why has it always gotta be 'blood' that's on that click wheel? Geeze. Fooking violent Americans, I guess. How about some spooey or snot or something else, for a change?

Jul 26, 06 - 09:25 am Comment from: Midnight

Like stated by others, I saw the headline through the RSS feed, and thought it was news. Thus my reaction.

I see now, that you guys have corrected this, and put an "Opinion:" before the headline, which clears things up.

All fine now.

grin

Jul 26, 06 - 09:44 am Comment from: Dave

It's truely amazing the number of thin skinned people who can't take a joke. How pathetic it must be going through life like that.

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