“Microsoft’s Zune portable music player will let people share and sample tracks via wi-fi, reports suggest,” BBC News reports. “Although details of the gadgets are sketchy, Microsoft said it will use a hard drive, wi-fi and owners will be able to buy tracks that are downloaded direct to the device. The first Zune player will appear in late 2006 with more to follow in 2007.”
“Zune is the umbrella term for the hardware player, the software on it and the download service it will be tied into. Music tracks, movies and other content will be available via this service,” The Beeb reports. “Microsoft said that, at first, only music will be available via Zune with other content to follow later.”
“Incompatible copy protection systems will make it unlikely that music can be moved seamlessly from iTunes – used predominately by iPod owners – to Zune or vice versa,” The Beeb reports. “It is not clear whether Zune will be a closed system or if it will work with the other music, media and movie systems Microsoft is a partner in. Microsoft has yet to say how, or if, Zune will work with its existing MSN Music service or how it will affect its alliance with MTV on a download service. There is also no word on whether Zune will impact the Plays For Sure initiative which helps people work out what gadgets will play their music collection.”
“Respected analyst Rob Enderle from the Enderle Group said the Zune project was less about Microsoft making its own iPod and more about changing the entire music download market,” The Beeb reports. “‘It is a flanking move,’ Mr Enderle said. ‘Microsoft is trying to encompass Apple and turn them into a bit player.’ He added: ‘The strategy is brilliant, but the question is can they execute?’ Mr Enderle said Zune was likely to be pitched at those creating music, movies and other content. The service would also use download statistics to generate lists of the most popular tracks and compile recommendations of artists that others might like.”
“By contrast, said Mr Enderle, Apple was aimed more squarely at consumers,” The Beeb reports. “By courting artists and recording studios Microsoft could end up with a very large portfolio of fresh content on Zune, said Mr Enderle. ‘If you get the artists excited collectively, they will be more powerful than a Steve Jobs can be,’ he said.”
Full article here.
Respected analyst Rob Enderle? Bwahahahahahahahahaha! The Beeb wrote “respected…” Bwahaha! For “analyst” Rob Enderle! Bwahahahahahahahahaha! Is this from the “Humour” section?
Phew! Of course, everything Enderle says is wrong or idiotic gibberish. The strategy is brilliant? Does Enderle mean the strategy where Microsoft eats its own partners or the one where no one outside Microsoft fully knows the features and specs of the new device(s) and/or service(s) or the one where, if Microsoft ever gets even a hint of traction, Steve Jobs licenses FairPlay DRM to selected partners (Ahem, Sony) and/or everyone else thereby rendering Zune a complete and total loss?
If Rob Enderle thinks Microsoft’s Zune is “brilliant strategy,” you know it’s DOA. There’s no more effective ‘killer’ than an Enderle kiss of death.
Is Microsoft really trying to turn Apple into a “bit player” or are they trying to grab a minority share that Apple’s “competitors” currently occupy? We strongly suspect the latter.
Zune will use “statistics to generate lists of the most popular tracks and compile recommendations of artists that others might like” as part of its “brilliant strategy.” You know, just like iTunes does already. Supposedly, this means that Zune is aimed squarely at artists. So, Apple can have those hundreds of millions of consumers, Microsoft will take the 50-100 “artists” that will sell out to Redmond. Brilliant.
Rob “Microsoft Wrote the First Mac OS” Enderle is an idiot and so are the idiots at the BBC who decided to get his quotes and attempt to pass him off as “respected.”
Still, thanks for the early Monday morning laugh, Beeb!
Related articles:
Enderle on what it would take for Microsoft to kill Apple’s iPod – July 10, 2006
Enderle spouts some incredible nonsense about Apple iPod+iTunes – July 07, 2006
Enderle: If Apple can’t double market share it will abandon Macs – May 02, 2006
Enderle: Apple as Windows OEM – April 10, 2006
Enderle: Microsoft’s ‘PlaysForSure’ going to be a long-term problem for Apple – January 09, 2006
Big surprise: Enderle was wrong about Apple’s holiday quarter Mac sales – January 19, 2006
Enderle: What if Microsoft bought Apple? – April 03, 2006
Enderle: Apple+Intel could be wonderful for those of us that love design and use Windows – December 26, 2005
Enderle admits Apple’s switch to Intel not hurting Mac sales, says Apple ‘has never looked stronger’ – December 08, 2005
Enderle: ‘Some people got really excited by the new iPod, but a growing number of people did not’ – October 19, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle: ‘Microsoft wrote the first Mac OS’ – September 28, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle incorrectly compares Apple’s Mac OS to iPod licensing – September 01, 2005
Enderle: ‘Surveys indicate demand for Apple’s products is dropping like a rock’ due to Intel switch – August 01, 2005
Rob Enderle’s latest Windows Vista article is ‘vapid and incomprehensible’ – August 01, 2005
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Microsoft’s so-called ‘iPod killer’ Zune won’t zoom up the charts – July 23, 2006
Microsoft confirms ‘iPod Killer’ plans – July 21, 2006
Microsoft’s rumored ‘iPod killer’ poses little threat to Apple’s domination – July 18, 2006
Microsoft plans Super Bowl ad for ‘iPod killer’ – July 17, 2006
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Microsoft preps complete line of Xbox-branded digital-media products – July 11, 2006
Photo of Microsoft’s ‘iPod killer?’ – July 11, 2006
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Enderle on what it would take for Microsoft to kill Apple’s iPod – July 10, 2006
Microsoft: ‘iPod killer’ reports based on ‘speculation and rumors’ – July 07, 2006
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Microsoft plans to convert iPod users by replacing iTMS songs with free WMA format songs – July 06, 2006
Microsoft to release wireless ‘iPod killer’ by Christmas to challenge Apple – July 05, 2006
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Microsoft preps iPod+iTunes killer – June 19, 2006
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Microsoft: No iPod killer planned – June 05, 2006
Microsoft, Toshiba, DoCoMo, Victor to develop Japan iPod+iTunes killer – June 02, 2006
Patent application shows iPod capable of live wireless video conferencing – June 13, 2006
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Generator Research: Apple to Ship $4.2bn in Wireless iPods (WiPods) by 2010 – March 14, 2006
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Wireless Apple iPods coming in 2006? – December 09, 2005
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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
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More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: BenQ withdraws from MP3 player markets – November 28, 2005
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More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Rio is dead – August 26, 2005
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Now Microsoft is ruining even Evil itself. Notice the logo at the end.
In true Microsoft fashion, this is a poor, backwards, upside down copy of an elegant and functional Pentagram that has been bloated with extra lines and other features, resulting in a confusing mess!
Rrrraaaaaa!!!!
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Go play in the traffic. When a bus runs over your head, no one will care because it won’t make any difference.
Wired calls it the iClod.
Supid Name:
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<i>”zune” is a stupid name. it doesn’t roll off the tongue or sound cool like “ipod”,/i>
Ah memories. I recall the iPod’s intro and the grumblings about the name. Cynical groans about “another “i” product. And reviewers questioning why it was called a “Pod” when pod signified nothing about music. The existing mp3 players had nothing to worry about.
Apple sure was stupid back then.
PLEASE keep the iPod news to iPOD daily news and OUT of the MAC section.
Being a Brit and having lived in Germany since 1976, the BBC World Service has been and still is an important source of news and, to a lesser extent, entertainment.
But slowly and surely they’re going down hill!
Particularly in things technology.
The quite awful ‘Click’ on BBC World TV is a tech. programme which is both inane and MS orientated.
Moreover, BBC downloads don’t support the Quicktime format.
Articles like this just show where their heads are at, and
Calling Enderle a ‘respected analyst’ has to be the last straw for me.
This is a hoot. Pot calling kettle black. MDN slamming Enderle, Thurott, etc., on a constant basis, but won’t answer whether it derives revenue by linking to their articles.
Rabid, hypocritical, Apple acolytes slamming MS for it OS domination, yet completely embracing conformity with the iPod. Say what you want about how good the iPod/iTunes combo is. But anything that dominates the market by definition shows conformity by it’s adopters.
It’s just a product. Choice is good. As long as we have competition, it will work for the best for customers. Apple provides that for the OS. MS is attempting that in the DRM world. Ying and yang.
Just my “analysis”.
Will Podcasts become Zunecasts?
Well, I’m all for competition, as I do believe when you have good, healthy competion we all win. I think one difference I see-at the risk of seeming to be a fan boy-is that Doze is most definately NOT recognized as the “best” in its category-it just dominates the market, whereas iPod/ITunes by most accounts IS the “best” in its category, at the moment at least, and dominates as a result.
That’s why people buy the iPod, and if that’s being conformist as zupchuck pejoratively put it, so be it.
I still say Apple has something very big in coming up in it’s future iPod/iPhone releases and Microsoft has heard about it.
Microsoft’s Zune BS is just some sort of preemptive strike to keep the few Microsoft fanboys left in this world from becoming early iPod/iPhone adopters. They have a history of announcing vaporware and vapor hardware that never really sees the light of day.
Until a Zune product is on a store shelf, color me skeptical about Zune’s very existence.
The BBC is the anal sphincter of the world press. Its rabid lib, and they got bitch slapped when they openly lied about Blair. It was so, so funny … the head of the BBC got his ass kicked out, the head of the news division got his ass kicked out, the lying ass dog journalist got his ass kicked out, etc. etc.
Lying ass dog libs, and forever discredited like that ass Dan Rather. Never, ever, have I had so much fun watching yellow belly libs get their lying asses kicked
Just so I’m clear, you think that they’re lying and they’re liberals and they’re possibly cowards. I wasn’t sure so I thought I’d check.
The quite awful ‘Click’ on BBC World TV is a tech. programme which is both inane and MS orientated.
But the good news is that it appears on BBC1 or 2 sometimes at around 3am, so if I’m having trouble sleeping it really makes a difference. In any case, it’s no worse than the appalling Gadget Show on C5. I’d really like to commit acts of violence on nearly everyone in that show other than Suzi Perry (for obvious reasons).
I don’t care if it’s Labour, Tory, Lib-Dem, gay, straight or Martian. I want it to keep its head out of the politician of the day’s ass, stop editorializing in it’s so-called news stories and rise above the level of the New York Sun and Oor Wullie.
Yes BBC is going down hill, I’ve met a few of their guys in the past, they were all decent folks. They’ve been defanged by this govt.
BBC didn’t lie about Blair, they were right but Blair exercised his power (set his attack dog Campbell on them) and shafted them.
Trust me, Microsoft’s Vista will definitely be ready in forty-five minutes
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Channel4 is where to go for UK news however they don’t do Quicktime either. BlairWatch is fun too: http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/
Zune is a combination of the two most popular brand names other than iPod, Zen and iTunes. It’s not a bad strategy for picking a name
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Oh, Microsoft doesn’t even own zune.com:
Registrant:
Zune
GATE MARKET RESEARCH LIMITED
20-22 BEDFORD ROW
LONDON, LONDON WC16 4JS
UK
Domain Name: ZUNE.COM
…..
Record expires on 21-Jun-2009.
Record created on 22-Jun-1998.
It’s been registered for quite a long time, although “off the air”.
Enderle must write satire. That’s the only explanation for this. For a long time he’s just been spewing total crap, and we all fell for it. That’s the only explanation. He can’t believe the crap he’s writing.
The BBC is just like that pro-life twit who cited an Onion article.
Jay,
So what was pejorative? If everyone buys the same product, isn’t that conformity? Regardless of its perceived quality? I believe conformity exists outside of reasons for one’s choice or any degree of singlemindedness.
If you make your choice based upon what you think is best for you, then whether the choice is the predominant one or not shouldn’t matter. BTW, I’m a long-term Apple customer owning various Macs and an iPod (really). And I did conform when buying an iPod (but I did seriously ponder other MP3 players).
I guess I just belittled myself!
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Check out BBC’s coverage of the Middle East (specifically their tender-hearted treatment of Hamas and Hezbollah) — that will tell you where their politics are and always have been.
And about Blair? The BBC was caught red-handed lying about documents and claimed that they had been “sexed up”. In that sense, they are comparable to Dan Rather and his forged documents. What is it about leftist media and the inability to be truthful?
Another thing, the BBC is funded by the government. The closest comparison to American media is PBS, which is also notoriously leftist. If the BBC had any guts, they’d turn down government funding to “speak truth to power”. But they won’t. The money is too good, and the playing the martyr bit is too addicting. If people had to pay directly for the BBC, they wouldn’t.
“zune”. (n.) Swahili word literally translated as, “steaming pile of droppings left by a clueless elephant.”
alt. meaning. (n.) Microsoft product. See above description.
“Well you see, we get inside the rabbit and when Apple takes it into it’s headquarters we jump out and..”
“Inside the what?”
“The rabbit. And then we…”
BOOOOINNNGGG!
Courage MS, Courage
hahahahaha…i can’t laugh enough at this ridiculous attempt by microsoft. i went over to zunenation.com and i happened to be the 11th person online at the time. there will be plenty of hype surrounding the release, and then even more hype about how it doesn’t live up to the then-announced vPod. Complete domination by apple.
MDN Magic Word: miss…As in “Microsoft steps up to the plate….here comes the pitch…swing and a MISS!”
Now I have to find a Wi-Fi network that I can log into… Scroll on a tiny device through a million songs to sample and then download the song I want.. Wow thats innovation.. I have a hard enough time finding a Wi-Fi spot that is free as it is and most of the time they half-way work.
It’s probably forgotten by now, but about nine million comments ago, “Jack Spratt” expressed concern that Microsoft could threaten the iPod, because they have sooooo much money to throw at the problem.
Folks, stop worrying about this! It’s a non-issue! Yes, Microsoft has loads of cash! Yes, they can afford to lose a ton pushing their way into new markets! But people who worry about this seem to have memorys that stop with the stories of Internet Explorer and Word. Has Microsoft succeeding in spending their way into market domination since those days?
NO!! Every attempt has been an utter failure! Even the “success” of the XBox has lost them horrific amounts of cash and made only the smallest of dents in Sony’s market share.
I fully expect “Zune” to be the XBox of digital audio players. In other words, it will be the on everyone’s lips, it will be a big deal in the media, but at the end of the day, it will be yet another Microsoft money loser, and Apple will continue to dominate the market.
zupchuck-point(s) very well taken.