Wi-Fi seen limiting battery life on Microsoft’s Zune

20 years ago

“Microsoft’s plot to use Wi-Fi capabilities in order advantage its upcoming digital media player over the iPod could have an adverse effect on the player’s battery life, one Wall Street analyst says,” Slash Lane reports for AppleInsider.

“‘We believe the biggest issue […] is that Wi-Fi power requirements are still quite steep and so we are skeptical that battery life will be strong on these Microsoft portable media players,’ American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu wrote in a note to clients on Monday,” Lane reports.

“While Microsoft declined offer specifics of the products, some analysts claim to have confirmed with the company that its media player device would pack Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing it to download content wirelessly,” Lane reports. “Similar portable devices of slightly larger proportions have recently hit the market with Wi-Fi capabilities, but at the expense of battery life. ‘In our analysis, a Sony PSP lasts only about 45 minutes when Wi-Fi is turned on,’ Wu told clients.

Lane reports, “Wu also believes Microsoft’s Zune products could tarnish its reputation amongst several partners already battling Apple’s iPod dominance. ‘We believe the biggest issue with Microsoft’s entrance into the portable media space is that puts it direct competition with its partners, all of whom support Microsoft’s Windows Media format,’ he said. ‘While the focus is on Apple, we believe this move will likely have a much larger competitive impact on Creative, SanDisk, Sony, Samsung, iRiver, Archos, and others.'”

Full article here.

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