“Microsoft has kept people guessing about its so-called ‘iPod killer’ Zune, leaking bits of information at a time,” Stan Beer writes for iTWire. “One thing is clear. If Microsoft is to have any chance of success greater than zero pitting Zune against iPod, it needs its own online music store. The question on everyone’s lips is does it have one in the pipeline? The question on my lips is that what the commercial on YouTube is about? Is Alexandria Microsoft’s answer to iTunes? If so, does this change the ball game?”
Microsoft’s “Alexandria” video:
Beer writes, “The question remains, however, why would iPod and iTunes users move across? There has to be a compelling reason.”
“It’s going to be a tough sell coming into a market that you’ve never played in before against a competitor who has it all. Apple has dominant market share, experience with the business model, design expertise and the image that fits the market,” Beer writes. “This is not to say that Microsoft cannot enter the market but if the company expects to come in knock over Apple by sheer marketing brute force then it’s going to take time, loads of money and it has to have something clearly superior to the iPod and iTunes package.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “mrmikey” for the heads up.]
You just know that every actor in that video happily went home to their Macs while listening to their iPods.
Related articles:
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Wow, that was sure convincing. I’m placing my advance order now…
ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Here’s the problem for Microsoft in a nutshell. The iTunes Music Store has sold well over one billion songs and 35 million videos. And a grand total of zero of those will play on a Zune.
People are simply not going to totally abandon their purchased music and video libraries and start all over again.
There has never been a microsoft product that generated the kind of wonder, interest, and amazement that this video portrayed. This would take a applesque effort to achieve what they have suggested here. I doubt MS has it in them to accomplish anything like this.
A 2 minute ad?!?!?! Man, I hope this one doesn’t play very often on my shows.
The end of the ad says “Summer 2006”. They are running out of time.
I think we’re getting caught in the Microsoft overhype web. MDN, don’t forget that WWDC is less than 2 WEEKS away!
Patience=Virtue
Sorry, fellaz. But that video was also “leaked” at the time of all that crap hype about “Origami” a few months back.
That’s just a video produced by an ad firm under contract by MSFT. May not have anything at all to do with an iPod/Tunes killer.
Title of video and song, “And when the world turns into geeks”. Available in the iTunes store today.
Microsoft can never be hip no matter how hard they try. The brunette in that video is pretty hot though, I will give them that, and only that.
wow…an ambiguous commercial for a product that doesn’t exist. anyone else as excited as I am?
I have seen other versions of this story before. I am pretty sure the kid at the end of the video is the one who points out that the Emperor Has No Clothes.
So, if Microshaft can air a 2 minute ad, why can’t Apple? Why can’t Apple create a 2 minute ad that shows some of the wonderful things that you can do with a Mac? Just as they created a series of “I”m a Mac/I’m a PC” ads, they should create a series of ads that show everything from working in the OS with Spotlight and Exposé, to working in Garage Band, to all of the iLife apps, and finally to booting up Windows if necessary. Air those puppies and I think you’d get more converts than the current run.
Jimbo out.
Good music choice, any ideas about title and artist?
Interesting commercial. The issue remains, however, overcoming Apple’s huge lead.
Microsoft must be prepared to spend a huge amount of cash advertising this thing, in order to garner any share at all
Microsoft will spend the money because this isn’t about music share. Its about standards. iTunes is the industry standard for obtaining internet music. As long as Apple controls the standard, Microsoft will be relegated to #2. Microsoft can’t afford to allow this to happen. It weakens Microsoft’s grip on other standards when consumers learn that there are non-Microsoft technologies that are better.
Its a slippery slope kind of deal, and Microsoft is fighting to get off that slpe.
Don’t really give a damn about that Zune thingy, but that one chick with the dark hair an olive skin is kind of hot. I’d trade in my iPod to tap that.
Microsoft Translator:
Summer 2006 = Spring 2015 (give or take 2 years)
Ok that was the most boring thing I’ve ever seen. I wanted to close the window before I even got halfway through.
I could just hear the director of that video now. “Ok everyone, look curious”.
if the add was made on a mac like microsofts last xp campaign?
Welcome to Microsoft Daily News 😀
…and the kid at the end is a rip off of the kid at the end of the Mazda car ad except he doesn’t say “zoom zoom”. Unoriginal ad.
Infiniti Anyone?
Recall the original Infiniti Car Luxury car ads?
You never saw the car. Just waves, and a great British voice over. Finally, when Infiniti unveiled the car people were saying “What?… That’s the car? That’s what this hype was about?”
It completely backfired. If this truly is MS’s gameplan, they are taking a page from history and are about to brick.
Never, never, never, give your product or service over to one’s imagination – as the revealed solution can never meet the lofty self-envisoned expectations the company has built into one’s mind.
Quickly!!!
Dvorak, PC Mag, and Analysts everywhere, use this as sheer proof that MS is going to be late on a product they have never given a ship date for!
Seriously:
When this concept ad was created (a high-end concept at that), the target was for sometime in the summer of ’06 the Zune would be released. This is why it prints such…
The launch date has obviously been pushed back to the fall, as this Summer ’06 no longer applies.
I’m getting sick of these marketing videos and commercials that make it seem as if there’s this world full of extremely young, always beautiful, highly intelligent people out there sharing ideas, being creative, solving problems, etc.
SHOW US THE TRUTH!!!!!
Lots of mediocre looking young morons standing around in Best Buy saying “Duh, what’s USB?”
Lots of idiots that take the most important technology of the 21st century, the Internet, and use it for getting sex, watching porn, etc.
A never ending supply of mental midgets who thing YouTube is the 2nd coming.
And the rest, the drug addicts, the insane religions, the gangs, the child molesters, the serial killers, the disgusting United Nations, and on and on.
magic word = modern
If I were a betting man, I would say this is a deliberate, targeted attempt by Microsoft and its ad agency to create further buzz for the Zune.
Post the video on Youtube and get it moving throughout the youth populous.
* Zero advertising fees to major networks
* Creating buzz through sites like this one
* Keeping Zune on websites and people’s minds
Very smart advertising work.
in two words: creepy and tedious. I felt like I was trying to fend off brain washing.
that was the coolest microsoft commercial ever made. a definite improvement over cartoon drawings of astronauts and scientists, and the where do you want to go campaign
Yeah that’s about the only way to have people show interst in a MS product. Pay them to act that way.
Come on world. MS yet again is trying to make a product to do EVDERYTHING. Music, movies, wi-fi, and my favorite-
collaboration of your music lists.
Who the f*(k would use this?
MS is a hopeless company. They have never INVENTED anything.
There existence comes from monopoly status. And the status has frozen companies to it, or spend BILLIONS of dollars to switch. Not switch to Mac mind you. Switch to IBM, Sun or anyone. MS has companies by the balls, and that’s it. A repulsive, unimaginative monstrosity.
And Ballmer epitomizes the company perfectly. And it won’t change. Or it will after it collapses and rebuilt by inventive people wanting to make a product that serves a customer. Not a product that MAKES the customer not able to leave without spending a lot of money. Again.
Wake up people. Patronize any company but MS.