“Microsoft Corp. chose Toshiba Corp. to manufacture its Zune digital music player, a device that will compete with Apple Computer Inc.’s market-dominating iPod,” Dina Bass reports for Bloomberg.
Bass reports, “Toshiba, which currently sells music and video players with Microsoft’s Windows software, yesterday filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for approval of the device. Microsoft spokeswoman Denise Gocke confirmed the filing and Toshiba’s role in the project.”
Bass reports, “The Redmond, Washington-based company plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several years in a bid to dent Apple’s 77 percent share of the $4 billion U.S. market for digital music players. ‘Toshiba makes a very high-quality product,’ said Rob Enderle, an analyst at the Enderle Group in San Jose, California. He called the decision ‘a good choice’ and said Toshiba’s Gigabeat music player is often reviewed as one of the few devices whose hardware is equal to or better than the iPod.”
Bass reports, “”The FCC filing included a photo of the device, which is white with a black-trimmed screen and a black-trimmed, white scroll wheel. Zune will have a 30-gigabyte hard drive, a three-inch screen, and be available in three colors, black, white and brown, according to the Toshiba filing.”
Full article here.
And, so, it’s confirmed. The Zune, or as it’s already known in France, “Z’Brick,” is made by Toshiba and is the size of a small convenience store. Oh, and that “white scroll wheel” mentioned by Bloomberg is not a scroll wheel at all, it’s only a four-way button that just happens to be round. You know, to look like Apple’s product in an effort to fool the ignorant. As usual. Apple’s patent pending iPod Click Wheel is patent-pending for a reason, you know. The fact that the brick-like Zune comes in brown is considered by many analysts to be highly appropriate. And, if Rob Enderle thinks it’s all good, then you know it’s very, very bad. How bad? Even we expected more from Microsoft.
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To quote M.A.D.:
Macnut222, I believe it is meant to go into the back of your pants, just on the inside though, and center it.
I think this is a picture of one of those
” rel=”nofollow”>brown Zune’s, in a third party travel case.
From the picture I can’t really tell if Segway is involved in it’s production, but it looks like it might catch on.
Steve made the Creative lawsuit legitimate. Paid up $100 million. Gets his 100 mil back if Creative finds a bigger fish to fry.
Hummmmmm. Where is there a bigger fish to fry. Oh, yeah! That would be them copy cats at Microsloft who are currently doing a quick and dirty copy of the iPod.
Oh, that means Creative is gonna sue their asses to hell and back.
Steve gets his 100 mil back, Bill Gates pays Creative big time.
Apple Wins!
Then, just for the hell of it, just for the fun of it, maybe Steve gives Creative access to the iTunes store. Brings Creative into the fold, shoves a big one up Gates ass. Year from now Zune quietly dies just like the Dell shit died the other day.
The pig is happy.
Jerry T
Xbox is a money losing product. Yes it is pretty good but it is a very difficult market with Nintendo and Sony there. MS will need to gain market share and then be profitable – no small task
You can’t compare Netscape with Apple. Apple is much better capitalized. Netscape was a tiny company making a product that was free or became free when MS entered the market. No one saw them as unbeatable. Apple has built an ecosystem around iPod/i-Tunes that is going to take innovation and a lot of money to disrupt. MS has never been good at innovating. Sure Apple could lose their momentum as it did with the Mac in the 80s/90s but I doubt Apple would make the same mistakes again.
Apple knows that OSX will never have the Windows market share. Apple is focusiong on growth to continue to gain developers support and profitability in developed nations. Apple knows that they lost the PC wars but it doesn’t mean that the mac can continue to be a great profitable channel for it.
I did not understand your last comment
Microsoft spokeswoman Denise Gocke:
“We believe in inking this deal with Toshiba, we will be the world’s number one supplier of the Toshiba Gigabeat S product.”
“It should be clear to everyone that our re-branding of their product, coupled with our loss leading ability in first the xBox, and now Zune, will lead the way to following others by being years behind.
I still marvel how much press Enderle gets. I hear him on the radio, I read him in print…he’s everywhere. I would really like to read some facts about the Enderle Group. And photos. He’s got some great connections as I assume that it’s just him in lonely office park. I’m not hating on the guy, I just think it’s amazing how much press he gets. His analysis is rarely insightful, but we all know that.
One more thing:
A brown Zune?
BROWN?
You’re shitt’in me right?
No kidding, BROWN?
Fusk, it’s a Z-turd!
Too good to believe!
Look a bit like a Newton to me…
Its Origami repackaged as Zune.
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M$ marketing idea as usual.
The lack of the click-wheel instantly kills all iPod competitors in my eyes. There is no better alternative.
One day Ballmer entered the men’s room stall just after Enderle had exited. Suddenly the exclamation could be heard… “Zune!”
But don’t underestimate the amount of cash M$ is willing to lose or throw away to buy market share (can you say, “XBox”?) also never, never underestimate the stupidity of the US consumer to fall for crap like this from M$…
Wow, the Creative Vision M is better. Of course, I don’t expect the zune to stay brown. That’s just the test prototype. Everyone knows it’ll come in a variety of translucent plastic colors.
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hell I’m fat and ugly, make it like me
Cripes! Is that a SCSI cable that it’s hooked up to? Can’t you just hear the MS fanboy’s and their “what part of prototype do you mactards not understand’ excuse for this pig? LOL!
I’m not surprised Enderle likes BROWN given the amount of sh*t this ANAList dishes out.
Give me an ENEMA BAG!!!!!!!!!!
For the 1st time ever MS has to play being way behind on the score board against a mighty competitor and where MS will not be able to leverage its OS market share.
^^^
*ahem* Like the xbox?
ok, how long before some creative person creates a parody website showing people happily listening/jogging/dancing/etc with a zune-logo’ed brick around their neck or strapped to their arm (wearing brown earbuds, of course)?
— just like all those “Sidetalking” photos that surfaced when the ridiculous Nokia N-Gage was first announced?
Heard it’s shrink-wrapped with Preparation H.
Or as JEG alluded, it’s just another “brick in the wall.” As in the crumbling edifice.
That thing is an embarrasment.
Anybody notice all the Microsoft trolls are keeping their embarassed heads right down these days?
One of them putting their head above the parapet here will have it blown off in 10 seconds flat!!
Go Apple. You got them well and truly on the run…
And every one they make but don’t sell will be another brick OUT of the wall that’s become Microshite.
Notice the antenna? It looks like a walkie talkie.
Looks like Balmer just shit a brick.
“I believe it is meant to go into the back of your pants, just on the inside though, and center it.”
Oh crap!
Jerry T.: “They did a good job coming from nowhere with the Xbox.”
…uh, if you remember your Apple history, the Xbox is the remade version of the Apple Pippin that was taken away after Apple killed the product and the team members absorbed into Microsuck.
“I think this is a picture of one of those brown Zune’s, in a third party travel case.” Rocket Power, or how DoodieMan got his start…..snicker.
“also never, never underestimate the stupidity of the US consumer to fall for crap like this”…as a person who works within Retail, this is an understatement. Look at all the loosers who fall for the, “Windows is user friendly” line. To reinforce this, there are people out there that think (and believe) that Paris Hilton is a respectable person and a role model. ….HURK, gag, HURLLLLL!
Now what is truly interesting is that I understand the cable connections on the bottom of the device, for syncronizing, then the audio cable that is plugged into the top….but what the f#ck is that “dangle” that is on the right side?!?!? It’s orange with two spearations with two white “thingys” that cannot be identified. Uhhh, I am now scared.
MasterMacNikon
BROWN is so utterly appropriate.
Got to love their fashion sense.