“Microsoft is expected to unveil Zune today, taking the wraps off its bid to challenge Apple’s iPod,” Todd Bishop reports for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
MacDailyNews Take: “Bid to challenge Apple’s iPod” makes for a good story, but even Microsoft admits that they will have to spend hundreds of millions, several years on Zune trying to catch Apple iPod+iTunes.
Bishop continues, “The announcement, scheduled for this morning, comes with time ticking down toward the planned launch of the first Zune device in the U.S. this fall. Microsoft also plans to offer a related music service.”
“The announcement comes two days after Apple came out with a revamped line of iPods and launched its own movie-download service. The iPod dominates the market for portable music devices. Until now, Microsoft has tried to compete by providing the underlying software to a variety of device makers,” Bishop reports. “Zune represents a departure from that past strategy, with the company designing the device and music service itself. The company has lined up one of its hardware partners, Toshiba, to manufacture the devices.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Brian M.” for the heads up.]
Fast fact: “Zune” means “futile” in every language on earth.
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well.
I’m psyched…
The trash talk will be FLYING around the media.
I can just see all the headlines now…
Apple is DOOMED!!!!
Ha Ha whatever, let’s watch another M$ products drain their cash fund.
MS works fast. Two days to copy the latest iPods.
Just like “Vista” means “fowl” in Latvian: Windows Chicken.
Tastes like Windows.
What, no week-in-advance invitations to the media??!?!?? These guys in Redmond need to get a clue about successful marketing if they are ever going to make it in this world….oh wait, that’s right, who needs marketing when you have monopoly power behind you. Never mind.
A french newspaper claims photo of iPhone
I for one welcome the money sink hundreds of millions of $ microsoft will waste in this futile attempt
A is for Apple and
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz is for Zune
I love the spin they put on these news items –
“The company has lined up one of its hardware partners, Toshiba, to manufacture the devices.”
What it should read is-
“Microsoft have gotten Toshiba to tart up their failed Gigabeat player by dressing it up in an iPodesque-but-not-as-stylish party frock and re-branding it as Zune”
C’mon guys – lets have some honesty here!
Fine-a-leeee…… I’ve been waiting and waiting. I can’t stand the suspense.
I know I speak for many when I say “we can’t wait to put the latest portable MS hardware and malware in our pocket”.
Perhaps the new wireless capabilities will actually let wankers track us and steal our identities wherever we go, wow, this is gonna be big…..
Zune vs. iPod on Googlefight.com:
http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=Zune&word2=iPod
No worries.
For a sales and marketing puke, Balmer really knows how to roll out a new product.
Hey deedubya
link to the french paper please…..
Ballmer’s kids are going to have to walk around school with bricks tied around their necks.
“Photo of iPhone is a fake, but buyers seem real”
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/09/12/business/iphone.php
Well, this explains why Steve did, (what I consider to be prematurely, but it does make sense in the realm of market place security), his presentation this week. As always, ahead of MS – Even though this time I think Steve did it more out of tradition, and to remind consumers and developers that Apple is always ahead of MS technologically, than because there were any real groundbreaking announcements about the iPod lines, or iPhone, or etc.
I am really worried about the plan I have heard that will allow Microsoft to catch and yes even surpass the iPod.
Apparently Microsoft will be producing a lot more Zunes than iPods, they have to. Then they will hire people to go out and buy the Zunes. That will allow them to say that they have surpassed Apple.
Apple is so doomed.
OK folks, you can take the tongue out of your cheeks now.
Sorry it’s here:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/14/apple_iphone_at_large/
“Microsoft is expected to unveil Zune today,”
We better go early to avoid the crowds …
My question: is this just another announcement of a forthcoming product or will Zune actually be available to buy today?
How long before TV’s are sold with “iTV” built in..2008
OOOH!-OOOH! I can’t wait.
MW-private-as in- this hits me right in my privates.
An “inside” source has told me that Ballmer has been constipated for months now, and the reason that they called the news conference in haste is because he is finally ready to crap his Zune player!
MDN Magic word = clear, as in stay clear of the Zune while it’s still “warm”
Finally! I’ve been waiting for the release since they announced it. The papers on my desk were all blowing away.