“Microsoft Corp. on Thursday unveiled Zune, a 30-gigabyte music and video player that marks the software giant’s entry into a digital-media player market dominated by Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod,” Rex Crum and Michael Paige report MarketWatch.
“Microsoft said Zune will come with a three-inch screen, which is larger than the iPod’s two-inch video screen, as well as built-in wireless and FM-radio tuning technology, features that also aren’t available on the iPod,” Crum and Paige report.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s iPod features a 2.5-inch screen, not a “two-inch” screen, and offers the exact same 320×240 pixel resolution as Zune. Apple’s iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
“Additionally, Microsoft launched what it calls the Zune Marketplace [available this holiday season in the United States], an online music site where customers can purchase individual songs or buy a subscription that allows the purchase of unlimited songs for a flat fee,” Crum and Michael Paige report. “Microsoft said the Zune would be available in time for the holiday shopping season, but didn’t immediately disclose prices for the product, or for songs bought through the Zune Marketplace.”
Full article here.
According to the press release, Microsoft plans to offer Zune, manufactured by Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp., in black, white and brown, according to a company news release.
“The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning,” said J Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is heading its Zune project. “With Zune, we are not simply delivering a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring artists closer to their audiences and helps people find new music and develop new social connections.”
Apple’s iPod holds more than half of the worldwide digital media player market, according to research company NPD, while iTunes accounts for over 70 percent of U.S. digital music sales. In the United States, the iPod has more than 75 percent of the digital music player market, according to NPD.
Is this a joke? Zune Marketpace? Great name. As for the Zune player, rarely has a product been so appropriately hued as Microsoft’s repackaged Toshiba Gigabeat in brown. It’s appropriately dressed for its inevitable date to circle the bowl.
We can see the ads now: Zune pitchman, South Park’s Mr. Hankey, singing, “PlaysForShit and looks like it, too!”
One thing’s for sure, the Microsoft marketing person who scheduled this “news” release for a Thursday, two days after Apple’s special event no less, is no genius.
If this was from any other company than Microsoft, we’d feel sorry for them – like we did for Toshiba when they first debuted this thing.
Related articles:
PC Mag Editor’s Pick: Apple’s new iPod nano – ‘’an excellent product, slim, attractive, easy to use’ – September 14, 2006
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Three markets that are different today after Apple’s ‘It’s Showtime’ event – September 13, 2006
Cramer: Apple’s ‘iTV’ all about ease-of-use; Apple shares are going higher – September 13, 2006
Apple + Living Room = Logical Marriage + Boon for Stockholders – September 13, 2006
The Register: Apple event more like ‘No Show’ than ‘Showtime’ – September 13, 2006
The Telegraph: Steve Jobs’ genius making people desire gadgets for which they have absolutely no use – September 13, 2006
The Guardian: Steve Jobs needs ‘a charisma download, Apple risks being left behind’ – September 13, 2006
Mark Cuban: Things that are special about Apple’s announcements – September 13, 2006
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How will Apple’s ‘iTV’ work? – September 13, 2006
The Observer’s iPod FUD: Apple iPod is ‘wilting away before our eyes’ – September 10, 2006
Apple eyes living room market with device codenamed ‘iTV’ – September 12, 2006
Analyst: Apple ‘s iTunes+iPod+iTV model ‘the gold standard for the digital home of the future’ – September 12, 2006
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Oh… and the “breadcrumbs-style (TWIST) navigation is pretty darn cool because now you only have to click once to get to any menu from anyplace.
The colors are OK… though not great at all. I hope they replace some of those. IMO, the best-looking is black. Not even the standard iPod-white is that nice-looking here.
Read Stereogum’s review. It lists the strengths and weaknesses pretty clearly without much (seemingly) bias.
http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003387.html#more
They probably have to re-print all the packaging since their original price target was $299. Now I guess they’d have to lower it to maybe $199 for anyone to consider it.
MDN word = pay…. how appropriate.
PS: Zune isn’t even on MS homepage. How’s that for confidence in their newest product?
Scheming Best Buy guy: “You don’t want an iPod. Your son/daughter wants a Zune. They work on PCs. iPod’s only work on macs.”
Uneducated parent: “My son/daughter wanted an iPod, but we have a PC. I guess I’ll take a Zune.”
Christmas Day….
son/daughter: “What is this?”
Uneducated parent: “A Zune. iPods won’t work on our PC.”
son/daughter: “Yes, they do. Who told you what? I want an iPod.”
Day after Christmas…
Uneducated parent: “I want to return this Zune.”
Best Buy: “Sorry, no refunds. We don’t even sell them any more.”
> It should have brown paper bag over it.
@Macaday:
yup, put it in a brown paper bag, light it on fire and put it on some old lady’s porch.
I use my iPod to ignore people and drown out the annoying cell phone screamers, to exercise and on the plane. I don’t want a social connection; I’d leave my iPod at home for that.
Where do they expect all this social interaction and sharing of music to take place? I’m curious, does anyone know of a poll about iPod usage?
Or, where do you use your iPod that would lend itself to a social connection?
How could MS marketing not predict the obvious brown=turd/p-o-s comparison? Maybe the marketing folks are ex-Vista programmers that were given a second chance (and screwed up again). I can’t believe anyone but the toughest of the diehard MS zealots would ever buy this ugly thing! I wonder if you can download a blue-screen-of-death video for it? Does it comes with trojans and viruses preinstalled or do you have to turn it on first?
Oops it luchtime – no more MS bashing for now…
As one review said, “Thinking of Microsoft as an underdog blows my mind.”
But now they are in this arena. And it’s blowing my mind, too.
Good, that’s all right then. Microsoft DOES have a product for this holiday season.
That means it has a failure for the 2006 season as well as for 2007 ( any bets on a ‘working’ copy of Vista for Q4 2007 anyone?!).
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Microsoft turd polishing time!
…how long it takes someone to spread a virus via the “social connections”.
Garbage in-
Garbage out!
Ron?… Where are you Ron?? Funny how quiet he is on these kind of news… … Brown… It comes with a paper bag to wear on da head… Soldering iron engraved… ¨To Darling Ronnie for eating my Pudding¨ Hey, Ron this one is for you!
Don’t underestimate Microsoft.
It has just enough interesting new features to get by until generation 2.
So MS kills off the weak players like Napster and Sony… who cares? They all die off and MS ends up with 20% market share in the US and much bigger overseas where Apple is weaker.
MS will tie it tightly to the XBox and Vista. And, oh, by the way don’t be surprised if iPods have mysterious problems with Vista. MS will leverage the hell out of the PC and Xbox platforms, they don’t have any other choice.
I gotta take a zune. After, I gotta remember to wipe my Ballmer.
Smaller devices will soon follow:
The Zune Peanut
The Zune Corn
The best things to come out from this piece of crap.
Good grief, that thing is hideous.
They are scrambling to recompute its price point. Think another Xbox. I won’t be surprised if they will price it equivalent to iPod, and lose money on each unit hoping to dethrone the King. They want to win; their egos demand it.
Without the chess moves Windows and Office turned out to be, the only other thing this company is good at is losing money.
The new Zune player is as sexy as Ernest Borgnine.
And their choice of having the CSS graphic – shades of the Gestapo, anyone ? Probably a subconcious decision that relates Micro$oft and the Nazis…
“I gotta take a zune. After, I gotta remember to wipe my Ballmer.” That is the funniest thing yet!
You much anti-MS bias to actually see that this is a decent product with a pretty good marketing scheme. I just read the article :http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003387.html#more
And this is the stuff that MS EXCELS (no pun intended) at. MS can nail the deficiencies of any product and pour in vast resources to come up with something that can legitimately compete with the dominant product. They have recognized a serious weakness with iPod: limited iPod to iPod interaction. As well I love the fact that wallpaper can shown full screen. I can’t wait for the iPod fullscreen to do a comparison of the two. Brown? Sure it invites jokes, but it is so geeky and ugly that it work imho. iPods are real slick but not really low-brow cool.
Anyway, flame away, but remember Playstation used to dominant too, until MS changed the way the game was played.
Yeah, never underestimate Microsoft… but never overestimate the average PC owner. They’re so used to cruddy Windows products, they probably won’t notice the differences between this crude knockoff and the real thing.
These are the same people that will line up like cattle to buy Vista and think its the greatest thing since sliced bread.
hahaha….nice one MDN.
let’s just hope that’s what it actually looks like
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Playlist for the Zune:
Thick as a Brick, Jethro Tull
Turd on the Run, the Rolling Stones
I Can’t Stand It, Eric Clapton
It’s Too Late, Carly Simon
Loser, Beck
Mr. Pitiful, Otis Redding
Sometimes a Fantasy, Billy Joel
Only the Lonely, Frank Sinatra
I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues, Frank Sinatra
Fooling Yourself, Styx
Where Did It All Go Wrong?, Oasis
Don’t Believe the Hype, Public Enemy
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, the Smiths
What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Pet Shop Boys
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, Derek and the Dominos
You much anti-MS bias to actually see that this is a decent product with a pretty good marketing scheme. I just read the article :http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003387.html#more
And this is the stuff that MS EXCELS (no pun intended) at. MS can nail the deficiencies of any product and pour in vast resources to come up with something that can legitimately compete with the dominant product. They have recognized a serious weakness with iPod: limited iPod to iPod interaction. As well I love the fact that wallpaper can shown full screen. I can’t wait for the iPod fullscreen to do a comparison of the two. Brown? Sure it invites jokes, but it is so geeky and ugly that it work imho. iPods are real slick but not really low-brow cool.
Anyway, flame away, but remember Playstation used to dominant too, until MS changed the way the game was played.
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PowerMac G5 2.0GHz DP
Lombard G3 Powerbook