“Poor Microsoft! Its abandonment of PlaysForSure partners and other strategies related to its solo iPod killer efforts have been mercilessly attacked before the company can even get the new device into the hands of users,” Daniel Eran writes for RoughlyDrafted.
Eran writes, “On top of that, it’s also facing stiff competition in pricing. However, according to proponents of Ten iPod vs Zune Myths, the Zune is technically superior, with brilliant wireless sharing features, and will be able to compete with Apple’s iPod as a cheap loss leader. Ahem. They’re wrong, here’s why.”
Eran’s myths include:
• Myth 1: The Zune has a larger screen that’s better for movies.
• Myth 2: The Zune screen has a horizontal display mode for viewing movies in a wide aspect ratio.
• Myth 3: The Zune will play movies… or any video at all
• Myth 4: The Zune will do most everything else the iPod does at the same price
• Myth 5: The Zune offers similar hardware to the iPod at the same pric
• Myth 6: Wireless features on the Zune provide a compelling new feature.
• Myth 7: Microsoft will deeply discount the Zune as a loss leader to gain marketshare
• Myth 8: Microsoft will deeply discount the Zune as a loss leader to gain subscription income
• Myth 9: The Zune has excited a lot of users already
• Myth 10: Available in Brown
• Honorable mention Myth: Zune PlaysForSure
Full article here.
Competition is good, but only when the competition is good. Thankfully, Apple seems intent on competing with themselves instead of resting on their laurels.
Related articles:
Analyst: Zune could lead to ‘civil war’ between Microsoft and Windows Media partners – September 29, 2006
Thurrott on Microsoft’s Zune: ‘The makings of a disaster, what the heck are these people thinking?’ – September 29, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft Zune’s as good as dead on arrival – September 28, 2006
Microsoft sets 30GB Zune price at $249.99 – September 28, 2006
How Microsoft’s Zune can kill Apple’s iPod – September 21, 2006
Microsoft’s Zune insanity – September 21, 2006
The Microsoft Zune 1.0 dud – September 20, 2006
Microsoft’s underwhelming Zune a ‘viral DRM’ device – September 18, 2006
SanDisk teams with RealNetworks against new common foe: Microsoft Zune – September 18, 2006
Creative does Apple’s dirty work by immediately attacking Microsoft’s Zune – September 17, 2006
Motley Fool’s Jayson: Microsoft’s ‘just plain ugly’ Zune a meager offering, not an iPod killer – September 15, 2006
What’s in a name? ‘Zune’ a French-Canadian euphemism for penis or vagina – September 15, 2006
Crave at CNET: ‘Microsoft Zune, all the excitement that brown can bring’ – September 15, 2006
Microsoft’s Zune underwhelms – September 15, 2006
Enderle: Microsoft Zune ‘a design mistake’ – September 15, 2006
Microsoft hypocrisy exposed with Zune: What ever happened to ‘choice?’ – September 14, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft Zune with fake scroll wheel ‘hardly an Apple iPod killer’ – September 14, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft Zune won’t spoil Apple’s biggest iPod Christmas ever – September 14, 2006
Microsoft unveils Zune 30GB player, Zune Marketplace; declines to disclose prices – September 14, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft’s Zune an ‘underwhelming’ repackaged Toshiba Gigabeat; no threat to Apple iPod – August 30, 2006
Microsoft confirms brick-like Zune to be made by Toshiba – August 25, 2006
Microsoft Zune is chunky brick made by Toshiba – August 25, 2006
Microsoft to spend hundreds of millions, several years on Zune trying to catch Apple iPod+iTunes – July 27, 2006
Zune: Apple cannot lose. Microsoft cannot win. – July 26, 2006
Computerworld review: ‘Apple’s new iPods are better than ever’ – September 27, 2006
PC Magazine’s 19th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards for MP3 players: Apple iPod line – September 25, 2006
USA Today reviews new Apple iPod nanos, updated iPods, iTunes 7 (each earns 4 stars out of 4) – September 21, 2006
Time Magazine’s Gadget of the Week: Apple iPod 80GB – September 21, 2006
CNET Editor’s Choice: Apple fifth-gen updated iPod – ‘best, most attractive iPod to date’ – September 20, 2006
Disney’s remarkable 1st week iTunes movies sales should have studios clambering aboard Apple train – September 20, 2006
Disney sells 125,000 movie downloads via Apple’s iTunes Store in first week – September 19, 2006
PC Magazine review: iTunes 7 ‘Apple’s best effort yet’ (4 stars out of 5) – September 15, 2006
CNET Editor’s Pick: Apple’s new 2G iPod nano – ‘sure to be top choice among wide range of users’ – September 14, 2006
Apple debuts new iPod in 30GB and 80GB with Hollywood movies, games and new lower price – September 12, 2006
Apple intros new iPod nano with new aluminum design in five colors and 24-hour battery life – September 12, 2006
Apple unveils new iPod shuffle: world’s smallest digital music player – September 12, 2006
Apple debuts iTunes 7 – September 12, 2006
If it’s one thing that bothers me about reading comments from various places (here, engadget, etc.), it’s that people spout off ‘facts’ that just are not correct.
Like the Geico caveman says, “Do a little research.”
More people need to see articles like this
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…Like Cavemen that can speak is a fact?
MDN and RoughlyDrafted are the two Apple related RSS feeds that I follow closely. Daniel Eran is good; you could do a lot worse than to go through his archive.
Everywhere I go
There’s always something to remind me
Of another false Zune “truth”
Propagated by an MS employee
Excellent analysis from someone who does NOT call himself an “analyst.”
Z.U.N.E.
Zero
Users
No
Entertainment
Gotta love the last picture of the “brown Zune” Ruff Ruff
Great read. I like how he always get to the truth of the matter.
gets not get.
The author of this article clearly has too much time on his hands.
I’m still waiting for the official Zune launch so Creative can spring their Zen vs Zune trademark infringement suit on Microsoft at a point when it will inflict maximum damage.
The article seemed to say that the Zune does not have the ability to play back videos sideways to take advantage of the full screen size, yet it clearly will play back movies sideways – as the awesome photo of the dog demonstrates. I don’t get it.
Roughly Drafted’s server is offline?
“The article seemed to say that the Zune does not have the ability to play back videos sideways to take advantage of the full screen size, yet it clearly will play back movies sideways – as the awesome photo of the dog demonstrates. I don’t get it.”
Nick, Microsoft is basically saying the Zune will ship without video support. They will most likely add it later via firmware update, although it’s not clear how long that will take. It could be months, if not longer.
The photo is a marketing photo. Microsoft lists support for various video format like MP4 and WMV, but there’s a difference between “supported” and “actually enabled to work.”
For example, Verizon shipped a lot of Bluetooth phone but kindly disabled the feature. All the phone supported Bluetooth, but users were not actually able to use it. For whatever reason, video playback on the Zune will not be ready by launch time and Microsoft is remaining mum about when users will be able to get video going.
This is going to bomb so bad. Imagine all the Zune fanboys excitedly unwrapping their Zunes and loading it up with their porn clips, and then suddenly saying, “WTF?! Why doesn’t it play video?!!!”
I just can’t wait for that comedy!
Ok, it’s online now.
You might look to see the comments that Daniel Eran’s articles attract on Digg. The MS public relations (or check dispensing?) department is hard at work trying to discredit him.. Time to start Digging him!
He’s got a good intellect and has huge productivity… How he earns a living as well I don’t know!
“The article seemed to say that the Zune does not have the ability to play back videos sideways to take advantage of the full screen size, yet it clearly will play back movies sideways – as the awesome photo of the dog demonstrates. I don’t get it.”
Umm, the article rather clearly explains it, so I’m not sure why you don’t get it…
“Widescreen movies do look better when presented on a wide screen, but the Zune doesn’t offer a wide aspect display; it has to stretch or letterbox the screen to show wide aspect movies just the same as an iPod or standard definition TV would.
It doesn’t gain magic dots of new resolution by being held sideways! It just distorts the display to show it in a stretched 3×4 aspect ratio, at the very same resolution. Microsoft carefully avoids calling it a wide aspect display because it isn’t.”
Nick stealers should be banned.
My coffee is brown, so is my steak, my chocolate and most of the ground underneath me. I really don’t understand what the brown thing is all about. Can someone explain what is wrong with brown? If it were gold, yellow, green, skyblue, salmon or peach would there be such a discussion??
I can hardly wait to get my vagina ,er zune.
Poop it all day, but Zune is going to get a small slice of the pie simply because there are so many sheep out there who don’t do their homework and just don’t have a clue.
What I hope for is that Apple will just before Thanksgiving release a new high-end iPod with full screen/touch screen features and market the heck out of it. I hope Zune will instead get their slice of pie from Creative,Sony, etc. rather than Apple. If they do bit into Apples space, then it is also a good thing and it gets Apples R&D off the couch and out quicker with better products. Again, I am still waiting for a $99 nano, and,
thanks to M$, I think I will get it sooner rather than later.
I welcome the competition, because we either get a better product or a better price or hopefully, both.
Excellent article.
I’m amazed that Microsoft just can’t seem to get anything right.
They have the money, a marketing powerhouse, programmers, designers, etc.. Hell, how many Microsofties use iPods that could use their daily experience to perhaps evolve a better device or at least one that is roughly equal?
Microsoft is a bit like Radio Shack: A low-end place where you go in, rummage through the parts bin and pray that you can get device A to connect with device B with a slew of cheap wires and adaptors.
using an audio metaphor, Apple is more like Bang and Olufsen or Naim Audio or Linn Audio. They create product ecosystems, not asteroids that are lost in space.
http://www.bang-olufsen.com/
http://www.naim-audio.com/
http://www.linn.co.uk/index.cfm
Well, after Monkey Boy Ballmer kids each get a Zune for Christmas, M$ had tapped out their market!
yall are dumb asses. its the wifi networking that will creamate the ipod
New Type
I’m anxiously awaiting that episode as well. MS is showing the Zune playing videos, wait until MSboyz can’t get their little video of me dancing onstage to work on Zune.