“The big splash Microsoft is determined to make in the digital music player market this holiday may end up being a flop,” Grace Wong reports for CNNMoney.
“Five years after Apple launched its first iPod, Microsoft (Charts) is taking aim at the digital music market with its Zune player, which goes on sale Tuesday,” Wong reports. Industry experts, however, aren’t convinced the company will be able to take a bite out of Apple, which has a 70 percent share of the market for portable music players.”
“‘I’m very skeptical about its ability to take hold in a market that already has a dominant player. It doesn’t feel disruptive enough to gain a foothold,’ said Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester Research,” Wong reports.
Wong reports, “Many analysts aren’t buying into the idea of ‘community’ that Zune is built around… But communities don’t just spring up – there has to be something immediately valuable to users in order for them to take hold, Schadler said… before a Zune user can share music, they have to find a friend who also owns a Zune player. ‘That’s going to be a slow transition,’ said Shawny Chen, a research analyst for Current Analysis. She expects Zune to win over some consumers but doesn’t expect it to attract a huge following this season.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Are 58% of iPod owners really thinking of a Zune switch? – November 08, 2006
Survey: 58% of iPod owners planning another MP3 player purchase will consider Microsoft’s Zune – November 01, 2006
Zune is from Microsoft, but Microsoft doesn’t want anybody to know about it – November 07, 2006
Microsoft Zune to be US-only, no firm plans to launch anywhere else globally – November 03, 2006
Five Microsoft Zune TV commercials – November 02, 2006
JupiterResearch: Apple’s iPod will dominate for foreseeable future; Microsoft’s Zune insignificant – October 25, 2006
Ellen DeGeneres Show gives away Microsoft Zunes, studio audience goes berserk – October 23, 2006
More Microsoft Zune myths explored – October 20, 2006
Five more Microsoft Zune myths – October 18, 2006
Microsoft Zune intensifies chaos in Apple iPod+iTunes also-ran market – October 16, 2006
Newsweek Q&A: Apple CEO Steve Jobs discusses iPod’s impact, Microsoft’s Zune, and more – October 15, 2006
Microsoft’s Ballmer: Zune device not money loser, wishes Apple’s 30GB iPod was $299 instead of $249 – October 11, 2006
Microsoft’s consumer electronics track record: long string of failures – October 11, 2006
MP3.com founder: ‘Zune will be an expensive failure for Microsoft because consumers aren’t stupid’ – October 06, 2006
Microsoft fails to secure key Zune domains – October 04, 2006
Microsoft rigs Zune with tricky pricing and proprietary money schemes – October 03, 2006
Why Microsoft’s Zune won’t kill Apple’s iPod – October 03, 2006
10 Apple iPod vs. Microsoft Zune myths – October 02, 2006
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
It’s already failed. They totally botched the sharing feature (three days or three plays and it’s gone? Yeah, right. Sign me up), and the rent your music plan had already cratered by the time Apple launched the iPod, let alone the iTMS.
You can tell that MS themselves don’t even care enough to pretend it has a chance.
-jcr
A rare commodity-a seemingly intelligent analyst.
The brown squirt will make a big splash as it flops into, and circles the bowl!
It may end up being a flop?
Understatement of the year.
the folks over @ http://www.zunescene.com, feel that it stands a chance to overthrow our much beloved iPod..I’ve frequented such site, and have gone as far as attempting to educate the people there, however they seem persistent. Sadly, enough I’ve even found some “mac users”, who are ready to switch to Zune (should it become compatible with Mac)….I for one love my iPod and iTunes, I have no intention on abandoning my iPod..However, I must voice that if Apple doesn’t get off their collective asses and make a dramatic addition to the iPod, then our iPod just might lose momentum. As it is, iPod fans — are not as diehard as Mac fans — PC users who bought a iPod – I’m sure will be first to abandon the iPod……mind you, MANY PC users have bought iPods and have no real loyalty to the iPod or Apple.
Anyways, check out this link and tell me what y’all think:
http://crunchgear.com/2006/11/07/zune-gasm-hands-on-with-the-zune/
Wow and it was such an original idea, so unique, a tue example or Microsofts creativity.
In the northern hemishere, turds rotate counter-clockwise.
I can’t think of the most amusing term for failures like this.
There are so many to choose from.
You could say “My car totally Origamai’d”
Or “Those cheap shoes are gonna Zune on ya.”
Or how about “Gigli 2 is gonna Vista bigtime.”
Keep ’em coming, Redmond. If you open a window you might hear me laughing.
-c
MW: ‘force’ (is strong with this one… Oh wait, it’s Jar Jar)
I wonder what they thought when they decided to have a Mr. Hankey Edition?
There is no Zune “community building” feature. Period. End of story. Poorly implemented temporary sharing schtick is not equal to a “community”. Sheesh! Talk about over playing something.
I’m going to buy a Zune when it comes out.
Balmers kids are probably ecstatic about the Zune since he won’t let them own an iPod. Am sure all the kids laugh at them in school with their brown Zunes!
WinFanBoys/Girls are undoubtedly making the mistake of comparing the iTurd in its current (??) form to the current–and shipping–iPod line.
THAT, politely put, is an enormous error.
For, no sooner will the 1G “iT” begin shipping, landing in customers’ hands, and then returning as unwanted Xmas presents, than the new iVideoPods will be announced by Master Jobs.
Mental exercise: Compare the coming iVideoPod to the coming iTurd (with absolutely NO video capability, I might add).
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!
(Are you laughing as well, Peterson/Stock Boy?)
“But communities don’t just spring up”
Thats wrong. communities do just spring up. Qube and Telidon communities, user groups, etc formed out of nothing because people found common interest and created communities.
They were not the result of marketing campaigns.
Also they are generally killed when companies realize that they cannot make money on them. At least not real money.
LOL – nice pic! Its floating! Quick! Someone flush before it stinks up the place!
MDN word “what” . . . what a piece of . . . . .
went to the site that gman suggested:
“…it will sell and you will like it.”
Do as I command!
So far, everything I have read has concentrated on the hardware, which has 1 feature that distinguishes it from iPod. That feature, as executed by MS, is not that appealing to me. Regardless, is Zune going to run on WMP? That ought be mindnumbingly shitty. Even if the WiFi squirting did appeal to me and I ran windows, the software experience would be a deal breaker.
Ugh, that “hands on with Zune” video.
The user interface looked so cool, snappy 3d things, kind of what Leopard is striving for.
But after watching the guy flip through all those menus, many of them in each song, and then the effort trying to find the song location after it was shared —
— I had to stop watching it because I was getting motion sickness. The whole interface after two minutes makes me ill.
Apple should wait until Microsoft has poured in hundreds of millions in Zune production and development, and committed another $100 million for an ad cammpaign.
Then it should announce the iPod phone, and suddenly, all that Microsoft money will be blown in a dramatic instant. Such a move would make Sun Tzu proud.
Looks more like it will be a big plop
This thing will sell. But will it take share from Apple, or the M$ partners? If it’s Apple, expect awesome Apple products in return. If it’s the partners, expect the beginnings of the young devouring mama pigs nipples. M$ could be setting the stage for a major coup against itself.
The other-rans will combine, form Voltron, and smite the evil mother from which it was squirted.
Gee, aren’t most people interested in picking up a trud from grass roots?
From the article:
“As the battle plays out, one thing’s for sure: Microsoft is in the digital music business for the long haul.
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, said at the company’s analyst meeting earlier this year that Microsoft plans to invest “hundreds of millions” in Zune over the next few years.”
Translation:
As the iPod continues to dominate the portable media player market, one thing’s for sure: Microsoft will continue to delude itself and its hapless investors that it remains relevant in the digital music business.
Robbie Bach, admitted that Microsoft intends to waste “hundreds of millions” of investor capitol on the Zune and future failed projects.
MDN Keyword “foot” as in MSFT won’t get a foot in the door of the digital music business.
Perfect picture of a turd in the toilet. Oh was that a Zune?
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Communities have one thing — duration and an awareness of history. A temporary sharing feature does nothing to leave tracks (pun intended). Without history, there is no community; without longevity there is no history. Zune has neither. Buh bye “Zune community” — we hardly knew ye.
I can’t believe they messed up a perfectly good toilet just to take a picture…