“Microsoft Corp. expects wireless song and photo sharing to be the feature that helps it challenge the dominant iPod in the market for portable music players, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Monday,” Reuters reports.
Reuters reports, “In a phone interview with Reuters on Monday, Ballmer said he sees wireless technology, allowing users to beam photos and songs to one another, compensating for Apple’s early-mover advantage, because the iPod does not offer that feature yet. ‘You could say, ‘yeah we’re starting out umpty-ump millions players behind’ or you could say ‘hey look, there is a whole new paradigm that is going to happen in this business and we’re jumping in at the beginning,” Ballmer said. ‘Who knows when Apple will jump in? It’s a good company. I’m sure it won’t take (Apple) forever,’ he added.”
“The Zune represents a major strategic shift in Microsoft’s challenge to Apple in the digital music player market,” Reuters reports. “The company failed to find a hit when it tried to replicate its Windows PC model by focusing on music software with the Windows Media player and digital rights management, while leaving the device development to hardware manufacturers. ‘In a sense, we have certainly embraced, with the Zune, the business model of the market leader,’ Ballmer said.”
Full article here.
For some reason, we’ve never noticed a groundswell of users demanding that they be able to share a DRM-laden song that self-destructs after 3 plays over a 30-foot Wi-Fi connection that you have to initiate by walking over the the would-be sharer and asking them to beam you a song. Good luck finding another Zune user, by the way. We used to have a Palm. It could “share” data wirelessly with others. We used it once to see if it worked. It did. We never bothered with it again. We wouldn’t have even done it once if the data we beamed was set to evaporate after three measly views. Just because Microsoft has to conjured up some feature that would allow them to differentiate their brown squirter from the iPod, doesn’t mean the feature is useful or desirable. Zune’s Wi-Fi “sharing” certainly isn’t “a whole new paradigm,” it’s more a tool for marketing distraction than anything else.
The New York Times’ Andrew Ross Sorkin visited CNN’s “Amercian Morning” show earlier today to visit with Miles O’Brien and Soledad O’Brien to discuss to Microsoft’s Zune:
Related articles:
CNN ridicules Microsoft’s Zune while gushing over Apple’s new iPod shuffle – November 14, 2006
Engadget: Microsoft’s Zune software: ‘It sucks’ – November 13, 2006
Early Microsoft Zune customer greeted with Zune ‘Installation Error’ – November 13, 2006
Zuned: What’s the ‘deal’ with Microsoft Points? – November 12, 2006
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Apple has no need to worry about Microsoft’s cumbersome, chunkier Zune – November 11, 2006
BusinessWeek: ‘By this time next year, Microsoft’s Zune will be considered a dismal failure’ – November 10, 2006
USA Today’s Baig: Microsoft Zune is no Apple iPod – November 09, 2006
Forbes: Microsoft’s Zune stinks; like ‘Microsoft Bob,’ only more embarrassing – November 09, 2006
NY Times’ Pogue: Zune should come in green to match Microsoft’s iPod envy – November 09, 2006
Mossberg: MS Zune has ‘too many compromises, missing features’ vs. ‘thin, sleek, elegant’ Apple iPod – November 09, 2006
Microsoft to pay Universal for every Zune sold – November 09, 2006
Analysts: Microsoft Zune may end up being a flop – November 08, 2006
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 sell single Zune model this fall, rumors of Wi-Fi capability were greatly exaggerated – August 10, 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
Uncle Fester looks like he just got squirted by a brown Zune.
The Zune will continue for the next 3 or 4 years and will gain some traction…probably in the 3rd iteration through sheer brute force marketing…That will probably erode Apple’s market share to 68%…then as MDN points out..Apple licenses FairPlay and it’s truly GameOver
nice to see Uncle Fester doing well (diving his company down the drain)…
and it should be “squirting” not “beaming” in the article.
Ballmer gets it.
Thank you, Microsoft!
Zune released. Full screen iPod released. Zune return. No more Zune.
Zune will be an disaster
IMHO, Apple will most likely introduce WiFi syncing when the protocol becomes fast enough to be truly viable to do.
Jb
He Zune Tang – by “it” do you mean donuts delivered daily?
The social aspect of the Zune is a good idea. Their implementation is horrid and poorly thought out.
Think of how much fun the Library Sharing feature in iTunes was when they first introduced it. If Apple could implement something like that (the ability to browse and stream songs) in future iPods that would be a good next step.
Forget about the squirting feature. Streaming from one iPod to the next while in range should suffice. They could implement some sort of tracking system so that when you dock your iPod later you have the option of going to the store to buy the songs you streamed earlier.
therre is a nice wee article here:
http://www.macobserver.com/columns/hiddendimensions/2006/11/13.1.shtml
mgic word = bad. As in MJ ?
NINE stories on MDN main page with Zune in the title. Good grief! If I wanted ZHN (Zune Hourly News), I would have went to a M$ website. What happened to Mac DAILY NEWS? Enough about the Zune already…
LOL! Every time the Ballmerman monkey tries to use the word “innovation” in the same sentence with the word “MicroSoft”, I roll on the floor laughing! The only time the sentence will work is that there is a word “not” between the “MicroSoft” and “innovation”.
With over 60 million iPods sold it’s still difficult to find someone nearby with an iPod that you could share a wi-fi fart with. It’s just a non-feature.
zune tang rhymes with soon tank!
Ha ha Myron. Real Funny.
Petty little insults just don’t matter because the great and wise Ballmer will prove you all wrong. I’m gonna need like 3 Zunes because of all of the photos and music I’m gonna be squirting around. Welcome to the Social.
Thank you, Microsoft!
If MS was so sure that they were going to control the online music market why did the release the Zune? Remember 2 or 3 years ago how they went on about the “plays for sure” download options were going to wipe iTunes off the map. Why would I buy this device when they have a track record of dropping anything that they were so sure it was going to work. Will there be a Zune in 2 years? Would it be so surprising if MS dropped the Zune in a couple of years and where would you be left? No Thanks. I will stick with my iPod. 5 years strong and counting.
Funny … my browser window says “Mac Daily News.” Bu this place is just all Zune, all the time.
Your slide into uselessness continues, MDN. How about some … oh, I don’t know … NEWS … about, say, some APPLE developments.
Or would that be too crazy?
‘yeah we’re starting out umpty-ump millions players behind’
Umpty-ump? This the most inarticulate CEO in history. Or maybe Digital Underground’s “Humpty Dance” is one of the free tracks preinstalled on the Zune. That could be a good theme song for it. To wit:
“Stop whatcha doin’ cause I’m about to ruin
The image and the style that ya used to.
I look funny but yo I’m makin’ money see
So yo world I hope you’re ready for me.
Now gather round, I’m the new fool in town.”
That’s dead on, except the part about making money. Other good lines:
They say I’m ugly but it just don’t faze me.
People say “Yo, Humpty, you’re really funny lookin.'”
Ya stare, ya glare, ya constantly try to compare me.
Full lyrics here:
http://www.lyricsdepot.com/digital-underground/the-humpty-dance.html
im so glad balmer is running this company.
hes one of these tasteless idiots who thinks they get it, we’ll he doesnt.
MDNs take is spot on, in this particular case micosoft are using wifi as a feature, the only problem is, no one needs the feature, its a pointless feature, its a waste of technology, a waste of development resources and a waste of money.
Channel and take advantage of a technology for a purpose, not just because you can.
they’re so clueless about what people want that when they TRY to innovate they come up with a feature that is totally pointless.
This tells you that microsoft truly do not understand and have in place any real talent and brains in their company, and also that their marketing department out-muscles their development team on what features it decides to implement.
they should have tried to create an installer that actually worked before adding features that no one needs.
Oh, please MDN, don’t put that picture of Uncle Fester on these news items. I nearly lost my lunch. My stomach is still quivering as I type this. Auggh! Yee-uch! Feh!
When the marketing people are in charge, you get nothing of quality. Only hype and ideas that sound good in theory, but are hell to replicate in engineering and end-user experience.
NOTE TO MDN: On a related note to others who have mentioned it – perhaps all things “Zune” should be relegated to the iPod Daily News site from here on out, since otherwise it really has nothing to do with the Mac.
I think I’m gonna buy a Zune today after all. Why not try this whole thing out first before I decide to stay Mac or not. My Gateway still works just fine with XP.
Also, we shouldn’t pick on Zune Tang so much, he’s got some good points about how MS is going to eventually take a big chunk of market share from Apple in the music business.
Geez, but Ballmer is such a major tool. Every sentence oozes simultaneously with arrogance, hutzpah, and sheer disconnect/stupidity.
A “new paradigm” is on its way? And what evidence does he have of that? And the notion of Apple “jumping in”. Whatever they do they’ve already been working on, you dumb shit! But Apple works on things until they get them right. They don’t just shovel shit out the door so they can see “We were first!”.
“Apple’s a good company”? WTF! Apple is an outstanding company that MS gets most of its “innovations” from.
STFU you ugly bastard!
Ballmer = Used Car Salesman