“The company has launched a brand-new anti-marketing scheme across its Zune group headquarters – an iPod Amnesty Bin. Employees are meant to dutifully drop their music players into the bin, and run hot-foot to the company store to buy themselves a Zune (also available in, erm, brown),” Evans reports. “And they aren’t doing it.”
Evans writes, “The fact of the matter here is that by attempting to coerce employees into abandoning the world’s favourite music player, Microsoft is actually showing how very popular the iPod has become – and the fact employees aren’t playing ball reinforces the notion that Microsoft has lost this battle for good.”
Full article, with link to image of an “iPod Amnesty Bin,” here.
What about another type of psychology ?
Drop your Zune into the toilet ?
That might get a few takers !
Muhahahahahahahaha!
Sad.
Too frickin’ funny!! Totally pathetic. Even if it you owned a lesser MP3 player (not an iPod), would you really trash an expensive electronic gadget that you purchased for yourself and drop it in a bin?? The very next person walking by the bin is gonna reach in & grab it for themselves, iPod or not!
Is bin slang for toilet? Just asking…
They’re hoping to use some of the donations as cadavers to be dissected and replicated!
Maybe they should see if the employees will take a Zune for free – that would be the real test.
MS is the Soviet Union writ small — and shrinking all the time.
Yea, the Zune looks like poop so you might as well treat it like what it is. I’ve never heard of a company stooping so low as to even hinting at giving up something that someone has purchased from outside the company and are trying to make them just throw it away just because they have a similar product. Also to make them BUY IT TOO! I’m glad the employees aren’t giving in to such non-sense. This must have been a Balmer move as he forces his family to only use Zune and forbids anyone in there household to buy an iPod. It won’t work.
Bin is another term for wastebasket. A small container to throw stuff away.
I love this – The Zune is dead and so is Microsoft
The story’s pic of the bin was taken with an iPhone stolen by Ballmer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fimoculous/503637222
There is at least one empty cover case and some iPods. What hell is that black one?
Bite me?? Zune you!!
And just a few MDN’s ago I was reading someone labeled “Apple Employee” whine about how “arrogant” Apple users are. We’re not at all arrogant, we’re just happy bubbly computer users. (Ok that sounds gay, but you get the point.)
This stunt, if true, is yet another sign of just how self centered and really arrogant MS has become over the last decade and a half. All I can say is, WOW!
Any real threat to MS is treated, by MS, with a shoulder shrug and a committment to either buy it, or threaten all Windows users into not using it. Yikes! Nothing like a little corporate fascism to get the day started, eh?
It’s so stupid. Even if they wanted a Zune why would they dump a perfectly good piece of technology. I think they’d be able to someone who’d want it.
My Zune “amnesty bin” is equipped with a shiny silver lever.
No, it is a UK shortening of rubbish-bin or trash-bin
Loo is the (UK) slang for toilet (the most common at any rate)
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As in : In disgust, Ian droped his zune in the loo.
You are fired if you don´t leave your iPod here!!
I find it disturbing if it’s true. To me, for a company to ASK employees to throw are iPods or other MP3 players is profound. I am just at a loss for words here, I believe about 10% of that article.
I’m all for iPods and everything Apple Inc., but I just don’t believe Microsoft would press that issue with their employees.
Apple should offer a trade in for Zunes … $10 off the price of any iPod.
@OGfF
I’ll bet those were purchased by Bill and Steve and then dropped in there as bait. And it looks like there are some vintage iPods in there, so maybe some employees who fear possible repercussions, just brought in their old ones so they look good for the boss.
They put the bin there this morning with 10 iPods in it to start the ball rolling.
By lunchtime there were…none!
I bet anything that some manager will buy a bunch of iPods to fill this bin so they can say hey look how many people are ditching their iPods.
Betcha.
Where is that idiot “ZUNE TANG” ???
And they’re strip searching all employees on the way out of the office this evening!
This was a joke, it had to be. I can’t believe that even MS could have been this stupid.
Do I?
I bet the few that are in there were seeded by the Marketing team to make it look like someone would actually dump their iPod.
Why would anyone throw money away? I mean if you really want a Zune, why not sell your iPod on eBay instead of just throwing it away?
Question: is the top of the bin wide open, or does it only have an opening big enough for ipods? If it’s wide open, I’d love to go visit..
Hey MDN, I’ve seen your “Flush that Zune” photo on google pretty often lately next to articles on the infamous MS player. Good exposure.
>babel: Is bin slang for toilet? Just asking…
Bab, yes, actually bin (pronounced same as “ben”) is slang for toilet in Japanese! e.g., benjo = toilet place – should not be used in most cases.
Right, the ben (bin) is the place for the Zune…
> There is at least one empty cover case and some iPods. What hell is that black one?
It’s a battery for a 3G iPod. That’s funny. Someone replaced their iPod battery and needed a place to “recycle” the battery. I’m glad the bin is serving some useful purpose.
Attention! ,
Any employee, caught stealing from the iPod recycle bin, will be terminated!
This is how they’re collecting signing bonus prizes for their new employees.
“You get medical, dental, and a bad reputation. But hey, you get this shiny iPod!”
“Sign me up!”
Well, I don’t think it’s real. Nobody, not even a brainwashed Microsoft employee, will just dump something that he could sell on eBay. Is there a Zune Headquarters? Would they put something that says ‘Bite me’ in the entrance? Granted, this is from a company that created a web site to ask users what was wrong with them since they weren’t buying and Xbox, but still.
Lies, all lies. What do you expect from Macworld U.K.?
Garbage cans (that’s rubbish bin for my friends in the U.K.) are full of crappy little iPods. Why? Nobody really wants Apple’s Zune wannabe. Does the iPod have FM built-in? No? I rest my case. Zune now and forever.
Your potential. Our passion.™
@ Less is More:
“Apple should offer a trade in for Zunes … $10 off the price of any iPod.”
Yup, because there are SO MANY zune owners out there, Apple should be able to profit about an extra $100 or so… assuming they ALL trade in for iPods… ha!
Ballmer couldn’t restrain himself and took two bites from the Apple instead of one. The c***.
You’d have to be really desperate to choose a job at M$ over your iPod.
Read this blog to find out how shitty it is to work for Ballmer..
http://minimsft.blogspot.com/
I wouldn’t work for them even if I was starving.
It isn’t Amnesty. The iPod can pay a $1000 fine, return to Cupertino and begin the process of being recirculated into society. It does however cut back the funding of the fence around Microsofts facility.
Sounds like inspiration for a great Mac guy PC guy commercial. PC guy standing next to a trash bin offering to trade Zune for iPods. “Hey PC, what are you doing?”
“Oh Hi Mac, just hanging around”
What’s in that trash bin?”
“Oh nothing, yet” etc…
Any creative uTubers out there?
I just want to know why the Macworld website is running on IIS on a Windoze server. WTF!!!
Somebody should have a word…
What’s wrong with Apache on X-serves or at least on a Linux Box.
Somebody grill ’em about it please.
We’re not at all arrogant, we’re just happy bubbly computer users. (Ok that sounds gay, but you get the point.)
Go fsck yourself.
Is their slogan really:
Your potential. Our passion.?
How a company that has micro and soft in their name talk about potential and passion?
(We are talking about their brains and innovation.)
The Apprentice should have had a task of trying to market the Zune. The results would have been so funny to watch. Can you just see the teams trying to brainstorm ideas and how they would have failed. Trump would have had to fire everyone.
And what happened to “CHOICE” that MS so often yells?
No REAL innovation; and now No free Choice!
I got a great deal on a nearly new Toyota van once, it had been bought by a window cleaner who had the contract for Ford showrooms, they insisted he used a Ford van.
iSteve – thankfully, Trump got fired from NBC. They’re not going to renew that awful show.
MS no doubt gives their employees discounts on their products but to have an iPod Amnesty Bin in your office is more than a little sad. I work at a major telco company and we don’t try and shame people to use our service. The employee discount is what draws many people to using their own company’s products. Some do, Some don’t.
MS doesn’t just come across as a little petty they seem like they are whining because they aren’t the top dog in this product category. Talk about being a sore loser. If they said “Congrats Apple you bested us” I would be impressed with the character of the company. Instead they sound like a small child that is mad because his team just lost the little league game.
to impersonators of TowerTone, TMF, Chrissy, etc.:
Well, I guess all of my rowdy friends have left because of the idiot impersonators. Good job jackasses. You really accomplished something. You destroyed an open forum of opinions with childish actions, because not every commenter here agrees with you. 50 lashes for every one of you pathetic losers.
Why doesn’t Microsoft allow iPod users to trade an iPod for a Zune for free?
This is probably true.
A lot of the big branded companies sort of discourage their employees from wearing items made from their competitors:
For example don’t wear Reebok if you work for Nike, etc.
I remember an interview were Balmer said when asked if his children have an iPod he replied (paraphrasing) “I won’t let them”.
If he’d do that to his children I’m sure he would have no qualms in demanding his employees do the same.
Usually, when I hear this I develop a distaste for the company doing this. My point of view is: you can’t coerce people to buy something – you should make a good product/design so everyone wants it.
But, look what M$ is doing with Vista. Forcing Vista upon the public by taking away the option to continue to buy XP.
I know, they finally eased off this policy by letting some (Dell) see XP after huge backlash.
SO, looking at M$’s past and current behavior – I have to belive this store is fairly correct.
my 2 cents.
The iPod just works, I’ll grant you that, but the Zune comes in Pepto-Bismal pink and explosive diarrhea brown.
At the big 3 North American auto companies, if an import is found in the employees’ parking lot, it is in fairly rough shape at the end of the working day.
If you won’t buy the crap you make, you’d better take mass transit to work.
Of course, the obvious point about Ballmer not letting his children have iPods is this simple fact:
Given the choice, his own children WANTED an iPod, not a Zune!
Ballmer can change behaviors, but he can;t change their minds…
Actually, I thought it was pretty funny. Maybe the blogger has no sense of humor.
Keep in mind that this is at their corporate office in Mountain View, CA. It’s not like they’re putting these things in stores or anything like that. As a developer, I’ve seen all sorts of entertaining displays in offices against the “enemy” (ie, whoever you’re competing with): Pictures of Photoshop with a big NOT symbol through it, etc.
It’s cute. I like the picture of the apple and the words “Bite me!” underneath. It’s funny.
Zune Tang is back!!!
I have an idea. I’ll buy a Zune, drop it in the bin in trade for any iPods that might be in it. Take the iPods, nurse them back to health and sell them on eBay. I’ll easily make back the cost of the Zune on the proceeds from one of the iPods. I wonder if anyone would pay more than a couple of bucks for a used Zune?
Maybe if Microsoft offered to exchange employee iPods for a new special-edition Zune in puke green?
After Steve forgets to cut off his iPhone and it rings and he answers it during his upcoming sit down with Bill Gates, he should look over and say “bite this!”
oh look, it’s a Windows PC amnesty bin!
How about a Vista Amnesty Container
@ Zune Tang
Lies, all lies. What do you expect from Macworld U.K.?
Garbage cans (that’s rubbish bin for my friends in the U.K.) are full of crappy little iPods. Why? Nobody really wants Apple’s Zune wannabe. Does the iPod have FM built-in? No? I rest my case. Zune now and forever.
Your potential. Our passion.™
Shout more and chop off the trademark sign (™) if you want to be a better Zune Tang impersonator. NEXT!!
@ akerbs
Zune Tang is back!!!
The real Zune Tang never put a trademark sign with “Your potential. Our passion.”
MW: planning … whatever that means
It would be interesting to see how many people scuttle their iPods for a Zune. I hope that Microsoft installs a live web cam so the whole world can watch the bin be filled, empties, and filled again.
I’m sure it would suffice for Apple to offer to recycle a zune free of charge for any iPod purchaser.
-jcr
I’m sure it would suffice for Apple to offer to recycle a zune free of charge for any iPod purchaser.
-jcr
I’m sure it would suffice for Apple to offer to recycle a zune free of charge for any iPod purchaser.
-jcr
I’m sure it would suffice for Apple to offer to recycle a zune free of charge for any iPod purchaser.
-jcr
Somebody with an inside connection to one of the big news producers, CNN, NBC, whatever, should get this to them as a fluff story. If the general public, that is non-geeks, and even those of here who don’t consider ourselves real geeks, could see these antics first hand, I think it would further serve to show the real character of MS. (As if sueing your costumer base is not good enough.)
Who is seriously going to give up their iPod for a … Zune ?
MS should be more afraid that Apple will put a bin in every Best Buy, Future Shop, Walmart, Target etc and offer a $25 rebate for every Zune deposited and replaced with an iPod.
mw – “lost” as in “MS is has lost it”
Lol, this is hilarious…shows how desperate and low level Microshaft has actually gotten these days. If I were to make a PC amnesty box…and then re-sell the parts, Im pretty sure I’d be a multi-millionaire in a matter of few days. Thats how much the world has come to realize about the REAL Microsoft…and their tainted, uncompetitive, shady, and just piss poor marketing practices. The future doesn’t look good for Microsoft, so wel’ll see…which dumpster this multi-billion dollar company ends in.
This is an awesome idea!
I am a sales manager at a Honda dealership, and I just had an epiphany… I call it, Toyota Amnesty Bin!
like gravity and the rise of the sun, nice to see we can rely on Zune Tang.
btw, I hope to God that I have more potential than MS has passion!!
I can say I have never actually seen a Zune with my own eyes. That is until last week on a plane trip. I us military enlisted man was dutifully listening to his Zune. I actually felt bad enough, that I even considered gifting him my new 80GB video iPod. Then common sense prevailed and I let him listen on.
Man is that brown piece of junk ugly. I now better understand the Zune in toilet photo appearing in MDN regularly.