“Microsoft unveiled the newest edition of its Zune music player this week with an announcement that the new, brightly colored red Zune will go on sale at a retail location whose brand is closely aligned with the very same color – Target – and also at Target’s online retail partner, Amazon.com,” Emily Burg reports for MediaPost.
Burg reports, “The red Zune will be available exclusively at Target and Amazon.com for 30 days beginning Sunday and then will be available at the same retail locations where Zune currently is sold thereafter. Red Zune will retail for $220 and have the same tech specs as its Zune peers.”
MacDailyNews Take: Which means that nobody will buy it, either.
Burg continues, “The timing of red Zune’s launch does coincide nicely with Father’s Day, around which both Target and Amazon.com will market. Microsoft is not planning anything specific around Father’s Day, ‘except to note to a variety of media that Zune makes a delightful gift for dads,’ Microsoft spokesperson Sara Bell said.”
MacDailyNews Take: Sara meant “for dads named Steven A. Ballmer.” And, we’re never going to forgive Emily Burg for making us think of “bloody stool” before noon Eastern — or before any time, for that matter.
Burg continues, “In May, Zune debuted a pink edition and launched a print media campaign called ‘Sync Pink’ timed with Mother’s Day. It quickly became the No. 2 seller in the Zune product portfolio.”
MacDailyNews Take: Which means nobody bought that one, either. Badump bump!
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Mac User Since 1984” for the heads up.]
If you really hate someone, get them a Zune.
Your innovation. Our replication.
“Let us hope Bono gets out his big media stick and makes it clear to people that buying a Red Zune is helping no one in Africa or eleswhere, and only Red iPods in the MP3 world do so.”
Hmm, Product(Red) is a campaign to raise funds for The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. So far the company partners American Express, Converse, Gap, Giorgio Armani, Motorola and Apple are estimated to have spent 100 Million USD on advertising their (RED) products (i.e. marketing themselves as good companies) while raising less than 25 Million USD for the campaign. At the same time, B&M Gates Foundation has directed 650 Million USD to The Global Fund, these are profits from the products of the evil company that sells inferior mp3 players in several colours, inferior operating systems, inferior programs etc, etc.
If you want Apple to make a similar impact as Microsoft on the fight against AIDS in Africa, and you can spare 12 Billion USD (or 16 Billion if you like 8 Gb better), you can simply place an order of 65 million iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED. 10$ from each iPod goes to The Global Fund. I guess you should contact Apple some days in advance so they can gear up the production.
If you feel that 65 million iPods is maybe kind of polluting, you may also choose to purchase 650 million songs from iTunes using (PRODUCT) RED gift card. I guess you should contact your ISP before starting the download.
If you already have enough iPods and songs, you can buy any Microsoft products, e.g. red, brown or purple Zune. B&M Gates foundation will direct part of the profits to charity, e.g. The Global Fund.
Or why not use the simple, efficient solution:
If you want The Global Fund to use your money to fight AIDS in Africa, send your money direct, don’t use Apple or Microsoft as middle men skimming 95% off your good intentions.
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/donate/
http://mrsdoyle.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/costly-red-campaign-reaps-meager-18-million/
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/files/pledges&contributions;.xls
Sorry, could not do my math, you need to download 6.5 Billion songs (0.99$, 10% to Global fund) .. or somewhat less if you don’t like DRM.
Next zune’s gonna be snot green. Then it’ll be ‘there’s lots of zunes coming out my nose, I think I’ve got a cold’
Then if monkey boy aka uncle fester aka steve ballmer decides to release zune 2.0 it’ll come in ‘fun texture cases’ that will end up being sqishy for brown, sticky for white and slimy for green.
“MDN Magic Word” is economic, just like the zune is an economic faliure for microsoft.