A mere two months after introducing Zunes with minor updates, Microsoft “plans to announce on Wednesday a price cut for its flash-based models. The 4GB version will drop to $99, the 8GB model will drop by $10 to $139, and the 16GB model will sell for $179, down from $199,” Ina Fried reports for CNET.
“Microsoft is also cutting prices for several of its Zune accessories. The cuts take effect on Wednesday in the U.S. and on Friday in Canada,” Fried reports.
“Zune marketing director Adam Sohn said in an interview on Tuesday that the moves were being made to ‘ensure hopefully we have a good holiday season,'” Fried reports. “Microsoft also kicked off a new wave of TV ads on Monday that aim to get more people to download the free Zune software, even if they haven’t yet decided to plunk down for a Zune player or Zune Pass subscription. ‘We think we need to attack it from both sides,’ Sohn said.”
MacDailyNews Take: We think you’re nuts and you ought to get a real job. “Zune Marketing Director,” puleeze. You either have the worst marketing job this side of “Arctic Refrigerator Salesman” or your job performance is the worst in CE history (outside of the guy who was responsible for peddling Dell’s long-defunct DJ Dittys) – unless your job was to create a one-word synonym for “abject failure,” in which case we apologize. Job well done!
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: In the time it took you to read this article, Apple sold more iPods than Microsoft’s all-time total Zune sales (and we’re just barely kidding).
Does anyone here know anybody who owns a Zune?
“Let me go get my Zune.”
“You have a ZUNE???”
“Just kidding, let me get my iPod.”
Don’t you just love Chuck?
I wish the Zune were a worthy competitor. This may prompt Apple to lower their prices. Come on… new colors and shake to shuffle are not features worthy of keeping an inflated price.
Yes, my son who has been brainwashed by a stupid, supposedly tech-smart, friend. I fixed him, I sent him 400 miles awaytp college.
Micro$0ft “anus”, eh? LOL!
“Zune marketing director Adam Sohn said … the moves were being made to ‘ensure hopefully we have a good holiday season.'”
When your Marketing Director has trouble putting on a brave face, that’s wicked bad news.
Nope, don’t know anyone who owns a Zune. Haven’t seen one anywhere besides the store. I did ask a guy at Meijers in their electronics area about the Zune, and he went on and on about how good they are, how reliable, etc. I asked him which one he had, and he told me he had an iPod. Said the Zune was a good piece, but he preferred the iPod… lol
“Microsoft also kicked off a new wave of TV ads on Monday that aim to get more people to download the free Zune software…”
Why doesn’t Microsoft include Zune software with every copy of MS Windows XPista7? Oh that’s right, it would compete with Windows Media Player. Zune really IS the Red-Logoed stepchild of the family.
Why does Microsoft get so much press for pretty much *anything* related to their also-ran MP3 player, while other iPod competitors which actually *matter* in the marketplace get almost no coverage at all?
Just some food for thought there.
Whats scary is that they can keep undercutting the competition, losing millions of dollars practically forever. Eventually they’ll wear down Apple and undercut the iPods. Apple can’t afford that. It has to be profitable, they don’t have that “secret sauce” that gives them guaranteed profits quarter after quarter to feed money losing stuff.
HMCIV,
I noticed that ‘ensure hopefully’ combination, too. Granted, it’s an interview and not a press release, but that ‘hopefully’ still shouldn’t have been there. This is the man paid to exude confidence in the Zune.
I knew one guy, but he returned it and bought an iPod. Seriously.
“You … have the worst marketing job this side of “Arctic Refrigerator Salesman” “
I think he’s got one of the best jobs there could be; the pay has to be awesome, he’s working for MSFT for crying out loud, and if the Zune is a failure, it’s not his fault.
First, why doesn’t MS just give the things away?
Second, MS really, really needs to look at Detroit, and witness the endgame of perpetual price-cuts and money-losing product.
Today, GM. Tomorrow, MS.
my brother owns a zine. I love his moronic take,” the zine has a click wheel too” I apologize for his ignorance.
Never seen one.
i have seen a few Zens (3 in the last year. and i live in downtown toronto). does that count?
I love how the reversed zune logo looks like “anus”
There can be only one.
iPod.
The price of a turd just got cheaper.
@Peruchito
Canada? No, that DOESN’T count.
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They actually do sell refrigerators in the Arctic. The eskimos use them to stop food that needs to be stored getting too cold and hard and so being damaged.
I don’t know… I might get one if they start giving them away, but I’ll still use my iPod Touch
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I love this quote: “the moves were being made to ‘ensure hopefully we have a good holiday season'”
ENSURE… hopefully. Wow, sounds promising.
Now when they start using the combination of words in question when referring to the entire corporation – Then there will be dancing in the streets – at least by me… Depending on how cold it is and stuff.