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Microsoft Confirms New Music Player
Udo Schmitz writes "It's official now. Reuters confirms the rumors that Microsoft wants to take on Apple's iPod and iTunes. From the article: 'Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it plans to release a new music and entertainment player and accompanying software under the "Zune" brand this year, in a belated attempt to challenge the dominance of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod player ... Microsoft sources said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, is working with J. Allard, vice president of its Xbox team, on the digital media player/software project.'"
No wireless. More buttons than an iPod. Lame.
That sounds like an awfully cheesy attempt to play off of Creative's Zen brand.
As long as it plays Vorbis, that is.
In suspiciously coincidental news, Steve Jobs has been seen taking chair-throwing lessons.
John
Zune is soon to be doomed.
May I be the first to say "Whooooo"? Anyway, the two factors for me in whether I'll buy it will be price and (video) content. As for the content porting rumors I've heard (supposedly Microsoft will provide free copies of any music purchased on itunes) I'll buy it either way - at worst I'll just burn/rip my collection. Yes, it's a hassle and reduces quality, but my non-audiophile ears won't hear it and if it's much cheaper or has much more content, it'll be worth it. Good to see some competition with potential here! My old ipod mini will turn two years old in March and my extended warranty will expire so I have a feeling I'll be looking for a replacement about a week later.
"Zune"?
It just me or does Zune sound like some OSS dev tool?
"Personal ownership is a hallmark of conservative capitalism. And I don't believe I am entitled to anything that I did n
If this follows the suit of previous MS hardware it should be of good quality and support, but how smart is it to compete against those manufacturers supporting your Plays For Zure standard?
If someone comes up with wireless (WiFi or bluetooth) syncing as well as good sound quality (also meaning it'll support a [DRM-free] lossless codec), I'll be sold, but until then I'll hang onto my 3-year-old iRiver unless it breaks.
This comment does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the author.
In keeping with each system's naming conventions:
Apple:
iTunes
Microsoft:
My Zunes
In other words, Microsoft is even ripping off the name, but making it crappier.
At least not on my Mac....
That's not what I meant.
Lemme guess... consumer multimedia is Microsoft's house and they're not gonna let Apple take food off their plate.
Who needs a music player?.
Everyone that meets should dance and sing instead just like in the Wizard from OZ.
"Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, is working with J. Allard, vice president of its Xbox team, on the digital media player/software project"
Does this mean they'll spend $6 billion on it and end up capturing 23% of the market? Because this team is really, really good at that.
Set your music in motion
With support for up to 15,000 songs and up to 150 hours of video on a 2.5-inch QVGA color display, iPod^H^H^H^H Zune gives you the ultimate music experience -- sight and sound -- in a lighter, thinner design. Available in classic white^H^H^H^H^H Blue and dramatic black^H^H^H^H^H Blue."
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Go Microsoft! Delivering 2003's technology today!
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
Any word whether they will remove/support DRM on their player?
Personally I don't care for Microsoft... period. I'd consider their solution only if it was without DRM and easier to use than the Creative labs MP3 players I currently use.
Has Comcast disconnected your Internet account? Same here. You can read about it at http://comcastissue.blogspot.com
...showing what one can expect the package to look like. :-)
Swedish plasma phys. PhD student; MSc EE; knows maths, programming, electronics; finance interest; seeks opportunities
If they didn't have Apple to emulate?
But I don't believe it 'till Netcraft confirms it
At this point it's about pride at Microsoft because none of their peripheral vendors can make a dent in Apple's market share.
They knock-off the iTunes and buy a bunch of media ads for the holiday sell-a-thon. By now the've paid for the retail slots too.
I think they've missed the boat though.
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
when MS announce they are going to compete with apple in this market, and Apples shares go up?
And it is not a media device, it is a lifestyle device...sheeesh.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
From these guys.
And from their developement tool page:
I wonder how aros.org feels about this?
They can call it the Zune-Wii.
What?
-drag and drop functionality for ALL files
then i'm totally getting one. those two above points are what kept me away from the iPod (even free ones offered by TD Canada, etc).-decent mic input, as well as a line input for uncompressed recordings
I am unique, just like you, and you, and you...
The processor wars were great for the consumers. AMD had a better product and they just seemed like such a lovable company. However in this portable media player war, the market leader is already the good guy. So my question is what happens when the underdog is not someone to pull for? Leave it to M$ to ruin the concept of the underdog.
[an error occurred while processing this sig]
My ipods do their job well. Simple to operate and 'just works'. ( oh and it looks nice too, which is plus ) What does microsoft offer that the ipod doesnt?
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Seen it. Larger than a Tic-tac. No bluetooth. Lame.
blah blah blah
Will this be released Zuner than longho-- I mean Vista?
Will it play ogg vorbis files ?
Microsoft's "me too" products have not been very successful in the last several years.
An organization that doesn't have the creativity to create something often doesn't have even the creativity necessary to copying it successfully.
--
Are you willing to pay a lot to kill Arabs?
Because you're a fanboy?
What if it's better and cheaper?
I think they should have paid off the cereal people and called it the Mici (pronounced Mikey), as in Let's Buy a Mici, it plays anything! Just a thought, or some fraction thereof.
"Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey?"- Peter Gabriel
Microsoft have already done the software on the Toshiba Gigabeat S series... It can be syncronised with an Xbox 360, plays video, has FM support and sells for about the same price as an iPod. It uses a portable Media Center edition.
m l
See the CNET review : http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11396_7-6550266-1.ht
Ah, and has DRM (yeah !)
Daas
Part of the reason ITunes is popular (and one of the reasons that I use Winamp instead of WMP) is that the user interface for Windows Media Player sucks. Likewise, Firefox isn't only more functional than IE, it also just looks and feels better and cleaner. Even if "Zunes" had a better name, a seemless interface with online music stores, and no annoying DRM gimmicks, I would probably still pick another media player. Because Microsoft's UI's just suck. Microsoft's been sitting around waiting for the past 5-10 years for someone to come along with sleaker media players and browsers (and a cleaner OS), and now it's paying the price.
Editors: you misspelled 'iPod Killer" :-)
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Where would Microsoft be today...If they didn't have Apple to emulate?
:-)
That sounds somehow familiar to me...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Why is it so hard to actually anyone reply anything here besides the usual MS whine? Zune got a lot of potential bringing the music player market to a new step: a community based player, something you not only use to hear music but to connect to a community.
That's something that might make the iPod seem so 2006 and force apple to really inovate in their own product to keep on the competition: something they have not done at all, besides the more capacity+more sleek evolution.
An iPod killer that doesn't try to mimick the iPod is actually what this market is really needing right now. And shaking the iTunes monopoly might be really healthy.
in case you missed, the reall hot site is
http://www.comingzune.com/
hell. stop whining.
alexandre van de sande
Apple not only has a stranglehold on the music player market, they have insane product loyalty, and they own the elusive "cool factor" with the iPod brand.
At this stage, for Microsoft to try and get into this market comes across as desperate and pathetic. Microsoft can't use Windows as leverage in this proposition -- like they could when they killed the well-rooted Wordperfect, Lotus123, and later Netscape -- so the only way Microsoft can make a dent here is for them to do something extremely innovative. That's simply not Microsoft's M.O.
This time next year: MS "Zune" is a distant memory, and iPod/iTunes owns 85% of the online movie rental/download business, and Apple has begun to make serious inroads in the "home media center" market.
boxlight
My old ipod mini will turn two years old in March and my extended warranty will expire so I have a feeling I'll be looking for a replacement about a week later.
My 1st gen iPod is still going strong, I'm not sure how many years later...
Also, the rumor was one of the things it includes is Wi-Fi so I'd take a careful look at form factor and battery life before you become convinced this is the arrival of the iPod killer that has been foretold.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
As usual, Microsoft waits for someone else to develop some new technology and a new market, then it tries to use its dominant position and money to take the market over. Microsoft claims that it innovates. That claim is crap. And this time I think they will fail to take over a product/technology. I expect Apple will cut its prices and make it unprofitable for Microsoft. Apple has probably already made enough money on the ipod and itunes.
This is one way for Microsoft to 'compete' in the marketplace; they take the profit out of a business. It's a way of reducing a competitor's profit margin. But they can't continue to lose money and hope to stay in business. They're seeing the erosion of their business in several fronts; servers are going with Linux, desktop apps are using open data formats, etc.
One benefit is that itunes and ipod will come down in price.
Best regards.
Coming Zune: The world's first digital media player buffer overflow security exploit.
But it looks like they'll be shipping Real Zune Now.
There are 0x40000000 types of people: those who understand 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point, and those who don't.
Wireless is included. The really funny thing might be this is exactly the player Taco was wanting to see instead of the iPod.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Zune's a name like Tune, (how odd!)
Just lacks an 'i' and lacks a 'Pod'.
With marketing and Xbox gloss
They'll gain a share but take the loss.
With 40 billion stock bought back
Ballmer might just dodge the sack.
But Jobs would say the chance is slim,
and silhouettes will come for him.
Cake or Death? Cake Please!
Or like Cop Rock.
You still sure you want everyone that meets to dance and sing?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Viral Marketing 101... and it's lame... the comingzune.com site is just a spin off of the 360 marketing me thinks. I hope it fails, miserably. Maybe MS will get a clue and stick to being on the Desktops of (most) cubicles.
...erase and replace them with M$ versions of same, charge your account for it, and prevent you from reinstalling that nasty "iCounterfitMusic"(TM) ever again. But I am sure "Mr Music/video-clipy" will look real cute dancing on your screen while its blasting away. ;)
Needs re-posting. ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXnJraKM3k
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
I agree it would be horrible to be stuck in the hospital for weeks with no music. Glad you got better...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Yeah, just ask Creative how well that has worked out for them.
Well, people weren't appreciating the iPod enough, so MS in all their generosity wanted to show people how bad a music player could be.
Care about electronic freedom? Consider donating to the EFF!
Zune = fuck (noun) in Hebrew.
My new blog
Has anybody noticed the similarity between Microsoft and Google lately? Microsoft seems to be expanding into lots of different areas pretty quickly... kinda like what Google does.
Maybe they've realised that they can't get by on just a few core businesses forever, so they're taking their own Google Labs approach with the "release fast, fail fast" mantra...
Nobody else has this sig.
You guys on slashdot are getting slower. The real question is "does it run Linux?"
Now my music player can crash just like my Windows desktop and PocketPC smart phone... or overheat like my X-Box 360... or falsely accuse me of pirating like WGA has started doing... or help spread virus outbreaks like Internet Explorer... I can't hardly wait. Damn the iPod and it's crazy similar interface.
As it is a Microsoft product I suppose the only type of media that will be supported is WMA and WMV files if they add video. I'm not really found on converting all the files I have to other formats to get them to work on another device. If Microsoft would stop trying to dominate the world and support other formats I think it would have much more chance of success. Blah... This thing is going to suck, I can already tell.
Apple to Microsoft: Bring it.
The "Zenu"
Belief is the currency of delusion.
His first name actually is just "J," yes you can have a single letter as a name. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Allard
Right now I can load music on my ipod from my Linux desktop. Will this play offer the same functionality?
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
...a Beowoulf of these.
Oh, it's Micro$oft stuff, nevermind, fu*k it.
10) iPLOD
9) why-POD
8) quickbeforegoogledoesit-box
7) door-stop
6) asx-box
5) metoo-box
4) $10billioninvestedandweonlysoldadozenpod
3) cash-box
2) willsuckuntil3.0-POD
And the number one rejected name for Zune:
AllYouBase-Box
Take the i of iPod as being I so you could say that iPod == my pod == my music.
Now with M$'s view of the world I suggest oZune == our zune == our (not yours) music - protected by some nice (not) DRM system which will only allow tunes downloaded from what ever store system M$ setup. Attempt to install any music not from M$'s approved vendors and next you connect the device to your PC it will phone home and tell tales on you.
--- Users are like bacteria -> Each one causing a thousand tiny crises until the host finally gives up and dies.
Zen + iTunes = Zune?
Stop doing this, you greedy, opportunistic bastards. We're tired of you riding on other companies' coattails, then tackling them and making them walk at your glacial pace. Some of us are simply fascinated by computing and would like nothing more than for you to go away and leave us alone.
I hope it's as successful and lucrative as the Xbox.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
Microsoft is obsessed with success. They can't stant it when anyone else is a success in a certain market that they aren't a part of, so what do they do? They dive head first into that market without any care for the consequences (eg. XBox, Origami, Windows LIVE, etc).
They are a software company, Google is a search engine/web advertising company. What does Microsoft do? They get into the search engine/web advertising business and directly target Google. They jumped into the game console business because Sony was success at it, and now they are taking on the iPod. I see a disturbing trend here. Microsoft is spreading itself thin here "like too little butter spread over too much bread" quoting Bilbo from LOTR. They gotten into to many different markets and now they are getting into the MP3 player/online music store business. Not to mention they are going up against a seemingly unstoppable powerhouse; iPod+iTunes.
The company is faultering, they are under severe preassure from the EU over anti-trust violations, Windows Vista will now be 2 years late and will not have all of the features they promised, they are loosing millions on the XBox 360 project, and they are swiftly loosing users of their staple software ei; MS Office and Internet Explorer to the likes of Open Office, Firefox and Opera.
Microsoft needs to go back to what they once were, a software company and stop trying to be a do it all business. No one corporation can be in all markets at once, Microsoft is trying, but it will ultimately be their undoing.
Michael "TheZorch" Haney
thezorch@gmail.com
http://thezorch.googlepages.com/home
There's a definite pronunciation problem there.
The average person wouldn't know to pronounce it that. "Missy?" "Meesy?"
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
Oh dear... what to do, what to do?
My personal recommendation: wait for the Zune to grow... don't panic. When the Zune develops a head: squeeze the Zune for all it's worth and then forget about it. You may try to plaster the Zune over with a layer of FUD, but that will usually only slow down the healing process.
[Rimshot] I'll be here all week. Try the buffet... if you must.
sig? Oh, that sig...
Interesting points to discuss from engadget.com
What we know (for sure)
* Zune is the name of the project, the brand, and the device.
* The first Zune device will be launched this year, with more devices to come in 2007.
* The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a music, movie, and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music will be the first angle of service that is launched, "connected entertainment" being the ultimate goal.
* The Zune media service will heavily leverage community aspects and recommendation; emphasis is being placed on using Zune to discover new artists, media, etc.
* The Zune media device will be drive-based, and have WiFi.
* The Zune brand is intended to be an entirely vertically integrated end-to-end solution, not unlike the iPod / iTunes / iTunes Music Store triumvirate.
* The service and device will not be PlaysForSure compliant, meaning you will not be able to use your Zune player with Napster or Vongo, for example. This will be an entirely new system. Microsoft will continue to support and develop for their PlaysForSure initiative, but all things PlaysForSure are handled by two entirely separate division that will not have any crossover.
* Zune is under Microsoft's new Entertainment & Devices Division, and is headed by, among others, Robbie Bach, J Allard (Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect), and Bryan Lee (Corporate Vice President and CFO, Entertainment and Devices Division), which accounts for the division of this project from the rest of Microsoft, similar to how the Xbox project was also strictly separated.
* The logo we had is, of course, real.
* Microsoft's launched the Zune's viral marketing site. [Thanks, bv]
What we think we know (and are pretty sure of)
* They'll be showing off the device by the end of next month, and will aim for a November release.
* Microsoft will buy your way out of iTunes in order to convert you to a Zune user.
* The Zune will come in multiple colors.
* Pyxis is the codename for their nano competitor which would also include video capabilities; Alexandria is the codename for the software that powers the Zune experience.
* A Microsoft portable gaming system is in the works, and will be a part of the Zune family. This device should have Xbox Live Anywhere integration. This may or may not be an Xbox co-branded portable, but is probably going to be the portable gaming / media device we've been hearing about for years.
* Microsoft's ad campaign will include a Super Bowl commercial.
* The Zune will have a bevy of accessories at launch; it'll probably be cheaper for accessory makers to develop for the Zune port than pay the Made For iPod tax.
What we don't yet know
* Whether the Zune media service will offer the same kind of all-you-can-eat subscription media services as PlaysForSure media services like Napster and Vongo. Supposedly subscription will be offered, but downplayed in favor of song purchase (which is the opposite of most PlaysForSure services).
* Whether you'll actually only be limited to sharing with up to 10 people nearby, as rumored, and that they won't get the protected files, but will "bookmark" them for later purchase.
* Exact device specifications for the first Zune device, as well as its price (though we hear it could be as much as $399).
* Whether it'll include XM and/or Sirius service as rumored (we doubt it).
The MS Zune will combine the profitability of the Xbox with the marketshare of MS Origami.
Just my 2 cents.....
Does anyone feel like watching MS and the music business is like watching a bad fantasy drama? MS's henchman/proxies (WMPlayer devices) have failed to defeat the hero, iPod, and the balding, fat, but still competent with a rapier evil king gets up out of his throne huffing and puffing, yelling, "Not this time! I'll deal with you myself!"
Of course, we know how this swordfight ends in the movies. We'll see how it plays in the MP3 market. With any luck, we'll see the EU bust open Microsoft's Windows Media DRM, similar to what it did with FairPlay.
WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
We buy no name optical mice, with no extra buttons, for $4.75 at Fry's, and use software from LogiTech, if a LogiTech mouse has failed and is being replaced.
Last time I tried to install a Microsoft mouse, maybe 3 years ago, there was a software error.
I wasn't worried about who copies who. I was only commenting that Microsoft efforts are usually not successful unless they are part of Microsoft's temporarily effective monopoly. Microsoft has not been able to compete on the merits, only through an adversarial situation.
Clippy(TM) for Zune:
"It looks like you are trying to play an iPod file. Would you like me to delete it?"
Please take this test to ascertain Microsofts chances of success. 1. Microsoft is to HIP as a) TOAST is to LEMONS b) SCO is to PROFITABLE c) HONDA is to MOLD d) ALL THE ABOVE
load "$",8,1
Ahhh, the Slashdot conversational style. Throw a bunch of stereotypes at the previous comment, and see which one sticks.
The Crown Princess listed ~15 degrees when some mysterious flaw caused the ships rudder to flip to one side... This is the 2nd time something like this has happened and seeing how much Princess Cruises has Windows all over those newer ships, it make me wonder if someone rebooted the helm control system when this happened?
http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html
Back to Zune, Zune will suck like every other Micrsoft product but they'll pay people to use it until the initial market leader is drown out of business.
I was not aware of that. I had understood the iPOD would only play DRM iTunes music.
Wow.
The whole point of the iPod was that you could listen to all of your existing mp3s -- and then buy your new music from the iTunes Music Store.
Oh, and by the way, iTunes really makes it easy to rip your own CDs, even if you hadn't already created your own mp3s. And it even supports converting to mp3 out of the box. Of course it's set to Apple's AAC format rather than mp3 by default, but hey.
And the iPod still doesn't support the ogg format, but neither do most other portable players.
What, no one has asked yet whether it will run Linux? :)
I wonder what processor it will use...
The iPod has been at the top of the heap for a long time now, for good reason. They have created a seamless hardware/software experience that makes digital music easy enough for non gearheads to understand and enjoy. I have a 10Gb iPod and a shuffle, and use both all the time. They're excellent products, and they've changed the way I listen to music. In fact, the RIAA has even made more money off of me than they would have before, because I buy more music now.
Apple has done a lot right with the iPod/iTunes combo, but it's not a perfect combination just yet. Managing libraries across different computers and different users isn't as easy as it should be, for example. But in a larger sense, I get a bit nervous any time a single company dominates a market. Microsoft's operating system dominance has helped in many ways, but has also arguably hindered to an even larger degree. After it gobbled up Macromedia, Adobe is pretty much the only commercial game in town for graphic design software, Quark being the lone holdout of note, and they're essentially a one-product company. I don't like shelling out big bucks for Adobe product updates as I wonder if their prices would be cheaper and the software would be better if they had some serious competition.
The same is true for Apple. They've done an excellent job so far, and I want them to keep improving the iPod/iTunes combination. They *need* competition to keep them hungry, and when they're hungry, it's better for consumers like me.
I don't think Microsoft will be able to unseat Apple from the digital music throne, but if Microsoft blows this one it won't necessarily be beneficial for the digital music market in the long term.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Zune owner: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned."
MS Tech Help Line: "Um, could you be more specific about the problem, sir?"
Zune owner: "But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
MS Tech Help Line: "Yeah... yeah. Uh, is your Microsoft Zune[TM] device charged?"
Zune owner: "Wow. I actually *heard* you say [TM]! Do they train you to do that?"
MS Tech Help Line: "Yes, sir or madam."
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom while you fondle your Zune, Zune, Zune!
Another goddamn "iPod Killer". I'm sick to death of seeing that term. Here, lets give the iPod more uneeded attention by claiming each new device to be a possible "killer" of this mystical music god of portable mp3 players... (Looking at my Google homepage with the news headlines I have up, and I see "iPod Killer" in every single damn headline about this thing, except this one. THANKYOU for not being a puppet.
what a ugly name! what not just call it WMP or Windows Media Player?
Wait... Apple's the good guy? Apple's doing their best to ruin the internet and the world. Let's bundle stuffit in some idiotic move that prevents interop with the rest of the planet. Then let's stop and not really offer any compression utility that morons can use (gzip doesn't count since morons can't use it and only morons buy Macs). Ooh, ooh, then let's bundle Safari and introduce a THIRD major browser that is arguably worse than IE when there's a very clear choice standing right there trying to make a run at the market.
Oh, and let's lie to our customers nonstop about OS advanced-ness, hardware speed and everything else! And has anyone actually tried to use iTunes?
Apple sucks and I hope someone kills their last unique thing. It'd be nice if it weren't microsoft, but I'll take what I can get.
Wireless is sexy, but not sure if it'll beat firewire/USB2.0. That said, media at the GB level is a huge bandwidth issue, and I for one do not want to drop "out of range" while transferring.
Like most of their value-added attempts, MS is attempting not so much innovation, but integration of modern concepts into a unified machine. Folks are always pushing this boundary, and when marketing speaks before a beta is out, customers usually burn money.
Then of course, we'll have a licensed provider market for content under MS DRM. Fun! I totally expect Apple to begin the same (perhaps they have, I'm out of the loop). Then of course, I get mad skills writing a Apple/MS crossover hack, then (4) profit! Content agnosticism again pushed lower, propping up the Old Ways. We're going to need a desktop tool for stripping all the DRM out these user-owned files.
Take a chair, or else a stool
- use it as an airborne tool
Flying wood will gain respect
unless the chair does Bill connect
Oh! Fat and bald and stiff legged jester!
Who looks so much like Uncle Fester...
When your job compels to toss
perhaps you shouldn't be the boss!
Cake or Death? Cake Please!
...except for the fact that the interface will probably be clunkier (innovative!), the software will run slower and be full of the usual microsoft bloatware and security holes (integration!), and the overall user experience will be so unfocused that average consumers will be lost (powerful!).
We've seen this all from Microsoft before, and we all know where it's headed. They'll win marketshare by pure attrition. They've got the money to stay in long term which means instead of eating at Apple's marketshare, they'll kill off their "partners" who spent the last 5 years putting products into the market doing all the initial testing for MS. Now MS can come in with a service that offers per track pricing as well as all-you-can-download rentals and a device that plays MS's format they spent so long licensing to other people. All those "partners" are suddenly in the cold because nobody really needs their players or services now that MS has the whole bag in one package.
Microsoft's flaw so far has been really weak software. It will be interesting to see if they roll out something new that isn't WMP. I've yet to meet anybody who actually prefers to use WMP given the choice. It's clunky. It hogs system resources. The music store is a joke. It throws ads at you nonstop if you try to use it's media library feature. It doesn't organize your albums anywhere as nicely as iTunes does. And let's not forget the fact that it's almost as bad for security as IE is.
Oh well, at least Microsoft finally has all of it's cards on the table. It should be interesting to see what the next big iPod/iTunes announcement will be. Fullscreen iPod with touch screen capability? Increased video playback? Movie rentals? Movie purchases? Wifi/Bluetooth? All of the above? Now that Microsoft has been nice enough to show where it is going, Apple's got time to do it first or at least do it better. And if MS is planning on a big Superbowl ad campaign, how much do you want to bet Apple will field a commercial later during the game taking a few shots at MS?
It's not stupid. It's advanced.
According to this article, the music service and player will be incompatible with Microsoft's own PlayForSure format. So, Microsoft is planning to open a music store that sells music that is not only incompatible with the market-leading iPod, but also with every other mp3 player on the market today.
Does this strike anyone else as completely insane? With Napster, Yahoo, Creative, SanDisk, etc. already losing money competing with iTunes/iPod, does Microsoft really believe it can come into the market at this late with yet a third proprietary format and gain any traction at all? Is this move another sign of their arrogant belief they can do in every other market what the did in the PC space? Or, is it just desperation?
Does anyone here on Slashdot believe they can succeed with this strategy?
Doesn't work like that. Consumers don't know and don't trust iRiver, Zen... If the price is right, who needs trust.
I used to have to comb through all of the market research on PC peripherals. Everytime Microsoft OEM'd something the top-3 leaders lost major revenue and units.
Every time.
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
You're exactly right. Make a browser? MS makes a browser. Make a spreadsheet? MS makes a spreadsheet.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
...so the "we make the software and you guys make the hardware" thing not working out so well in this market?
Let's see... Bush goes to bed early, so you must be Cheney. Or someone else with weapons investments.
There's already a Wikipedia article covering this a bit, including a prototype picture. Not only is it very iPod-looking, but given that prototypes tend to be slick artist concept work often looking better than the end product, I'm not really impressed. :-/ Comparison picture as a reminder of what they're dealing with. Sure, it's just a prototype, but it simply can't look anything like that. :-p
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
What a great name, let's use it in a sentence
I'm sure quite Zune after buying the thing you will have a few revelations.
Zune you will wish you bought an ipod.
Zune, I will crash hard and not recover.
Zune, you will tire of my endless feature set and pawn me off on your nephew.
I really need to get out more often, perhaps Zune I will. (To go buy an ipod)
Get your tagline off my lawn.
http://comingzune.com/
Enough of the stupid viril marketing hype already; a crappy bunny animation does not make me interested in your product, Microsoft.
Please just show me the damn product and tell me why it is better than the iPod.
I too would like to see this product succeed and be a real competition to Apple's iPod.
Not even Amiga is spared their crap.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Right up the pooper!
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I doubt anyone will use this shit. The music companies and M$ have been unable to get students to use their crappy DRM music on M$ systems, even after extorting schools to pay fees for it, even though the cost to use the service was zero, even after giving away players, even enjoying greater than 70% OS pentration so it would "work for sure". The chance of getting people to actually pay for a service they don't think is a good deal when "free" are zero.
People don't want what M$ has to offer. The don't want music which requires software that screws up their computer. They don't want music that they can't share, even with themselves and they don't want to constantly pay for what they are used to owning. It's a huge step backward from analog and people are not going that direction. DRM is not going to work out in general and the Microsoft way has already failed spectacularly.
Rockbox, one day, might be able to Purge your Zune.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
In regards to Microsoft's "innovation" timeline:
Dark Ballmer: When will then be now?
Robbie: Zune.
The 'sealed battery' iPod is an indication that:
1. Apple doesn't have a particulary good design staff.
2. They're cheap with their products.
3. Apple knows when to break the "rules" of design for good effect.
Do you think Apple has sold tens of millions of iPods because of, or in spite of, design. That is an obvious design area that someone obviously conciously made a choice on, what makes you think that feature was not meant as a positive feature for users like the others?
I'll summarize it for you - if batteries last long enough, consumers would rather charge a device than replace batteries. The choice to allow for easy user extraction of batteries also leads to design compromises in the case because you must now allow for a door. It also allows kids to take batteries out and loose them.
In short, I think Apple may know something you are not thinking about.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Welcome, Microsoft. Seriously.
In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
MS will do one of two things:
Enter the market with a solid piece of hardware that plays mp3s and doesn't require any drivers or DRM to hook up to a computer (with any OS), and then precede to dominate the market.
Enter the market with a sub-par piece of hardware that is barely as good as an ipod, and has their own wmv DRM on it, and then precede to flop in yet another market.
I'll take bets for either scenario.
I hold very few opinions. I hold information based on observation and fact. If you wish to disagree, please use facts.
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no matter what they do from now on, Microsoft is going down... not out, but down.
People used to say that IBM was unbeatable, and now they are not what they were.
People say that Microsoft is unbeatable, but Apple is taking them down in many areas and gnu/linux/apache is taking them down in many more. Lately all they have been able to do is flounder around flapping their mouths and throwing chairs, promising this that and everything else and then announcing another delay.
I see the fog settling in and the icebergs are coming. I see a big, 'unsinkable' ship.
My crystal ball sees a much smaller Microsoft, my 8 ball says 'ask again later', and my Ballmers are getting kicked in.
soylentnews.org Go there to enjoy the people!
Don't like it.
I vote for "meTune".
you shouldn't worry, neither apple nor MS is going to take away your wrestling or nascar or lock you in or out.
Supposededly good. The comparison was lame. Cnet has a review, the devices achilies heel is the battery life if awfull (aprox 10 hrs music/2 hour video)
...that they will be opening a chain of coffee shops to compete with Starbucks and fast food restaurants to compete with McDonalds. The sterling reputation of their company and their outstanding brand recognition will, I'm sure, ensure their success.
There's the big difference between Apple and Microsoft. Apple keeps a tight rein on all information until the day they spring the finished and available product on the unexpecting masses. Microsoft leaks, leaks, leaks, building up hype that the actual product inevitable fails to live up to. Leaking makes sense when you own a market and can freeze competitors' sales via FUD and vaporware announcements. It's idiotic when you're a distant back-marker and are just giving Apple the information they need to make Microsoft's product irrelevant before they even release it. ------RM
There's a definite pronunciation problem there.
So just add a pronunciation note. The first 'i' is pronounced like the ii in Viiv and the second 'i' is pronounced like the ii in Wii. What could be simpler?
Or do you buy into the dumbass myth that Apple invented the MP3 player?
Knowing Microzoftz liking to own the content (or at least partner rather than license) can we expect a take over of Zony in the near future?
Microzoft-Zony -- a marriage made in DRM-even.
> They are a software company
No they aren't. They are a marketing company that just happens to produce software.
So MS are now directly attacking Apple's most successful market. That "taking food from our plate" quote from MS against Google a week or so back cuts both ways, you know. How long before Apple decides to retaliate with a direct attack on Microsoft's market, say by incorporating a virtualisation layer into OS X that lets you run Windows software - without needing to buy a copy of Windows?
:p
That would probably lead to all-out nuclear war between the two companies. And it would be mutually assured destruction in the long term, because without Apple, Microsoft would have no R&D department...
You must think in Russian.
Microsoft forgot to disclose this important information.
Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
... will also try to replicate Apple's simple approach to providing an integrated, seamless ecosystem for digital media is seen as the key to its success with iPod/iTunes...
So, does this mean DRM, low quality wma-files, and dependancy on WMP? I guess it does, as they are targeting the iPod. Then again, I never wanted an iPod either.
But what if Microsoft would release a player with support for Vorbis and Flac, with great sound quality and a powerful equalizer, that you could just drag songs to from Windows Explorer (or any file manager)? Would that mean we should start preparing for the release of DNF, too?
Xbox has not been successful at making a profit. I don't doubt Microsoft's ability to lose money. Here's an April 28, 2006 story I found through a quick Google search: 3.2 million Xbox 360s shipped, $388 million in losses
Most people have filled their players with ripped music from their CDs or downladed or shared it(legaly or otehrwise).
The amount of music sold is very small in comparison.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Most likely MS shop will have the same recordings available in broad terms as iTunes, this would mean, esteemed geeks, that the RIAA could play both comapnies against each other and laugh all the way to the bank.
Now, if each shop has exclusive deals that work with one player and not the other, we may have a debacle for the whole idea of digital music.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Think of the social impact too-- a girl on a subway giving you a little smile and pointing to her iPod as she listens to your shared playlist
This adolescent fantasy of yours--that your taste in music is going to get you anywhere with the girls--will NEVER be fulfilled. Try making some music. When you're up on stage with your guitar is when a girl in front row will give you a little smile and flash you her boobs as she listens to your riffs.
[Yes] [Delete] [Reboot]
Will Microsoft license their new player technology for third party hardware and software support?
.WMA files to offer support for this new technology, too.
.MP3 format, mostly because podcasts usually use the .MP3 format.
We should ask this question because if the likes of Creative Labs, iRiver, Samsung, Sandisk, Philips, etc. can license the technology of Microsoft's new player it could end up being a lot more formidable challenge to Apple than you think. Of course, I expect the legal online music download sites that support DRM-controlled
By the way, expect the new player to support
J. Allard
I'm sure it won't go anywhere. Just like their belated attempts to challenge the dominance of Lotus 123, Netscape Navigator, and RealPlayer.
-a.d.-
I'm Erwin Schrodinger and I approve of this message, and I do not approve of this message!
..."wet dream".
Lots of devices use Microsoft software, including thin clients, cash registers, copying machines, and those horrible self-service checkout machines most libraries use nowadays. None of them are considered "from Microsoft" because Microsoft didn't make them. Indeed Microsoft probably didn't even "do the software" for the Gigabeat. More likely they just licensed Windows CE to Toshiba, whose own engineers wrote the application code. That's usually how it works with embedded: you license an embeddable OS, then write an application on top of it.
I dont know if these are funny coincidences but M$ is selecting all "dirty" names from different languages around the world.
Vista==Shit in a Indian language
and you wear your PDA/ cellphone on a belt holster, right? You silly, silly, man.
There is only Zune.
There's an interview in Billboard with Microsoft's new GM of marketing on this Quote:
...music industry executives have expressed frustration at [Apple's] my-way-or-the-highway tactics. Competition means more opportunities to sell digital music in ways Apple won't allow. For instance, Microsoft is more open to variable pricing, whereas Apple is not.
Variable Prices? Hmm...wonder if that would mean higher or lower cost! Would someone please tell the labels that their market have changed and they need to be happy to be around at all? Higer prices might just get some of us back to the popular, fixed price, market contenders known as P2P. Support independent artists!!
> a girl on a subway giving you a little smile and pointing to her iPod as she listens to your shared playlist
... well ... yes - the next killer app. This is why the iPod is my favorite sex toy.
Ahhh
You know those little ear bud things? One in her ear, one in yours, the iPod under the pillow.
Try it some time.
[And in case you're wondering - yes the lead b/n the two earpieces is just long enough for most anything you want to do]
I'm willing to try the competition
:)
There's iRiver, Creative, heck maybe even the original MPMan around. Please to try one of them, no need to wait for when this "Zune" launches. (I know that much Hebrew... pretty funny for a product name choice.)
Hopefully you aren't saying that Microsoft is the only competition, or that they somehow excel over others at designing simple elegant gadgets that just work... You didn't, I'm just hoping you didn't mean to either
(While Microsoft keyboards and mice are actually pretty good, they weren't originally designed by them, and I'm not sure who manufactures them today. The original Xbox was a butt-ugly box but the 360 looks okay. And over at their main business (software) they have some history at cramming every feature in and letting the user sort out the resulting mess of an interface.)
That said, I've never owned an iPod, so you have more experience of them. Sorry to hear it's been that bad -- it's completely understandable you want to switch...
Furthermore, the mice are made in a factory with a big "Microsoft" sign on top, and they have been designed by Bill Gates himself. Steve Ballmer in turn designs the Microsoft keyboards (and throwing chairs). It's not at all like they bought ready-made just to get their Windows keys out into circulation, they really have a passion for making mice and keyboards, so they deserve all the praise for these fine products.
Likewise, Melissa Gates is busy soldering Xbox 360 circuit boards together to meet market demand. Microsoft really is an old-fashioned hardware company, just like Apple.
Interesting.
I'll summarize it for you - batteries do not last forever. Rechargable batteries have a maximum number of charge cycles and if you don't follow the usage profile perfectly than they will actually have far fewer than that.
Which does not matter if the lifetime of the batteries for the consumer is greater than the lifetime of the device it powers. I have a large number of rechargable devices, some of which I have had for several years. The only batteries I have ever had to replace are laptop batteries, every other device still works fine despite repeated use.
I won't buy a device that won't outlast the battery charge profile, and the correlary is that I need to be able to replace the batteries when they go. Sure, I can do it, but it's a huge hassle, and it's one of the things that's been most influential in my decision not to buy one.
You are refusing to buy devices based on a theoretical model of battery wear, that in practice differs in the real world.
In reality there vast majority of iPod users do not see battery issues and use them as long as they use the device.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Don't take any of the following the wrong way. I use and support a great many Microsoft products every day - from Exchange and MSSQL to three flavors of OS and even some MS hardware...
But, there is no way this can be sucessful for them and there is one simple reason:
Simplicity
Microsoft is utterly incapable of creating something simple: Outlook does 300 things besides e-mail, Internet Explorer is everything *but* a web browser, every version of their OS tries to supply hundreds of functions no one ever uses... Heck, even the Microsoft mouse I have sitting here on my desk has at least three buttons I've never used and an immense suite of software I've never installed. Even my Xbox is rife with too many features, buttons, and interfaces... It's a game machine, not a home entertainment system/internet device/stereo/toaster...
Now I look at the Mac department here at work - simple interfaces abound. I'd go as far as to say if Apple could figure out a way to have a five button keyboard, they'd come standard with the machine. Apple knows simplicity and the iPod is an excellent example of their design philosophy... This, I figure, has contributed greatly to Apple's 800 pound gorrila stance in the portable device market.
Sadly, Microsoft doesn't stand a chance...
PDA? Cellphone? So last century, dude!