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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.
In suspiciously coincidental news, Steve Jobs has been seen taking chair-throwing lessons.
John
"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.
"That sounds like an awfully cheesy attempt to play off of Creative's Zen brand."
Well seeing how this is likely a cheesy attempt to copy off of the iPod,
and how Vista is an awful, cheesy attempt to copy of OS X,
that's pretty well par for the course.
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.
Lemme guess... consumer multimedia is Microsoft's house and they're not gonna let Apple take food off their plate.
"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.
...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
I wonder how much they spent to come up with that dorky name.
the good ground has been paved over by suicidal maniacs
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?
To come up with a bad name, all you need to do is sit down and brainstorm for a few minutes.
To come up with a really horrbile name, you need to give a million dollars to a marketing firm.
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
They could of gone with MsPod.
or uPod
or PenisEnvy
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Do you mean whether it will require DRM? All the current portable media players will play non-DRM media in some format or another, so I don't really understand the issue. Even that other player that's a four letter word doesn't require DRM media to operate. If you are against the player even supporting DRM, then you'll probably have a problem with this one too because I doubt Microsoft would sell a player that doesn't support DRM at all, afterall, Plays For Sure is a Microsoft technology, and I doubt the larger rights holders (the __AAs) would licence their media without it.
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?
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.
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
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!
Needs re-posting. ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXnJraKM3k
"Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
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
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.
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
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
Clippy(TM) for Zune:
"It looks like you are trying to play an iPod file. Would you like me to delete it?"
True. Considering the chances of me buying one, they might as well have called it Zzzz.
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
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?
...so the "we make the software and you guys make the hardware" thing not working out so well in this market?
Unfortunately, "Wii" was already taken.
Some see the vessel as half full; others see it as half-empty; We pour it out on the floor and laugh
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
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
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.
It just seems idiotic that you can't just drag and drop MP3s into it like a hard drive and browse the directory list to play whatever songs you want on it, including videos if you have a video iPod. You shouldn't NEED any additional software at all beyond a USB capable computer that can read and write to the iPod filesystem like a hard drive.
This is the two-edged sword of the system the iPod uses. By using its own database and forgoing a file/directory method, it allowed you to browse music based on artist, genre, album, etc, in addition to simply by title. A less popular but just as valid reason, iTunes/WMP/other software manages the DRM from online music stores.
Have you considered that for a music player, a file directory approach is NOT intuitive? People generally don't want to be reminded of a computer interface when they're not using a computer. Judging from the success of the iPod, arguably they don't want to deal with the filesystem when they're managing their player's music, either. Consider that programs like iTunes or WMP are far better at managing music than a filesystem; why would normal people jump from iTunes/whatever into Windows Explorer to copy songs to their player, when iTunes/whatever does it all for them?
I checked out the manuals for two other products roughly in the same marketspace as the iPod (Archos 700 and Creative Zen Vision). Both required Windows Media Player or manufacturer's software to manage music, so how is this different from iPod/iTunes?
This isn't to say that requiring iTunes/whatever is always a good thing; for example, I wanted to copy and see new photos from a recent trip on my iPod, when my own computer was on the other side of the country. Wasn't possible.
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
They could of gone with MsPod.
or uPod
or PenisEnvy
Pod.Net
> They are a software company
No they aren't. They are a marketing company that just happens to produce software.
yeeeeeesh! I was just saying I'm willing to try something new because of my multiple bad experiences with the ipod. The bad experiences have reduced my apple-loyalty to nill and I'm willing to try the competition.