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Why Microsoft's Zune Scares Apple to the Core
BoredStiff writes "Computerworld has an article examining Microsoft's plans to launch a competitor to the Apple iPod, the wireless media player called Zune. The article lists five reasons why Apple may fear the Zune, and why it won't be as easily smacked down as the dozens of mp3 players before it have been. The Zune isn't just a music player, the article argues. Think of it as a portable, wireless, hardware version of MySpace. With the Zune, Microsoft is trying to launch a consumer media 'perfect storm.'" From the article: "Microsoft will make the movement of media between Windows, Soapbox and the Zune natural and seamless. The Zune interface is just like a miniature version of the Windows Media Center user interface and is very similar to some elements of Vista. Apple fans are overconfident in the iPod because Apple once commanded 92% of music player market share, a number that has since fallen to around 70%. About 30 million people own iPods. But Microsoft owns more than 90% of the worldwide operating systems market (compared with Apple's roughly 5%), representing some 300 million people. The company expects to have 200 million Vista users within two years."
Mike Elgan is a technology writer and former editor of Windows Magazine.
You know if you like the music sharing, but hate the DRM, there are other solutions. Check out Radio Mixtape. You can create play lists from full length MP3 audio files that artists designate (we even have Sub Pop's promotional catalog, something the Zune claims to come pre-loaded with). Mix tapes can be embedded in MySpace profiles as Flash Widgets, or Blogs as JavaScript widgets. Everything is free and information about downloads and sharing are provided back to the artist directly (and all "buy album" links are in direct control of the artists, some link to Amazon, some to thier own label others even to iTunes). It's free for artists and free for fans, and it works on absolutely every portable audio player. You don't need to sell your sole to Microsoft just to share good music. -Jason
The Zune screen is 320x240, the same as the iPod. It's just slightly larger (larger pixels) and rotated differently. Any belief you can play widescreen content on it is seriously misguided. Andy
As a Linux only techie, I got a 30G iPod video recently as a gift and let me tell you that's it's a fun toy to play with on Linux. With the 1.2 firmware upgrade, you can use 640x480 h264 vids at up to around 2000kbps. iTunes doesn't digest those files, but gtkpod, as awkward as it is to use, uploads em without a hitch. It's a good MP3 player, but the "cool" is getting a video cable and bringing your video library with you. Vids encoded as described look surprisingly good, even on 42" sets. I also use the Photo (via gpixpod) and Notes feature quite a bit. For $250, I recommend it, even though I'd never have thought it could be worth it before owning one.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
The tiny screen was sufficient... for a music player. No need to have a huge, battery-sucking screen to see the currently playing track information. The 5G (There is no 6G yet, the recent Apple anouncements were for minor revisions to the 5G, a la 5.5G) is an iPod with video capabilities, but as the rumor sites have been spouting for months now, the "True Video iPod" is still coming around the corner. Battery life, I believe was one of the major issues with it, and I'm sure some of the improvements that have gone into that found the way into the 5.5G. There will be a bigger screen, it was in the works long before the Zune nonsense was a rumor.
That's great! It's too bad the Zune isn't using wireless for syncing, or for wireless music shopping. It's only for sharing music between Zunes. Good luck with that one.
This is completely false. The author is confusing the iPod market share statistic for hard-drive based players--which is still 90% --and the statistic for all total portable music players, which is 70%. The precise history of the iPod's total market share is 31% in 2004, 65% in 2005, and 74% in 2006. The market was once dominated by flash players, but that was eradicated by the iPod mini. Contrary to the article's claim, the iPod has not lost any market share.
These have absolutely nothing to do with each other. It doesn't matter that Microsoft owns more than 90% of the worldwide operating systems market. That hasn't stopped the iPod in the last five years, despite a long series of "PlaysForSure" devices.
The Zune has the same resolution as the iPod (the Zune's screen is a stretched 320x240), it's bulkier than the iPod, and its clickwheel isn't a clickwheel, so you have to use simple directional push-and-hold buttons to go through your 1,000+ music list.
This is the latest "iPod killer" article that will be forgotten in a month. How many of these "killers" are we going to hear about before people wise up? Come on, one of the reasons listed in the article is "Zune is actually pretty cool." It's a fluff piece mixed with subjective op-ed from the author.
"Sufferin' succotash."
Sig removed because it was obnoxious
Leveraging a monopoly to gain market share in another market is illegal. In this case, MS has bundled their software music player with Windows, which is illegal in and of itself.
Not at all. You're probably confused with the Netscape case - but there, they strongarmed OEMs to *not* include Netscape. That's the "leverage" part. Simply competing in multiple markets, when you have a monopoly in one, is absolutely not illegal. It's not illegal for those products to work well together to the point that they make a compelling combination either. That's fair competition, doing something better than someone else.
Now, if they start forcing OEMs to include their player and not iTunes (as if any OEMs included iTunes now), that would be illegal. Hacking windows to make iTunes and iPods incompatible would be illegal. Making music software is *not* illegal, nor is including it in Windows free of charge.
If their hardware and software players play it and that ability is not offered to all other software player and hardware player manufacturers, free of charge, then that too is illegal.
No, it's not, especially since MS won't have a monopoly in music players.