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Microsoft to Launch Zune in EU
An anonymous reader writes "Happy with the sales from the little brown music player here in the states, Microsoft is working to launch the Zune media player in Europe by the end of the year. According to the Washington Post article, they are trying to have a realistic outlook on the entrenched Apple product line. They're not trying to play catch-up at the moment ... they're just trying to get on the map. From the article: '"Our next round of introductions will probably be in time for the holiday of this year." [Jason Reindorp] said Microsoft planned extensive research with focus groups in Europe to see how it could be modified for a European consumer. He said the Zune had a 10.2 percent market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte category, according to the latest data, and that it was still in line to sell over a million units by June 30, the end of its current fiscal year.'"
Europeans will be excitedly squirting all over the place!
I would like to take this opportunity to
wel-
come
Europe
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social
Summation 2
Preliminary results suggest that European consumers would like it to be "less crappy".
Yeah right, after Apple launch iPhone by June, these will sell like umbrellas in a submarine
As much as the Europeans warmly embrace Windows Media Player (or Windows Anything), so too shall their success be.
Most of the stuff on
It might be prudent to ask how many different players the "30 GB cathegory" consists of. This sounds like the Zune's total market share is very, very small.
He said the Zune had a 10.2 percent market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte category
How specific do you want to be? How about this:
He said the Zune had a 10.2 percent market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte category, and 100 percent market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte Zune category.
Summation 2
Is that because they have a big stockpile of unsold zunes?
Bert
Actually one exists, available in black and white.
Of course it is a funny statement to see coming from Microsoft.
the Zune had a 10.2 percent market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte category, according to the latest data...
That's fishy to me because it sounds like they mean of concurrent sales (meaning it wouldn't include people who bought 30gb iPods when Apple still made them in that size).
What that means is, of all media players sold this year that store 30GB of data that aren't iPods, the Zune has a 10% market share which, factoring in Apple's huge part of that market, is much, much smaller a percentage than it sounds like.
Triv
You're right. My 5G iPod is actually a 27.82GB model according to the Capacity field in iTunes.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
With a rollout in EU, and an anticipated 1M units sold by June here, what is the impact with the latest development whereby songs purchased for the Zune are not "squirtable" courtesy SONY's proscription? Is it really true about 50% of SONY songs purchased in the Microsoft way are not shareable with other Zune owners (if you can find them)?
I would guess that the sharing feature is not a show stopper for most people. The real question is whether or not the Zune will be priced under the iPod or any of the other "competitors". You have already mentioned the big reason why it's not a show stopper -- no one has a Zune anyway.
Hey... there is a 30gig iPod. So out of 9 different iPod models, the Zune had a 10.2% share of one of those which effectively means 1.13% share against iPods. Mix in every other player in contention and their market share is probably more like 0.04%.
Most of the stuff on
With all my excitement over Zune, I actually didn't realize it wasn't even on sale...
MOD PARENT UP!!
This statement sounds fishy: "He said the Zune had a 10.2 percent market share in the U.S. in the 30 gigabyte category, according to the latest data,..."
I suspect most people don't buy the 30 GigaByte iPod. I suspect that the "latest data" is only for new sales, and doesn't take into account all the iPods already sold in that category.
I also suspect that the "latest data" is a complete lie. Most people who call themselves marketing professionals are professional liars more than anything, in my experience.
I'd like to know how many people with no knowledge of MP3 players bought a Zune to give to someone as a Christmas present. I'd like to know how many Zune owners are dissatisfied with them.
--
U.S. government violence encourages other violence.
Happy with the sales ...
I guess their expections were rather on the low side.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
The market share percentage is certainly misleading when you look at the raw numbers: the Zune was introduced in November, and by June (7 months later) they say they will have sold 1 million. On the other hand, Apple sold 21 million iPods in the last quarter alone, and over 8 million in each of the previous 3 quarters.
In other words, by June Apple should be selling about as many iPods every 10 days as there were Zunes sold in 7 months. Put it that way, and it's hard for Microsoft to brag about.
Q: What does the "B." in Benoit B. Mandelbrot stand for? A: Benoit B. Mandelbrot
They're going to launch the Zune in EU, but not in Canada? Do they fear our ability to legally download over here? Oh well... even if it isn't that, I never expect Microsoft to do things logically a lot of the time.
And now its just 10.5 % in the 30 gigabyte category? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5oGaZIKYvo Ballmer really has no clue at all. :P
Microsoft is going to be sending little brown things to the EU? Is this as a response of the EU sanctions?
[alk]
The Slashdot categories are quite broken and have been for ages. There is no section for Free Software, for example, so articles about GNOME or KDE end up in the Linux or BSD category, in spite of the fact that they are relatively kernel-agnostic.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
is your Boss, you had BETTER be quick & nimble with the BIG WORDS, & the HOT PLANS, & the NEW MARKET ENTRY at the NEXT HOLIDAY season, & (most important of all)...
You had best get your RESUME OUT THERE NOW, and get that FLACK JACKET & HELMET on because you never known when chairs are going to fly again.
None of this is surprising to anyone I've talked to. No One!
What I am hearing from diehard PC users I run across is subdued speculation, and NOT about Zune. The speculation is all whether VISTA will mean anything to them.
I pity the project managers under Ballmer, because their stomachs must be tied in a knot 24 hours a day. Been there, done that, and you can't survive long that way.
we certainly think so. but then, we lack the outstanding politicians the current u.s. of a. is graced with ;-)
Microsoft planned extensive research with focus groups in Europe to see how it could be modified for a European consumer.
Beige?
)9TSS
Yawns
Of course it is a funny statement to see coming from Microsoft.
Well, what did you expect? "We think we have some overall marketshare, but we can't say for sure, because the figure is lower than the error in the survey"?
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
It discusses:
- MS Zune's does not work with MS Windows Vista
- MS Zune's incompatibility with (even) MSN Music Format (you have to rebuild your music collection)
- 4 registration's before buying music from the Zune music store (when player installs, MS passport, Music Store Website, Tag registration)
- Zune points for buying music, to mislead consumers on the price of music (1 Zune point > 1 dollar, thus 0.79 ZunePoint looks cheaper)
- Zune player WiFi music share expires songs shared after 3 times listening or 3 days (whichever comes first)
Hilarious!
See also: CNN.com ridicules Zune Player
How refreshing to read something about the Zune by a real consumer who actually has one and is saying things that have the ring of truth to them.
(It doesn't bother you that everything you've bought will go poof if you don't keep paying $15 every month?)
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
However, if they did offer Zunes at a substantial (30%-50%) price advantage over iPods, AND if they beefed up the applications for the WiFi feature,
And had a store for the tunes with prices 50% lower with a full catalog....
People buy iPods because they can use it at the hottest online music store. Nobody buys a Zune so they can shop at the MS Zune store. I haven't heard one rave review of the wonderful selection and prices at the Zune store except one person here in this thread. Someone likes the Subscription model for unlimited downloads. Other than that, I have not heard anything about the online music store.
The truth shall set you free!
I have a hard time believing this - with even 10% market share, I think I'd have seen one "in the wild" by now.
With all the ribbing, who would admit to having one? If I got one for Christmas, I would stick it in my pocket and keep it there. I might pick up a nice pair of white headphones to go with it.
The truth shall set you free!