AT&T Tech Support 360September 14, 2006 9:57 AM PDT
Microsoft unwraps Zune for holiday season
Last modified: September 14, 2006 12:39 PM PDT
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The device, which the company anticipates will be ready in time for the holidays, will come in three colors and be capable, via its built-in Wi-Fi, of sharing full-length songs with other nearby Zune devices, the software giant said. As had been revealed through regulatory filings, it includes a 30GB hard drive as well as a 3-inch screen. The Zune will come in black, brown and white, but the company has declined to reveal any pricing information.
With the Zune, Microsoft is chasing Apple and its iconic music player, the iPod, which has thus far eclipsed all challengers. For Microsoft to mount a serious campaign against Apple--which has sold more than 60 million iPods in five years--the Zune has to offer compelling features that the iPod lacks, analysts say. This gets harder and harder to do with Apple's continuous upgrades of the iPod.
On Tuesday, Apple introduced a revamped 30GB video iPod that, while lacking wireless abilities or a larger screen, offers a brighter screen, longer battery life and a lower price tag ($249) than its predecessor. There had been a report last month that Microsoft was hoping to charge $299 for the Zune, Apple's then-price for the 30GB iPod. Microsoft declined on Thursday to detail Zune's price but said it will be revealed in coming weeks and will be competitive.
Scott Erickson, Microsoft's senior director of product management for Zune, said his device is different from the iPod, because it offers an alternative to the typical solitary music-listening experience.
Zune users can send full-length tracks of select songs, homemade recordings or photos to other Zune players via the device's Wi-Fi. The shared songs can be heard up to three times over three days. Should a user like a song a friend has shared, the song can be flagged and later can be purchased from the Zune Marketplace. Not every song will be available to swap however, Erickson said. Artists can opt out, but fans will have access to the vast majority of titles, he added.
"We want to build community around new bands, new artists," Erickson said. "Today, you really can't do that. What we're offering is connection."
That may not be enough, says Susan Kevorkian, an analyst with IDC. She gave Microsoft points for style and functionality but said the Redmond, Wash.-based company failed to go far enough in building an iPod alternative.
Zune falls short in two areas, she said: It won't be ready to offer video in time for the holidays and Zune users can't access the music service from the device itself, which will hamper people from making impulse buys, Kevorkian said.
"Zune looks good but it needs to get better and better quickly to give Apple a run for the money," Kevorkian said.
Not launching with video capability ignores growing interest in the sector. On Tuesday, Apple announced plans to make movies available for purchase through the iTunes store. Movies from four studios owned by Walt Disney will be available on iTunes 7, the new version of the download software, the same day they are released to DVD.
Microsoft recognizes the video trend, but wanted to stay focused on music for the launch of the first device. "That's what the vast majority of people are doing online right now. Video is still really early," Erickson said.
Microsoft has said it will spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the Zune effort, but said it still expects it to take several years to make significant headway against Apple. In the meantime, Zune's software can automatically import music, pictures and videos from iTunes and Windows Media Player, however the device does not--as some had speculated--handle songs purchased from iTunes, according to Microsoft.
The software maker also hinted that the Zune will have new wireless abilities down the road. "As Zune evolves, your device can be easily updated," Microsoft said. "And with built-in wireless capability in each player, the future is filled with possibilities."
Zune will work in conjunction with a subscription music service that offers customers all the music they want for a flat fee. Although Zune is a Microsoft-designed product, the company confirmed last month that Toshiba will be making it.
The device will also come preloaded with content from DTS, EMI Music's Astralwerks and Virgin, Ninja Tune, Playlouderecordings, Quango Music Group, Sub Pop Records, and V2/Artemis Records.
Microsoft plans to launch a number of accessories, including Zune car chargers, docking stations and gear that will allow Zune to connect to televisions and music speakers. Helping Microsoft with the accessories are many of the same companies that manufacture Apple accessories, including Altec Lansing, Belkin and Digital Lifestyle Outfitters.
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Brown Power!
Features in zune sound impressive. But again many mp3 players have these features.
patent on the scroll wheel for mp3 players?
As for the wi-fi, three times playback?! Is that it, so basically it's just an extended music store sample courtesy of some unknown person off the street.
I think people are forgetting the point about the Wi-fi, there are gonna have to be an awfull lot of Zunes on your, train/bust/plane/street to make it worth having it activated, right?
I have nothing against it's player but apart from the seemingly poorly done Wi-fi there is nothing new here. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see a 'killer feature' so you've got a big screen, at the same resolution of the iPod so you can just watch it a bit bigger?
The WiFi might be interesting but my experience with PSP was that it was also a battery suck.
Nothing in ZUNE right now that makes me want to run out and sell my VideoIpod. Maybe if I wasn't as heavily invested in ITUNES/Protected AAC music and video I would consider it.
But intial reaction is, Eh.
Overall, the player doesn't look bad, but it's not really an innovative product. Creative zen and the ipod do the same thing. I know that the zune has wifi, but other than that ability, it's still nothing particually exciting.
I hope Microsoft will launch Zune in different colors other than the 3 shown.
The screen looks great though.
...which will be deleted immediately by anyone who can figure out how.
Stop preloading every device I buy with your crap! If you need money, then price the product appropriately instead of taking advertising dollars/promotions from other companies.
I bought my PSP and it came with a UMD of videos, music and games. I could play it if I wanted to. I could also chuck it without wondering what was left behind on my memory stick.
Music is personal. When I'm at the gym with my player, I clip it on on set it down. I'm not fiddling with the menus. On my bus, I hit play on a particular playlist, put my player in my pocket and forget about it.
Wi-fi? Hmmm sounds nice. It could be interesting to buy songs wirelessly on the road, rather than waiting to get back to the computer, but it's not that urgent for me. If it was all that urgent, I suppose music sales via the cellular carriers would be eclisping iTunes by now, but they're not. Wi-fi certainly doesn't work at 70 mph when I'm commuting on my bus or train. But it is an incredible battery hog on portable devices, based on my experience with a Sony Palm handheld with wi-fi built in.
Microsoft Office allows you to do so much with it, but in the end, the majority of users utilize just a small subset of it's feature set. That's why Microsoft always has a hard time getting folks to upgrade to the latest and greatest Office. Folks tend to keep it simple. That's why the Palm handhelds were successful for so long. They performed a simple set of tasks really well. Windows handhelds didn't kill the Palm. Cellphones did. The iPod applies the same strategy. The basics of playing your choice of music simply and easily are covered very well. In the end, that's what most people want.
Also, in light of Apple announcing iPods of every size, how does MS come out with just a single size unit? Isn't the Nano outselling all other iPods? And does Zune run under some subset of Windows? If so, maybe a hard disk drive is a requirement. Maybe we have to wait for our Zune players to boot up. I hope not, but we shall all soon see.
Zune isn't looking like a winner out the box though. Not from what I've read.
mean, they are as pathetic as Apple portrays the PC in their
commercials. Kinda like watching the school geek trying to get
someone to dance with at the prom. Gotta feel bad for them and
their ineptness.
If it weren't for monopoly power, they'd have no success at all.
What do you expect from a monopoly that has the richest people in the WORLD that still dress like they're dorky freshman in college?
ZUNE is french for turd (brown).
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Brown! WOW Billy BOB, that innovation for ya! Hundreds of millions of dollars in R&D & advertising for this POS MP3 iPod wannabe and all they deliver is THIS?
Once again standing in Apple's shadow.
Redmond, you have a problem.
Say hello to Billy BOB's new toy ZUNE!
Coming Zune to a store near you!
Get the latest ZUNE TUNES!
Zune, Zune, Zune!
If it looks like a turd, & smells like a turd & sounds like a turd...It must be the new brown Zune!
P.U.
If it's brown, flush it down...
No respectable geek will get caught dead carrying a Zune player that looks like that. Microsoft could give every one of it's employee's one of these and they would still use an iPod or Zen player.
Face it (or don't) this Zune player is f-ugly.
The other colors are fine, but brown? Someone wasn't firing all thrusters.
Robert
Nonetheless, they're a day late and a dollar short. They should have done this three years ago. Now they are not only competing against an entrenched iPod market, but also entrenched cell phones too.
Dumb.
I would go with the former, so I could listen to (commercial free) thousands of new-to-me songs, at a flat monthly fee.
- How big, how long?
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by rcrusoe
September 14, 2006 2:05 PM PDT
- IMO, the success of zune v1 will depend on three things.
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See all 208 Comments >>1. Price. It will have to sell for less than an iPod or most people (aka non geeks) won't buy it.
2. Size. It looks kinda big. If it won't fit in a shirt pocket, a lot of people won't buy it.
3. Battery life. A big screen and WiFi make methinks the zune may have a very short play time.
In short, Zune may turn out to be like the XBox. A market success that is a major money loser for MS.