I think Zune will share the fate of all other wannabe iPod killers, and it’s sales will tank. Here is why:
- Zune wants to be an iPod killer. Can you name 3 other iPod killers of the top of your head? I sure can’t because they all failed and faded into obscurity. Why would Zune be any different?
- Zune is big and blocky, while iPod is sleek and sexy. Check out the size comparison:
image © Jake LuddingtonWhich one would you rather carry in your pocket?
- Zune has a big screen and Wifi antenna which means it will most likely eat through batteries faster than most video iPods do. If you ever owned a PocketPC or a Smartphone with wireless card you know that it usually sucks the battery juice like there is no tomorrow.
- Zune will be crippled by DRM, and wont play the Microsoft’s own Play for Sure locked files which include offerings from Naptster, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Unlimited, Movielink, Cinemanow and other such services. If you are locked to a single vendor, then why not go with the well established iTunes rather than the underdog Microsoft offering?
- Zune is expensive. The top line iPod is also expensive, but Apple offers cheep alternatives in the form of Shuffles and Nanos. Priced at $79 the tiny Shuffle makes a great surprise Christmas gift for just about anyone. Zune is an investment.
It is probably safe to assume that many Shuffle users will eventually “graduate” to the more pricey video iPods generating more revenue for Apple. Microsoft does not offer cheep version of their player so they must rely on the hype and features to attract users. Apple on the other hand will rack in millions from the impulse purchases due to accessible price.
- Wifi sounds awesome until you learn that you can only connect to other Zune players and you can only send crippled versions of your songs which will expire after 3 days or 3 plays (whichever comes first). You can’t use Wifi to sync with your PC and you can’t use wireless hotspot to buy music from the online store. What is the point of having Wifi then? Is it really worth the battery drain?
- You won’t be able to legally mount Zune as an external drive to store your crap.
- You will have to pay a Piracy Tax when you buy the device – Microsoft must give away part of Zune sales profits to Universal Music which feels mp3 players fuel copyright infringement. I wonder how long will it take before other recording studios will want their cut. Something tells me that Microsoft will have a hard time generating profits from this device if every RIAA and MPAA member hits them up for piracy tax.
- Zune means fuck in Hebrew and is an old French-Canadian colloquialism for penis. Way to go Microsoft! With all the possible names you have picked one that is offensive to Jewish people, and laughably silly to the French and Canadians.
- Finally, iPod has the coolness factor on it’s side. Let’s face it – Apple masterfully marketed their product and it is now sort of a status symbol among the teenagers. What is the point of having a Zune if all your friends have iPods and you can’t share your files with them?
Zune could have had a chance to seriously bite into the iPod market share if Microsoft would really leverage the Wifi capability of the device. If Zune could Sync with a PC, use wireless hotspots to buy music and download music from popular services, and and/or download lyrics/album covers and etc. But it does none of that.
I’m not saying iPod is untouchable. You can build an iPod killer and someone eventually will. But Zune is not it. Not by a long shot.
What is the chief feature of an iPod killer? It has to be able to play anything, and have no internal DRM scheme allowing you to copy and share files without any restrictions. That and it needs to be sexier than Apple’s product. If you can pull that off without entertainment industry eating you alive, you got yourself an iPod killer.
Update Tue Nov 14 16:41:36 EST 2006 → here is an even more convincing list.
[tags]ipod, ipod killer, zune, microsoft, apple, shuffle[/tags]
I think with zunes price it should do just fine. MSjust needs a way for zune to play itune songs.
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Wow. Fear makes Apple fans say the dumbest things. Of all the “Why the Zune will fail” articles I have rea, this one has to be the worst.
1. NO ONE at MS expects it to “kill” the iPod. Inaccurate.
2. Oooh, a few millimeters. And sexy? Seriously..get a girlfriend if you think ANY piece of electronics is sexy.
3. You GUESs it will eat through batteries? You GUESS? Who are you? A nobody.
4. All major players are and will always be crippled by DRM. this is NOt an advantage of the iPod since their DRM is just as bad if not worse.
5. The $250 iPod is a major seller. Obviously there is a big enough market for that.
6. WiFi IS awesome. And Apple doesn’t have ANY sharing. It is not meant to be a “Here, you can have this song.” sharing. And NO ONE expects it to be. Still…Apple has NONE.
7. yeah…because people REALLY buy an iPod for that capability.
8. Who cares? It is still the same price of an iPod, with more features. I don’t give a shit where it goes.
9. No it doesn’t. Inaccurate. Again, something that desperate Apple fans are trying to hold on to, despite that being thoroughly debunked.
10. Apple had the coolness factor in computers in the mid 80s too….How’d that work out for them?
1. Just for the record – I’m not an Apple fanboy. I do not own an Apple, and I do not have an iPod. So I’m not really as biased as you think. In fact your automatic assumption that anyone who does not believe that Zune will do well is a “desperate Apple fan” suggests that you are probably just a big Microsoft supporter yourself.
2. The few milliliters make a big difference for me.
3. I do not claim to be an authority on these subjects but I do own a Pocket PC with a wireless card and the power consumption is really high when Wifi is enabled. The same was the case with my friend’s WinCE based smartphone. Based on that observation I am assuming that Zune will most likely have similar problem. Again, no way to say for sure without testing, but it is a valid guess based on observation of somewhat similar devices.
4. Yes, most of the players on the market are crippled by DRM but Microsoft had the unique chance to create a very competitive market by connecting the Plays For Sure with Zune. They didn’t do that – in fact they chose to alienate their own customers. Hence iTunes gets the upper hand as the more established and trusted music vendor.
5. Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see.
6. I’m pretty sure people can transfer iPod files using a connector cable. Wifi still seems kinda useless feature to me.
7. You would be surprised.
8. I do care about this stuff – but then again I have principles. Some people don’t have them.
9. Hey, it’s close enough to be silly and/or offensive.
10. Apple had the coolness factor but Microsoft had a stranglehold on the market due to monopolistic practices. I’d say they did quite well considering that they are still on the market.