Microsoft Attempting to Recruit App Store Developers for Zune HD?

[Arcadium]

Uh...no. Apple's iPod wasn't the first MP3 player or anything, there were 100s of other brands. Apple became successful because other MP3 player's weren't as easy to use, setup, and didn't last as long.

Apple does software/hardware integration and has been for decades, hence they're great computers, iPods, and iPhones.

Let's face it, Microsoft is trying to catch up with Apple. iPods to Zunes, Apple Stores to Microsoft Stores.

People aren't having good user experience with Microsoft that's why Apple is thriving in today's business.

I never said Apple was the first, did I?

Well of course MS is trying to catch up with Apple. So is every other company. But if you've used the Zune, you would be able to say that it does stand as the biggest competitor when the iPod gets phased out. Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if it's soon, what with Apple's big concentration being on the iPhone OS and it's devices.

 

[applealex]

I'm sorry this is stupid but does the Zune HD have a speaker?

I think it does but I just wanted to clarify

 

[gianly1985]

if you haven't seen the Zune HD's Interface, you should. It is to die for.

I don't trust iPod as a PMP (Not MP3, dude. Get out of the year 2003). I haven't had the best experience until I picked up a Zune to be honest.

Zune can take over the iPod. .

Yeah we got it, today-joining "surely impartial" macrumors member

 

[*LTD*]

True, the Zune isn't a smartphone, but it is being compared in the marketplace to the ipod touch (which it should be compared) which coincidentally looks amazingly like the iphone, sans the phone feature, camera and such.]

The Zune is fighting for a dying mp3 market, and unless there is a Zune equivalent smartphone, there won't be much of a marketplace of apps, comparative to iphone.

Too little, too late for Zune, even with its much vaunted HD feature.

This.

iPods are on the way out. An iPod TODAY is really a crippled iPhone. And upon release, the Zune HD will have nowhere near the ecosystem, App Store, and overall product gestalt the iPod itself enjoys. So essentially MS is building up a product from scratch - which in itself is not a problem, except they're doing it in a market that is dying.

They made the same mistake with the original Zune. When that was released, the iPod Classic (its competitor) was already being eclipsed by the iPod Touch. It was essentially rendered obsolete the day the iPod Touch was released. Today, the iPod Touch is being eclipsed by the iPhone. Now we're seeing an exact replay of the Zune fiasco nearly three years later, but this time MS expects a different result!

This is what happens when you enter a market that Apple, by design, has singlehandedly defined and is slowly killing off.

 

[Arcadium]

Yeah with got it, today-joining "surely impartial" macrumors member

I like the Zune. I like Apple. I wanted to comment on this. This is probably the only article I'll even use this account for.

 

[CaryMacGuy]

I don't trust iPod as a PMP (Not MP3, dude. Get out of the year 2003). I haven't had the best experience until I picked up a Zune to be honest.

If most consumers got down, and used the Zune for a while, I'm sure a lot would go for it over an iPod.

What YOU will buy is inmaterial. The fact is (and stats back it up), the idea of owning an iPod as a PMP (as you so rudely pointed out), is more appealing then a Zune.

Apple products are just sleeker and cooler. Also, the insane number of cool apps give the iPod an automatic advantage.

THE ZUNE HD WILL FAIL!!!

 

[FSMBP]

I never said Apple was the first, did I?

Well of course MS is trying to catch up with Apple. So is every other company. But if you've used the Zune, you would be able to say that it does stand as the biggest competitor when the iPod gets phased out. Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if it's soon, what with Apple's big concentration being on the iPhone OS and it's devices.

My point was that iPods are number one for a reason (user experience and ease).

I agree that Zunes are iPod's top competitor but Microsoft needs to truly innovate to get the number one spot instead of imitating and adding some features. I'd love for someone to kick Apple's ass honestly but you can't get ahead by copying.

 

[LagunaSol]

Yeah with got it, today-joining "surely impartial" macrumors member

Nothing like the smell of freshly-cut astroturf in the morning.

It's funny how for years the Microsoft fanboys have claimed that "shiny" interfaces are all fluff and no substance; that the really important thing is the ecosystem - the number of apps that are out there, the ubiquity of your platform.

Suddenly, with the Zune, it's all about the flashy interface. They don't care that there's no real infrastructure to support the device, they see some slick animations and they're drooling on the floor. "OMG, MUST HAVE!!!"

Interesting how their values suddenly change based on the daily transmission from the Redmond mother ship, no?

 

[Darkroom]

Why turn down a "bucket of money" so quickly? Not even getting the details first?

my thoughts exactly.

 

[LagunaSol]

I'm sorry this is stupid but does the Zune HD have a speaker?

I don't believe it does - one of the commenters on Engadget was complaining about this missing feature.

You'll probably need to verify of course...

 

[Benjamindaines]

I really don't get why these developers have so much loyalty for the iPhone platform. Why would anyone in their right mind turn down an opportunity to expand their user base to another platform; especially when that platform isn't a walled garden app store that arbitrarily rejects apps and limits innovation? More platforms just equal more sales in most peoples' eyes.

 

[Arcadium]

What YOU will buy is inmaterial. The fact is (and stats back it up), the idea of owning an iPod as a PMP (as you so rudely pointed out), is more appealing then a Zune.

Apple products are just sleeker and cooler. Also, the insane number of cool apps give the iPod an automatic advantage.

THE ZUNE HD WILL FAIL!!!

Whatever you say. At least give the thing time though. There will be people buying it, just like there will be people buying every Apple product they can get they're hands on. As long as Fan-boys exist, they will survive. And like I said, just wait till Apple dumps the iPod line. That'll be Zune's chance to sweep in. But that's in the future, so we shall wait.

My point was that iPods are number one for a reason (user experience and ease).

I agree that Zunes are iPod's top competitor but Microsoft needs to truly innovate to get the number one spot instead of imitating and adding some features. I'd love for someone to kick Apple's ass honestly but you can't get ahead by copying.

Like I said, they have a lot of ways to go that Apple Can't touch. Like full on Xbox Live Support, meaning account management, Xbox Live Arcade games, and even the Video Marketplace, that is going to be completely Zune soon. And they can go Hardware route as well with Xbox. Xbox Portable, can have Zune Intergration. It would work better than the PSP, I'd think.

 

[BeyondtheTech]

I got an email message straight from Steve Ballmer this morning. He wants me to make Zune versions of I Am Rich and iFart, but in HD. He thinks it'll be killer!

DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS!

 

[*LTD*]

I really don't get why these developers have so much loyalty for the iPhone platform. Why would anyone in their right mind turn down an opportunity to expand their user base to another platform; especially when that platform isn't a walled garden app store that arbitrarily rejects apps and limits innovation? More platforms just equal more sales in most peoples' eyes.

Might have something to do with the developer agreement surrounding the iPhone SDK.

 

[dejo]

Why does the Zune website use so much Flash? Shouldn't they be pushing SilverLight?

 

[LagunaSol]

Why would anyone in their right mind turn down an opportunity to expand their user base to another platform;

Perhaps because they don't see that other platform as viable? Seriously, Apple just sold more iPhones to China in a single order than Microsoft has sold Zunes since Day One (or close to it).

The Zune is the Mac of the PMP world (but without the dedicated fan base). All the development action for pocket devices will be happening on the Apple side. That's just the reality of the situation, and Microsoft knows it.

As always, Microsoft fails to understand what consumers really want, and this time it will actually hurt them.

Zune and Windows Mobile are on a collision course with extinction.

especially when that platform isn't a walled garden app store that arbitrarily rejects apps and limits innovation?

No so fast, we have no idea how this Z'App Store is going to work...

 

[CaryMacGuy]

And like I said, just wait till Apple dumps the iPod line. That'll be Zune's chance to sweep in. But that's in the future, so we shall wait /QUOTE]

That won't happen until there is no longer a good market for non-phone media players. At that point, it won't matter because the iPhone will have inherited all the success of the iPod (which it sort of has already). Once it gets on other networks, it will be unstoppable.

 

[Voidness]

my thoughts exactly.

Maybe it wasn't a big enough bucket of money compared to the huge amount of effort put in porting an application to a completely different platform.

 

[nkawtg72]

I really don't get why these developers have so much loyalty for the iPhone platform. Why would anyone in their right mind turn down an opportunity to expand their user base to another platform; especially when that platform isn't a walled garden app store that arbitrarily rejects apps and limits innovation? More platforms just equal more sales in most peoples' eyes.

for the same reasons that software developers have CHOSEN not to write for the mac os. i've been ready to fork over loads of $$ for things like AutoCAD, which isnt cheap to start with, but they've never made it for mac.

devs know theres money to be made, but there's also expense involved in supporting another platform.

im NOT saying that is why the example in this article turned down the offer, or that all devs should. maybe he was stupid for not getting more info, i couldnt tell you. im just responding to your specific question

 

[dejo]

Why would anyone in their right mind turn down an opportunity to expand their user base to another platform; especially when that platform isn't a walled garden app store that arbitrarily rejects apps and limits innovation? More platforms just equal more sales in most peoples' eyes.

Porting an app to a new platform has certain costs involved (time to learn new platform capabilities and limitations, time to learn new programming language, etc.). If the expected amount of revenue from the newly ported app doesn't cover these costs, developers will be reluctant to do the deed.

 

[kresh]

Not only has Microsoft approached developers with buckets of money, but they have upped the fees paid for astroturfing, as seen in this thread

 

[TMay]

Whatever you say. At least give the thing time though. There will be people buying it, just like there will be people buying every Apple product they can get they're hands on. As long as Fan-boys exist, they will survive. And like I said, just wait till Apple dumps the iPod line. That'll be Zune's chance to sweep in. But that's in the future, so we shall wait.



Like I said, they have a lot of ways to go that Apple Can't touch. Like full on Xbox Live Support, meaning account management, Xbox Live Arcade games, and even the Video Marketplace, that is going to be completely Zune soon. And they can go Hardware route as well with Xbox. Xbox Portable, can have Zune Intergration. It would work better than the PSP, I'd think.

Apple isn't dumping the ipod line. They still sell 10's of millions a year. What they are doing is pushing the iphone technology downward to add features to the ipod line. So, you might see cameras and video in the nano product, but you will also see the death of the classic (1.8 inch hard drives will cease to exist killed by flash).

All of this in inevitable, but it doesn't point to a Zune miracle.

 

[*LTD*]

especially when that platform isn't a walled garden app store that arbitrarily rejects apps and limits innovation? More platforms just equal more sales in most peoples' eyes.

Yet developers and users can't seem to get enough of Apple's "walled garden." There is a great deal to be said for it. In fact, consumers seem to be attracted to this walled garden like nothing else. Total control over the user experience, if done right, is a winning strategy.

 

[Eidorian]

Yet devlopers and users can't seem to get enough of Apple's "walled garden." There is a great deal to be said for it. In fact, consumers seem to be attracted to this walled garden like nothing else. Total control over the user experience, if done right, is a winning strategy.

Which works for a closed PMP. Not so much for x86 computer hardware.

I've been calling the Xbox the Microsoft Mac for some time now.

 

[Colrath]

The only people who are going to buy this is the people who think anyone who owns an apple product is a pretentious hipster.

The biggest reason I wouldn't pick up a Zune is because MS doesn't make software for OSX. Wouldn't want to run parallels or bootcamp everytime I wanted to sync music.