Microsoft Zune Looks Underwhelming: Analyst

[Chimera]

Yep it's definitely underwhelming, plus there is going to be little hype today and tomorrow due to the Wii launch details.

One thing though, if Apple couldn't get out a full screen iPod in time for Xmas couldn't they have a short term compromise with a screen layout like the Zune but with the iPod 'look'. I suppose it's because Steve doesn't know the meaning of compromise.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Nice box, though. It says "Zune" on it!

 

[sparky672]

Nice box, though. It says "Zune" on it!

It's brown-ish too.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I can't get over the brown color...I can see the commercial tagline -

Zune: proof that you CAN polish a turd.

 

[TJJ]

Zune officially announced...

hehe, so it DOES come in brown...
-> appleinsider.com

 

[swingerofbirch]

What happened to http://www.comingzune.com ?

They used to have that freaky cartoon there...looks like the page is gone.

EDIT: Maybe it's just not loading on my browser as View--> source code shows there's something there. I'm on FireFox 2 beta on a PC, and it just shows a blank page.

 

[sparky672]

I cna't get over the brown color...I can see the commercial tagline -

Zune: proof that you CAN polish a turd.

There's a couple of peeps over at C/Net that claim to like the brown color. I don't get it? There's nothing stopping them from offering purple, green, pink, blue, silver, gold, yellow, lime, etc., etc... and they choose brown (with a black scroll wheel, proving once again that black does not "go" with anything). To me it looks like Zune is more of a Zune-killer.

http://news.com.com/5208-1041-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=21139&messageID=183881&start=-179

 

[Applespider]

I guess it's a USP - no-one else does brown so if you really want a brown MP3 player, they've cornered the market.

But... the screen is bigger which will attract people and putting your own pics on the menu will also appeal to some. The fact that it might make the menus unreadable if you choose the wrong one might be more of a problem.

And I'd have put a picture on the box - I realise they're trying to get away from stickers everywhere but a picture doesn't hurt.

I still reckon that when they finally announce pricing/availability, Apple will announce a special event with a real video iPod priced higher than the current 5.5G but that will blow this away entirely.

 

[IJ Reilly]

There's a couple of peeps over at C/Net that claim to like the brown color. I don't get it? There's nothing stopping them from offering purple, green, pink, blue, silver, gold, yellow, lime, etc., etc... and they choose brown (with a black scroll wheel, proving once again that black does not "go" with anything). To me it looks like Zune is more of a Zune-killer.

Black goes with white or grey and can go with other primary colors, such as yellow or red. But not brown. I think it's a perfect Microsoft statement -- finally a DMP for people who wear brown shoes with a grey suit! You know who you are -- get yourself a Zune!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I agree - Apple is likely preparing some sort of further response to the Zune's appearance, either with price drops or added features. Or maybe even the appearance of the rumored all-screen iPod with virtual click wheel.

Still, this device (except for the brown ones) does represent a significant threat to the iPod's dominance - it is MS we are talking about here after all.

 

[sparky672]

I still reckon that when they finally announce pricing/availability, Apple will announce a special event with a real video iPod priced higher than the current 5.5G but that will blow this away entirely.

I agree.

I still can't get over the stupidity of making the announcement within 48 hours of the Apple iPod event. Sure, if you really got something great, steal the limelight. But in this case we got a brown plastic device stuck in everyone's head that's not priced yet and won't be on the market for a couple months up against real iPods you can buy today that are NOT brown and NOT plastic.

 

[sparky672]

Black goes with white or grey and can go with other primary colors, such as yellow or red. But not brown. I think it's a perfect Microsoft statement -- finally a DMP for people who wear brown shoes with a grey suit! You know who you are -- get yourself a Zune!

Ooo oooh... I got the perfect Zune commercial.

It's two guys in front of a white background. The dorky computer geek is wearing a black suit with brown shoes and has a brown Zune. The cool one in blue jeans has an aluminum iPod in Silver.

Oh no wait, that's the perfect iPod commercial.

 

[iGav]

FFS people, what the f**k is wrong with brown???

 

[sparky672]

FFS people, what the f**k is wrong with brown???

Nothing if it's not made of plastic or has real wood grain.

Ok, now if M$ made these out of brown leather instead of plastic.... I can smell them now. It would match my wallet perfectly.

 

[sparky672]

Seriously now...

If M$ wanted to come up with something original, they cold have offered one in a non-color such as clear. Even if that's a stupid idea, it's less stupid than brown.

Hey Apple! How about a crystal clear iPod? You could even tint them slightly.

 

[iGav]

Even if that's a stupid idea, it's less stupid than brown.

Why is it stupid?

Now Gold...

 

[66217]

And when you consider, Microsoft effectively blundered into the OS franchise, and then built the Office franchise by leveraging the OS, you have to wonder where they'd be today without both of them. No place good, I suspect. I always flinch reflexively whenever someone talks about the brilliance of Bill Gates and Microsoft. Where have they succeeded, outside of Windows and products they leveraged from Windows, I ask? The list of failures is long, with Zune apparently about to be added.

Windows itself is a big succes. You can't say that Bill Gates is stupid, the richest man in the world can't be stupid. He knew what to do. Windows is the center of Microsoft. So that's from they make money.

Is the same if you say: "What would be of Apple without the iPod?" It was thanks for the iPod that Apple increased revenues. Buying and using an iPod was what made me buy a MB.
I do agree, Zune is horrible, Windows and Office are pathetic, etc. But they are still one if the biggest companies in the world.

 

[carfac]

You know, this could have taken a BIG swipe at iPod (brown or not) if it had been widescreen. But 4:3- ho hum. who cares. What does this do (besides come in brown) that iPod does not?

 

[xsedrinam]

Black goes with white or grey and can go with other primary colors, such as yellow or red. But not brown. I think it's a perfect Microsoft statement -- finally a DMP for people who wear brown shoes with a grey suit! You know who you are -- get yourself a Zune!

Thanks for my daily laugh. It had to happen.

 

[cuestakid]

after reading about the Zunes features and seeing the images, it is become more clear to me that this product is truly a ipod ripp off-the only thing it has that the ipod doesnt are the horiztonal and vertical video playback and WiFi capabilitywhich sounds like its main job is to connect to other Zune devices and share music which is dumb idea to begin with

 

[sparky672]

Why is it stupid?

Now Gold...

I don't think "clear" is stupid but since it's no longer the "in" thing like a few years ago, some may think it's stupid.

Did M$ do any marketing research at all? If they did, maybe they said, "ok let's pick the top two colors and just for yucks, let's throw in the bottom one too."

On the other hand, looking at the box, it seems that they designed that first in an outside department and just said, "hey, let's offer a third choice to match the whatever color of the Zune logo and box. How whacky could the logo color be?"

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Why is it stupid?

Now Gold...

Gold is only stupid if you don't want to look like a thug or a hip-hop "artist" (or footballer or chav etc).

I think brown is a wretched color in this case...earth tones look fine for clothes but not an electronic gadget IMO.

 

[sparky672]

I think brown is a wretched color in this case...earth tones look fine for clothes but not an electronic gadget IMO.

Remember those small stereo systems from the 1970's that you can still find at flea markets and garage sales? Most were brown plastic with embossed fake wood grain.

They could have made it PC-beige. Ugly too but better than brown. Some of the original Motorola cell phones were PC-beige.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Windows itself is a big succes. You can't say that Bill Gates is stupid, the richest man in the world can't be stupid. He knew what to do. Windows is the center of Microsoft. So that's from they make money.

...which is pretty much what I said. The rhetorical question being: beyond the operating systems and the products they could leverage off the operating systems, where has Microsoft actually succeeded?

For the record, I never said that Bill Gates is stupid. He's obviously very bright. But a lot of people are very bright, but very few become billionaires. Luck has an awful lot to do with that outcome -- and Bill was supremely lucky very early on.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Remember those small stereo systems from the 1970's that you can still find at flea markets and garage sales? Most were brown plastic with embossed fake wood grain.

They could have made it PC-beige. Ugly too but better than brown. Some of the original Motorola cell phones were PC-beige.

I'm liking it. A Zune covered with woodgrain vinyl contact paper, complete with little bubbles, just like the real thing. Or yellow formica with little boomerangs. So retro, it's hip!