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Microsoft's Zune - Long Term Effort
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It's almost impossible to unseat a leader
Once you are a market leader, it's almost impossible to be unseated in that market unless you make a lot of mistakes. It comes down to top-of-mind awareness. When you think portable music, what is the first thing you think about? iPod. 90% of consumers will buy from the brand with the #1 top-of-mind awareness, and it goes down steeply from there.
Apple needs the competition in order to evolve better products, but it's not a huge threat in terms of Apple losing the top spot. It may lose a few points of market share, but it will certainly continue to lead the market no matter how much cash Microsoft throws down. Apple is simply better at marketing, better at making things cool, and those are the two things that have made the iPod a success -- two things that, I might add, Microsoft is terrible at.
I wish Microsoft luck with this, but would advise stockholders to get out now.
Once you are a market leader, it's almost impossible to be unseated in that market unless you make a lot of mistakes. It comes down to top-of-mind awareness. When you think portable music, what is the first thing you think about? iPod. 90% of consumers will buy from the brand with the #1 top-of-mind awareness, and it goes down steeply from there.
Apple needs the competition in order to evolve better products, but it's not a huge threat in terms of Apple losing the top spot. It may lose a few points of market share, but it will certainly continue to lead the market no matter how much cash Microsoft throws down. Apple is simply better at marketing, better at making things cool, and those are the two things that have made the iPod a success -- two things that, I might add, Microsoft is terrible at.
I wish Microsoft luck with this, but would advise stockholders to get out now.
Check out www.will-zune-beat-ipod.com
I just set up a webpage where you can cast your vote for Zune or iPod. Check out www.will-zune-beat-ipod.com
RodC
--
www.expodition.com - for iPod users who love to travel
Jayrod said:
I just set up a webpage where you can cast your vote for Zune or iPod. Check out www.will-zune-beat-ipod.com
RodC
--
www.expodition.com - for iPod users who love to travel
playaj82 said:
Just because it's being talked about doesn't make it unique. So what is unique about it?
And people are only talking about it because it's an announcement from a huge company. Which has nothing to do with whether it will actually sell well or not.
Three to five years to pay off? In that time frame Apple will be miles ahead of Microsoft, as usual. Actually, Apple is currently miles ahead of Microsoft, go figure.
Apple will make new iPods but only with limited new features (maybe a true video iPod, maybe nintendo games) but when the zoon is realeased Apple will realese the MP3 player to end all MP3 players. It will be announced the day be fore the zoon is out then be realese a week later and it bwill have EVERYTHING that we want-- and more. Cell phone thouch screen/ non-touch, pda, widescreen, an IDE for developers. EVERYTHING. And that is that.
And what is up with the name? "Zune" sounds like microsoft tried to access their inner teen (oh wait, all these poeple never had childhoods) Sounds like microseoft tried to make a 'hip' name. and just like the XBOX put a random letter in front of something everybody already knows (but yet another hitch in the plan what the hell is a "une")
And what is up with the name? "Zune" sounds like microsoft tried to access their inner teen (oh wait, all these poeple never had childhoods) Sounds like microseoft tried to make a 'hip' name. and just like the XBOX put a random letter in front of something everybody already knows (but yet another hitch in the plan what the hell is a "une")
bigmc6000 said:
Exactly! I don't understand all this doom-and-gloom everytime MS talks about the music download market. They can't even get their friggin' OS out on time and we're supposed to worry that they can take over a highly competitive market that is still too new for anyone but Apple to really get their head around? I think not. Look at the video game market. After several years and two iterations of their precious XBox, they have still made hardly a dent in that market (despite all the headlines it gets, it's still no threat to Nintendo.)
Plus, you have to factor in the seemingly limitless well of great ideas that Apple has at their disposal that MS does not. MS may have a lot more cash to bully their way into the market, but Apple will continuously outfox them on the sheer basis that they have better ideas and are quick to the draw.
And, as if that's not enough, MS is trying to bully their way into many markets simultaneously while holding ground on the ones they dominate, so it's not like they can throw 100% of their assets at the music market. They have a lot of resources, but they are limited and are spread between gaming, Windows, office software, hardware, MSN, their search portal, .NET, Origami/tablet PC, etc. They are not all-powerful, and I think their effort in music will be halfhearted and ultimately unsuccessful.
And you know what else matters? The fact that when Steve Jobs gets up on stage and talks about music, you can tell that he's really passionate about it. He's not just up there to sell tunes. He's a music lover and other music lovers relate to that and appreciate it. It's infectious. And it matters. I've seen MS and other companies talk about music (most often while wearing a suit which is enough to stop you right there) and the way they talk--there's no passion. You can tell that they view it at arms-length, like some kind of commodity, and surround their efforts with insulting marketing campaigns that play down to the lowest common denominator and that does not help.
I don't think Apple has anything to worry about. As long as they keep going, they're fine. I see no reason to think otherwise.
Zune: whi in the world came with a name like this????
Seriously: M$oft has to think about changing their Ad agency... Zune... what did they offer for breakfast to the consumer panel they tested with this name....????
Anyways: remember guys that Apple has all the background when it comes to Itunes+Ipod... They have the knowledge, the technology , the experience and more importantly the tools are way cool... Apple comes with a new Ipod model every 6 months and they know how to create the event...
My only fear: M$oft and the music companies are going to sign deals and this is what could hit Apple very bad... Major labels do not care where the music is bought... Apple... M$oft... the money goes into their pocket... So Apple need to have an idea to keep the Ipod owners their side.... The fact that Apple is proprietary is not a factor...
I predict that the future is bright for the Ipod for one reason: movies, videos and Wii + what Steve has up in his sleeves
Seriously: M$oft has to think about changing their Ad agency... Zune... what did they offer for breakfast to the consumer panel they tested with this name....????
Anyways: remember guys that Apple has all the background when it comes to Itunes+Ipod... They have the knowledge, the technology , the experience and more importantly the tools are way cool... Apple comes with a new Ipod model every 6 months and they know how to create the event...
My only fear: M$oft and the music companies are going to sign deals and this is what could hit Apple very bad... Major labels do not care where the music is bought... Apple... M$oft... the money goes into their pocket... So Apple need to have an idea to keep the Ipod owners their side.... The fact that Apple is proprietary is not a factor...
I predict that the future is bright for the Ipod for one reason: movies, videos and Wii + what Steve has up in his sleeves
nsjoker said:
I've seen the blue screen on XP. It's funny because I've been told by Windows users that it doesn't exist in XP, yet I witnessed it two weeks ago when a colleague of mine was trying to do something with Adobe Acrobat. The program just spazzed and the blue screen came up.
Hi,
Microsoft kills basically everything.
They pretty much killed the netscape browser, they pretty killed other office suites, they are going to tery to kill the iPod now?
What next after that?
ERR.
One thing they have'nt killed yet is the Mac OS operating system.
Getting more and more upset at them.
Microsoft kills basically everything.
They pretty much killed the netscape browser, they pretty killed other office suites, they are going to tery to kill the iPod now?
What next after that?
ERR.
One thing they have'nt killed yet is the Mac OS operating system.
Getting more and more upset at them.
I think this is great news~ I mean, really a few things would happen:
Zune sucks, doesn't do well (good for Apple)
Zune is well designed, but Apple makes an even better iPod (good for us)
Zune is really really well-designed, better than the iPod. (good for me, I'll get a Zune over an iPod)
Zune sucks, doesn't do well (good for Apple)
Zune is well designed, but Apple makes an even better iPod (good for us)
Zune is really really well-designed, better than the iPod. (good for me, I'll get a Zune over an iPod)
Corporate R and D
I've been lurking around for sometime and now thought it was time to join MacRumors.com.
At any rate, here's my take on Zune, Ipod, Apple and Microsoft. Yes, the facts are:
1. Microsoft has purchased technologies and integrated them into their OS and/or corporate structure. When they needed a killer application for the xBox, they purchased Bungie. Heck, they didn't even create the NT kernel, purchased that one too.
2. Apple too have purchased a few technologies along the way too. Final Cut Pro was purchased from Macromedia. iTunes (well it was not called that) was purchased too and released as a different product.
But what I've not read is that Apple has invested a great deal of money into R and D. Without research and development, Apple would have floundered. When we take that R/D and couple it with the vision of Jobs, Apple has grown in terms that we only dreamed in the mid-90s. Jobs knew this would eventually happen. As CEO of Apple, he has a responsibility to the stock holders to keep that company breathing, but there is more. Apple's culture is deep with Steve. Steve Jobs is Apple. Both are iconic in nature. And Apple is the Mac and the iPod too. So what we have here are strong brand identities like Steve Jobs, Apple, Macintosh/Mac OS X and iPod, incredible brand images that people have come to trust.
But don't forget Microsoft, the company that saved millions of desktop PCs with a GUI that nearly matched the sheer elegance of the Mac. However, people in the mid-90s loved MS, they could do no wrong. Win98 and NT had a great following. But something happened that many people underestimated - the Internet. Originally designed for Unix, now Windows and Mac clients were able to ride on that "super highway".
Malicious hackers were writing viruses hand-over-fist attempting to crack and hack Windows machines. Did MS bring them on themselves? Perhaps another topic for another time.
I personally think that MS's once strong iron-clad hold is beginning to weaken as the consumer no longer trusts them anymore. It's a joke to use Windows now. Restarts, spyware, pop-up ads, disfunctional software and hardware, incompatibility after incompatibility...it's like running around with a Ford Pinto. How much more can the average consumer take?
Now enter xBox. Yea it's OK but tepid at best by squeezing the market at Christmas time.
This Christmas is the Zune. MS is taking another shot at the consumer. Will they bite? Don't know because does the average consumer trust Microsoft?
In the end, Steve has been preparing for this day for a long long time and as usual in his time Steve will provide us with a newly designed iPod and perhaps a few other things too.
If there is something I learned when working with Apple, it's all about innovation, usability, presentation and execution. Without those four ingredients, Apple would just be another PC manufacturer.
I've been lurking around for sometime and now thought it was time to join MacRumors.com.
At any rate, here's my take on Zune, Ipod, Apple and Microsoft. Yes, the facts are:
1. Microsoft has purchased technologies and integrated them into their OS and/or corporate structure. When they needed a killer application for the xBox, they purchased Bungie. Heck, they didn't even create the NT kernel, purchased that one too.
2. Apple too have purchased a few technologies along the way too. Final Cut Pro was purchased from Macromedia. iTunes (well it was not called that) was purchased too and released as a different product.
But what I've not read is that Apple has invested a great deal of money into R and D. Without research and development, Apple would have floundered. When we take that R/D and couple it with the vision of Jobs, Apple has grown in terms that we only dreamed in the mid-90s. Jobs knew this would eventually happen. As CEO of Apple, he has a responsibility to the stock holders to keep that company breathing, but there is more. Apple's culture is deep with Steve. Steve Jobs is Apple. Both are iconic in nature. And Apple is the Mac and the iPod too. So what we have here are strong brand identities like Steve Jobs, Apple, Macintosh/Mac OS X and iPod, incredible brand images that people have come to trust.
But don't forget Microsoft, the company that saved millions of desktop PCs with a GUI that nearly matched the sheer elegance of the Mac. However, people in the mid-90s loved MS, they could do no wrong. Win98 and NT had a great following. But something happened that many people underestimated - the Internet. Originally designed for Unix, now Windows and Mac clients were able to ride on that "super highway".
Malicious hackers were writing viruses hand-over-fist attempting to crack and hack Windows machines. Did MS bring them on themselves? Perhaps another topic for another time.
I personally think that MS's once strong iron-clad hold is beginning to weaken as the consumer no longer trusts them anymore. It's a joke to use Windows now. Restarts, spyware, pop-up ads, disfunctional software and hardware, incompatibility after incompatibility...it's like running around with a Ford Pinto. How much more can the average consumer take?
Now enter xBox. Yea it's OK but tepid at best by squeezing the market at Christmas time.
This Christmas is the Zune. MS is taking another shot at the consumer. Will they bite? Don't know because does the average consumer trust Microsoft?
In the end, Steve has been preparing for this day for a long long time and as usual in his time Steve will provide us with a newly designed iPod and perhaps a few other things too.
If there is something I learned when working with Apple, it's all about innovation, usability, presentation and execution. Without those four ingredients, Apple would just be another PC manufacturer.
inkswamp said:
EXACTLY!
Also, add me to the list of users that have seen an XP blue screen—multiple times actually. It all depends on how much work you make your computer do. Of course it exists, even if it were impossible, I'm sure they'd put it in as an easter egg!
I'm guessing others have already echoed my thoughts already, but competition is good a good thing.
The iPod is great (I use one every day at the gym), but nothing lasts forever.
I'm worried that Microsoft is in it for the long haul and will hold on until the iPod is crushed.
Then we'll be all left with sub-standard MP3 players that only work with Windows.
The iPod is great (I use one every day at the gym), but nothing lasts forever.
I'm worried that Microsoft is in it for the long haul and will hold on until the iPod is crushed.
Then we'll be all left with sub-standard MP3 players that only work with Windows.
It will suck like all Microsoft products except for the MS Mouse that is good.
How come pretty much everthing Apple makes is good except for the Mouse
How come pretty much everthing Apple makes is good except for the Mouse
ezekielrage_99 said:
MS Natural Keyboard is also good.
ezekielrage_99 said:How come pretty much everthing Apple makes is good except for the Mouse
Apple mouse is beautiful and using one is not very stressful for your hand. Scroll ball in the Mighty Mouse is the best I've used and there's no comparison.
The only bad Apple mice were the hockey pucks.
i'll actually be more likely to go out and get a new iPod this christmas, thank to Zune.
Just to spite MS.
Just to spite MS.
mk_in_mke said:
I think the music companies are at least a little worried about Apple's dominance of the music download and mp3 player markets, particularly after Apple strongarmed them into continuing the single 99 cent price scheme under iTunes.
It would not be unreasonable for them to provide preferential treatment to competitors in order to break the quasi-monopoly Apple has in this area and thus provide themselves with more leverage in price negotiations. Whether they will be willing to throw in their lot with MS, on the other hand, is somewhat questionable.
I will give the microsoft zune a chance. But keep mind microsoft was created as a by-product of apple. I haven't had the best experience with mircosoft. Sooo I'm just curious.