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iPod Zune $229, is this the death of ipod?

We need to have some sort of system here at MacRumors that filters every thread about iPod Killers or the death of the iPod into some random wasteland area that can be ignored by those of us who are tired of seeing a new thread about it every other day :)

The Zune will not be the death of the iPod. Maybe it will do better than all the competitors before (most likely it will b/c Microsoft are always willing to take a loss to get something into the market) but it will definitely not kill off the greatest MP3 player in the market.
 
Not the death

The success of the Zune will depend on content and accessories. Content... Well, MS will probably do this pretty well. The record companies want a competitor to iTunes, and the movie studios will follow.

Accessories. Apple has a 5 year head-start. 70% of autos offer ipod integration standard, plus many 3rd party supports (Alpine, Clarion, Pioneer, etc). Thousands of docks, cases, and other widgets are available for the iPod. MS will undoubtedly get other manufacturers to support the Zune, but they have a lot of catch-up work to do.

WiFi, IMHO, will not be a factor. Only geeks and teens will use this feature, and when they find out how restrictive it is, they won't think it's worth the time. I'm surprised they went for WiFi instead of Bluetooth, which would have better uses (wireless car integration, cell-phone connectivity, etc).

Oh, by the way, Brown. It will be a huge seller. Brown is the "in" color right now in fashion and home design, and I think this is something MS is doing right.
 
Name any Microsoft Products that have been named a Sucsses or a Must Have need i say more :D
 
Its only 30 bucks difference, and for what the iPod can do over the Zune, its well worth it(we've had threads on why the Zune is not great)

Also I'd bet this means MS is losing money, because Apple is selling for 250, and they have been in the market for a while, and have some great deals, but MS is so new, I can't see how they would bet Apple deals, unless MS is will to take a hit(which I believe they are)
 
zap2 said:
Its only 30 bucks difference, and for what the iPod can do over the Zune, its well worth it(we've had threads on why the Zune is not great)

Also I'd bet this means MS is losing money, because Apple is selling for 250, and they have been in the market for a while, and have some great deals, but MS is so new, I can't see how they would bet Apple deals, unless MS is will to take a hit(which I believe they are)
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Actually, it's $20 difference. And yes, Microsoft was planning on pricing the Zune at $289, but got caught with their pants down when Apple updated the iPod and dropped the price. That's why they didn't release pricing information a few weeks ago when they released the rest of the details. They went into a panic and dropped the price, probably a few software features along with it. It definitely wouldn't surprise me if they end up losing money on each Zune.
 
iGrant said:
Do you really want a product that comes in Silver, Black, and BROWN!

That is probably the most bizarre things I have ever seen Microsoft do in a while . . .

- iGrant
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A brown iPod would be sick...I would buy a nano in brown in two seconds flat!
 
JSchwage said:
Let's see... uhh.. Windows?
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well if u call having thousans of thousands of security updates and viruses and all that stuff that plauges windows than yeah :rolleyes: n the fact that microsoft has a monoply over everything too :rolleyes:
 
farqueue said:
Not trying to start an argument here. I am no M$ fan.
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Well, you could have fooled me.

Truth is, Walmart managed to leak the planned price for Zune, and it was $284 (at Walmart, so probably something like $299 everywhere else). Guess what surprise when Apple blew them away with the new iPod for $249. Don't know where your $229 for Zune comes from, but it smells of desperation.

Face it, Microsoft has been shafting all its customers (like Creative, Napster, Sandisk) that bought into "Play For Sure", and all their customers. If you want a music player, would you trust Microsoft? If you bought into Microsoft DRM, you lost once already. So how stupid would a customer have to be to fall for the same trap again?

I would say that Microsoft has had it. XBox is a money loser. Zune is dead in the water before it has even started. Longhorn is destined for failure. The best the company can do is close down and give the money back to the shareholders.
 
Ha Ha

I would say that Microsoft has had it. XBox is a money loser. Zune is dead in the water before it has even started. Longhorn is destined for failure. The best the company can do is close down and give the money back to the shareholders.

Nice. I'm sure Mr. Dell would take back that comment if he could.:)
 
farqueue said:
Give me reasons why i should get the scratchy ipod 30gb over zune? :D
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If you prefer it. If you don't, don't get one.

Both would perform their tasks more than adequately, I imagine, unless you want to use it with a Mac.
 
here is thing MS only did for Zune.

the device actually made from toshiba (gigabeat).

they just modified UI, made marketplace (music store). that's all.

what a pathetic! give it up MS, give it up!
 
Play Ultimate said:
Losing "coolness"? Maybe uniqueness? But not coolness. Besides, what else is there?

Now, the Brown Zune may take off as the epitome of anti-cool.
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It sounds perfect for UPS.
 
andiwm2003 said:
Xbox
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The xbox was a must have system i agree, but in terms of it being a success, i can't see how a console that only lost money could be considered a success. It successfully put the MS name in the video game market, but thats about it...
 
farqueue said:
Zune $229, is this the death of ipod?
Hmmmmm is it?

Give me reasons why i should get the scratchy ipod 30gb over zune? :D

Not trying to start an argument here. Just constructive criticism. I am no M$ fan.
Click to expand...

1. I don't want to do CTRL-ALT-DEL on my mp3 player.
2. I don't want to see a BSOD on my mp3 player.
3. I want a music store that actually has songs, shows, and podcasts
4. Zune is PC only. Nothing is worth going back to Windoze

The Zune is just the Creative of 2006.
 
Clydefrog said:
when is the Zune $229? I thought it was 282 or somthing
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Since the iPod came down to $249. :p

Digg broke the news yesterday, but we'll see what the actual price is when they actually hit the streets.

B
 
Obviously the Zune will need at least three things to compete. First, it will have to be easy to use and stable. Second, it will have to sync easily and reliably. Third, the Zune music store will have to be good.

Given how poorly Microsoft has done with Windows Mobile and it's predecessors over the years, I doubt the Zune will manage the above.
 
Zune has less features, less support, less accessories and way less time in the marketplace I am sure this is going to be another Microsoft winner :rolleyes:

Zune = Too Little Too Late (by about 4.5 years)

The majority of people I work with say "well it's kind of ok but no iPod" while the rest have iPods and couldn't really careless about the Zune in the first place.

I also think Microsoft has been caught with their pants down because of the release of the new iPods and Nanos, they weren't expecting that.

Newsflash Microsoft this isn't an iPod killer it isn't even a Sandisk or Samsung killer. The technology and style is behind every company who has released an iPod type of MP3 player in the last few years. The only thing that comes close to be an iPod killer is the Sandisk player or to a lesser extent the Samsung one.
 
We must remember, iTunes was created with the soul purpose to sell ipods. Content is worked out with deals with others and Apple is not too good with that, they like complete control and with that control you have less problems but less content. MS biggest problem is that they have too many doing everything and nothing works well together but everyone has a chance to put in their 2 cents. I enjoy carrying my music with me, in the car and to work. I don't do much purchasing on iTunes, just sample stuff that if I like I go out and get the CD, used :eek: thank you. I like the iTunes software. Since my collection is off CDs and DVDs at this time DRM isn't an issue for me. Even if MS gets together a great collection of music since I don't download it doesn't matter. I already have the Beatles, thank you. The best thing ZUNE has going for it is a bigger screen, like my PSP (which is a bitch because it has no HD space). What I need is a portable viewing machine with decent HD space. I find portable DVD players a bit too large but have been looking into them.
 
what the heck does microsoft need to be releasing devices now?

stick to copying apple MAC OS!! they do a poor job of that. hell... they won't even get VISTA out on time.
 
I'd switch to a Zune, or any other MP3 player, if it will offer true random shuffle.

I've played with every possible setting on my 30g iPod Video, and still every time when I play my 3,000 song playlist in random shuffle, the same songs keep showing up in the first few hundred songs, and the same songs keep not showing up.

And no, it's not my imagination. And yes, I understand what random means. The iTunes software has shown itself to be completely incapable of picking songs from throughout my playlist. It concentrates on the same core of songs, and I'm beyond sick of it.

If the Zune has this solved, I'm on it.
 
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