Gizmodo
Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Devision President Robbie Bach suffers no delusions about unseating the iPod this year. He says that the new Zune Updates can put the company into the solid #2 spot for the overall portable music player market by the end of the next fiscal year (which ends June 2008) now that the Zunes are "where they probably should have been last year, when they launched."
Bill Gates says that the Zune is part of a 10-year plan to build a digital entertainment business, of which the Xbox 360 is definitely a big part of. Whether they'll tie the Zune and the 360 (just like the Zune got some Media Center integration) is unknown, but probably coming.
Robbie Bach also wants everyone to know that "this is going to be an Apple-Microsoft" thing, reiterating that not just are they aiming for #2, eventually they want to be #1. [Seattle PI]
Comments
at least they arent trying to be number 1 they might actually get to the number 2 but one nah maybe in 2020
While I'd love to see it be #2, where the heck is the promotion? Microsoft needs to get away from the viral Internet campaigns and just focus on the product. Shouldn't we already be seeing Zune ads on TV?
Unlike Sony, Apple is no slouch. Even if they make lots of mistakes at first, the negative reaction reflecting on their stock prices always seems to get their attention. I can't wait to see what these two come up with, this may end up being a kickass Christmas.
I love the Zune but I'm gonna be retired when it hits number 1.
My prediction: Msft Zune will ALWAYS lag Apple's iPod in technology. That's why they will ALWAYS be #2, unless they sell at a large enough discount for the cheap ass people to own it.
Well, it's real nice to see a company honest about their spot in the world amongst competition... Do Zunes get the blue Screen of Death?
@Dramatism: You win the most creative MS joke of 1992!!!
Have you guys even tried to use the new ipod classic? I picked it up at Bestbuy and it wasn't nearly as responsive as the previous version and not as responsive as the Zune 2 interface video.
I was trying to scroll through the menu and even that took me more time than it should have, I didn't even get as far as the songs when I figured it would take too long... I switched over the the iPod touch for some screen lovin and was pleased but at $400 for 16 gigs, I'll pass for sure.
It's not like Apple has proprietary access to a magic alien technology box they keep going back to. They have obviously put more effort into their design in the past, but in _technology_ MS does far more original research and contributes more to 3rd party research.
Whether the Zune will reach any particular level of market power is hard to say, given network effects and cultural trends, but to pretend like all modern technology companies don't have the same basic cost/feature/scale functions is naive.
iPhone is the best convergence device I have used in my entire life.
Hands down.
Keyword here, "integration". The iPhone works seamlessly with Apple's computers and it's software.
If you are an Apple computer owner, there is no better device to have than an iPhone. One click and my whole life is sync'd up and ready to go portable.
I love it....It continues to impress me with it's features everyday and the firmware upgrades only make it more and more enjoyable. I am a huge fan of the new 1.1.1 ugprade (since I didn't hack my phone)
The only people the iPhone has yet to impress is the geek power users that bitch and moan in blogs and forums like Giz. And you make up a very small demographic.
Basically, Steve and Apple don't really care about bricking your hacked phones because you aren't the largest buyers that are making them the most money. They are aiming for the common user. The normal consumer who walks by a store and sees a new device and says "hey I think I will go in and check that out"
Don't be jealous because you can't afford one :-P
@ChopSue-Me:
Excepting iPod, recently, exactly when over the past 25 years has Apple ever been #1?
@cbisquit:
Surrrre they don't.
We're #1! You're #2!
We're gonna beat the *&%@ out of you!
if they start bundling the new zunes with the new xboxes in a way similar (read: better) than sony is with the psp and ps3, these babies will be killer. stream to your xbox wirelessly from a zune? i dont mind that at all
HaHaHa! That Apple is #1 vs a #2 Microsoft is akin to a 6 year old beating the crap out of a 1 year old with some morons cheering this on as though it were some big accomplishment - that'll be short-lived.
I'l admit that the new Zune looks pretty nice. Gen #1 was a weak effort (IMO), but gen 2 actually looks like something I'd consider. I find it odd that they don't make them Mac compatible... a lot of college age kids are switching to Macs, and they tend to be the trendsetters for a lot of tech gear, especially DAPs. Sure, macs are only 5% of the overall market, but in the "tech savvy" market, I'm sure that number is closer to 30%. That's big market to ignore if you want your product to really take off.
Oh, by the way... APPLE: Wifi Syncing is a good thing! Make this happen for the iPhone and Touch.
Microsoft wants the Zune to be #2. That's why the original Zune was brown.
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