ZUNE ARE LANDING
The Zune has finally launched in the US. Behind-the-curve Microsoft have pumped up their PR machine who in turn have managed to get company execs smiling with plenty of “iPod killer” media coverage. But early rumours suggest the one function that really differentiates it – wireless song sharing – is a proper donkey (tricky to use and limited in functionality due to DRM issues). So that just leaves an ugly MP3 player then.
The Zune will retail for £130 and can hold about 7,000 songs. Slightly too pricey for a Christmas stocking filler and limited capacity for the big-spenders who’ve relished the fact that their entire CD collection is available in pocket form, Microsoft’s “iPod killer” is in danger of firing a few blanks before hitting the target.
As always, the big M is taking this assault on a new market very seriously. This week in the States, the multi-million dollar marketing campaigns will sit neatly alongside personal endorsements by stadium-filling rock acts and secret Zune gigs. But the Jukebox Jury is still out on which is better – the Microsoft Marketeers or the Zune itself.
posted by Q at 2:13 PM
3 Comments:
for those who think this wont succeed think again.. Ipod desparately needs some wireless file sharing abilities, and Zune will give you just that, plus more, for a fraction of the extortinate Ipod price. I hate to say it but I think the the boys from MS have something here.
Greedo
there's no doubt it's going to be a challenger, but iPod killer? I'll give you this - Microsoft have got the money and perseverance to make it work ... look at what they've done in mobile - over four years, tens of millions of dollars, and for what? single digit market share and they're still putting money in.
TK421
30GB capacity could be an issue, but the compression technology behind the WMA codec will soften the blow. Ultimately it comes down to content and whether MS and its partners can compete against iTunes etc. No doubt they have the funds to make a serious play and they have been working on building relationships with the music and film industries for several years now.
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