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Microsoft made the Zune because partner hardware "sucks"

B

BoyBach

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 24, 2006
3,031
13
Engadget is reporting that Microsoft made the Zune because other MP3 players weren't good enough. Or as Jim Allchin put's it: "sucking on media players."

So why, as Engadget says in finishing the story, did Microsoft modify an existing Toshiba "sucking...media player..." for the Zune?

Answers on a postcard to usual address. :D
 
I

islandman

macrumors 6502
Sep 13, 2006
356
0
welshandrew said:
Engadget is reporting that Microsoft made the Zune because other MP3 players weren't good enough. Or as Jim Allchin put's it: "sucking on media players."

So why, as Engadget says in finishing the story, did Microsoft modify an existing Toshiba "sucking...media player..." for the Zune?

Answers on a postcard to usual address. :D
Click to expand...

Microsoft admitted early on that this first-generation of the Zune was meant to take 2nd place quickly. In order to do that in a small space of time, it was probably much easier to modify an existing media player. I bet the Zune is still far from being "good enough" for Microsoft, but they did achieve their goal.
 
Chundles

Chundles

macrumors G5
Jul 4, 2005
12,037
493
islandman said:
Microsoft admitted early on that this first-generation of the Zune was meant to take 2nd place quickly. In order to do that in a small space of time, it was probably much easier to modify an existing media player. I bet the Zune is still far from being "good enough" for Microsoft, but they did achieve their goal.
Click to expand...

Are you sure they took second place? SanDisk had a fairly good hold on the 2nd place position last time I saw figures. The Zune only grabbed 2% of the market on release and I doubt sales exploded over the Christmas quarter so I still reckon they'd be in behind SanDisk, Creative, Samsung and even iRiver so I think they're probably in around 5th place which in a market so massively dominated by Apple isn't a fantastic position to be in.
 
Sesshi

Sesshi

macrumors G3
Jun 3, 2006
8,113
1
One Nation Under Gordon
Sandisk doesn't have an HDD player. I presume M$ are looking at sales of HDD-based players.

They based the Zune on the Tosh presumably because it was the best non-iPod available at the time in terms of performance, features and size.
 
TheBobcat

TheBobcat

macrumors 6502
Nov 1, 2006
351
0
East Lansing, Michigan
Number 1 in sales right now? Maybe, the peeps who wanted an iPod for the last year prolly already have a 5G and the ones who still want to buy one are waiting for the 6G.

But it certainly can't be in total sales, thats just impossible.
 
P

Project

macrumors 68020
Aug 6, 2005
2,297
0
Zune had 10% of just the 30GB category for November. Its likely that most people wanting Zunes got it during this month.
 
mkrishnan

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
gkarris said:
Trying to find the article... I do also remember that it was for November sales, and that it was ONLY for 30 Gig size MP3 players and they were waiting for the December sales figures...
Click to expand...

#1 in non-Apple 30GB music players, or #1 overall? The latter seems rather hard to believe.

This article also claims 10% of 30GB sales. It would seem difficult for that to be true simultaneously with "#1."
 
gkarris

gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Well, I've looked around for the December sales figures and they're not available anywhere. Probably because MS doesn't want people to know that the Zune has essentially "left the radar screen"...
 
clevin

clevin

macrumors G3
Aug 6, 2006
9,095
1
gkarris said:
Well, I've looked around for the December sales figures and they're not available anywhere. Probably because MS doesn't want people to know that the Zune has essentially "left the radar screen"...
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lol, like sales figure is that easy to get. whats the mac's market share in computer industry last december?
 
Rodimus Prime

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
well based on the looks of it the Zune may be come a legit competitor for the iPod and really do some damage in that market and that is something good for all of us since it would both companies would be push each other their products better.

I have not tested it on my my computer but based one what I can see with WMP11 the software tie it looks pretty user friendly and fairly easy to work with. So it no longer a crappy software system that the other non iPod players had so they at least have a good software side going.
It not as nice as iTunes but still pretty good.
 
dllavaneras

dllavaneras

macrumors 68000
Feb 12, 2005
1,948
2
Caracas, Venezuela
Rodimus Prime said:
I have not tested it on my my computer but based one what I can see with WMP11 the software tie it looks pretty user friendly and fairly easy to work with.
Click to expand...

I read the first reviews, and the machine hung up on them like 4-5 times before having the option of adding music (and after a complete survey)

gkarris said:
Like PS3 "sales", someone in another forum mentioned he worked at a game store and sold the same PS3 5 times (the people kept bringing it back), for Sony, that's 5 sales...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I really laughed at that, I saw it on this forum as well... although I recall it was 7 times he sold the same PS3 ;)
 
steve_hill4

steve_hill4

macrumors 68000
May 15, 2005
1,856
0
NG9, England
gkarris said:
Like PS3 "sales", someone in another forum mentioned he worked at a game store and sold the same PS3 5 times (the people kept bringing it back), for Sony, that's 5 sales...
Click to expand...

Are Sony counting PS3 sales, taking into account sales and returns or just shipping numbers? I seem to recall they were counting units shipped to resellers, like they did with PSP and PS2.
 
Chundles

Chundles

macrumors G5
Jul 4, 2005
12,037
493
steve_hill4 said:
Are Sony counting PS3 sales, taking into account sales and returns or just shipping numbers? I seem to recall they were counting units shipped to resellers, like they did with PSP and PS2.
Click to expand...

They're using the shipped numbers - if they move them from the factory to a warehouse that counts as "shipped."
 
Chundles

Chundles

macrumors G5
Jul 4, 2005
12,037
493
mkrishnan said:
I thought that the Zune does not use WMP11?
Click to expand...

It doesn't, the Zune uses it's own music management software which is a bit of a dog's breakfast in terms of "user friendliness." Lack of WMP11 integration was one of the leading criticisms of the Zune.
 
Y

yg17

macrumors Pentium
Aug 1, 2004
15,028
3,003
St. Louis, MO
I've seen one, yes, ONE person using a Zune since it's been out, not including the demo at electronic stores. I can't walk on campus for 30 seconds without seeing a crapton of iPods, or other MP3 players for that matter. I don't even see them taking #2. Except for the brown Zune, it looks like someone did indeed take #2....
 
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