Can Microsoft Save the Zune?

[Prosidius]

In late 2006, Microsoft released its first generation Zune, a digital media platform comprised of a portable digital media player, Windows-based software, and an online service. I savaged the first Zune in my review and canceled plans for a Zune activity center here on the SuperSite because, frankly, the product was so laughably bad. Microsoft spent the following year promising and then not delivering on necessary improvements to the Zune. But at least the company had a reason for this inactivity: It was prepping a revolutionary Zune 2.0 release comprised of new players, new software, new online services, and new capabilities all around. Those products shipped in late 2007 to much acclaim, including my own multi-part review in which I focused on the software, services, and devices in separate articles. Compared to its predecessor, Zune 2.0 was like a breath of fresh air, and proof that Microsoft could still innovate with cool new features that are conspicuously missing even from products made by market leader Apple. I was excited about the Zune and felt like Microsoft finally had the makings of a true iPod/iTunes competitor on its hands.

That's still true. But now that the 2007 holiday season has come to a close, we can and should consider the new Zune products again in the cold harsh light of "the morning after," which, in this case, is early January 2008. As I write these words, Microsoft is gearing up for another Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which, despite being the largest tradeshow in North America by far, is still widely seen in the tech industry as a sad and uninteresting prelude to Apple's smaller but increasingly more influential Macworld show. Will Microsoft make new Zune announcements at CES? I have no idea. But if Microsoft is serious about saving the Zune--and make no mistake, it's on the ropes--the company will need to fix problems a lot more quickly this year than it did last year. That shouldn't be hard.

The problem, in a nutshell, is that I've almost completely given up on the Zune. It just requires too much work for me to bother, and I'm unclear why most people would choose such a device over a comparable iPod. While I did demonstrate how the Zune 4/8 and Zune 80 compare to similar Apple devices, often quite favorably, iPods are more mature and have a much deeper supporting ecosystem. And I have to be honest here: I'm not positive Microsoft can really do much to bring down Apple at this point. Their product line is just too strong.

Righting the wrongs

Microsoft has said it's in this market for the long term. If that's true, they have some work to do. Here are my suggestions.

Read the rest...http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/zune_save.asp

[Slimy]

Paul Thurott at it again :x If only this guy could write without making it sound like he wants to **** to hit the fan.

I have yet to seem him put an article together based on with something newsworthy and not full of whining.

[evo_spook]

Zune will never win, for the simple fact MS seems unwilling to expand it beyond the US

[rmorris003]

I also heard that Canada will finally be getting it at retail level in the spring, I had to buy my 30gb at Pacific Mall in Markham.

[macrosslover]

Zune will never win, for the simple fact MS seems unwilling to expand it beyond the US

I don't think it's only that and even if they did it still wouldn't help it. The ipod is just like a juggernaut right now. I don't think the ipod is impossible to beat and I'm not saying that it won't ever get beat, but at least right now there's nothing I see that can beat it right now. It's not really even the itunes store that sells the ipods because most people that buy ipods don't beat anything from the store, they use their own music. MS or some other company has to come out with some amazing piece of equipment to beat the ipod. If a company had come out with the ipod touch but a year ago before Apple, that could have really made a big dent in the ipod market.

[Veedems Veteran]

If any company can beat the iPod, it would have to be Microsoft. However, they do have a long way to go to even contemplating it. The players are fine, I just think it's marketing and the software side of things that confuse people. On top of that, with Apple offering DRM free tracks, why isn't MS jumping on the same bandwagon? They need better integration. One thing Apple does very well is make all of it's products integrate nearly seamlessly. MS tends to include a hiccup or two along the way.

[evo_spook]

Agree with both of the above, but with both those points, and the outside market, MS is making just a half hearted attempt at it.

[Mathachew Veteran]

If any company can beat the iPod, it would have to be Microsoft. However, they do have a long way to go to even contemplating it. The players are fine, I just think it's marketing and the software side of things that confuse people. On top of that, with Apple offering DRM free tracks, why isn't MS jumping on the same bandwagon? They need better integration. One thing Apple does very well is make all of it's products integrate nearly seamlessly. MS tends to include a hiccup or two along the way.

It really makes you wonder how serious they are at giving consumers something to gawk over. Not that the Zune isn't nice, because it is, but lacking features, a separate media player and having identical pricing points as an iPod sends me mixed messages about what they're saying and what they do.

[MGS4-SS]

Not even a defibrillator could save the Zune.

[0sit0]

I'm glad I didn't return my Zune. (I had a little issue syncing songs but it was fixed really quick) Much better than a classic or iPod nano. They can say all they want, just because most people like iPods doesn't mean everyone has to like them.

[Luis.A]

I usually take into account what Paul has to say but for me the Zune is far from dead. It's only at gen 2 and already coming along much better than the original ipods.

I like ipods but everyone has one. It's good to have choices in the market and my choice is Zune.

[BajiRav]

If any company can beat the iPod, it would have to be Microsoft. However, they do have a long way to go to even contemplating it. The players are fine, I just think it's marketing and the software side of things that confuse people. On top of that, with Apple offering DRM free tracks, why isn't MS jumping on the same bandwagon? They need better integration. One thing Apple does very well is make all of it's products integrate nearly seamlessly. MS tends to include a hiccup or two along the way.

I believe they already sell mp3s on the ZMP but it is difficult to browse just by DRM free tracks. The software is still the weakest part in the whole zune ecosystem. While the new player is remarkeably better than the first one, the first one itself was so bad that any improvement would have been drastic anyway.

[zivan56]

What a joke. I have a Zune 30GB, and it just works. Period.

I guess this guy can't figure out how to tag his music or drag and drop. Can't figure out how to make it download latest subscribed podcast content? News flash...it does it automagically. He makes it sound like you can't play videos and wants a kitchen sink included while he is at it (a phone???). Overall, I couldn't believe the level of misinformation/idiocy spread by this guy...

The only think I don't like about this player (that Apple also does) is the level of encrytion related to the firmware. I would like to see rockbox ported to both the latest iPod and Zune.

[MistaT40]

If MS wants Zune to make any impact on iPod...it will have to put in the same amount of money and resources as it did with the 360 to make any impact on the console wars, as an analogy to the mp3 players.

[sweetsam]

Yes zune has issues but not to the point where people have to think if MS can save it.

Positives

======

Battery life as promised.

Transferring songs is a breeze

Excellent sound quality

Good radio reception

Excellent UI

Smudge free coating

Negatives

=======

Issues installing software on vista

No voice recording

Random reboot issues

Can not be used as an external drive [Not required of an mp3 player but would be nice to have it]

[frogger]

new software(tested well) and the rumored free lifetime music subscription would easily save the zune in my opinion. i have one, but mainly for videos, and one of the most annoying quircks is deletion of videos if its not in the library, even with manual manage turned on.

[Eric Veteran]

I think a better question would be why does anyone feel that Microsoft needs to 'save' Zune? It would have to be dying for that, and I was just at Wal-Mart. They have more shelf space dedicated to Zune than iPod now. And they look better in person than they do in the ads. :)

[osirisX]

Microsoft doesn't need a Zune branded phone :/

[ObiWanToby]

If any company can beat the iPod, it would have to be Microsoft. However, they do have a long way to go to even contemplating it. The players are fine, I just think it's marketing and the software side of things that confuse people. On top of that, with Apple offering DRM free tracks, why isn't MS jumping on the same bandwagon? They need better integration. One thing Apple does very well is make all of it's products integrate nearly seamlessly. MS tends to include a hiccup or two along the way.

Microsoft does offer DRM free tracks....I've bought some. They are in the form of 320kbps mp3s.

[rajputwarrior]

Yes zune has issues but not to the point where people have to think if MS can save it.

Positives

======

Battery life as promised.

Transferring songs is a breeze

Excellent sound quality

Good radio reception

Excellent UI

Smudge free coating

Negatives

=======

Issues installing software on vista

No voice recording

Random reboot issues

Can not be used as an external drive [Not required of an mp3 player but would be nice to have it]

you forgot to add that it's ugliest player on the market, brown... really.

What colour Zune did you get?"

"**** brown"

[Slimy]

you forgot to add that it's ugliest player on the market, brown... really.

What colour Zune did you get?"

"**** brown"

a) Brown is not the only colour

b) Only the Zune 30 is available in brown, the new Zunes offer puke green as a colour choice ;)

[DR3AMxCATCHER]

Zune is shipping out to Canada now confirmed at CES.

[rajputwarrior]

^ lol touch? slimy

[Slimy]

Zune is shipping out to Canada now confirmed at CES.

... in Spring 2008, if only they gave an actual date. I find it odd that MS would only expand to Canada though, they're really taking it slow.

[DigitalE]

new software(tested well) and the rumored free lifetime music subscription would easily save the zune in my opinion. i have one, but mainly for videos, and one of the most annoying quircks is deletion of videos if its not in the library, even with manual manage turned on.

Free lifetime music subscription?