5 ms·

"Microsoft couldn't seem to get that right" - I think the depends on your definition of "right" is :) The hardware and UI of the software on the Zune are (IMO)

"Microsoft couldn't seem to get that right" - I think the depends on your definition of "right" is :) The hardware and UI of the software on the Zune are (IMO) better than the iPod Touch. I enjoy the visuals of the Zune playback. I love scrolling through my artists, albums, etc. on the Zune compared to the iPod. I believe they did get that right. I also love the Zune Marketplace. For example, I love the song "No Heaven" by Champion. Which lead me to a group called Bane. The first few listens of Bane were good. But I soon grew tired of them. They didn't have the replay value that Champion does (to me. I mean no offense to any fans). In the iTunes model, I would have to buy the music and be stuck with music I don't like. So I think that Microsoft got it right there. I know there are others that do streaming as well Last.fm, GrooveShark, etc. but I think (or least I thought) that Microsoft had the leverage and money to get a comprehensive streaming library the size of iTunes and/or Amazon MP3. And this gets into the areas where I think they failed... Their marketing didn't exist. The only commercial I remember is some kid that traded a song with a convenience store clerk. And the only reason I remember it is because of the groan that came out of the audience that saw the commercial. I don't recall what Zune called the music sharing, but it was a stupid word. And the commercial forced its use. And the other big fail - it feels like a hobby to Microsoft. It feels like a product that they don't care if it succeeds or not. If it does, great. If not, whatever. It's hard to get excited about a product that a company isn't even excited about.

pohl 16y ago
I don't recall what Zune called the music sharing, but it was a stupid word. And the commercial forced its use. I believe it was called "squirting", which was very unfortunate at the time because zunes were a shade of brown. Jokers would ask "What's brown and squirts?"
msie 16y ago
And the other big fail - it feels like a hobby to Microsoft. I think that many divisions at MS pale in comparison (revenue-wise) to the Office (Sharepoint etc) and Windows divisions and thus feel like hobbies to the corporation.
grantjgordon 16y ago
I actually agree that the Zune HD is a worthy competitor, at least from a hardware and UX perspective. In many ways, Apple plays it safe from a design perspective with the iPod touch, and Microsoft actually went out on a limb and bet on the Metro UI paradigm. It wasn't a complete win, but I personally like many aspects of it, and am looking forward to seeing if Windows Phone 7 can successfully translate that into a useful phone experience.
byoung2 16y ago
Their marketing didn't exist. That's part of what I think Microsoft didn't get right. I remember one Zune commercial (featuring Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot). There was a whole field of Zunes, and the first one started playing the song, then a few more, then all of them. They didn't make it clear that the first one was sharing the song with the others. I use Windows PCs, have an XBox 360, and up until recently I had a Windows Mobile Phone. Microsoft failed to get me to want a Zune the way Apple fans want an iPod.
beaumartinez 16y ago
The Zune isn't available in Europe...
- gamble 16y ago
  Or Canada. They even sold the original Zune here, then pulled out when the Zune HD was released.
  - kenjackson 16y ago
    So what's the reason things in the US often don't get made available in Canada? Are there some specific laws that are difficult? Tariffs? Seems like Canada would be about the easiest market to be in for a US company (after the US).
    - winthrowe 16y ago
      Speaking with no authority besides that of annoyed Canadian, I think the "After the US" is the key issue. Most of the laws I'm aware of tend to deal with the stereotypical Canadian things (Media/Canadian content, natural resources). I can't offhand think of many things that are available in the US and Europe, but not in Canada. It appears to me that the extra effort to set up international sales just for Canada is rarely undertaken until the home zone (US/EU) is taken care of, and then Canada is included when they go 'worldwide', if they do.
OpieCunningham 16y ago
Strictly as a music player, I'd agree that the Zune UI is at least as good quality as the music player in an iPod Touch. But there are so many more valuable things the iPod Touch can do vs. a Zune, that I can't see how there is any comparison of the two platforms where the iPod Touch doesn't dominate. Games? Maps? Web? Email? SMS? Photos? Wikipedia? The list goes on and on ... Flight tracking? Unit converter? PDF reader? Word processing? Spreadsheets? Skype? In a field of music players without the iPod Touch, the Zune is, hands down, the best. But the only devices that come remotely close to the capability of an iPod Touch are iPhones and Android handsets.

pohl 16y ago

I don't recall what Zune called the music sharing, but it was a stupid word. And the commercial forced its use. I believe it was called "squirting", which was very unfortunate at the time because zunes were a shade of brown. Jokers would ask "What's brown and squirts?"

msie 16y ago

And the other big fail - it feels like a hobby to Microsoft. I think that many divisions at MS pale in comparison (revenue-wise) to the Office (Sharepoint etc) and Windows divisions and thus feel like hobbies to the corporation.

grantjgordon 16y ago

I actually agree that the Zune HD is a worthy competitor, at least from a hardware and UX perspective. In many ways, Apple plays it safe from a design perspective with the iPod touch, and Microsoft actually went out on a limb and bet on the Metro UI paradigm. It wasn't a complete win, but I personally like many aspects of it, and am looking forward to seeing if Windows Phone 7 can successfully translate that into a useful phone experience.

byoung2 16y ago

Their marketing didn't exist. That's part of what I think Microsoft didn't get right. I remember one Zune commercial (featuring Mims - This Is Why I'm Hot). There was a whole field of Zunes, and the first one started playing the song, then a few more, then all of them. They didn't make it clear that the first one was sharing the song with the others. I use Windows PCs, have an XBox 360, and up until recently I had a Windows Mobile Phone. Microsoft failed to get me to want a Zune the way Apple fans want an iPod.

beaumartinez 16y ago

The Zune isn't available in Europe...

gamble 16y ago
Or Canada. They even sold the original Zune here, then pulled out when the Zune HD was released.
- kenjackson 16y ago
  So what's the reason things in the US often don't get made available in Canada? Are there some specific laws that are difficult? Tariffs? Seems like Canada would be about the easiest market to be in for a US company (after the US).
  - winthrowe 16y ago
    Speaking with no authority besides that of annoyed Canadian, I think the "After the US" is the key issue. Most of the laws I'm aware of tend to deal with the stereotypical Canadian things (Media/Canadian content, natural resources). I can't offhand think of many things that are available in the US and Europe, but not in Canada. It appears to me that the extra effort to set up international sales just for Canada is rarely undertaken until the home zone (US/EU) is taken care of, and then Canada is included when they go 'worldwide', if they do.

OpieCunningham 16y ago

Strictly as a music player, I'd agree that the Zune UI is at least as good quality as the music player in an iPod Touch. But there are so many more valuable things the iPod Touch can do vs. a Zune, that I can't see how there is any comparison of the two platforms where the iPod Touch doesn't dominate. Games? Maps? Web? Email? SMS? Photos? Wikipedia? The list goes on and on ... Flight tracking? Unit converter? PDF reader? Word processing? Spreadsheets? Skype? In a field of music players without the iPod Touch, the Zune is, hands down, the best. But the only devices that come remotely close to the capability of an iPod Touch are iPhones and Android handsets.