Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Microsoft Zune Doomed Already? Wired's Van Buskirk Thinks So
Posted by Jason Dunn in "NEWS" @ 12:00 PM
"Details are still light about Microsoft's "Zune" iPod killer but if the rumor mill is right, the device will have some or all of the following features: Wi-Fi connectivity, video playback, Xbox integration and some sort of community feature for letting music lovers interact with each other...Microsoft's track record with hardware isn't all bad. The Xbox and Xbox 360 are the company's biggest hardware success stories -- probably the reason the Xbox team is reportedly developing the upcoming music player. But hardware is definitely not its forte. The MSN TV experiment was a bust, Microsoft was quickly forced out of the wireless base station business, and its webcam line isn't anywhere near as popular as offerings from Apple, Creative, Logitech and others. Microsoft's entry into music-player manufacturing is obviously a last resort, undertaken kicking and screaming."
Whenever Microsoft sneezes, there's someone waiting in the wings to hold up a points card and grade it. Being one of the biggest companies in the computing world brings with it intense scrutiny, so it's not surprising that the pundits are out in full-force already declaring the Zune a failure and the iPod an unstoppable juggernaut. I will say this much: Microsoft does not enter markets lightly, and while they've certainly had their share of failures, they've also had their successes: the Xbox 360 is still selling strong and gaining momentum, Windows Mobile is now dominating over Palm devices, and Windows Media Center is making significant in-roads in the modern connected home (with essentially no mainstream product that matches it in features).
Given that the Zune team is made up of Xbox 360 people, I have high hopes for this project - because anyone that has used an Xbox 360 knows how superb the interface is, how easy it is to use, and how fun and interactive the process is. Sometimes I don't even play games on my Xbox, I just explore the downloads, watch videos, demos, etc. That's an immersive experience that I believe can translate well to a portable device if executed properly. Will Zune sink or swim? I for one think it's far too early to tell.
[as a humorous side note, I was going to flame Van Buskirk for claiming that Microsoft that a line of Web cams, because I had never heard of such a thing...and it turns out they do. Whoops! :oops: I've really gotta' talk to the PR people that promote this stuff, you'd think they'd send us a press release or something. ;-)]
Whenever Microsoft sneezes, there's someone waiting in the wings to hold up a points card and grade it. Being one of the biggest companies in the computing world brings with it intense scrutiny, so it's not surprising that the pundits are out in full-force already declaring the Zune a failure and the iPod an unstoppable juggernaut. I will say this much: Microsoft does not enter markets lightly, and while they've certainly had their share of failures, they've also had their successes: the Xbox 360 is still selling strong and gaining momentum, Windows Mobile is now dominating over Palm devices, and Windows Media Center is making significant in-roads in the modern connected home (with essentially no mainstream product that matches it in features).
Given that the Zune team is made up of Xbox 360 people, I have high hopes for this project - because anyone that has used an Xbox 360 knows how superb the interface is, how easy it is to use, and how fun and interactive the process is. Sometimes I don't even play games on my Xbox, I just explore the downloads, watch videos, demos, etc. That's an immersive experience that I believe can translate well to a portable device if executed properly. Will Zune sink or swim? I for one think it's far too early to tell.
[as a humorous side note, I was going to flame Van Buskirk for claiming that Microsoft that a line of Web cams, because I had never heard of such a thing...and it turns out they do. Whoops! :oops: I've really gotta' talk to the PR people that promote this stuff, you'd think they'd send us a press release or something. ;-)]
