Send It To Zune

[eggwards]

There’s nothing worse than trying to launch the next cool device than having Bill Gates in a brown coat made to match the color of your music player (the coat actually has the Zune logo embroidered on it) Well, you could also add an unknown Seattle DJ.

Microsoft launched the Zune this morning. It’s their iPod rival, or at least they hope it is. They are spending a great deal of money to get this initial product off the ground.

Bill Gates is not a hipster, no one sees the man, who’s looking a little more like the Simpson’s Mr. Burns here, as a guy who hangs with Bono – except when Bono needs some more cash to fund a charity. Kids are not down with Bill Gates.

Really, Steve Jobs is much more rock-star like, and the events show it. Apple events tend to feature John Mayer or Alicia Keys. This morning’s Microsoft event featured the Secret Machines. Really, not a bad pickup, but then not big news, either.

Sure, a potential Zune or iPod buyer probably doesn’t care about Steve Jobs either, but who would you rather have at your product announcement? Gates should have given the spotlight over to Ryan Seacrest, who has more clout with the youngsters, or perhaps Mark McGrath, former Sugar Ray singer and Xtra host on TV. If they weren’t available, how about John Hodgeman, the PC guy in those Mac ads?

Chris and I were out at Target last night and they were setting up the display for the device that included two tied-down non-working mockups of the device. They looked like bricks with a screen, and the brown one looks…well, as ABC is calling their new gameshow, shat-tastic.

I could go on and on about how it’s a Toshiba Gigabeat player in Microsoft clothing, or how the file-sharing feature is hopelessly crippled, at least at launch, but here’s one of my problems with the device. It doesn’t have the address book. I don’t know how often I use the address book in my iPod. Of course it syncs up to my Mac’s address book pretty easily. The Zune also won’t play games, and at this time there’s no TV shows or podcasts available for it.

I also think the name is dumb…it’s supposed to sound like tune, but with a crazy z, which apparently is the next “X” thing. Now I thought the iPod was a dumb name as well, but Apple at least had the foresight to think that the device might be used for more than just music.

Still, Microsoft has a record of throwing enough money at a problem to eventually make something of it. The old joke is that it takes MS the third release to get it right. Eventually, Zune could hit the right group of features and start selling. Still they will probably never catch up with the engineering style that Apple has.

My big question is why start out with a 30gb model? . Truly it’s the 4 and 8gb iPod nanos that sell the best, moving many more units than the full-featured video iPods. I guess that you couldn’t get the Zune’s big “feature”, the crippled wireless music sharing, into that small of a package.

Don't get me started on the scam that is Microsoft Points. Remember the scheme to make money in Office Space?

For now, the Zune looks like a pretty boring device, but Microsoft has been chafing watching Apple steal away the lead in converging media and hardware. Microsoft knows that they must work harder to make sure they sell more copies of Windows Media Edition, and re-establish Windows Media Player as the dominate player. Having iTunes take that away is bad for Microsoft’s business. Now with Apple prepared to offer it’s own video solution next year, it’s even more important for Bill to get back some market share.

I’ve always found it interesting that Microsoft keeps trying to be a media company, but never seems to know how to implement it, whether it’s with MSN, MSNBC, or with the opinion site, Slate (now owned by the Washington Post). Microsoft wants to be a part of it, but never can establish the cool factor that would bring partners along. Microsoft, and Gates are always seen as the nerdy coders in the backroom, while Apple hangs out with Beck.

Still, Microsoft will buy or control what it can to have its place at the party, much like Anna Nicole’s former husband. He may not have the looks, but he’ll eventually get the girl.

Welcome to the Social, Bill. Now we’ll all be waiting to see what the rockstar has up his sleeve.

Comments

[amboy00.livejournal.com]

They found someone geekier than Gates!

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

I know...I'm sure it's on purpose. I guess they couldn't get David Spade so they went with a poor look-alike.

Brown is the new Brown.

[dedos.livejournal.com]

You're so cute when you're standing up for Apple. :)

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

Well...I really don't think Apple needs a lot of my help these days, but those who have been with the company for a long time are always worried that the company will become irrelavant...again. I don't think it will happen with the iPod, but don't underestimate Microsoft.

And thanks, I kile being cute...especially when hotties think I'm cute!

[celtcub.livejournal.com]

Zomg I have to jump in and say some stuff!!

Ok first off I hadn't even heard of this thing until my dearest husband posted it on his LJ yesterday. So their marketing, whatever it was, failed. I'm a fairly in touch gadget geekboy and I missed it completely. And I agree completely with the comments on the crippling and none of the added features that the iPod has. I am a hardcore Windows user, even with my seething hatred of everything Microsoft, so I will never be a part of the iCult Of iApple. But in the portable music with online tie in race, Apple clearly won.

To me it's very much like the Game Systems war. Nintendo dominates the handheld market (as iPod does with the portable music), but far more people own a PS2 as the console they play at home (the PC market vs the Apple market). Sure there are a few Nintendo Fans (iCult members) that have home systems but their strength really does come from the portable units (iPod). In this analogy Xbox would be the linux users out there, trying desperately to act like a real game machine when we all know it's just a dumbed down PC... Either way you should know your companies strengths and focus on them, not try and take over what everyone else already does well. Microsoft will never dominate the portable music market. It's just not going to happen.

Now the tiny part I have to disagree with...
Seacrest or Mcgrath have street cred!?! Since when? Last I heard both of them were punchlines to really bad jokes. That's like saying Carson Daily has his finger on the pulse of our youth. We gotta get you out from under that rock every now and then. *eg*

*smoooch*

[eggwards.livejournal.com]

Alright, Street Cred is a little off, but I'm trying to think about someone who could be a host to host the event - who isn't an unknown local DJ. I'd say a VJ from MTV, but who is that now? not Carson Daly, that I do know. Is there one?

Seacrest and McGrath are at least linked to Music...even if it's rather lame music. Bill Gates is linked to Microsft office. Definitely not cool.

Yeah, the divice is just a portion of the game to control content, and how you view that content. look at how Microsoft is starting to sell movies over the Xbox. The hardware is about control, and Microsoft wants it.

[garebear.livejournal.com]

Didn't Microsoft introduce an MP3 player a couple of years ago? The one that no longer exists?

The sharing feature looks great, but when you examine its limitations... uh, it looks like a dud.

In terms of styling, it's like all of the other MP3 players... ugly. It reminds me of a fugly version of the first generation iPod with a bigger screen. PSP has a nice screen, too bad it's movie viewing capabilities aren't being used. I guess no one wants to watch movies on such a small screen. The iPod is a music player that just happens to be able to play video. The recent upgrade in image quality at the iTunes store means watching fairly clear video on any TV with the right kit.

It reminds me of the previews of Vista... a imitation of OS X 10.4 on a superficial level, with the clunkiness that Microsoft is legendary for.