Comments on: Microsoft sees Zune effort as a long haul

To catch up with Apple in the music business will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take years, company says.

[Tanjore]

Most people call zune a failure for no good reason

Most of you guys are considering Zune a failure. It is possible that it will be a failure but making judgement even before the product is out is kinda silly and ridiculous.

Afterall it is a consumer product!! and consumers will decide with their wallets. If microsoft fails to provide what consumers need then it will be a failure. What if it exceeds expectations?

[Tomcat Adam]

If it exceeds expectations...

"What if it exceeds expectations?"

...then zealots (of any group) will claim it as:
a) An anti-competative practice, MS should be sued, etc.
b)Them just forcing their way into a market, it will never last, etc.
or my personal favourite, "Microsoft is spending too much money to gain an entry into a massive, lucrative market. They're falling apart..."

[Björn Lundahl]

Good Comment!

You are right! If it exceeds expectations? Well, then Microsoft will be called a monopolist!
Björn Lundahl,
Göteborg,
Sweden

[darrius3365]

"MS has no business" is STUPID

I hate it when these people say that Microsoft has "no business" entering this market. What would the world be like if this statement were applied to other industries.

Fox had "no business" entering the 24 hours news circuit because CNN got it right. Um, check the Neilsen ratings...

Turn it on ABC, NBC, and CBS on Tuesday or Wednesday night, and you will see shows that are obviously modeled after American Idol (whose finale is now a Hollywood red-carpet event). Some are successful. Some are not. Using the Microsoft MP3 analogy, these networks have "no business" entering the "America Votes" talent show market.

The networks had "no business" entering the reality show market trying to catch on to MTV's "The Real World" popularity. Now, it probably sucks to try to pursue TV acting, because everything is a "reality show"!

Apple's making a cell phone? Well, Apple has "no business" entering this market because Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia have obviously gotten it right all of these years.

The cable and phone companies had "no business" getting into the ISP market, because AOL, CompuServe, and Earthlink had right. (Compu Who?...isn't AOL losing money and now giving almost everything away for free?)

Target has "no business" adding grocery stores to its stores because Wal-Mart has gotten it right...

Wal-Mart has "no business" opening stand-alone grocery stores in Florida because Publix and Winn-Dixie got it right. (Winn Dixie keeps closing stores!)

I could go on...and on...

Competition is good. Maybe Microsoft will be successful. Maybe not. Maybe a threat from MS will push Apple harder to continuously improve its products over time. It's all GOOD!

[Peter Bonte]

30% is not enough for MS?

MS is greedy, 30% of the global online music market isn't good
enough, they always want it all. Why isn't MS entering the phone
market? Because they will never own it all.

MS is desperately looking for new ways to earn big dollars, for
that they need to control the complete market it enters. Its only
with market dominance that a company can get 300% profit on a
product like it is doing now with Windows and Office. The
billions that MS is going to lose now to conquer this market will
be paid double by the consumer once the battle has been won.
Apple will win this IMHO but a 40 GB Zune for $100 will be hard
to beat, it all depends how much money MS is willing to lose on
the whole deal.

[Björn Lundahl]

Yes, no one "owns" a market!

Everyone is free to enter and to leave. It is up to consumers to decide.
Björn Lundahl,
Göteborg,
sweden

[cleibowicz]

farther away...

All I read about Microsoft's player doesn't get me closer but farther away from what I want. When am I going to see:

- 60GB flash memory.
- phone.
- organizer.
- broadband internet.
- music.
- pictures.
- wi fi.
- bluetooth.
- tv.

[Llib Setag]

MSVista Chokes on Redmond One Campus

Windows Vista Voice Recognition software demonstration in Redmond at Microsoft more like a "voice - wreck"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y_Jp6PxsSQ&%20eurl=