Comments on: Microsoft loses a Zune retailer

GameStop has stopped selling Zunes, and while I don't think this is quite the end of the road for Microsoft's MP3 player, it's hard to see a silver lining in the news.

[Commandoclone87]

They may have lost Gamestop, but anyone whom tracks MS's movements will have realized that MS is now launching north of the border to major retailers, thus gaining a whole new customer base

[Commandoclone87]

They may have lost Gamestop, but anyone whom tracks MS's movements will have realized that MS is now launching north of the border to major retailers, thus gaining a whole new customer base

[NYCgoalie]

I can see why Gamestop stopped selling the Zune: that display is taking up space where real product that can move quicker can be placed. Every square foot for a retailer is valuable.

Zune's problem is that it needs a killer feature to compete with the iPod. Apple has it's killer feature...iTunes. What Zune needs to do is up the ante. Kill the whole "sync" feature of the product and let it pick up HD-Radio signals AND internet radio via wi-fi. Add those two elements in and you'll see audiophiles pick this puppy up like nothing you've seen before !!!

(wi-fi browsing wouldn't hurt either...but that might be asking for too much).

[Positiverate13]

Wheres the support for Zune on mac??? Thats what kills me. I may have actually gotten a Zune or tried one out if it would be compatible with my macbook. Ipod works on PC/Mac, Zune only for PC/Windows. Wake up microsoft and do something if you really want to try to convert 6 billion ipod users.

[ktreb]

But most of those iPod users are pc users. iPods didn't really take off until they became pc-compatible and then more so when they became usb connected (then firewire was ditched). While there has been a lot of growth in Mac sales lately, overall their numbers still pale in comparison to pcs. But I suppose if Zune went after the Mac market they could get a few million more sales. I guess it's worth a shot.

[JWilliams06]

I agree, Mac compatibility is a problem with the Zune as it currently stands. I don't understand CNet's new tendency to write a bigger problem here than it really is. As others have noted, who exactly goes to Gamestop to purchase a MP3 player. I know i certainly don't -- it seems out of place.

I don't see gloom and doom with the Zune as this author and Don Reisinger states. This player has only been on the market for 1 and a half years. That's it! Microsoft has a lot of potential with their product.

I don't remember really seeing a lot of users out there with generation 1&2 (and even 3) of the iPods. I really didn't the MP3 player hysteria happen until much later. My first (and only iPod is a 5th Gen-Video)

Microsoft has done a good job with their hardware with version 2.0; they're good looking little MP3 players, and I love the little touches in the Zune 80s headphones... (fabric wires are a nice touch!) -- they need to open up the device (the HDD version) as a portable hard drive like the iPods can do. Make Mac-compatibile version of their software or some substitute ... and start making more accesseries.

Am I the only one that likes the competition that Microsoft brings to the table, the Zune's 2.0 firmware/UI is fresh and some what exciting from its main competitor (and this is coming from a iPod Owner)

Lets wait a year and see what the future brings here ... this talkof the Zune dead appears really premature.

[C_G_K]

This turkey is going they way of the do-do. Overloaded with features friendly to M$, not the consumer (like DRM coming out of your ying yang).

To bad for M$, boo hoo.

[whiskey_tango_fubar]

I have zero DRM issues with the Zune 80.

[ChancreSore]

"This turkey is going they way of the do-do. Overloaded with features friendly to M$, not the consumer (like DRM coming out of your ying yang). To bad for M$, boo hoo." Must be hard to type with your head so far up Steve Job's a---oops, no personal attacks. My bad. You do realize that iTunes has DRM as well, right? And that Zune offers DRM free MP3s, much like iTunes does? So, is your complaint about Zune's DRM because they offer the *option* to use a subscription based service? Is iTunes limited options considered consumer friendly in Mac-ville? On another note, I'd just like to say that once again CNet is turning into a joke. May be hard to find a Zune? Really? That's the headline you chose? Gamestop, a chain of stores which specializes in video games and video game accessories no longer will be carrying the zune. not Walmart. Not Best Buy. Gamestop. Therefore it will soon be almost impossible to find a Zune. Here's an interesting topic for your next article: Despite Gamestop never selling them, iPods manage to top MP3 player sales.

[whiskey_tango_fubar]

The new Zune 80 is amazing. With the tv dock it's even better. I can only assume that those who dislike the Zune have not tried it. The ipod touch might one day be better but not with the tiny amount of memory.

[daedbird]

I think where Microsoft has missed the boat, maybe to not anger TV and Movie companies, is failing to spotlight the connection between the Zune and Media Center. Hey I am a Mac guy through and through, and would never buy a Zune, but I think how the Xbox and Media Center PCs work is very slick, and the fact that Zune can utilize those recorded vids, well, I don't understand why they cannot gain marketshare on that integration. Like other posters, Gamespot is no loss because the Zune was not a gaming machine. If it was WalMart, this would be a bigger issue, but Microsoft needs to rethink how it markets their media player.

[dwakeman7]

I fail to see what the impact of losing Gamestop as a retailer does to MS. I'm not a gamer, so it wouldn't even cross my mind to buy an MP3 player there, but even if I was, I doubt I would buy one there. All the major retailers I know of in the Seattle area sell the Zune (Best Buy, Circuit City, Frys, Target, Sears, Walmart), now with their flash-based players discounted by $20 I might add.

The Zune's obituary may be what I see as a transition to MP3 on the phone, but this would affect all standalone MP3 players. I own a Windows Mobile phone and now listen to my MP3s on its WMP application. I've owned a couple of MP3 players over the years, but I have lost interest in owning a stand-alone MP3 player and having to carry around a separate device when my phone is sufficient. But I want the option to sync with a music subscription service on my phone, and it seems like MS has all but abondoned WMP and may be developing Zune Pass for Windows Mobile, which would be a step in the right direction. An article I read suggested that Zune's fall 2008 update may be its last release of a stand-alone player, and Zune Pass on Windows Mobile may be available then, which I would happy to see. WMP on Windows Mobile is a joke compared to iPhone, but iPhone and ITunes has yet to support a subscription model, which I hope MS provides for Windows Mobile soon.

[thepoetrydude]

I have a 1st gen zune and I use it everyday. I prefer it over the ipod.