Comments on: Zune struggles to find the right pitch

After grabbing several points of market share in its first year on the market, Microsoft's player hasn't been able to make much of a dent in Apple's market, even after adding a flash memory-based model.

[keaggy220]

When are you going to give coverage to SanDisk since they have triple the market share?

[Penguinisto]

Good point... Zune managed 1 percent (and no one knows for sure if that was gained through last year's obsolete model fire-sale, or by way of channel-stuffing), and it's news. SanDisk managed to break the 10% barrier, and 'ho-hum'...

[therealbean]

Good point. I love the Zune, but I would love to see more coverage of the SanDisk competition.

[Sniche]

What does MS R&D do all day to come up with all these wonderful designs, you can fool people some of the time but not all of the time!
The WOW has to start soon before their money runs out.
May-be they should leave it to the experts.

[adham21]

"We've said all along that, being a software company, we are much more focused on the experiences we can bring to life through the software," Reindorp said.

This statement is the ultimate in irony since while the 2nd generation zune hardware is actually decent, the software "experience" is absloutely horrible with an interface that seems to be targeting specifically 13-year old girls and no one else. They made one step ahead with the hardware design and 100 backwards with the software.

[tundraboy]

I agree. For an outfit that fancies itself as a 'software company', they should be ashamed of their products.

Then again, the folks who made the Yugo claimed they were an automobile company.

[timber2005]

Yeah its a horrible design compared to the iPod's interface of black text on a white background with a blue highlight when selecting. Designed with EVERYONE in mind right?
100 backwards with the software? The first gen was able to get the 2nd gen software, which apple has NEVER done mind you. Older iPods can't get the latest album art view or anything.

End point: Zune isn't for everyone. iPod isn't either.

[K4ot1K]

I have a Zune 4G V2 that my wife got me, and I absolutly love it. I really can't stand IPods and was looking for a good player for pod casts. I have compard my Zune to co-workers IPods and really think Microsoft has made a much better product, at least in the lower level, flash based models. I am glad to see it getting some press. I would like to see it gorw so i would have more choices in accessories. The only down side is the PC interface. Apple at least got that right with ITunes. Microsoft should follow that model. Their interface is ok, but very lacking is usability and extremely slow.

[MacHeads]

Well , i hate to bash MS when it is dead easy to do so , the zune is trying to be a jack of all trades device that actually ends master of NONE. First being a "me too" product Microsoft tries to focus on market expansion without keeping usability in sight , a target they missed in the first versions. I actually never saw someone using a Zune in Europe but from the comments all over the web only a select few saw one either anywhere else but in the US... The zune is the Vista of MP3 players all over .. where as such devices could have helped media convergence MS's move on Play for "Sure" to "Embrace and Extend" actually "Extinguished" the branch they were sitting on ... you have to appreciate the irony ...

in the meantime i'll stick to my Iphone and wait for the next upcoming 3G model from the firm that got MP3 players and phones working in a simple coherent way...

[EcuadorHomesOnline]

I bought a Zune exactly a year ago, and I love it. Great device, easy to use, excellent battery life, superb audio quality. My only complaint is that I can't sync my music to the Zune using the Windows Media Player - it forces me to use the Zune player. I don't want another player on my computer. I don't want Real Player, I don't want Quicktime or Itunes, or the Zune player - just the easy to use "does everything" Windows Media Player.

[ossavir]

Not a bad article, Ina. For those who have bought in to the Zune brand, we love it. I really like the Zune Pass feature and the social features are starting to become really impressive, especially with the recent 2.5 update. I will say, though, that while Zune only has 4% market share for all MP3 players, you have to keep in mind that it's really competing against budget media players like Sandisk. MS is really going after Apple head-on, trying to provide a reasonable alternative to the iPod. They've got some work to do, but I'll be along for the ride.

[durango4]

Its amazing that after all these years MS's answer to everything is to make it DO everything. Simplicity is what makes iPod/iTunes a winner.

[therealbean]

Really? The iPod iTouch plays music and videos, shows photos, *plus* it accepts calendar appointments, has a calculator, a wifi browser, etc.

Zune does music, video, photos, and FM radio. And the software is easier to use than iTunes.

Microsoft wins on simplicity, sorry.

[Stephen Russell]

I have a Zune for over a year and it is semi broken. M$ says that I am out of luck. go buy another one.

It's radio is fantastic and I use that at the gym. The software for the Zune is HORRIBLE. That is if you manufacture your own mp3 files and upload them that is. You were not able to EDIT a tag on the player? What a bunch of stupid people!

considering that they are so pathetic in share they should do more to embrace the current customers. I am considering the replacement of the unit on COST and features. Few people ***** about their iPod.

[ti55]

Consumer should be concerned with getting the most (features) for the least amount money, not corporate marketing strategies - marketing share indeed. Readers who believe they are more than consumers are fooling themselves and most likely their wallets too.

A feature-by-feature comparison between any Zune device and any other portable media player on the market, including Apple products, will not show the Microsoft Zune products to be obviously lacking. Apple cornered the market and set the standard. Microsoft furthered that standard. Like it or not, a Zune does more than an iPod.

I do not work for Microsoft, but I do work for my money. And when it's time to spend my money I want the most I can get for the least amount of money. I am a normal consumer. At least I hope I am.

[NPGMBR]

Got my Zune 80 in Nov 07 and could not be happier. Had a Dell DJ first then a Toshiba Gigabeat and now the Zune and it is hands down the best player I have ever had. Zune Marketplace works great, and I have not had a single problem. Love it!

[Penguinisto]

Maybe MSFT can have a fire-sale of last year's deeply discounted unsold units again? I would also be curious as to how much of this can be attributed to channel-stuffing as opposed to actual end-user sales (see also x-box). There is a vast difference between desperate loss-leading tactics just to get a blip in marketshare, and actually gaining it through solid growth...

[jhoeforth]

When Windows loses market to versus OSX, fanboys declare that MS is doomed. But now Zune gained market share against Apple, MS is still doomed? What the hell is wrong with the world?

I am baffled of the fanboy's ability to make Apple look good. You know what, I'm not gonna even try to defend Zune, because I know that not in any way fanboys will admit defeat. You guys are just plain twisted. You are beyod repair.

[tundraboy]

The defect in your argument is that Zune took market share not from iPod but from the Plays For Sure crowd. On the other hand millions of Windows refugees are obviously switching to the Mac.

[catch23]

Millions? Apple market share was stagnant in April.
Hell, Vista, the 'failure' that it is, has more then 2x the number of users (and in only a year or so) then Apple has been able to get in 20+ years.
Millions. Ya, in your imagination.

[The_happy_switcher]

Microsoft is a good example of what happens to a company that tries to play outside its sandbox. Look at how much their OS development has suffered since these forays into hardware devices. They should stick to what they used to be mediocre at: developing software.

[CraveUser]

I just have to agree with adham21, my goodness, what a disconnect between Jason Reindorp at Microsoft from MS is saying and the actual state of the Zune software. After several months of not using Zune, I finally installed version 2.5 on my new pc to give it yet another try. We'll see what happens. The Zune software is the main reason why Zune has done so poorly. It is clear the developers spent too much time on the looks or branding of the UI and not enough on solid functionality and testing. This is too bad because the device itself is very solid.

[protagonistic]

"Consumer should be concerned with getting the most (features) for the least amount money"

You have missed the whole point of the iPod. It never was about features for the money, it is about the features most people wanted in an easy to use package. What good is the most feature rich product on the planet if you have to carry around a 10 pound manual just to figure out how to use it. This is the one thing MS just can't seem to understand.

[Pixelslave]

So, Zune's market share jumps 33% is bad news for MS, but Mac's shipment jump 32.5% is a "decent growth":

http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9920664-37.html

Now I know why Apple fans always say less is more.

[Penguinisto]

Err, you're using two different metrics, in two different markets, with two different statistics. You know that, right?

[sal-magnone]

You know this is interesting. I have a Zune and so does my wife. When people ask me why I say that all players are basically the same. This one happens to work real well with my X and my media center. I don't find the software bothersome at all. There is no WOW for sure but I wasn't looking for one. I was just looking for a music player. I bought this one not because it was a better player, but because it was easy to hook up to my other technology.

I think even trying to displace Apple with another player is the wrong idea. What's the new player going to do, lay golden eggs? If MS displaces Apple at any point it'll be a suprise to all of us just the way it'll be a suprise to Apple, because it won't be a frontal attack. It'll a be connection to another tech or set of techs that are not in place yet and it'll be a long term play.

[bbftu919]

I owned iPods, my family still owns iPods. I grew extremely unhappy with iTunes. I know most like it but I did not like the way Apple wants to control my experience. I mostly hated having to change the default settings on Quick-time everytime Apple put out an iTunes or iPod update. We added a Sandisk player, which is fine. However, I wanted a larger hard drive based player. After comparing all the choices, I bought the Zune 80. I can honestly say I like the interface much better than the iPod. I like the simple large block menu items. I really like the control of my media outside iTunes or Zune software. Yea, I need to use Zune software to load the unit, but otherwise, I do not use it. Could not do so with iTunes because of the Apple music format. I also like that my media center TV recordings are easily moved onto my Zune. I do not have to buy shows from Apple - I can record them and easily add them to my Zune. Both iPods and Zunes are good products - I just prefer the large screen Zune.

[tundraboy]

Root around the tech news sites. Microsoft has bowed to NBC and just revealed that they are developing a Zune 'copyright cop' so your tv recordings and legally purchased DVDs will soon be non-downloadable on your Zune. Okay not if you don't update the software. Don't we just love the Microsoft way of doing things?

[rcrusoe]

MS has sold 2 million Zunes? You'd think with that many around I'd have seen one "in the wild" by now. The fact that I haven't makes me think a lot of them are setting around in dusty warehouses and not in the hands of consumers.