Comments on: Teen survey makes Microsoft's Zune seem futile
Piper Jaffray's biannual Teen Survey is out and when it comes to MP3 players, things look very good for Apple and bleak for Microsoft and Sony.
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I don't think the other companies are trying too hard (at least in the marketing department) to beat the iPod.
Good summary. Apple will never have 100% once those kids start looking at what they need to do. iPods are good but the flaws do give room for others to break in. Still breaking in is a tough road. Hopefully the good alternates can stick it out for the long haul.
I think the iPod is an amazing product, and I feel the same way toward the Zune. It's just frustrating when I tell my college friends that I own a Zune, and they ask me, "What's a Zune?"
I prefer purchasing songs than subscribing because I am not that into music. There are only few songs that I like. I though it was a waste of money if I subscribed.
I always owned Creative stuff, and they're really good. Reliable, solid construction, fast and a good UI. While I see iPods that look really heavy used, when they only have 4-5 months (talking about the iPod classic).
If it's for design, man, I'm so sick of their designs. They indeed look cool and classy... but I've saw the design soo many times it has grown old on me.
And on another note, if I was to buy a 8-16GB mp3 player, I would choose the one I have now - Creative Mozaic 8GB. If I was to buy a major one, I would definitely buy a Zune, for the looks and usability.
The title should really be changed.
Piper Jaffray...that's Gene Munster's employer, isn't it? Munster is a HUGE fan of All Things Apple, isn't he? In the tech sector, AAPL is about the only bright spot these days, isn't it? Trying to inspire clients--both real and potential--to throw their (investment) eggs in the proverbial Jaffrey basket with this "sure thing"? Just wondering aloud on the keyboard...
you simply cannot the compare the two. I personally hate touch mp3 players. Also, a touch with the same capacity as a Zune doesn't even exist. The classic blows. They haven't updated the ipod truely in 2-3 years. No new features besides the genius and crappy slow gui. THe zune has improved by leaps and bounds adding capabilities to ALL zunes and not just new ones.
iPods for the most part sound good enough. iPods do video more than adequately. And with the Touch the iPod brand is well above the Zune when it comes to device applications, where the Zune only has a few games as solace. The Zune brand--along with the Zen and Walkman brands and (put anyone else's brand here)--has no legit answers for either the Touch. Apple has a well-rounded lineup that caters to a wide budget range and a diverse feature set that goes well beyond audio and video for various consumer wants/needs. No other PMP manufacturer offers that, particularly on the apps side as Apple has with the Touch and iTMS.
Apple does market a heck of a lot better than EVERYONE else. They even get a retailers' bounce, where they will show iPod devices in their adverts if they're bragging that they sell MP3/PMP devices. Being 'most popular' has its perks, and only goes to feed upon itself. Small wonder why Apple and its 800 pound gorilla called iPod continues to be most dominant.
Now time to throw in the iPod Touch/iPhone. There's simply nothing else out right now that people simply lust for in the same way as these two products. The UI is great, about to become amazing with the 3.0 software, as long as the quality stays up, which I cannot imagine Apple letting it slip, since that's what they base their business on. The design is superb, it has a distinct look that everyone knows and most like. And as an owner of an iPhone, I can't tell you how often people ask to play around with my phone. It's to the point it gets annoying.
So yes, before the iTouch/Phone, I would've gone with a zune. Now, I couldn't imagine going the other way. And I think this article proves that no one is taking down Apple inside of the next 5 years. 100%??? Marketing should be given a heavy bonus this year. That's simply ridiculous. I mean I had a zen vision: M and loved that little thing, but even then I wanted other products. You can't tell me none of those who were interviewed didn't at least no a little bit about other products. But they just don't compare.
dammit, i'm tired of people like you comparing the Zune to the itouch and iphone. the touch and phone are different generation models than the zune. just wait 5 months for the next gen Zune to come out (which will hopefully have a touch feature) then we can compare Zune to Ipod once again.
but other than that the zune is good only if you have friends who have it as well so you can trade songs with each other without trading devices. imo Zune is easier to use than Ipod classic and videos are 3x easier to watch (yes i know itouch has a widescreen as well, but i'm comparing classic to zune).
BUT with that being said "the touch and phone are different generation models than the zune" is not a true statement. Zune was launched nov 06, the ipod touch was launched sep of 07
SO while i agree that iphone to zune comparison makes little sense, your counterpoint argument makes little sense as well.
all mobile gadgets are moving to touch interfaces and
Microsoft doesn't even have a product out which is competing in this space
I think Android devices will provide more competition to the iPod in the future !
MS has way too many problems with Windows Mobile already !
I don't see them making a decent Touchscreen Interface for a long long time !
does n e one buy a Windows mobile phone to listen to music ?
and How much revenue does MS make on WinMO I Heard that it's still a Loss making endavor, the iPhone OTOH has been profitable since day 1
Marketshare isn't everything !
the iPhone is considered superior by pretty much everybody n e way !
notice how touchscreen phones only became popular after it's introduction
You never heard of Palm?
Its been making smartphones without the phone for almost fifteen years. People have been crying for them to make their PDA's into a PDA/phone the whole time but instead they added internet browsers and an awful email program. All Apple did was take the idea of a touch interface and the palm in general from them and do what so many people have been trying to make Palm do.
All Apple did was patent it first.
show me one phone before the iPhone that even used Finger based Input
like Finger gestures, flick scrolling multi-touch etc. etc.
also see how Apple started using capacitive touchscreens for accuracy
and see how everyone's following suit even Palm with their Pre !
other stuff apple was the first at are using accelerometers in phones
app stores etc etc the list goes on
Why do you think the iPhone was considered such a revolutionary Product ?
Apple innovates everyone else follows !
I have a zune and I don't see how an iPod is better.
I can vouch for this assertion. A few years ago, I chanced into a small 512 player from Cowon. I don't remember the model of that awesome little player, but picture a thicker first gen iPod Shuffle with an LCD. The sound quality was *phenomenal* (I use the *'s because I can't stress enough how great this thing sounded on ANY set of headphones I used) and the little extras that Cowon put into that player were awesome -- you could connect to your pc vis usb and create custom animations/backgrounds, menu layouts, etc. That tiny little player even came with a customizable 5 band equalizer. Even more impressive, Cowon made this thing easy to use with only 2 or 3 buttons.
I haven't been in the market for an mp3 player since, but I would give Cowon a serious look before jumping to another brand. Its unfortunate that Cowon isn't more popular -- the masses are missing out on a great brand.
Too funny. When iPods first came out, people who bought them were just drones who wanted to be unique. Snobs seeking after a status symbol. The prediction was, as soon as too many got iPods, people would stop buying them because they are too common.
Now that everybody and their aunt has an iPod, the argument is that everyone is just trying to fit in.
You guys are better than stand up comics.
Yes, Cowon's have unbelievable sound quality. Creative is a little farther down, but still much better than Apple. The thing is most people don't care about sound quality. They care about the UI, which while I can't say from years of experience with a Cowon but I can from 2+ years with a zen vision:M, often considered Creative's best product EVER, That I still have to give the edge to Apple, simply because of the complete package.
ok, that might have been the case when they first came out, i'll give you that. but are you really going to sit the and tell me that, now, people are buying them because they want to be "unique"? people who own ipods are a dime a dozen, how unique can they be?
@coulterboyz
maybe i did word that incorrectly. i, too, was an adolescent and also guilty of wanting to have what my friends had and considered "cool". so you're right, it's not just today's youth, it's youths in general.
What's the point of this article besides inciting arguments? CNET just looses more integrity every time they resort to these misleading and inflamitory headlines.
coupled with the highest profit margins you can find in the Industry !
how much does Mafiasoft make on the Zune again ?
and Linux is open source so it has nothing to do with Marketshare or Profit !
The only reason why Microsoft keeps pumping money into so many different failed Projects is because of it's dominance in Computers !
which is why this article is apt the
the Zune not only has a low marketshare
but hardly makes a cent of profit !
and theirs no hope for it as well becasue iPod touch
type of devices are the Future !
and there's only so much a Zune can do !
Either way, my comments were targeted at CNET and thier misleading headlines and irrational logic. But since it conveniently centers on Microsoft you jump on it like a fanatical Mac fanboi idiot and begin spewing a bunch of irrelevent FUD and rhetoric, including a liberal use of "!" and the juvenile misspelling of "Mafiasoft". Are the ego's of Mac users so pathetically shallow that you have to resort to junk like that every time you even see the word "Microsoft" and "Apple" in the same article?
The simple fact is people have already made their computing decisions. The endless parade of commentary from fanatical Mac or Windows users will not change that fact.
Back to the point, I liked my iPod, it was my best friend, I have loved music for a long time, and I had that iPod until last year when it went swimming in the laundry. I spent a summer without any mp3 player and than I decided it was unbearable. I did my research, figuring I would buy a Zune because all my iTunes music had been converted using Double Twist by this point. The selling feature was their monthly subscription.
Since than I have bought a Zune and I love it. My modest music collection of 2000 songs has skyrocketed to 30,000 songs, now I am not trying to brag with this, my point is after buying a Zune I was introduced to so many new artists and genres of music, I love my Zune and I will never go back to the dark-side. People who are at the mercy of the 99 cent song need to give Zune a try, it is a great device and it comes with wonderful software, that reminds me I love the flow of the Zune software far more than Itunes.
As long as MS keeps their marketplace running and their support up and they don't give up on the Zune, that is all that matters, those of us who know a good thing will buy the Zune and those who follow the cliches shall remain blissfully ignorant to the potential of the contender.
he's talking about the Zune Marketplace. You pay $15 bucks and can download as much music as you want, along with keeping 10 mp3s a month. So right off the bat, if you listen to more then 15 songs a month on itunes, you are wasting your money when you could go to zune and get all you want.
I didn't know that actually OWNING your music was "wasting your money." If you decide to opt out of the Zune Marketplace, you lose your library of music so I don't know how that's a better option. Subscription services are fine if you want to drain money.
Me, I like to feel safe knowing that if I decide to use another music player and/or music service, that I can take it elsewhere.
Zune let's you keep 10 songs per month, FYI.
You don't OWN your music with music with ANY download service. Don't believe me? Just try to legally SELL it. You only "own" the right to use that download on any device you happen to own, whether computer or portable. The only upside from a subscription model is that you can take a break from spending ANY money for a month or three or forever without fear of breaking your content. But if you BUY music regardless and budget more than one CD or $15 worth of downloads each month, then suddenly a subscription service isn't such a stupid idea after all.
But Apple needs to jump on subscription music. Now. The reason they don't is rather obvious, in that most of their players have low storage so they can only got to a few thousand songs, even with a 16 gig. but if they come out with a 32g, its time to make the plunge and get one. Now yes, they have the 120g classic, but I think Apple will continue pushing people away from those. Don't believe they're not trying to sell those anymore? Go into an Apple store and ask to see the iPods. The only time they'll show you is after you mention it.
And to all the hater's of subscription music, you can always drop one service and start over with a new service. And if you spend 30 minutes to get all the names of the bands you have, you can just redownload them all after you move. There's really nothing tying you to a service if you don't like it.
and the iPhone/iPod touch have
Pandora last.fm and seeqpod a much better way to find new music !
you were just plain ignorant, just like your anti-Apple household
What Mastashake was trying to say is that with the Zune subscription along with the all you can download model you also get 10 Free DRM FREE MP3 songs of your choice per month. Now if you look at the competetion meaning Itunes thats $10.00 worth of music. which means you really only pay $4.99 for the subscription services, because its like buying 10 songs to keep. If everyone really paid attention to what they really get in the Zune Eco system alot of people would really see the true value of the zune over the the IPOD. Everyone in my family have made the ipod to zune switch and we actually talk about music more because sharing our subscriptions. Yes you can do that too. 3 computers, 3 Zune devices, 1 Subscription. You can't beat that. Thats value!
thing is, just like some very smart, creative people use windows, some very smart, creative people use macs. which possibly makes your dad the are-****?
with articles like this showing the ZUNE IS THE SECOND MOST POPULAR mp3 player and saying its failing? It obviously is doing better than everyone else.
along with saying the Windows 7 beta upgrade won't be easy? Oh NOES! i have to reinstall the operating system to do exactly what i signed up for: test the freaking product properly. THEY GAVE IT TO YOU FOR FREE. how many open betas does apple do? I want my right click apple. Until then, you'll never see me owning a mac.
and see how they do unfair comparisons of it !
I've always thought of Cnet as supporting the top players
and looking down on the rest
see how they praise google to the skies as well !
and BTW plzz stop with the right click FUD
Macs have been able to Right click for ages
also you really dont need it much
cause the Mac Drag and Drop methods are so much more efficient
how about you try one first ! who knows you might like it !
its biased, but its not only against the Mini, most computers that are of smaller form factors that aren't as popular to manufacturers often get unfairly compared, like the FragBox
@ywkhqo
Macs actually do have right click.
so I should see you owning a Mac right now :)
The Zune IS INDEED failing. Just like the Zen is indeed failing. Microsoft talked the talk about where the Zune brand was supposed to go. And measured against all that bravado it's failed badly, only becoming good enough to be a niche brand in the DAP/PMP marketplace. The Zune proved that it's good enough to rise up against everyone else but Apple, but the real fruit in this segment IS Apple, and in that regard the Zune's grip on the market is going nowhere.
ok you have chosen the Windows way and I've chosen the Mac way
so how exactly does that make me a snob ?
and BTW stop with the Mac bashing cause it makes you look Biased
something your accusing Cnet of BTW !
you have a point. it's the fact that every one is caught up in Apple's hype.
oh and Mac's do have right click, but you have to do a little digging.
speaking of OSX, it's simple, but that kinda turns me off to it. people say it's powerful, but i dont see it. and dont say it's in the graphics, WHOOPTIE FREAKIN' DOO! so? will it help me get my paper written? HECK NO!!!!!!!!!!
not only do macs have right click, but that stupid mighty mouse has 4 clicks. i turn off two, just keeping left and right. they have had the "right click" functionality forever, even with the single button mouse. you simply hold down control. and of course, there have been third party multi-button mice since at least 1991 when I bought mine. right click there, too.
as for the laptops? the previous generations that could sense more than one finger on the trackpad have the functionality... you simply hold down two fingers on the touch pad and click. (the much older ones had right click functions with control-click.) the new ones have this option, but you can also assign the lower right of the trackpad click area as right click should you choose.
and all of this works when booted into Windows, or with VMWare fusion or Parallels, too.
so, since apple has this feature, I guess it's time for you to buy a mac?
- by paulimusmaximus April 9, 2009 5:40 PM PDT
- Look at the chart. Microsoft is actually gaining market share compared to most of the other companies that aren't Apple on the list. Is it just me, or is cnet having worse and worse headlines. That's like saying: "Survey makes Cnet look futile" because they get a lot less readers than time magazine, or something like that. Yeah Cnet, you better just pack it in, since you're not as popular as a lot of other news outlets.
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