Microsoft says Zune executive will leave company

Bryan Lee, who also played a key role in shaping the Xbox business, says he will depart to pursue personal interests.

The story "Microsoft says Zune executive will leave company" published January 31, 2007 at 3:01 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

Content from Reuters expires after 30 days.

[originalbitman]

iPhone envy

Once he saw the iPhone he had to bail.

[Lindy01]

Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Zune competes with the color screened, hard driver version of the Ipod....NOT a Cell phone that cost $600.

The Iphone competes with WM5 phones....of which there are millions, sold for much less by every major cell vendor...in the form of multiple models per vendor.

These same lame comparisons of the Iphone and the Zune were made when the Iphone was released.

Why dont you compare Microwave Ovens to garage door openers.

[ajbright]

Funny

but unfortunately you missed

he also saw the Nintendo Wii, the PS3, Vista probably isn't Zune compatible (hey if its upgrade advisor says that Messenger is a problem, what guarantee is there that other MS products will work)..

But mostly it was probably the dark, desolate feeling that working for evil incarnate instills in all current Google.. erm I mean ex-Microsoft.. employees eventually get.

[Gunady]

iPod and Zune, iPhone and Palm+Windows CE, Nokia

Compare it right product to product.

[john55440]

iPhone 1.0 is like Zune 1.0

iPhone 1.0 is like Zune 1.0. Both products have a long list of limitations, and neither one is worth buying.

[CaptainMooseInc]

Typo...

The word "says" on the short summary of the article on the main page is not correctly spelled.

It currently says "aays".

[stevenmusil]

Thanks for pointing out the typo

It's been corrected.

[ServedUp]

Forecasting ZUNE's failure.

This is just the beginning of the end for the ZUNE.

Its more like he got fired for the Zune's minor success, entirely. I
hardly think any one person should be responsible, though.

That should lie squarely on Robbie Bach's over-estimation of
Microsoft's chances in this market. Seeing him at CES explaining
how MS will keep persuing the lead for this market, to me
sounded more like "vaporware" and wishful thinking.

[onlyauser]

Plays for Sure Products will do better than Zune

Companies like SanDisk, iRiver, and Creative are going to produce much more compelling products than the Zune or iPod. They already do and cost less too.

Good old karma for the Plays for Sure founder. The compaines the Plays for Sure ecosystem created are starting to eat the Zune alive. Even the Apple's iPod will notice. There is a huge tidal wave of creativity and exceptional products at better prices on the market. Who would want a Zune or an iPod with all their DRM hell? Especially when you can get so much more for so much less.

Enjoy your spanking Zune! LOL

[GGGlen]

Can't you even buy a clue?

"Who would want a Zune or an iPod with all their DRM hell?".
In case you can't read the 10 foot high print, "Plays For Sure"
INCLUDES DRM, and EVERY vendor using "Plays For Sure's" DRM has
implemented a FAR more restrictive version of right's restriction
than does Apple and FairPlay.
Oh, and you can play 100% DRM free music on EVERY iPOD EVER
SOLD.
Sheesh. After nearly SIX YEARS the Trolls STILL can't get it right!

[Llib Setag]

Lost In Translation

"leaving to persue personal interests..."

i.e. " Zune is a turd & we think you should take your ideas elsewhere, but we will save face & put out a press statement to our media hos CNET & spin it to our favor to put Microsith in the most positive light.... "

Just in case you don't speak "Microsoftese".

[extinctone]

Lost in spin

"...over the next several weeks"

A forced resignation would have been much more immediate which makes all the other statements here just so much garbage.

[justice007]

10.5% incorrect

I challenge you for parrroting the 10.2% number without verification and NPD for publishing it. It may be 10.2% of the non-iPod market, but surely not 10.2% of the total music player market (note Apple sold 21 million total all iPods in the 3 months ending December, that accounts for at least 7M in Dec, perhaps more due to Christmas rush). Since they seem to be guessing, I'd give you a guess -- conservatively, about 2M of these are 30 GB iPods. And MS has stated publicly that they will sell a total of 1M by June 2007. You compute now.

[tricyclewheel]

Of U.S. Hard Disk Drives

"The Zune had a 10.2 percent market share of U.S. December sales
of digital music players with hard disk drives".

Check the narrowly defined market used - most of iPods sold were
RAM based so were not included in the math.

[justice007]

corrected subject : 10.2% incorrect :)

Subbject line has the wrong stat... ugh. Should be 10.2% or whatever is in the original report.

[justice007]

corrected subject : 10.2% incorrect :)

Subbject line has the wrong stat... ugh. Should be 10.2% or whatever is in the original report.

[john55440]

Zune needs "a rising star". Don't underestimate MS.

>J Allard, a rising star within Microsoft...

Don't underestimate Microsoft. Their version 1.0 products aren't much, but they eventually get things right.

[Norseman]

"they eventually get things right"

Re: Windows. Still waiting for "right".

[Penguinisto]

Eventually == Too Late.

Sorry, but while 'eventually' works well enough in the higher-cost electronics markets (televisions, computers, etc) becuase of the investments of cash involved, "eventually" isn't near good enough in the lower-priced commodity items such as mp3 players.

There, you either get it right the first time, or you get left in the dust.

Right about now, Zune is beginning to cough on that dust, hard.

/P

[vm019302]

"Eventually?" Look at Office 2007

It's a disaster, and it's going to cause compatibility nightmares with all of the previous versions of Office.

[thedreaming]

Not a good sign...

Personally, I'm waiting till the prices on used zunes drops down to about $50 bucks, then I'll buy one from ebay.

[eldernorm]

Your in luck

You might not have to wait long. I hear that overstock stores are
listing them at $168 already. Does anyone know if iPods ever go
on sale??

[wernerlin]

real reason for leaving

Clearly, poor Mr.Lee had to leave because of a case of the brown squirts:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://*******.com/skt9a" target="_newWindow">http://*******.com/skt9a</a>

Seriously, Bryan Lee was obviously forced out, albeit in a graceful way that avoided the admission that MS fired him because the Zune sucked. No manager would leave right after their product was shipped, if they truly believed in the product.

[RompStar_420]

correcto mondo

You are correct, no company in their right mind will admit to failure, whnever they do this, they always say, employee decided to leave to pursue personal interests or persona reasons = you were fired because you sucked and smoked too much pot.

ZUNE Sucks, plain and simple, shelves are stocked with that and no one is buying that crap.

[Xenu7-214951314497503184010868]

Zune is a Dud

They should get rid of that guy. Who wants a brown turd-like music player that rhymes with "prune," when you can have a cool iPhone that does everything? As usual, Microsoft is behind the times, reduced to copying others to retain market share. Is it possible for Microsoft to be an innovative leader in anything?

[Norseman]

About that 10.2% market share.....

It must be because of the Windows "halo" effect. If your 'level of discernment' is such that you think Windows is a great OS, you are likely to think that the Zune is a great digital audio player.

[nutjob]

Xbox does make money

The xbox is a money maker for MS. When it came out it was not but since summer 2006 it is profitable. By the way in Asia the xBox are one of the biggest profit centers (way beyond ipods)in Apple stores.

[nutjob]

AppleItunes is the most restrictive system

Sandisk, Creative, etc have moved past Apple and the Zune. Itunes and PFS are like both very limiting but Itunes, on any comparative system, is more restrictive.

[open-mind]

How is iTunes more restrictive?

Zune seems more restrictive to me. Only works with one player on
Windows. iTunes works with three players (and soon iPhone) on
Windows and Mac. And there are WAY more third party accessories
for iPod.

[eldernorm]

MS Fanboy for sure.

Hmmm. can you take a DRM file and remove the DRM on Zune???
On plays-for-sure???? Don't think so!!!

Apple iTunes, the only DRM you can legally remove the DRM on.
Period.

MS. fanboy ramblings not withstanding. :-)

[tchoonyong]

you are wrong

i will say that both apple media player and microsoft media player are restrictive. Both uses drm but apple ones are less restrictive in terms.
They have no choice because they produces operating system so they have to compliance to certain rights in the system to prevent piracy.sometimes you need to see in based of business perspective instead of personal opinions.if you dont like that product then dont just install.

[oxtail01]

when has MS innovated anything?

MS got their start by selling someone else's software and then stealing, monopolizing, buying out, and running over the competition. That doesn't work anymore. They have never lead the market in innovation and probably never will. Vista and Office '07 is the latest in the long line of marketting ploys built on very average products, just like Zune.

[Mark Greene]

True words

Thanks

[dirk goedseels]

when they invented the computer virus

nt

[qwerty75]

Zune was dead before it even went retail

nt

[dirk goedseels]

is the Origami executive still on board???

nt

[Sumatra-Bosch]

Zune: Just Like an Exploding Cow Paddy

Or at least as pleasant as filling a ski mask full of cow paddies and pulling it over your head. . .

No wonder Ballmer threw the sofa at this guy.