10-03-2007, 01:00 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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A Zune by Any Other Name..
One thing that seems to be clear from all the leaks: the new Flash-based Zunes and the new hard drive-based Zune are still just "Zunes". Apple has the iPod Shuffle, the iPod Nano, the iPod Classic, and the iPod Touch. "iPod" is the overall brand, and the second term gives you the type of device. Nice and simple - it makes it easy to refer to it, easy to remember, and easy to buy in a store.
The Zune? So far it's looking like things are going to break down like this in conversation:
Joe: Hey, check out my new Zune!
Jane: I have a Zune as well, but mine is smaller than yours and thinner.
Joe: The Zune I bought has 80 GB of storage.
Jane: My Zune has 4 GB of storage. What kind of Zune did I buy?
Joe: I'm not sure...the box I have just says "Zune".
Jane: So does mine.
Joe: <blank look>
I'm exaggerating of course, but by seemingly not giving the new Zune models any sort of a name, the only way people will refer to them in writing is probably going to be as follows:
- 4 GB Flash Zune
- 8 GB Flash Zune
- 80 GB Hard Drive Zune (man that's awkward - maybe just 80 GB Zune?)
Even if you drop off the type of storage and just call them "4 GB Zune" or "80 GB Zune", having to use the capacity of the player to describe it is simply bizarre. I'm not a fan of how most companies name their products ("Take a look at the Samsung YPE-7880-H MP3 player!" but I think the Zune team has gone a little overboard in not having any sort of naming differentiation between the products.
I imagine the logic goes something like this: "Every Zune does the same thing, they all have WiFi and all play back the same types of files. The only difference is the physical size and the storage capacity. Since only geeks care about storage capacity, and the size difference is obvious, we're just going to call them all a Zune."
What's your take on this? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill on this issue? Or is the lack of a name going to create some confusion amongst the buying public?
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