ZDNET: Is the Press Being Too Harsh on the Microsoft Zune?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=226' target='_blank'>http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=226</a><br /><br /></div><em>&quot;I think this is a decent first effort by Microsoft and am sure that software updates will improve the functionality of the device and Zune software, but there are a few things they could have done at launch to greatly improve the buzz around the device. For starters, they should have sent multiple units to reviewers and then offered two or four packs at Costco and other retail locations so people could actually try out the WiFi radio and pick up a couple Zunes for the family with maybe even a slight bulk discount. Every review and analysis I have read states that the writer wishes they could have tried the Zune-to-Zune sharing, but couldn't find any other Zune users in the area. Microsoft limited the WiFi functionality at this time, but should have at least made sure analysts and enthusiasts could have tested out the experience. I also wish the Zune desktop software would have been launched with at least podcast support integrated right into the software rather than having to rely on iTunes or other 3rd party software to capture podcasts. I am sure a video store will be launched in the next few months, but really wish that would have been available out of the box.&quot;</em><br /><br /><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/zt/2006/flaming-zune.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />My fellow <a href="http://www.mobiussite.com" target="_blank">Mobian</a> Matt &quot;Palmsolo&quot; Miller has published a blog entry covering his experience using the Zune, and overall it's a positive one. Matt has a few things he wishes Microsoft would have done (podcasting support, better WiFi functionality), but overall he's fairly pleased with his purchase. He points out that the media has largely been exceedingly harsh on the Zune, and nails the issue on the head: somehow the hype around the Zune got to such a fever pitch, that expectations for a genuine &quot;iPod Killer&quot; were high. And as we've learned many times with technology, reality rarely meets expectations. Was the Zune a perfect execution by Microsoft? No. Was it a flop? Hardly - it's a first generation product with lots of room to grow, just like the first Xbox, the first Portable Media Center, and even, dare I say it, the first iPod - which was not a smash hit if anyone remembers their history.

[David Tucker]

Does anyone ever feel like they've had this conversation before? Like some warp, I swear. Its Palm vs Pocket PC all over again. (Strange, once again, MS comes out with a device with more features that the competition says you don't want...lets see how many people don't want it...)

[Vincent M Ferrari]

it's a first generation product with lots of room to grow, just like the first Xbox, the first Portable Media Center, and even, dare I say it, the first iPod - which was not a smash hit if anyone remembers their history.Isn't this the same kind of logic you're annoyed that others are engaging in?

Look, the iPod wasn't a smash hit in the market when it was introduced. It was $400 at a time when most people were walking around with $40 discmen. It was computer tethered when most people didn't know what an MP3 was. It only worked with Firewire capable Macs. It was digital in an analog world. Of course it wasn't a success. Hell, neither were any of it's predecessors (Anyone remember the Diamond Rio line? How about all those MP3 CD players?). The fact is that the iPod wasn't a spectacular success in the beginning because nobody knew what to make of it. It was a product in a world that wasn't 100% ready for it.

Fast forward to 2006. Aside from WiFi, what about the Zune have we not seen before?

Big screen? Archos.

Low price point? Everyone.

Wifi? To some degree Archos.

Video? Every PMP and most iPods sold.

A companion music store? Every other device out there.

My point is that the Zune's only obstacle to overcome is competition. Apple effectively created a mass market for portable audio players that didn't exist beforehand. There was no reason to think it would even be mildly successful at the time it was introduced, however, it's laughable to even remotely compare the Zune to the iPod. For the Zune, the market is there. People understand what it does, and it's $150 cheaper and holds 6 times the data the original iPod did.

People are ready now.

They weren't ready then.

HUGE difference.

(And just to clarify, I'm not jumping on the Zune sucks bandwagon. I think it's neat and has lots of potential if they can get over the software hiccups; which seems to be the only downside I'm really seeing in reviews anyway. Good hardware, bad software. Still lots of potential)

[Janak Parekh]

(Strange, once again, MS comes out with a device with more features that the competition says you don't want...lets see how many people don't want it...) I'm not sure that's an apt comparison, considering that the Zune contains many less features than its PlaysForSure competitors.

In any case -- I think Microsoft would be very happy if the comparisons were made against the Xbox, but certainly not the Portable Media Center. That's been a complete, utter flop. I've never seen a single one out in public. As for the original iPod, as it wasn't Windows-compatible, that's not a really great comparison, as you were starting with a much smaller population.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

(Anyone remember the Diamond Rio line? How about all those MP3 CD players?). Actually, the Rios were the digital player of choice at the time. I know -- my sister wanted one badly. The fact that they sucked so badly just showed how much room there was to improve. ;)

--janak

[Vincent M Ferrari]

For the record, I have a 500. It still works, too :-)

[jenneth]

Everyone that's dissing mainstream press reviews of the Zune seem to be using the 'don't evaluate it based on what it currently is now, evaluate it based on its potential' line, which I really don't buy. Journalists review a product based on what is in front of them, not on what it could be. Yes, the Zune has loads of potential, but you don't buy a product based on the possibility that it may improve.

FWIW, I just received my brown Zune today and I've had an 80GB iPod for a few weeks. I'm still on the fence as to whether I like it better than the iPod, but I think that most of the criticisms being aired about the Zune are accurate and fair.