Lance Ulanoff's 10 Steps to Victory

[David Tucker]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353093,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,281...,2353093,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&ldquo;Okay, please stop laughing. There have been cases of upstarts beating well-established rivals. Before Microsoft Word came along, many of us were using WordPerfect and WordStar. Before Google came along, we used AltaVista and Yahoo. Before Internet Explorer came along, we used Netscape, and now we're watching IE lose ground to Firefox. Trust me, crazy things happen in the technology space. So, it wouldn't be unthinkable for the Zune to give the iPod touch a run for your money.&rdquo;</em></p><p>Can the Zune HD beat the iPod Touch monster? While we all love the Zune, not many of us here would be so bold to claim that the Touch has anything to worry about, market momentum being what it is. But <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353093,00.asp" target="_blank">Lance Ulanoff of PC Mag</a> thinks otherwise. He has a list of ten suggestions for the Zune team that he feels would make the Zune HD a success.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t disagree with his ideas. I think they&rsquo;re all very good and things that really have been mentioned over and over as what Microsoft should be doing to get ahead. Whether Microsoft does anything to actually seriously compete, however, is another story. You should go check out his list, I think he really nailed it. Maybe we should all email it to Redmond!</p>

[doogald]

Zune HD didn't arrive with a 64-GB model, so it's hard to guess what Microsoft might have charged for it. Even so, the 32-GB Zune HD is only $10 cheaper than the iPod. Introduce a 64-GB Zune and then sell the 32-GB version for Apple's "magic price point" of $199, and I think you'd have a winner.

And maybe they can include some fairy dust . . .

I'm thinking that the 32 GB is priced where it is for a reason, not just to screw customers. Just a guess, but I think that Apple pays less than other companies (except SanDisk) for flash because of the amount that they promise to fulfill in a year, plus, that OLED display probably costs more than the Touch's LCD.

[Phillip Dyson]

Prime the Pump: Launch a Zune App Creation Competition


I think this was my biggest disappointment in the ZHD offering. And all I have to hope for in the near future are Twitter and Facebook? What a waste. They're so prevalent everywhere else. It would be nice if they would offer some real apps.

Its a media device, how about an ebook reader. Or a netlix client. I would like a more robust Audible player


Make the Zune HD a Management Console for the Xbox Live Experience


I would love to be able to use the ZHD to be able to queue up purchases and downloads. Maybe even watch game trailers


Turn the Zune HD into a Game Controller


The ZHD would make a great HUD for games like Deadspace or Fallout3.