Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnJohn
What are your thoughts on the demographics of a Zune Phone buyer? Answering that question may give us some insight who will make them.
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Well, its pretty obvious that the target audience is the same as for the Danger platform. High school/college kids primarily, no? Young adults to a lesser extent. Say 14-24?
They spent half a billion buying those guys up for a reason.
And that demographic is hardly a bastion of WM.
What is so odd about MS doing a two-fold (or three-fold) approach to expanding the reach of the Zune marketplace?
1- MS can't *force* WM phone manufacturers to bundle Zune Marketplace.
(Can you spell antitrust little boys and girls?) At most they can offer it as a download for *users* to add to the phones.
2- MS *could* be making a deal with a *carrier* or two and *they* could be the ones asking it go on a Nokia phone.
3- Or it could be they are dealing with Nokia itself. Its not as if Nokia's music store is doing any better than the various carrier-owned music stores. And, uh, yes, last time I looked Zune hadn't yet reach Europe so it is either NorthAm-only *or* it is part of the euro launch of Zune. Take your pick.
4- Zune is by definition a separate business within MS from WM, just as XBOX is; its even run by many of the same people. Their mission statement doesn't *require* them to play by the same rules as the WMP guys. So yes, it would be odd to see a Zune client of *a* Nokia phone before *a* WM client but hardly impossible. That might be the price of getting Nokia to play ball.
This particular rumor isn't about whether the dog can play chess--he obviously can--but rather, why isn't he chasing cars instead. There is no reason MS *can't* do this: the question we need to ask is, *why* would they?
And then factor in: why did they do Zune as separate from Playsforsure, in the first place? Why buy Danger?
The obvious answer is there are places WM can't, by its nature and roots, go. As great a platform as WM is, it can't go everywhere, do everything, without compromising its strengths. And its strengths are its apps. Its corporate-friendly features. That sold 18 million licenses. But not 20, right? Sounds like there's a wall somewhere...
So why put all your eggs in that one basket? Why not do WM for some markets (which may or not include a Zune client), Danger for others, and yes, if appropriate, deal with Nokia for still others.
Why not?
One size does not fit all, even in pantyhose...
Now, I'm going back to lurking.
I have people to annoy elsewhere...
"Zune Phone" a Nokia?
Hybrid Mode
