Stop trying to make up excuses....the Zune was NEVER competing with the iPod.

[g52]

I see all these topics comparing Zune sales to other products from Apple. Guys...give it a rest. The Zune is never going to compete with the iPod.

Apple just has too much of a share in the market for anyone else to possibly do damage. The Zune entered the market after the dominant power was established, and isn't doing much to change that. I don't care if the Zune in its lifecycle is more advanced then the iPod was years ago. We're talking about the present right now. Who cares what features the Zune had earlier when Apple released their product when the market was still looking for innovation and took control of it.

You can bring up the point about Sony falling from their rise of power in the video game console wars, but with game consoles there is only one system. If thats a bust, then the company is a bust. With Apple they have multiple products. If the Touch failed, they could still fall back on the Nano, Shuffle, or Classic.

The Zune is just another device from those bottomfeeder brands such as Archos, Creative, and iRiver. Even though MS has more money to fling then any of those aforementioned companies, they aren't using their strength to their advantage.

All MS cares about is to make a buck selling their products. Do you really think they are sitting in a conference room devising strategies to take down Apple? Not a chance.

I'm not saying the Zune is a piece of crap, but you guys gotta stop comparing it sales-wise to the iPod. MS is never going to make up that gap.

[Vissionary]

lol uhh how could you NOT compare it to the ipod? Aww, I edited it.

[DocHolliday]

The Zune is Microsoft's direct(late) response to Apple's iPod, there is no question about that. Microsoft and Apple have always been competing and always will compete until one of them falls under.

All MS cares about is to make a buck selling their products.

Indeed, but for them to make a buck, they have to make a dent in apple's mp3 dynasty, thus competing.


---Edit---
Rangers suck, go Sabres!

[Anime]

To the OP, please provide links that are on ZS that says we think they are sitting in a conference trying to take down Apple. Because I have never seen that talk here.

I am glad we all have opinions here. You think it is crap, while I think it is great.

[Sid3000]

The lone factor that made you sound like an iPod fanboy was when you said "gap" at the end there. If you were truly unbiased you wouldn't diminish the Zune to the rest of the "bottomfeeder brands".

Microsoft IS comparing their product to the iPod because that is their main competitor. Theyre not gonna say, "Hey, I saw this $20 Japanese 1 gigger that had a voice recorder, let's do that." They are trying to not only match Apples products, but also create something better than what they have.

And just so you know, Zune is a valid competitor towards the iPod, the most powerful one at the moment.

Its people like you that make our economy full of crap. You undermine the power of competitors that have potential. So what if we don't want an iPod? Thats us. We want to compare the Zune to the iPod because it IS a valid competitor.

Stick that up your sphincter.

[scarface_74]

How is the Zune "the most powerful competitor" when it's being outsold by Sandisk by a 5-1 margin and being outsold by an almost bankrupt Creative?

[FordGTGuy]

I love how Microsoft is the only company who likes to make money according to fanboys.

[Branhower]

Power isn't always measured by sales. Sometimes people talk about this thing known as "hardware".

[Chididdy123]

why else was the zune created? 

[scarface_74]

Power isn't always measured by sales. Sometimes people talk about this thing known as "hardware".

The Zune has more powerful hardware in what way?

[cobaltchroma]

its faster...and...uhm...looks..cooler? *cough*


oh, sid3000, GO YOU!

[Kaiser]

Market share is a poor argument against what a product competes against. So, Windows doesn't compete with OS X because Windows has too much market share, right? So when someone is looking for a high-capacity media player, they're not going to look at a Zune when considering something like an iPod? The claim that they're not competing because one is just too numerous doesn't work.

[scarface_74]

why else was the zune created?

The Zune was never created to make MS money directly.  Microsoft has been trying and failing to spread their WMA DRM for years and the Zune was just the latest attempt....

1. Before the advent of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray they tried to get High def video bundled on DVD's that could only play with Windows Media.  The only DVD of note was Terminator-2.  Now Apple has made a deal with Fox to get their DVD's to ship with an iPod compatible video,
2. They tried and failed with the Windows Mobile based Personal Media Centers.
3. Plays4Sure...was a failure and  abandoned.

Microsoft really has no reason to keep manufacturing the Zune but to save face.  DRM has basically been abandoned by  the music industry.  Any DRM system that is not compatible with the iPod is not sustainable. If anything, they need to focus on Windows Mobile.  The iPhone is already outselling Windows Mobile based devices in the US.
 

[scarface_74]

Actually Apple isn't competing with Windows. Apple is competing against Dell, HP, Gateway, Toshiba, etc.  Apple not only doesn't care if you run Windows on the Mac, it even provides drivers (Boot Camp) to allow you to do just that.

[suprzuner]

I've never had a portable mp3 player before, and I recently decided to get one. Naturally the first ones I looked at were the iPods, but after doing some research I decided on the Zune 80 over the iPod Classic 80. I just couldn't get by the small size of the iPod screen and after reading about 50 user reviews I came to the conclusion that the only reason to get an iPod would be because it is the device with the better name recognition.

So far I'm happy I went with the Zune, it does everything I need it to do. I guess I may have been more inclined to get an iPod if I'd had one before, but since I was in the market for my first player I wasn't biased toward anything and that led me to the Zune.

[havoc]

waaaahahahaha...keep trying fan bois!

[Mack McBlack]

Hey you're right, the Zune isn't competing with the iPod.

The release date, 80gb storage capacity, and price point... they are all just coincidences!

[Kickenchicken]

being outsold by most of the companies you mentioned.. especially Creative seeing as they're still Number 2 worldwide.
And, MS really needs to step up they're marketing. Its efforts are poor and weak compared to Apple's. and they have even more money than they do to blow on Advertising.