When Microsoft announced the Zune last July, we had pretty low expectations for the digital media player. So much about the Zune just didn’t seem right:
- Zune is possibly the worst product name in history. It has various obscene meanings depending on what language you speak.
- Microsoft used the Zune as an opportunity to introduce an entirely new DRM system that is incompatible with the company’s previous DRM system. In the process they angered many of their partners who had built their business based on the old PlaysForSure DRM system.
- Zune’s highly touted wireless capabilities are strangely limited. For example, the Zune can’t connect to the Internet or your PC.
- The wireless file sharing created a storm of controversy when Microsoft announced that ALL shared files would be limited to 3 days or 3 plays, even songs that artists have specifically licensed to be freely available with no such limitations.
So how did the Zune do during its first holiday season? It all depends on who you ask.
Microsoft isn’t likely to release specific sales figures for the Zune, but if the Amazon charts are any indication, Microsoft is now the number four manufacturer of digital audio players – behind Apple, SanDisk, and Creative. Microsoft claims they’re happy with the results. After all, this time last year they weren’t even on the list. Still, number four isn’t much to brag about — especially when you look at the companies that Microsoft has pulled ahead of. Microsoft has successfully toppled iRiver, and that’s about it.
Microsoft began lowering expectations shortly after the Zune’s release. The company now claims they’ll be happy to sell 1 million units by June 2007. By comparison, the iPod was expected to sell 20 million units during the 2006 holiday season. The Zune clearly has a lot of catching up to do.
Meanwhile, there are questions about the level of consumer satisfaction among the few people who actually own Zune’s. While Amazon features some glowing Zune reviews, there are also a fair number of bitter Zune owners out there.
Zune’s software has become notoriously buggy and the installation process has been a major headache for many Zune owners.
Then there’s that wireless file sharing that’s been so eagerly anticipated by Zune fans. Some brilliant Microsoft mind decided it would be hip to call the file sharing feature “squirting“. It’s really over the top when you consider the various alternate meanings for Zune. It’s what we commonly refer to as a marketing disaster. I have yet to find a women who wants to be squirted with a Zune. I’ve stopped asking.
Fortunately the Zune only squirts occasionally. As it turns out, some content providers aren’t hip to squirting. Instead, they’ve chosen to use Zune’s DRM to prevent squirting. The interesting part of this limitation is that it only affects songs that have been purchased through the Zune Marketplace. Worse yet, there’s no indication of the restriction prior to purchase. In order to find out if a song can be shared you have to purchase it, then try to squirt it. This has to violate some truth in advertising laws, but so far no one’s bothered to make an issue of it. Probably because so far whenever someone tries to squirt music from their Zune everyone else in the room ducks.
That’s Zune product manager Matt Jubilier dodging questions from the Hollywood Reporter about the squirting limitations in the video box at the end of this post. He doesn’t really seem to understand why people might be put out by the fact that the Zune doesn’t actually share the way it’s supposed to.
If all goes as planned, 2007 will bring at least one smaller capacity flash memory player and a Zune phone. In other words, we’re all in for more Zune whether we like it or not.
If ever anyone wants to read an article which is one sided and goes to feed “I am against MS so I am cool and rightâ€, this is it. The reason why digital media is unsafe is because of stupid passion which runs in people.
The way to change DRM and other things is not by being against MS or any one else and sooner you guys realize it the sooner you guys will be taken seriously. The first thing you guys need to do is be fair other wise if MS is one extreme you are the other and to be frank I don’t give a hoots ass about either.
Best of luck!!
If ever anyone wants to read an article which is one sided and goes to feed “I am against MS so I am cool and rightâ€, this is it.
This is the article? Really?! What about all of those other articles we wrote about Zune? Surely one of those must top this one.
So you really think it’s not Microsoft’s fault that they aren’t providing complete and accurate labeling in the Zune Marketplace? Then whose fault is it? Just curious.
We’ve had plenty say about DRM in general this year and it hasn’t all been about Microsoft. This is just an update on one small part of the larger DRM problem.
Rohit,
What makes digital media “unsafe” (which is, of course, a pretty relative term, since digital media isn’t going to kill or even hurt anyone) isn’t sites like Medialoper that point out issues surrounding new digital players and the DRMing of music, but rather record companies that have used the digitalization of music as another way to put usage restrictions on consumers who purchase that music.
As far as being as being against MS, you must have missed our article where we praised MS for their partnership with several movie studios to offer downloads directly to the XBox.
And you must have missed when we praised MS for their book digitization project.
Sorry, but it ain’t all Microsoft Bashing, All Of The Time ’round here. We calls ’em as we sees ’em.
Nope, the reason we don’t like the Zune is that we have very high standards for digital content players — we’ve talked a lot about the shortcomings of the iPod and iTunes, and if you think that we’ve been mean to the Zune, you oughta check out our review of the Prism DuroSport 6000, which actually *is* unsafe, come to think about it.
Finally, the way to change “DRM and other things” is exactly the way we are going about it: pointing out the issues with it, one post at a time, and hoping that people will come around to our way of thinking.
What ever happened to the Microsoft Origami? At least you can see the Zune in stores and maybe also that ignorant friend who bought one.
Alex, you’re reading my mind. We’re not through with our year-end updates. I’m hoping to get to the Origami this weekend.
Wow. This is the most focused FUD I’ve seen in a long while. I’ll be publishing a rebuttal on Zune Thoughts. I’m obviously pro-Zune, but you really take the cake here in terms of irrational, unbalanced anti-Zune thinking.
Jason Dunn
http://www.zunethoughts.com
Have fun with your Zune. Port Linux to it and make it do things way beyond the intended design. Overcome any kind of DRM limitation. Or, imagine a portable, wireless website that could be used at conferences and then bragged about on stage. Cool stuff like that. Just like the XBox, Microsoft sells these things at a discount in order to make up the difference on the stuff you purchase to put on it, so every non-Microsoft-intended use you can think up for them sends Ballmer and Bill to the moon! ‘Doesn’t get any cooler than that.
Hey Jason – I look forward to your fair and balanced rebuttal. Maybe you can give us a sneak peak and rebut a few of my points right here.
Nothing happened to the Zune. It’s a great start for Microsoft. The same critics of the Zune probably wrote articles like “What happened to the XBox.”
Just wait for the next generation Zune. As always, Microsoft will refine and refine their products till they dominate the market.
A good question is not “What happened to the Zune?” but “Why are Apple iFanboys so hell- bent on bashing Microsoft?”
oh, by the way,
how does it feel to know your messiah, Steve Jobs, tried to steal money from the shareholders? keep drinking that koolaid, fanboy.
That video was scary. Seriously scary. As a consumer, if I’m buying the music with the expectation that I will be able to “squirt” it, then I believe it is incumbent upon Microsoft to tell me when the music I’ve purchased will not be shareable. Before I make the purchase. To hide behind the “we don’t discuss the specifics of our agreements with content providers” argument is lame. It is also very close to false advertising — they are promising the consumer a service that may or may not exist…and the consumer won’t know for sure until he or she tries to share the music.
I am curious about how the various Zune fans in this thread feel about this. As for the generational aspect of the Zune, sure it’s going to improve with each new version. The question next year will center around whether the improvements will be enough to gain the necessary momentum.
Hey Mom – I don’t have a Messiah, and we’ve been critical of Apple in the past as well. I’m no fan of iTunes or the Apple DRM scheme. I actively discourage people from buying iTunes music and videos.
A better question might be why is it that the Microsoft apologists are so hell bent on labeling all Microsoft criticism to be the work of Apple Zealots?
Steve Jobs is not my Messiah. Brian is my Messiah. And I should know, I’ve followed a few.
Seriously, it is of course, dumbass knee-jerk shortsighted thinking to assume that anybody who bashes a Microsoft product is an automatic Apple worshiper.
And vice versa.
The fact that you can’t directly buy music with cash,(HAHA to 3000 point minimum purchases) and not ALL labels are signed on for the Zune to work with it’s ridiculous DRM. I say this article is dead on the money.
Zune will die soon.
http://www.Free-America.com
Yep, sure was a bust. Zune sucks anyway. What did you expect?
I don’t see the problem.
Chances finding anyone with a zune to ‘squirt’ your music to, are nearly zero anyway 😉
I don’t have any problem with this article in the least. The criticism leveled by Pro-Zune users would be more valid if they addressed the central problems about the Zune raised here.
It goes without saying, but the mere fact that Zune sales haven’t hit 1 mil yet would indicate that the marketplace agrees with some of what Kirk has been saying about the Zune in general.
Wow, that video just really inspires confidence. Hmmm…
Give me squircle, or give me death!
Zune rulz
Julie, I’d probably take you more seriously if you weren’t link spamming for a site called Lipsuction Butt.
Hurray for the rock, bulky, keeps the papers on my desk from flying when the company is saving money using big electric fans to cool.
I think MS can still crush Apple in the media wars, give all the zunes away in underdeveloped villages in South Sahara Africa where there is no electric to recharge them. They got the money to crush Apple that they accumulated in the CD Coasters War days.
And this is what happenS when you use “easy” M$ net tools to build a site, it handles exceptions “beautifully” well… I love my M$ stuff.
“Server Error in ‘/’ Application.
A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond 74.125.53.121:25
”
this is the fan club site for the zune, built on aspx, good ole M$ Server ‘3003’ and the so much better than Apache – IIS