Microsoft Still Trying to Become Relevant in Media Player Market – Can Zune HD Compete?
Microsoft recently stopped production on the first and second generation Zune players; it will focus entirely on the Zune HD from here on out. The early reviews for the Zune HD are positive – it has a nice screen and the touch features work well. The sound quality is good and it will have some integration with Xbox Live. The Zune HD will come in 16 and 32GB models and will both be priced cheaper than their Apple-branded rivals. The rivals will be the 16 and 32GB models of the iPod touch.
Can Microsoft succeed with its new, focused strategy on single segment in the portable media market? That all depends on what sort of extras it can fit into the product’s software. It is my understanding that there will be an application store for the Zune HD and there are rumors that Microsoft has been attempting to lure app developers away from the iPod touch/iPhone marketplace with money. This is a good strategy at the moment because the iPod touch isn’t really about the music or the video, it is all about the myriad of applications you can easily download. If the Zune HD wants to compete, it will have to become a jack-of-all-trades. Having a version of IE6 that supports Flash and being able to do some sort of integration with the Xbox 360 will simply not be enough to woo people away from its Apple rival.
Today, for instance, I have used my iPod touch for music, I posted information to Facebook, I kept up to date with Twitter using TweetDeck, and I used The Weather Channel’s app to check the forecast and watch a satellite loop of storms in the area. I sent text messages for free with TextPlus, I kept up to date with the latest college football scores with an ESPN application, I used IRChon to chat on IRC, and I updated my Tumblr page – and I did all of this without opening Safari.
Will the Zune HD be able to do all of those things or will Microsoft insist that it only be used to play music and videos? Surely Microsoft has some good programmers on its payroll – if it doesn’t, it certainly has enough money to pay third parties to develop for its platform. The question is, will it?
One last point… Apple is scheduled to hold a media event soon where it is expected that it will release the next iteration of the iPod touch. Rumors point to 16, 32, and 64GB versions, reduced prices, and an integrated camera.
2 Comments
Urban Underbrink
September 9th, 2009
at 7:44am
I think the Zune & i-Pod limit their use much more than my little 8GB Insignia Pilot. Wish I could have a larger screen but cheap reading glasses make it OK. I can put 20 full length movies on 16GB class 6 SD cards without even having the player connected to my computer. I can watch a movie while charging it and it has bluetooth for my headset. Battery lasts a long time per charge and can be replaced. The controls are easy to use so I don’t miss the touchscreen feature that gets the screen messed up. Too bad this model has been discontinued.
Zune80
September 9th, 2009
at 1:53pm
The Zune HD will also be released with a 120 GB hard drive version in addition to the flash memory models.
I have both the iPod Touch 2g and the Zune80. As you said I do very little music and video with the Touch. My Zune 80 does all I need and I feel it sounds and looks better during playback.
Microsoft isn’t trying to be relevant in the mp3 player market they ARE. Millions and Millions of people have a Zune and every person I’ve ever talked to or read about loves theirs.
Financially relevant…sure…Apple has that area covered in total sales and money, but Microsoft knows it has a huge fan base with the Zune and they it’s successful by standards that can’t be measured in dollars.