Zune Doomed?

admin
|
January 09, 2009
|
Share

OK, better sit down for this one.  A big surprise here:  Microsoft may be ready to kill the Zune.  We know: shocker!

According to the FT via SAI :

In digital music... Mr Ballmer seemed all but ready to throw in the towel on the Zune mobile device, which has failed to gain ground on Apple’s iPod. But he suggested that the focus of competition in digital media was moving onto ground that Microsoft understands well: software.

He said that, with the market for dedicated portable media players in decline, the future lay in more “general purpose” devices – such as Apple’s iPhone and touch.

So will Microsoft kill the Zune and focus on it's Danger and Windows Mobile devices?  Sounds like a good long term strategy, even Apple is seeing flattening sales of iPods and most of the innovation is in the Touch/ iPhone area. 

 

Any other opinions out there?

 

Comments (10)

Andrew Chalkley (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 8:43am

...other opinions.

Luis Alejandro Masanti (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 10:08am

"...the focus of competition in digital media was moving onto ground that Microsoft understands well: software."

Of course, you are speaking of the Microsoft DRM subscription models that are so successful!

And after Vista... Microsoft does understand software?

Bambi Blue (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 10:28am

Microsoft has certainly made some major flubb-ups with the Zune both in marketing (or lack thereof?) and of course in the latest leap year fiasco... but, in all honesty, I'll be disappointed if they ditch the Zune altogether. I have a 120GB one and I love it more than is natural and healthy. I switched out my iPod Touch for it, in fact, just for its compatibility with my Xbox and television and PC - and I ended up finding its UI much more impressive than the iPod. There's no hate here for the iPod by any means, but I really did find myself loving the Zune more.

Polarbear (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 10:33am

I remember all those MS employees making a big deal about throwing out their iPods in demonstration! Haha. I bet all those Micro$oft employees really feel short changed now!!!

Do you think people will one day wake up and realize that Microsoft does not equal quality?

LD (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 11:32am

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-9873218-27.html

And my CAPTCHA was incorrect. Yay!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 11:57am

OH NOOOO...... :D

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 3:44pm

It's trailing-edge technology; it's felt "wedged in" since day one, and it's a money-loser.

Actually, maybe they *will* focus on it.

EuphApple (not verified) | January 09, 2009 - 11:19pm

I'll kill it if they don't...

My CAPTCHA was incorrect 2 times. Yay!

powers | January 11, 2009 - 9:16am

This thing was doomed from the very beginning.

ntvnat (not verified) | January 12, 2009 - 10:32am

Believe it or not, having lived all these years w/out an MP3 player (I'm 33) because I'm use to listening to music chained to a desktop (no, not really) because I'm not sure if I'd actually use it on-the-go, I've toyed w/ the concept of Zune. I've never been able to embrace if for a few reasons; ugliness a glaring obvious believe it or not (I know that's not the main reason people overlook Zune). I'm glad I never took that plunge. I think I'll go for the iPod touch.