Zune Too Soon? - Unconfirmed rumors
(Page 3 of 4 )
Some little birds whisper that the Zune will support video gaming, satellite radio and video viewing. This could help make the Zune a desirable high tech gadget; whether it will steal market share is another story.
Zune has the tech press rooting for it. They like gadgets and they love a good brawl more. Also on its side are eexecutives at major record labels who want to see Apple's dominance of the digital music market reduced, especially since Apple resisted new pricing schemes that may have had iTunes users paying more to buy tracks.
Fight club? No contest.
The funny thing is that the fight may never materialize. Users of Apple products have always being fanatically loyal, and if said trend continues, Microsoft may just capture everything that Apple left over. This may leave companies like Creative, Gremlin and Zing getting a bigger bruising than they are getting currently, while the "iPod killer" is ignored by iPod users. But Microsoft will of course bring its years of market warfare experience into this fray. Hopefully Apple will call on its many years of experience in fighting a losing battle between their OSX and Windows as sufficient training to take on the Redmond Giants.
Tactics that Microsoft could bring to the table include underpricing the Zune to get market share (Remco shared that one with us) then jacking up the price with the excuse of R & D costs. They could also offer a free straight swap to WMA for purchased iTunes music. This could encourage iPod users to switch since music sold on iTunes is not compatible with non-Apple products.
Opponents
Opponents of the Zune include Apple users and everyone who thinks Microsoft is too influential. They may also include every other maker of MP3 players, who may see the industry divided two ways. Apple (the company) is taken for granted , but as of October 14 they had no comment.
Possible Errors
I like new gadgets. If I previewed new equipment for a living (alas, it's just a passion) I would never be bored; for now my own problem is finding enough new stuff! But on close inspection, I think the Zune has gone wrong in at least one aspect.
Branding Error
The Zune may come out as an MP3 player, but as time goes on, and if unconfirmed reports are true, it may be the brand name for a whole line of portable digital equipment (including a mobile phone!). This could batter the long term value of the brand, and at the end of the day, the portable media player war is going to be one of branding -- the best brand will win, not necessarily the most superior product. If Microsoft makes the mistake of pasting Zune on everything, users may soon get confused about what a Zune is, and will always remember what an iPod is.
Next: iPod lookalike, without the logo >>
More Mobile Devices Articles
More By Akinola Akintomide
