How should Microsoft tweak their Zune to be more competitive
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
After writing the
recent entry on why Zune is not exactly a competitive competitor for the all popular iPod, I've received responses regarding the article, and they also pointed out major flaws in Zune. Today, I'll talk about steps I think that are helpful in making Zune more competitive in front of iPod:
1. Support for Mac. If Microsoft says that ZuneMarket won't support Mac, then I would probably understand their problems in writing a completely different code for Mac, but it will not be even compatible with Mac, meaning that you can't access the Zune on Mac - be it uploading music or using as a removable hard drive. This would definitely be seen as hostile to the growing Mac community. They would opt for an iPod when they want to buy a MP3 player simply because they can't use the Zune on their Mac. Even for a Windows user like myself, I wouldn't consider a Zune because many of my friends use Mac, and my school uses Mac. If Microsoft want Zune to be a hit in the market, support for Mac, at least player compatibility, is vitally important.
2. Open up restricted Wifi. According to all sources, we can't transfer data from the computer to Zune via Wifi, we can never share video with friends through Wifi, and we will get a crippled music sharing capability of only 3 days for free listening. I can understand the latter was under intense pressure from blood-sucking music industry, but the formals can definitely be improved on. If the sole purpose of Wifi is to listen to friend's music for 3 days, they should just strip the feature. They must unrestrict the Wifi to have an edge on iPod. With fully functional Wifi, one can host streaming music from our favorite playlist, and individuality is what we, the teenagers, want.
3. Enable third-party firmware support. Zune will definitely be much more desired than iPod if they can officially or unofficially support third-party firmware like RockBox, since that will be the opposite attitude of Apple. With third-party firmware, many features can be fully exploited; I would expect a web browser and several IM clients then.
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Author: Bo Tian » Comments:
Zune is NOT a killer
Monday, October 09, 2006
And will never be. Since the start of this Microsoft Zune commotion, we've heard exciting features like Wifi, connectivity with Xbox 360, H264 and many others. Of course, availability of Wifi is the most anticipated. Before we analyze the Zune, let's take a look on why the iPod reigned:
The best aesthetic - everyone must agree that the iPods have the best aesthetics in the world of MP3 players, Video, Mini, Nano, Shuffle and previous generations, even if you're bored with it or whatever. Teens usually 'like' the looks before exploring the features, and this actually gave Apple an advantage over other talented manufactures like Creative and iRiver.
Good marketing strategies - Apple engaged in extensive markting strategies like advertisements, and endosement deals with U2. I must say that their advertisements are really creative in a cool way, and that inrease the prestige and awareness of their iPod series.
Cheap pricing - all Apple's iPods are made in China by Foxconn; their workers work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, and earning $50 a month. I just couldn't think a way to farther cut down the cost without employing slavery.
Collaboration with software - their iTunes is a big success though it's buggy and resource hogging. Podcast actually helped iTunes to attract many more users though it wasn't invented by Apple. With the recent introduction of movie store, games store and TV shows store, the success is going to be greater.
Now, let's compare these with the Microsoft Zune. Exterior design of Zune is definitely ugly by any standard or definition, there's no need for me to farther elaborate on this point. Marketing strategies? Maybe, but more creative than Apple? I doubt so. Microsoft may be good marketers of their Windows or Office, but when it comes to entertainment products, I seriously doubt that they can do a better job than Apple, or even better than Creative's decision to let a porn star to endose their products.
Zune is 99 cents more expensive than a video with the same capacity. Made in Japan and by Toshiba are definitely advantages but it won't last for long. Most would believe that Microsoft makes a loss whenever a Zune is sold, just like their Xboxes. So while Apple is happily selling iPods for a huge profit, Microsoft is making a loss. They can lose for 3 years, but anything longer is just inpractical. So watch out for ways that Microsoft is going to squeeze some profits from consumers.
Ok, the software part is tricky. While Microsoft has proven to us that they can make less than safe software, Apple demonstrated an equal mastery in making bad software, their iTunes for example. While Apple owns Disney, literally, Microsoft seems to have strong support in their Marketplace as well. So it's probably equal in this field.
UPDATE: Both sell copyright-protected medias, so I would rather choose
allofmp3.com for my music needs.
Other than those, the Zune has other useful features which I obviously doubt so. Yes, a customer will 'wow' when they first hear Wifi in a MP3, and to a lesser extent, H.264. But when we wake up, how useful is Wifi when we can't even connect to a computer, let alone a hotspot? How useful is HD on a 3" screen?
Zune is an iPod killer? I'm just at a loss of words for that.
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Author: Bo Tian » Comments:
