Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

mikegalos@msn.com — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:45:19 GMT

Or, as Paul summarized his conversation:

Microsoft's plan is to expand the Zune platform to non-Zune devices in the future. But it still plans to continue making and selling Zune-branded media players as well.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

mikegalos@msn.com — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:39:52 GMT

In case anybody was stupid enough to trust robertsjoe's interpretation rather than actually reading Paul's update on the link, here's a relevant part:

==========================

Yes, the company has plans to expand the Zune platform from the PC, Web, and Zune devices to other portable devices, including smart phones, and to the Xbox 360. But it is not exiting the Zune hardware business, contrary to rumors.

"We are going to be in the hardware business going forward," Microsoft Zune marketing director Adam Sohn said.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

Waethorn — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:33:01 GMT

"Little things like "Rated S for Songtastic" when it starts, to the colors over all and the stickers on her notebook."

"Which, incidentally, is a MacBook."

....running (get ready for it....) Windows.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

robertsjoe — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:29:58 GMT

There is nothing there that says, we will not be killing the Zune. "extend"? Sure, that means taking what they have (mostly the software) and using it in other products. They would not say it is dead now, especially with nothing to replace it. The Zune is on its last days.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

lotsamystuff — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:20:42 GMT

"Little things like "Rated S for Songtastic" when it starts, to the colors over all and the stickers on her notebook."

Which, incidentally, is a MacBook. That may be the only good part of the whole thing.

It isn't funny. It's just sad.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

x3haloed — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:46:40 GMT

You scared me for a second there. It was sounding like the hardware was going to be abandoned.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

weedmonk — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:45:36 GMT

All I can say is 'W00t'.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

Lindy — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:33:02 GMT

That add had to be done on purpose. Little things like "Rated S for Songtastic" when it starts, to the colors over all and the stickers on her notebook. The glow in the dark towel and stuff like that would lead me to think they made it that way to be funny.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

boyreinvented — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:18:01 GMT

A pure MS Zune Phone is surely not the sort of thing MS would want to bring out. It would be too heavily compared to the iPhone. However, a Zune like UI on normal Windows Mobile phones is less attention grabbing and less like to be criticised.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

johnpapola — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:32:47 GMT

Zune is nice, but who cares. The Windows Mobile talk that interview is more interesting. I find it very interesting how Microsoft is more and more realizing that Apple's business model is the better one for new devices. Xbox, Zune and now.... Windows Mobile!

bits.blogs.nytimes.com/.../microsoft-expect-fewer-phones-with-windows

Looks like the whole farce of "choice" as a product value that consumers care about is being chucked in favor of hardware/software integration and quality. Microsoft will now be pulling back the amount of phones that run WinMo.

This is an amazing turn of events. It's hard not to recall Ballmer arrogantly laughing and blathering about how the iPhone was "the most expensive phone in the world" and had no chance of capturing major share. I seem to recall him implying that WinMo would/did have 70 or 80% share at that time. Talk about bad forecasting!

Now he's having to realize that Apple has blown past them and is on the way towards utter marginalization of WinMo, with Google sucking the $$ out of the remaining licensing market by giving away the Android OS for free.

So great, role in Zune's very nice media play UI. As Ballmer said, that market is already lost and the converged device market is on it's way to utter dominance by Apple as well. Given that rolling in Zune at best only levels the media playback features, I don't think it will help.

On a pro-MS side note, AT&T's MS-powered U-verse cable box is has the best UI of any digital TV service by a mile.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

gorath — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:31:04 GMT

Well I guess the reason they work in the research departments is because they don;t think like anyone else!

I have to say though, I thought it was very funny, i agree with someone else wlse, who mentioned it's like a SNL skit.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

WebGuy3000 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:09:25 GMT

The Songsmith video is appallingly, excruciatingly awful by any measure. I'm skeptical of any explanation that reasons that they made it appallingly, excruciatingly awful on purpose.

Sometimes I wonder what those guys are thinking. Honestly I do.

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

tayme — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:07:52 GMT

They were getting a good laugh on that one last night on Attack of the Show. I am guessing that some people saw it and said, "Wow, that is so lame that I have to check it out." and others said "Wow, that is so funny that I have to check it out." Either way, it is getting checked out.

--tayme

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

cgdams — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:49:28 GMT

Well, either it's a joke, or it's so incredibly lame that it's funny again.

Either way, i had to grin al lot while watching...

re: Disturbing news for Zune owners? (Update: Microsoft says no)

lotsamystuff — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:32:47 GMT

You can put the "glow in the dark towel" song on your Zune!

It's SYNERGY!

uk.youtube.com/watch

This has to be a joke, right?