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Let's just picture for a few moments that Zune, the iPod killer, is not manufactured and promoted by Microsoft. Let's imagine that it belongs to a less popular company that wouldn't have the millions of dollars Microsoft is ready to throw on the market in the next five-six years and it can't benefit from the Redmond company's huge marketing power, either.
What is Zune? It's a decent MP3 player with a 3 inch display screen, a 30 GB hard disk, an FM tuner, available in three colors. So far, the only notable thing is the 3 inch display screen which is indeed more than the market offers at the moment. Let's move on because the rest of its features are rather ordinary.
Zune also promises wireless connection, meaning that two people, who possess those kind of players, will be able to exchange among themselves images, music or play lists without having to use any other equipment. But there's of course a limitation, the transferred songs from your classmate, your friend or the stranger you met at the subway, will only be able to be played for three times during the next three days. Alright, it's an interesting facility in a world where social networking plays a very important part. Let's keep in mind the wireless connection and move on.
But move on where? Yeah, there are also several accessories worth to be mentioned, which allows Zune to be connected to a TV, be used as an MP3 player for automobiles, a wireless remote control and an AC adapter. That's all! Wait, there's a just a little something else, called Zune Marketplace, from where one can buy pretty much any song he or sh, can imagine (that's what the marketing team behind the Zune promises).
I think I have already said everything there is to know about Zune. Once again, let's forget Zune is signed by Microsoft and Toshiba (the Japanese company will manufacture the first model of the series and after that, it seems like Microsoft will assume the product entirely). And now let's talk honestly: is there any facility that would determine you to run down to the first store and buy a Zune player? Or open a new browser window and order it from your favorite online store? Personally, I don't think so.
A single search on websites such as PriceGrabber.com or Bizrate.com will convince you that there are dozens of models which have a better hard drive capacity, 2.2 inch display screens, a large scale of accessories and many other facilities.
However, I have to admit that the only considerable thing for me, which could convince me to purchase a Zune, is the wireless connection and maybe the 3 inch display screen, from the moment when the version which supports videos and movies will appear.
Long story short, Zune is an interesting MP3 player, which brings something new and could probably become an interesting choice from a list consisting of models belonging to Philips, Creative, Samsung, Toshiba or iRiver. But Zune is produced by Microsoft, and its ambitions are not reduced to being part of "Others MP3 Players" list. Microsoft aims for a brighter future for Zune, and sees this player as The Only One, a direct competitor for the almighty iPod, the nightmare of all MP3 players producers.
I'm no iPod fan, not even an Apple fan, as I'm not a declared adversary of Microsoft, but honestly, comparing what I know about Zune and what I know about iPod, I can't even imagine how does Microsoft hope to 'bite' from the 80 per cent market share that iPod has at this very moment. With the wireless connection? Let's be serious!
I said it was 'interesting', not revolutionary. Maybe if I could transfer, 20 GB of music for example, on another player (risking to wait a little bit less then an eternity for that) I think Zune would be quite an innovation. The 3 inch display? Indeed the size matters, but the leap from 2.2 inch to 3 inch, is not that impressive.
Microsoft has been dreaming for years to a strong opponent for iPod, but with Zune, the Redmond company proved that hasn't really done its homework. When you start from nowhere with a product and you hope it'll compete with the number one product on the market, you have to be good, you have to be revolutionary, speculate each of your opponent's mistake, each design deficiency. You must identify what consumers don't like about the product you hope to defeat. None of these is to be found in Zune.
Maybe the engineers, or designers, or whomever designed Zune, should've spent more time on forums where people endlessly analyze the advantages and disadvantages of an iPod. I think they could've learn priceless and useful information from there.
Let's say that there is nothing left to invent on the already crowded, MP3 players market, and I admit that nobody is able to reinvent something forever. But if there absolutely no technical argument to catch your rival you can try at least to come up with a breath taking price. Microsoft instead, preferred to be discrete about this fact and no one knows what the price for Zune will be.
With what has Microsoft revealed so far about Zune, they only proved, once again, that they don't want, or they can't, to think 'utside the box' and don't seem to understand what the fight against iPod involves. It doesn't mean just a technological confrontation; it means that you need a revolution in order win a war with Apple.
Compared to other MP3 players, Zune's main distinction is the fact that Microsoft has plenty of money. Once the race begins, Microsoft will try again and again and again to compete with iPod, until they might get bored or they'll run out funds. Whatever comes first!
