A Zunester’s response (Microsoft employee)

October 29, 2006 By

One of my favorite employees at Microsoft was David Caulton. His analysis of various things was always interesting. Here he responds to my post about Microsoft’s Zune. He was the guy who showed off Apple’s iPod in a meeting I was in.

What I mean by conversationality is “will someone who is sitting next to me in the Seattle Airport ask me what that cool new thing I’m wearing is all about?”

The white headphones caused those kinds of conversations. I saw them happen multiple times (I agree that they won’t happen anymore cause white headphones are so commonplace).

If a product causes conversations to happen, then it’ll see more adoption quicker.

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  • rahrens

    The Zune won’t succeed against the iPod for several reasons. Like all the other so called “iPod killers”, it doesn’t have the vertical integration that the iPod and the iTunes system can boast. The iPod has multiple models for different price points and different use styles. The iPod’s DRM is minimal and unobtrusive, and it will play formats the Zune won’t. The iPod is cross platform, the Zune isn’t. The Zune won’t even let you share your own CD ripped songs without saddling it with the lame DRM limits of three days/three plays.

    And, I mean, brown? Come on…

  • rahrens

    The Zune won’t succeed against the iPod for several reasons. Like all the other so called “iPod killers”, it doesn’t have the vertical integration that the iPod and the iTunes system can boast. The iPod has multiple models for different price points and different use styles. The iPod’s DRM is minimal and unobtrusive, and it will play formats the Zune won’t. The iPod is cross platform, the Zune isn’t. The Zune won’t even let you share your own CD ripped songs without saddling it with the lame DRM limits of three days/three plays.

    And, I mean, brown? Come on…

  • rahrens

    The Zune won’t succeed against the iPod for several reasons. Like all the other so called “iPod killers”, it doesn’t have the vertical integration that the iPod and the iTunes system can boast. The iPod has multiple models for different price points and different use styles. The iPod’s DRM is minimal and unobtrusive, and it will play formats the Zune won’t. The iPod is cross platform, the Zune isn’t. The Zune won’t even let you share your own CD ripped songs without saddling it with the lame DRM limits of three days/three plays.

    And, I mean, brown? Come on…

  • Podesta

    Kudos to Rob Stevens for not claiming that a product he owns (tablet PC) is a comer for market share just because he owns one.

    Sam Collins, on the other hand, seems to have never heard the word ‘antitrust.’ Sounds like he thinks Microsoft is God and prays to it every night. There are definitely anticompetitive behaviors Microsoft can’t engage in.

    Diego, there was a recent article in the NYT about the trend of people taking their laptops to bed with them. I’ll wager they were Macs-:).

    Rahrens is simply. . .right.

    As for the link to the Zune blogger, it is notable only for the fact that the fellow doesn’t actually say much of anything at all. Maybe he is afraid of Microsoft.

  • Podesta

    Kudos to Rob Stevens for not claiming that a product he owns (tablet PC) is a comer for market share just because he owns one.

    Sam Collins, on the other hand, seems to have never heard the word ‘antitrust.’ Sounds like he thinks Microsoft is God and prays to it every night. There are definitely anticompetitive behaviors Microsoft can’t engage in.

    Diego, there was a recent article in the NYT about the trend of people taking their laptops to bed with them. I’ll wager they were Macs-:).

    Rahrens is simply. . .right.

    As for the link to the Zune blogger, it is notable only for the fact that the fellow doesn’t actually say much of anything at all. Maybe he is afraid of Microsoft.

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