A Challenge to the Zune Advocates

October 3, 2007 By

OK, I’m taking quite a bit of heat from the Zune advocates in my comments — lots of them think I’m an idiot for bagging on Microsoft. So, here’s a challenge.

I’ll give you one hour of airtime on ScobleShow.com to make the case for the Zune. You gotta come to my house in Half Moon Bay, CA to do the filming. I’ll treat it just the same as I do any other demos out there. You just bring your devices and explain to the world why these are so cool and why I need to buy one. I’ll even have Patrick bring all his iPods and iPhones so you can have those to compare with, if you’d like.

Call me if you’re interested and have access to one of the new Zunes. If you’re a Microsoft employee or a PR representative even better. I always leave my cell phone on my blog, by the way. It’s over there on the right side of my blog, but my number is 425-205-1921 (local call from Microsoft headquarters! Heh!)

Filed Under: Microsoft Office, Zune
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  • http://www.zunescene.com/ zune scene

    I would if I had one. Bring it Scoobie.

  • http://www.zunescene.com zune scene

    I would if I had one. Bring it Scoobie.

  • http://www.paulcolligan.com/ Paul Colligan

    Smart one sir. Can’t wait to see what happens.

    Paul

  • http://www.paulcolligan.com Paul Colligan

    Smart one sir. Can’t wait to see what happens.

    Paul

  • http://www.xmlaficionado.com/ A.Falk

    So there are actually people who like the zune?

    Can we talk about the new iPod nano instead? My son bought one the other day (to replace his previous old-gen nano) – and loves it 100%. He even spent his own savings to buy one.

    Of course he much rather wanted an iPhone, but after the last 1.1.1 update I didn’t approve that expense… :)

    Plus I’m probably going to buy the next-gen iPhone in the spring of 2008 (or whenever it comes out) and he can have the hand-me-down then.

  • http://www.xmlaficionado.com A.Falk

    So there are actually people who like the zune?

    Can we talk about the new iPod nano instead? My son bought one the other day (to replace his previous old-gen nano) – and loves it 100%. He even spent his own savings to buy one.

    Of course he much rather wanted an iPhone, but after the last 1.1.1 update I didn’t approve that expense… :)

    Plus I’m probably going to buy the next-gen iPhone in the spring of 2008 (or whenever it comes out) and he can have the hand-me-down then.

  • Bill Ferrante

    1 hour to make a point?? I’d say you’re guaranteed 15 min. If you’re onto something, 30min. I’m not sure I could stomach a 1hr defense/demo of any gadget. If there’s a case to be made, 15min should be more than enough.

  • Bill Ferrante

    1 hour to make a point?? I’d say you’re guaranteed 15 min. If you’re onto something, 30min. I’m not sure I could stomach a 1hr defense/demo of any gadget. If there’s a case to be made, 15min should be more than enough.

  • http://www.nigelcooke.com/ monkeyleader

    So I wont be able to make it to your house but expect something on your kyte channel – monkey loves his zune :)

    nige

  • http://www.nigelcooke.com monkeyleader

    So I wont be able to make it to your house but expect something on your kyte channel – monkey loves his zune :)

    nige

  • Jayson Billington

    Microsoft seems to be competing on price rather than for the crown of the best demoing or flashiest device.

    8g/16g iPod Touch $299/$399
    8g/16g Zune2 $149/$199

    Is the featureset of the Touch compelling enough to be worth a 2x price premium? For many, sure – but that doesn’t seem to be the demographic MSFT is after. It looks to me that Microsoft is looking to position the Zune as the Toyota of digital media players while Apple is looking to position the Touch as the Mercedes of dmps.

  • Jayson Billington

    Microsoft seems to be competing on price rather than for the crown of the best demoing or flashiest device.

    8g/16g iPod Touch $299/$399
    8g/16g Zune2 $149/$199

    Is the featureset of the Touch compelling enough to be worth a 2x price premium? For many, sure – but that doesn’t seem to be the demographic MSFT is after. It looks to me that Microsoft is looking to position the Zune as the Toyota of digital media players while Apple is looking to position the Touch as the Mercedes of dmps.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Bill: at the Demo Conference they limit people to six minutes for a reason. I am offering an hour cause I want them to make sure they cover every advantage that they think Zune has over other media players on the market (iPod is hardly the only competition for this, as Chris Coulter pointed out in another thread).

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Jayson: good point. I bought the BMW, the iPhone. :-)

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Bill: at the Demo Conference they limit people to six minutes for a reason. I am offering an hour cause I want them to make sure they cover every advantage that they think Zune has over other media players on the market (iPod is hardly the only competition for this, as Chris Coulter pointed out in another thread).

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Jayson: good point. I bought the BMW, the iPhone. :-)

  • Paolo

    Well, I will give you *two* hours of my time if you come film this at my house in Seattle.

  • Paolo

    Well, I will give you *two* hours of my time if you come film this at my house in Seattle.

  • http://www.georgholzer.at/blog Georg

    I would love to see one hour of Zune. In fact, I am intrigued by the fact that it got podcast-support. Wanna know more about it.
    - Does it show what episodes have already been played?
    - How does the podcast-directory look like. I mean: the do need one, if they are serious about it.
    - What will they offer to podcasters that iTunes doesn’t (like decent statistics or a transparent charts)?

    Any player that brings podcasting to more people is a good player in my mind. And besides this: What could be better than more competition?`

    Greetings from Austria

  • http://www.georgholzer.at/blog Georg

    I would love to see one hour of Zune. In fact, I am intrigued by the fact that it got podcast-support. Wanna know more about it.
    - Does it show what episodes have already been played?
    - How does the podcast-directory look like. I mean: the do need one, if they are serious about it.
    - What will they offer to podcasters that iTunes doesn’t (like decent statistics or a transparent charts)?

    Any player that brings podcasting to more people is a good player in my mind. And besides this: What could be better than more competition?`

    Greetings from Austria

  • http://www.georgholzer.at/blog Georg

    And I forgot the wifi: Imagine people that pass around Scobleshow to others that don’t yet know it. Wouldn’t that be a great promotion-tool for podcasters?

  • http://www.georgholzer.at/blog Georg

    And I forgot the wifi: Imagine people that pass around Scobleshow to others that don’t yet know it. Wouldn’t that be a great promotion-tool for podcasters?

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Paolo: that’s a good deal, but I promised Maryam I wouldn’t travel any more this year. Oh, bonus for coming here, you get to see Milan! He’s a lot more fun than anything we’re talking about here anyway.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Paolo: that’s a good deal, but I promised Maryam I wouldn’t travel any more this year. Oh, bonus for coming here, you get to see Milan! He’s a lot more fun than anything we’re talking about here anyway.

  • Bill Ferrante

    Robert: Very interested to see what your taker will have to say with an hour to play with. I’ll be sure to run the stopwatch on my iPhone so I can let you know when I ceased being interested. ;)

  • Bill Ferrante

    Robert: Very interested to see what your taker will have to say with an hour to play with. I’ll be sure to run the stopwatch on my iPhone so I can let you know when I ceased being interested. ;)

  • murieta

    I will bring my ‘old’ 30g Zune. I owned both iPod and Zune and took the iPod back. iPod to flimsy and fingerprint trap. I can download iTunes podcasts and most importantly my home videos I made on movie maker with very few steps. Also, MS has decided to provide new functions to my old Zune. How cool is that? What is the ETA date on the interview? Does iPhone support my Outlook calendar? ooops

  • murieta

    I will bring my ‘old’ 30g Zune. I owned both iPod and Zune and took the iPod back. iPod to flimsy and fingerprint trap. I can download iTunes podcasts and most importantly my home videos I made on movie maker with very few steps. Also, MS has decided to provide new functions to my old Zune. How cool is that? What is the ETA date on the interview? Does iPhone support my Outlook calendar? ooops

  • murieta

    OK, my bad. I guess it does synch with Outlook. I was told otherwise…hmmmm

  • murieta

    OK, my bad. I guess it does synch with Outlook. I was told otherwise…hmmmm

  • Realistic

    Microsoft has never stated that the first or even the second generation Zunes are expected to beat the iPods to the top of most sold portable media players. Why then compare and complain about a product? If there is room for business even in what seems to be a monopoly market, what’s wrong with that?

  • Realistic

    Microsoft has never stated that the first or even the second generation Zunes are expected to beat the iPods to the top of most sold portable media players. Why then compare and complain about a product? If there is room for business even in what seems to be a monopoly market, what’s wrong with that?

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Realistic: because most people compare products against each other when deciding what to buy. Not to mention it’s fun.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Realistic: because most people compare products against each other when deciding what to buy. Not to mention it’s fun.

  • Andy

    “Microsoft has never stated that the first or even the second generation Zunes are expected to beat the iPods to the top of most sold portable media players.”

    If they don’t beat the iPod, then how do they justify charging the same price for them?

  • Andy

    “Microsoft has never stated that the first or even the second generation Zunes are expected to beat the iPods to the top of most sold portable media players.”

    If they don’t beat the iPod, then how do they justify charging the same price for them?

  • http://ziggysbranch.spaces.live.com/ Civisi

    I am eagerly awaiting my purchase of a Zune 80. I wanted a Zune 30, but I refuse to buy first gen hardware. As I stated in a recent blog post on my site, http://ziggysbranch.spaces.live.com:

    Why I stick with Microsoft
    I’ve been holding out for the second generation Zune media player. Now that reports are coming in, I’m glad I waited, but also a little upset with missed opportunities on my part.

    Microsoft is a leader in the PC world. But many people claim, and rightfully so, that their leadership is also a weakness. When Microsoft releases a new version of Windows or Media Player, it can’t just drop support for everything the previous player supported. Microsoft makes a strong attempt to allow you to run your old programs on the newest version of Windows. If they had a small market share, they could get away with losing backwards compatibility. Like Apple. Apple had to create a Classic mode for OS X to support OS 9 applications. When Firefox releases an update, many of the extensions break and have to be rewritten. When Apple updates their iPods, some of the accessories for previous versions lose functionality. Not so with Microsoft.

    The new Zunes are having information published now, and it looks like the original Zune will receive the same updates as the new ones. And the accessories that worked with the old Zunes will work with the new ones. Microsoft understands that people (like me) can’t afford to buy a new media player and associated accessories every year. My only media player is a $15 512-MB SanDisk MP3 player that I bought from http://www.Woot.com. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have gotten the $130 Zune from Woot.com. But that time has passed and I didn’t know then what I know now. Regardless, I have just added a black Zune 80 to my Christmas list. It might be the only thing I get for Christmas, but that’s okay.

    Find more information about the Zune from the fabulous Paul Thurott at http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/zune2_preview.asp

  • http://ziggysbranch.spaces.live.com Civisi

    I am eagerly awaiting my purchase of a Zune 80. I wanted a Zune 30, but I refuse to buy first gen hardware. As I stated in a recent blog post on my site, http://ziggysbranch.spaces.live.com:

    Why I stick with Microsoft
    I’ve been holding out for the second generation Zune media player. Now that reports are coming in, I’m glad I waited, but also a little upset with missed opportunities on my part.

    Microsoft is a leader in the PC world. But many people claim, and rightfully so, that their leadership is also a weakness. When Microsoft releases a new version of Windows or Media Player, it can’t just drop support for everything the previous player supported. Microsoft makes a strong attempt to allow you to run your old programs on the newest version of Windows. If they had a small market share, they could get away with losing backwards compatibility. Like Apple. Apple had to create a Classic mode for OS X to support OS 9 applications. When Firefox releases an update, many of the extensions break and have to be rewritten. When Apple updates their iPods, some of the accessories for previous versions lose functionality. Not so with Microsoft.

    The new Zunes are having information published now, and it looks like the original Zune will receive the same updates as the new ones. And the accessories that worked with the old Zunes will work with the new ones. Microsoft understands that people (like me) can’t afford to buy a new media player and associated accessories every year. My only media player is a $15 512-MB SanDisk MP3 player that I bought from http://www.Woot.com. Knowing what I know now, I wish I would have gotten the $130 Zune from Woot.com. But that time has passed and I didn’t know then what I know now. Regardless, I have just added a black Zune 80 to my Christmas list. It might be the only thing I get for Christmas, but that’s okay.

    Find more information about the Zune from the fabulous Paul Thurott at http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/zune2_preview.asp

  • Rich

    It won’t work with my Mac, so it’s a complete nonstarter for me.

    How hard could it be to make this thing cross-platform? Does Microsoft even have a CLUE how many college students are buying Macs these days?

  • Rich

    It won’t work with my Mac, so it’s a complete nonstarter for me.

    How hard could it be to make this thing cross-platform? Does Microsoft even have a CLUE how many college students are buying Macs these days?

  • Ian Ceicys

    Robert,
    I would take your Zune challenge and I actually work for Microsoft and remember you when you were just an MVP, and just the channel9 guy.

    However, there are significant challenges in attempting to respond to your challenge…and you already know many of them from a Microsoft policy standpoint, which is why I think that your challenge is just a non-starter.

    I would love to come visit your house in Half Moon Bay, CA.

    Keep the conversation about Zune up, if anything it keeps people talking.

  • Ian Ceicys

    Robert,
    I would take your Zune challenge and I actually work for Microsoft and remember you when you were just an MVP, and just the channel9 guy.

    However, there are significant challenges in attempting to respond to your challenge…and you already know many of them from a Microsoft policy standpoint, which is why I think that your challenge is just a non-starter.

    I would love to come visit your house in Half Moon Bay, CA.

    Keep the conversation about Zune up, if anything it keeps people talking.

  • Rohit

    Time to leave this post and drop the feed. When people start to review a product which they have never see, its time to move on.

    See Ya

  • Rohit

    Time to leave this post and drop the feed. When people start to review a product which they have never see, its time to move on.

    See Ya

  • Jim

    After owning an iPod and using iTunes I switched to a Creative Zen 60GB and WMP about a year ago and never looked back. I’t just not that big of a deal. iPods+iTunes, whatever. Get over it. Apple loves lock in – that’s been the cornerstone of their stratgy for years. Get out while you can. I think the new Zunes look like great products. And with my current set up I can choose a Zune or just about any other media player out there and not worry about any compatiblity issues. It’s a great place to be.

  • Jim

    After owning an iPod and using iTunes I switched to a Creative Zen 60GB and WMP about a year ago and never looked back. I’t just not that big of a deal. iPods+iTunes, whatever. Get over it. Apple loves lock in – that’s been the cornerstone of their stratgy for years. Get out while you can. I think the new Zunes look like great products. And with my current set up I can choose a Zune or just about any other media player out there and not worry about any compatiblity issues. It’s a great place to be.

  • http://jamiethomson.spaces.live.com/ Jamie T

    Robert,
    I’d love to take you up on your offer but I don’t live in Half Moon Bay. Or California. Or even the USA come to that :)
    Oh and I don’t have a Zune 2. Arf! I hope MSFT take you up on your offer but I suspect that they won’t because they know that in a straight head-to-head (i.e. device-to-device) comparison they won’t win. As I’ve said elsewhere, the Zune’s strength lies in its ability to cross-pollinate with other products.

    I’ve already bored all and sundry too much with my views on this so I’ll stop now.

    Dan “October 4, 2007 @ 7:29 am” – uncalled for!

    -Jamie

  • http://jamiethomson.spaces.live.com Jamie T

    Robert,
    I’d love to take you up on your offer but I don’t live in Half Moon Bay. Or California. Or even the USA come to that :)
    Oh and I don’t have a Zune 2. Arf! I hope MSFT take you up on your offer but I suspect that they won’t because they know that in a straight head-to-head (i.e. device-to-device) comparison they won’t win. As I’ve said elsewhere, the Zune’s strength lies in its ability to cross-pollinate with other products.

    I’ve already bored all and sundry too much with my views on this so I’ll stop now.

    Dan “October 4, 2007 @ 7:29 am” – uncalled for!

    -Jamie

  • dan

    Jamie… Sorry but I speaks the truth… Besides HMB isn’t that great, as evidenced by the Scobelizer having to name drop it. Also, MS “won’t win”? Why is that?

    Hey Robert, do something semi-useful and create a pretty chart. Zune on one side, ipod on the other and list the features, pros, cons, etc. Lets the people decide… as if any of this matters. Use the comparison charts at dpreview.com for inspiration.
    Don’t forget to add a check mark in the ipod section for blind zealotry and call it a con.

    Cheers!

  • dan

    Jamie… Sorry but I speaks the truth… Besides HMB isn’t that great, as evidenced by the Scobelizer having to name drop it. Also, MS “won’t win”? Why is that?

    Hey Robert, do something semi-useful and create a pretty chart. Zune on one side, ipod on the other and list the features, pros, cons, etc. Lets the people decide… as if any of this matters. Use the comparison charts at dpreview.com for inspiration.
    Don’t forget to add a check mark in the ipod section for blind zealotry and call it a con.

    Cheers!

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