Bye Bye Zune: Microsoft Exits Media Player Market

[Woochifer]

Bye Bye Zune: Microsoft Exits Media Player Market

[filecat13]

Microsoft made an MP3 player, and you could squirt your friends with your social?

OMG! They can't stop making that! Is there a petition or something?

[Jimmy B]

I am in mourning over this, I won't buy "I" products. First RIO now Zune. Still have my first Rio and 3 Zunes, should be good for a while.
Jimmy B

[RGA]

Well I have an iPod classic and it's kind of too bad - against my better judgment I caved and bought the iPod - which is a big pile of caca. The interface is ok but the loading of songs and itunes is terrible - my sandisk for $39 was and still is far easier to use and sounds just as good and it took a single AAA battery which was nice. Damn rechargeables.

The zune at least had a radio built in. Don't know about the rest of it but something tells me you could drag and drop files in nice and easy - unlike the stoooopid sync I have to do with the stoooopid iPod. And then when I tried to put ONE song on it from another computer the iPod wanted to delete everything first - stooooopid. If it wasn't for the car hook-up I would have tossed the damn thing.

Apple is better my arse!

[Woochifer]

Microsoft made an MP3 player, and you could squirt your friends with your social?

OMG! They can't stop making that! Is there a petition or something?

Yeah, the squirting feature was about as dumb a feature as I've seen. Sure, you can share music with other Zunes, but the files self-destructed after 3 plays. Even MS abandoned the squirting feature when they introduced the Zune HD.

The Zune was MS' last gasp to lock digital media down around their proprietary formats and DRM schemes. The rest of the industry has moved on.

I am in mourning over this, I won't buy "I" products. First RIO now Zune. Still have my first Rio and 3 Zunes, should be good for a while.

You might not have a whole lot of choices. The standalone media player market is losing ground fast, and the profit margins have all but disappeared. All you're left with is the iPod and a lot of commodified junk, and Apple can still make money off the segment because most of their sales have shifted over to the iPod Touch.

Well I have an iPod classic and it's kind of too bad - against my better judgment I caved and bought the iPod - which is a big pile of caca. The interface is ok but the loading of songs and itunes is terrible - my sandisk for $39 was and still is far easier to use and sounds just as good and it took a single AAA battery which was nice. Damn rechargeables.

The zune at least had a radio built in. Don't know about the rest of it but something tells me you could drag and drop files in nice and easy - unlike the stoooopid sync I have to do with the stoooopid iPod. And then when I tried to put ONE song on it from another computer the iPod wanted to delete everything first - stooooopid. If it wasn't for the car hook-up I would have tossed the damn thing.

I'll agree that iTunes leaves a lot to be desired, but at the same time, it doesn't diminish the quality of the unit itself. I've tried other media players, and none of them can match the simplicity of the clickwheel interface.

With my iPod nano, I load everything using playlists. And if I want to play something more random, I use the Genius playlist feature, which automatically generates a playlist based on a favorite song. I've rediscovered a lot of music in that process.

But, as I've said on this and other threads, the media player market is a ship headed back to port. Microsoft never should have forged ahead with the Zune because it did not bring any innovation to an already declining market. They abandoned their PlaysForSure partners, and helped kill the Rio line in the process.

Apple can forge ahead and still make money in the media player market because most iPods sold are now the Touch models, which cost more and can run iOS apps and function as a wi-fi internet device. My wife uses her iPod Touch primarily for playing games, checking her e-mail, listening to podcasts, and sometimes using our bedroom clock (which has an iPod dock) as an internet radio.

[winston]

I have the old 80 GB Zune "that I won on ebay from Cowboom for 68 bucks,they'r a part of the best buy group of company" it was looking new with all the original stuff,

I loves this thing, without comparing it others, IMO the picture quality is very good, and it gives me the option to registered as a guest or sync. I love that about it (because the guest option puts me in charge of the "Zune")

drag and drop files is easy for me to do, my Zune is a little heavy compared to the ipod but it feels expensive!! and yes the built in radio is a nice touch, listening to music using the (Koss portapro) blends nicely with the Zune

that said, as long as I can still update the Zune, A ipod will not be on my shopping lists.

[Worf101]

Another one bites the dust. I've bought everything BUT an "I" product for my family since inception, Zen's, Zunes, Insigina's... sigh... Only the Zune has stood up to my son's penchant for destruction. Shame to lose them But hey, they'll be cheap now, guess I'll "stock up".

Worf

[WalterS]

Quick...fail. Microsoft hasn't been able to break successfully into a portable market yet. They should play off the x-box and move that up into portable audio.

[macrosoft]

Now i am wonder how Nokia is going to deal with their WP7/8 phones that should have Zune build in.

[Hosternokke]

They will be integrating Zune in Windows Phone 7.5 along with Xbox and all other (Live,Bing) platforms.
I hope for their sake the integration is good and usable.
Microsoft knows how to integrate business software but consumer software is a completely different ball game.

[lizard54]

I can't say I am surprised, there are plenty of MP3 players on the market if your not an iPod fan. This scenario reminds me of a Family Guy episode where Lois's dad had Bill Gates over for a party and says "Hey Bill will you help me program my Zune? Haha, just kidding I have an iPod like everybody else". I was not really for getting an iPod but I ended up getting one for x-mas a few years back and it is great, now I cannot see myself without one. Out of curiosity what is it about Apple products that you guys don't like?