Zune + Groove

[JayAgostino]

Microsoft is a company that I tend to avoid. Nowadays, most of their products don't impress me whatsoever. I've been on Apple's turf for more than a decade now, but the one thing I actually miss from Microsoft's "ecosystem" was the Zune (and to a lesser extent, Groove). It almost had all of the things that the iPod didn't have (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc).

Unfortunately, it came at a time when the iPhone was right around the corner. If the Zune had been released just a couple years beforehand, it could've been much more a success. At its peak, the Zune was the 2nd most popular music player, right behind the iPod! Maybe the color choices turned people off...

And then there's Groove! It was the perfect example of a music streaming service. The interface was simple and only contained the essentials. Along with having such a beautiful design, it had one of the largest music catalogs of any streaming service. Microsoft really outdid themselves!

 

[Cmaier]

“Right behind the ipod?” By 2008 Apple sold nearly 2x as many iPods per month than Microsoft sold Zunes since they were invented. By that point, there had been 140 million iPods sold, and only 2 million Zunes.

The problem with Zune was mostly timing - too late to compete with iPod and not good enough to compete with iPhone/iPod Touch.

 

[JayAgostino]

“Right behind the ipod?” By 2008 Apple sold nearly 2x as many iPods per month than Microsoft sold Zunes since they were invented. By that point, there had been 140 million iPods sold, and only 2 million Zunes.

The bar was very low.

 

[Nycturne]

The problem with Zune was mostly timing - too late to compete with iPod and not good enough to compete with iPhone/iPod Touch.

This. I had to scrimp and save in college to get an iPod 3rd Gen to replace my aging CD player. Zune wasn't even an option until after I graduated and was working. I used that iPod until the iPhone got good enough to replace it.

Here's the thing about building good quality products that last: while you might not be able to sell them a new one as often, neither can your competitors.

 

[Hrafn]

I was never really “welcomed to the social”, and I didn’t want to “squirt” data…

 

[Cmaier]

I was never really “welcomed to the social”, and I didn’t want to “squirt” data…

Yeah, there was some cringeworthy marketing going on

 

[Cmaier]

I actually had the nomad thing that looked like a sony discman but was blue. It had more features! It was cheaper! etc.

Problem was, it was garbage. UI was a mess, it constantly required rebuilding of the catalog because all your songs would disappear, etc.

When iPod became available for non-macs, i got one. I ended up upgrading to newer models a couple of times over the years, then I really stopped listening to music on-the-go anyway.

What’s more interesting to me, in an alternative universe, is what would have happened if Microsoft had realized that different devices need different user interfaces earlier. I had a compaq Pocketpc, which I used a lot, but it was essentially a giant kludge compared to the technologically-inferior but far easier-to-use palm stuff that i eventually switched to. Microsoft was so busy trying to cram “it’s windows!” onto pdas and phones that it completely missed the boat on a giant market.

 

[JayAgostino]

Yeah, there was some cringeworthy marketing going on

You clearly haven't seen the marketing for the Kin yet!


That device deserves a thread of its own.

 

[Nycturne]

I absolutely remember my Windows Mobile device that really tried hard to look like Windows XP.

 

[Citysnaps]

You clearly haven't seen the marketing for the Kin yet!


That device deserves a thread of its own.

And then there's this one, with Springsteen, Clemons, and Van Zandt. Vista, gotta get me some!