Six: Zune Takes a Bite Out of Apple's Market Share
Well, at least a nibble
In a rather angry state, I recently blogged that the Zune just might work. Why? Because my Sony Jellybean Walkman MP3 player died, and I was ticked off. Yeah, I know, not exactly rational thinking, but the original statement stands. Not because I'm annoyed with my busted Sony player, but because Microsoft should be commended for trying something different in the digital music market.
The Zune started life as the Xboy, Microsoft's rumored first venture into a realm dominated by Nintendo's DS. Although many gamers - this one included - salivated at the possibility of handheld Halo, the Xboy proved to be nothing more than speculation, and what emerged from that eventually took the form of the more realistic Zune. Although there's still the intention of releasing games for the Zune, Microsoft's new 30 GB player is primarily about music, and is the first real challenger to the iPod in portable devices featuring hard drives.
So, what makes the Zune different? Well, it ain't the look. Microsoft's handheld isn't strikingly sleek or sexy, and while it's not butt-ugly, the device hasn't revolutionized the visual flair introduced by Apple some time ago. Instead, the difference comes from one little feature that has people talking about the Zune: Wi-Fi.
As you may have already read in this review, I felt the explosion of wireless Internet was the tenth biggest story of 2006, and I'm sure many others would agree. Microsoft clearly did, making Wi-Fi capabilities the heart of its new player. Let's face it, without the ability to wirelessly transfer songs to friends, the Zune is little more than a blockier version of the iPod. However, swapping songs - even if it's just for three days - gives the Zune an ability that acts like a movie rental. If users like the songs they are testing out, they can buy each of them for a buck. It's an idea that isn't much different than Blockbuster, and I suspect that whole venture has worked out pretty well.
The numbers don't lie. Although slight, iPod market dominance is down from last year, and the Zune is growing, albeit slowly. If it can act upon the differences that make the Zune unique, Microsoft might be sitting on a Gizmo highlight for our 2007 Year in Review, too.
