Back in September I took a look at the Zune Vs. iPod issue with what we knew at that time on another blog. At the time, based on that (admittedly limited) information, it looked like the Zune had a shot at being a contender this holiday season…
How does it look now that the Zune is officially here?
Not so good.
From Engadget’s “Installing the Zune…sucked” article, to CNN’s less than stellar review (where the anchors even pulled out an iPod Shuffle to praise and show off to the viewing audience) things are not looking good for the Microsoft “iPod Killer”.
When you combine negative reviews with a confusing (and shady) payment system, AND setting an unbelievable precedent by paying studio executives a precentage of hardware sales because quote:
“These devices are just repositories for stolen music, and they all know it,†UMG chairman/CEO Doug Morris says. “So it’s time to get paid for it.†– Universal Music Group
There is little chance that the Zune is going to come out a winner this year. Of course, I already predicted that in my Macworld 2007 predictions article, but really, is anyone reading this surprised by the turn out so far?
When the smoke clears the final sales numbers will tell the real story, but right now, if you’re going to spend $249 on an MP3 player…you’re probably going to want an iPod.
