As the owner of a 80gb Zune, I've been very excited about the news of a touchscreen Zune coming, the rumored Zune HD. The idea of Microsoft taking a serious step forward with the Zune and taking on one of Apple's top products is really exciting! Zune has already caught the iPod by surprise with the 16gb Flash Zune, so much so that Apple copied the screen ratio and storage size for the Nano. One thing that concerns me however, is the attitude I'm seeing from Zune owners who think that our beloved player is going to somehow take out, or at least take a significant share of the PMP market from the iPod. We need to face facts here people, this is *NOT* going to happen! Not with this next software and hardware revision, and not within the next year.
The reasons are simple, two-fold, and tied together: Apple marketing and the Cult of iPod. Apple made the iPod both chic and trendy, and no other PMP has been able to touch it. Apple made damn near everyone want an iPod! That's marketing at its best, people! They screw over their client base with each new generation and people eat it up and come back for more. They force their fans to buy their overpriced iPod accessories or those made by third party manufacturers, and people complain but hand over their wallets anyway. This has never been so obvious as now with the new Shuffle.
And its only going to get worse.
What Microsoft and Zune really need to do is both ignore the iPod, and point out why the Zune *is* better! Critics has clearly stated that the Zune software is superior to iTunes. The Zune player can do more than the iPod when compared directly to it. These are the things that Microsoft needs to point out to those consumers who haven't sipped from iPod's Kool-Aid. Trying to convert iPod owners to Zune, especially when its still cool and trendy to trash Microsoft, is going to be a waste of time. They need to focus on becoming a strong number two in the PMP marketplace. Once there's no doubt who is number two, THEN go after iPod, but not until.
Microsoft also needs to do the one thing they have yet to do with the Zune: market it cleanly and efficiently. No more avant-garde, dreamy BS. The Zune commercials from the last ad campaign were embarassing! No more people dancing around in silly rabbit costumes, or floating through scene after scene that doesn't show what your player can actually do. Instead, follow the current PC ad campaign and show real people using the Zune and showing what it can actually do. Show someone watching their favorite shows while on the morning commute that they recorded on their Media Center PC the night before. Show a group of friends trading songs with each other over wi-fi, directly Zune to Zune. Show someone going from their favorite playlist to FM radio. More importantly, get the player into the hands of musicians and celebrities! Apple had U2. Zune needs to counter that! Maybe Metallica?
In the end, regardless of just how good the Zune is, or how much better it is over the iPod (and yes Apple fanboys, it *is* better!), until Microsoft can properly market the Zune against the competition, its always going to be a distant second to the iPod. No amount of wishful thinking is going to change that. Instead Zunefans, focus on showing the undecided PMP shopper and the disappointed iPod owner just what the Zune has to offer and can really do. THAT will go a lot farther to help the Zune than wishful thinking and outlandish " '09 is the year of the Zune!" statements!
No comments:
Post a Comment