Sunday, July 23, 2006

iPod Killer : Zune


photo is plucked form engaget.


Mircosoft has confirmed that it is developing the much rumored "iPod killer" under a new branding Zune which will be stated to lauch later this year. What's interesting about Zune is that it will not be a mere portable music player but "a family of hardware and software products" targeting various digital entertainment services.
The first implementation of this will be the portable music player and digital music service. Additional Zune-branded devices will follow, including a portable video player and, potentially, a portable game device.
If so, it will not complete just against iPod in the mp3 market but also against integrated devices such as the Sony PSP and the Creative Zen Vision. Poor Creative, they are going to be hammered by yet another giant. Maybe, they should focus more on their own product lines than suing competitors.

Another critical feature for me will be wireless conectivity. This will offer almost endless possiblities. MP3 can be easily swapped among strangers within a wireless network in McDonalds! Before you get carried away with glee on the joys of P2P sharing, it's highly likely to be "controlled sharing". 10 people in a hotspot means you are almost restricted to a intranet environment. I suppose given time, modders will find a way to override this switch.
Zune users will be able to view each other's playlists, recommend music and sample tracks in what Stephenson describes as a multifaceted music discovery experience. This capability will extend to the Xbox 360 game console, PCs running Windows Media Center and mobile phones using the Windows Mobile operating system.

But unlike the early P2P space, this sharing will have limitations. Early speculation is that this community-sharing feature would be limited to 10 users in the same hot spot at a time. Virgin Records executive VP Jeff Kempler, while not confirming any specific details of the pending service, says a degree of "controlled sharing" is necessary, as is a willingness to experiment with new business models.
I suppose the millions of music lovers currently held to ransom by the Apple iTunes Music Store will rejoice that they now have more choices. But it remains to be seen if Zune can create the same impact as Xbox as done in the videogames. But it will not be for the lack of trying.
Microsoft will support the Zune launch with a massive advertising and marketing campaign expected to be heavily artist-centric, including several live performances nationwide. Stephenson says the total effort will be on par with that of the Xbox 360 launch, which cost a reported $500 million.
I am sure we will hear more about Zune in the coming months and I think it should be a highly interesting product.













The Microsoft Giant takes a bite of Apple.


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Updated : Photos and more solid info from engadget.
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Full article : Reuters
A comprehensive article "ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ZUNE" at engadget.
The Zune viral marketing site ComingZune.com


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posted by wert | Sunday, July 23, 2006 | Email This!


3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

for sure there will be of a limitation in the usage of the wireless. well, nothing comes free in the world. anyways ive heard about orchard road being hooked up with wireless everywhere. as a wireless user myself, i understand that disruptions within a huge space would be inevitable, due to signals and waves of satelites, walls and partitions that might block up the signals provided. albeit, the convinence of such features but somewhat on the other hand, promotes illegal works (eg. hacking and theft). pretty worrying to a certain extend. anyways, what say you on this?

Mon Jul 24, 12:59:00 AM 2006  
Blogger wert said...

Any technology can be used for "evil" purposes. For example, the car is one of the top killers in the world.(more than 300 daily in China alone)

Instead of fearing technology, we should confront technology. That way, we could be better prepared for the pitfalls.

For me, I am someone who strongly believes in crossing the bridge when I reach there. I think we are still 3-5 years before public wireless networking becomes more mainstream, thus there are still plenty of new development and time to solve security related concerns.

Mon Jul 24, 02:43:00 AM 2006  
Blogger wert said...

....missed out one bit.

Furthermore, security is an on going process. You have to deal new threats as technology evolves. There is no other way round it.

For our society to move foward both socially and technologically, I think we must get rid of the 前怕狼后怕虎 attitude that is so engraved in the Singaporean character.

It's safe and OK only when the government says so. We should be more hands-on to try things out for ourselves and then deciding the merits of each issue by ourselves.

Mon Jul 24, 03:01:00 AM 2006  

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Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to be authorative or clever in any way. It was based on rambling of a half crazed creature, so treat it as such and let it be! I was asked to keep my dangerous thoughts and unbalanced views all in one safe place , and so I did. Objectivity, Accuracy, Responsiblity and any High Standards are certainly not part of this blog's features. However, I must stress that I do not strive to mislead people, confuse people, and much less undermine our national strategy.