Comments on: Non-Surprise: Zune Not Challenging iPod (yet) http://www.stevenlevy.com/index.php/2006/12/13/non-surprise-zune-not-challenging-ipod-yet/ Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:52:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Cameron http://www.stevenlevy.com/index.php/2006/12/13/non-surprise-zune-not-challenging-ipod-yet/#comment-87 Mon, 25 Dec 2006 12:14:01 +0000 http://www.stevenlevy.com/index.php/2006/12/13/non-surprise-zune-not-challenging-ipod-yet/#comment-87 For all the problems that Microsoft has, long-term planning isn't one of them. They have learned that their 1.0 product doesn't have to be the best, hell it doesn't have to be close to being the best. It isn't until 3.0 - 4.0 that they will get the product right. They have plenty of money to invest in new areas for revenue. They know that there dominance in OS's and Office software will not last forever. So they are putting efforts into Xbox and Zune for the future. It won't be untill 2010 that we will see what MS can do with both the Xbox and Zune platform, i think we will all be impressed. As far as DRM lockin on the iPod. Yeah it is silly, but i don't see any reason for Apple to stop. One of the things that has kept the Apple experience so perfect is lockin. If you allowed other online music stores to work with the ipod, Apple would face the problem of a crappy online music experience harming a persons view of the ipod. Just like crappy computers harm the experience of using Windows. Through controlling the whole experience Apple has made something that works perfectly. Others have better music players, but once you factor in the software and online music/video store, the ipod platform wins hands down. Why would Apple want to allow someone else to screw up such a perfect experience? For all the problems that Microsoft has, long-term planning isn’t one of them.

They have learned that their 1.0 product doesn’t have to be the best, hell it doesn’t have to be close to being the best. It isn’t until 3.0 - 4.0 that they will get the product right.

They have plenty of money to invest in new areas for revenue. They know that there dominance in OS’s and Office software will not last forever. So they are putting efforts into Xbox and Zune for the future.
It won’t be untill 2010 that we will see what MS can do with both the Xbox and Zune platform, i think we will all be impressed.

As far as DRM lockin on the iPod. Yeah it is silly, but i don’t see any reason for Apple to stop. One of the things that has kept the Apple experience so perfect is lockin. If you allowed other online music stores to work with the ipod, Apple would face the problem of a crappy online music experience harming a persons view of the ipod. Just like crappy computers harm the experience of using Windows.

Through controlling the whole experience Apple has made something that works perfectly. Others have better music players, but once you factor in the software and online music/video store, the ipod platform wins hands down. Why would Apple want to allow someone else to screw up such a perfect experience?

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