Microsoft still clueless with Zune?

Paul Colligan says that Zune (Microsoft’s unreleased new portable media player to compete with Apple’s iPod) has no podcasting features and points that out to me.

Sad that Microsoft still isn’t getting that big-company power will come from letting your customers participate, not just consume. It’s funny, cause some parts of Microsoft are getting it (the Windows Live Writer editor demonstrates that).

What’s funny is that Paul says this makes Zune great for kids. Hmmm, you should have seen what Patrick listened to all week long on our off-the-grid thing last week — Podcasts.

I hope that Microsoft is holding back some podcasting stuff for announcing at launch. But, I won’t be suprised if they don’t get it, either. At least Apple got on the podcasting consumption bus more than a year ago. It’ll be interesting to see which company gets on the podcasting creation bus first.

89 thoughts on “Microsoft still clueless with Zune?

  1. I really hope the Zune takes off … the iPod needs a strong competitor in the market. Probably could have an affect on mobile music player prices too.

    Microsoft needs to focus on the ‘user’ and developing the ‘community’ if they want to compete with the iPod. However, just like you’ve pointed out, MS may have missed the bus on this one.

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  2. I really hope the Zune takes off … the iPod needs a strong competitor in the market. Probably could have an affect on mobile music player prices too.

    Microsoft needs to focus on the ‘user’ and developing the ‘community’ if they want to compete with the iPod. However, just like you’ve pointed out, MS may have missed the bus on this one.

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  3. you could still put podcasts on it though? even if it would a bit harder than with some rss/automatic downloading combination?

    i wonder, is there some sort of internal massive evangelizing going on at microsoft? ie, are there people walking around telling different divisions/teams about new/hot/upcoming/useful/etc technology?

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  4. you could still put podcasts on it though? even if it would a bit harder than with some rss/automatic downloading combination?

    i wonder, is there some sort of internal massive evangelizing going on at microsoft? ie, are there people walking around telling different divisions/teams about new/hot/upcoming/useful/etc technology?

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  5. Do we know anything for sure yet? I hope there is some support for podcasts! But, how can ANYONE (apart from Microsoft, i.e.) be sure that it doesn’t support podcasting?

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  6. Do we know anything for sure yet? I hope there is some support for podcasts! But, how can ANYONE (apart from Microsoft, i.e.) be sure that it doesn’t support podcasting?

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  7. while I will agree that Microsoft missed the boat by not anabling Podcasts I say that from a personal viewpoint that I think is reflected here amongst your readers. However, as bloggers, podcasters, technologists, etc. we are in a reality distortion bubble not necessarily reflective of society as a whole. Whenever I talk about blogging, podcasts, videocasting, etc. to my relatives or to my 15 year old son and his friends they look at me like I am from Mars (okay my son understands but rolls his eyes). Say the words MySpace and they all get that and get excited about it. Try and equate MySpace with blogging and I have lost them. I guess my point is this if you watch an Ipod commercial they don’t point out the coolness of podcasts they talk about music and video and for mainstream America circa 2006/7 my guess is thats still all that matters to most people, especially kds at this point. Sure there is a growing population in tune and one day podcasting and such will be just matter of fact for most people but the tipping I suspect will still not be reached for another 2-3 years. So while I am personally bummed I may not be able to use a Zune (still don’t know that for sure as there is nothing official about that just another bloggers conjecture) I don’t think that in itself will be the issue that drives a version one Zune to success or failure.

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  8. while I will agree that Microsoft missed the boat by not anabling Podcasts I say that from a personal viewpoint that I think is reflected here amongst your readers. However, as bloggers, podcasters, technologists, etc. we are in a reality distortion bubble not necessarily reflective of society as a whole. Whenever I talk about blogging, podcasts, videocasting, etc. to my relatives or to my 15 year old son and his friends they look at me like I am from Mars (okay my son understands but rolls his eyes). Say the words MySpace and they all get that and get excited about it. Try and equate MySpace with blogging and I have lost them. I guess my point is this if you watch an Ipod commercial they don’t point out the coolness of podcasts they talk about music and video and for mainstream America circa 2006/7 my guess is thats still all that matters to most people, especially kds at this point. Sure there is a growing population in tune and one day podcasting and such will be just matter of fact for most people but the tipping I suspect will still not be reached for another 2-3 years. So while I am personally bummed I may not be able to use a Zune (still don’t know that for sure as there is nothing official about that just another bloggers conjecture) I don’t think that in itself will be the issue that drives a version one Zune to success or failure.

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  9. Rob,

    The “kids” comment was a joke. The problem with Microsoft is that they’ve built a product for nbody other than the board room that invented it.

    In terms of which company gets on the Podcast creation bus first, Garageband is Apple’s and the engine behind PodcastTools.com and a few of my other casts. It ain’t pefect, but it is Apple’s – so I suggest they got there first.

    I’m praying for an 11th hour announcement from Microsoft as well. That’s why I put up the ZuneLuv site. I’m hoping that Zune will luv the Podcaster, I’m just not planning on it right now.

    For the Redmond types who are reading this, I’m a FrontPage MVP who has spent the last 2 years trying to get the attention from anyone in the media group to see if I can move the luv over there. You got potential – you got buzz – you got fans … Please don’t screw this up.

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  10. Rob,

    The “kids” comment was a joke. The problem with Microsoft is that they’ve built a product for nbody other than the board room that invented it.

    In terms of which company gets on the Podcast creation bus first, Garageband is Apple’s and the engine behind PodcastTools.com and a few of my other casts. It ain’t pefect, but it is Apple’s – so I suggest they got there first.

    I’m praying for an 11th hour announcement from Microsoft as well. That’s why I put up the ZuneLuv site. I’m hoping that Zune will luv the Podcaster, I’m just not planning on it right now.

    For the Redmond types who are reading this, I’m a FrontPage MVP who has spent the last 2 years trying to get the attention from anyone in the media group to see if I can move the luv over there. You got potential – you got buzz – you got fans … Please don’t screw this up.

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  11. Michael: all things in the tech world start in the bubbles. Remember in 1977 that no one thought we’d need a personal computer, either. I can just imagine someone telling Woz “you live in a bubble, no one will want to buy these things.”

    In the meantime I see people getting excited about Blip.TV and the ability to put content up that they’d never get a TV station to broadcast.

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  12. Michael: all things in the tech world start in the bubbles. Remember in 1977 that no one thought we’d need a personal computer, either. I can just imagine someone telling Woz “you live in a bubble, no one will want to buy these things.”

    In the meantime I see people getting excited about Blip.TV and the ability to put content up that they’d never get a TV station to broadcast.

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  13. Paul, are you SURE that Zune will play music at all? I mean, it’s not like Microsoft officially announced that the device will play music.

    Please, if you have solid information about the lack of certain features, feel free to provide sources or evidence. Otherwise, you’re just contributing to the annoying internet background noise of rumours and echo chambers. (Robert, you’re guilty of this too by picking up unsubstantiated stories 🙂

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  14. The main problem as I see it is that Microsoft tends to think of content only in terms of the business deals it can make to get that content. That’s why you see Microsoft bundling music and videos from major labels and seemingly ignoring the podcasting element altogether: the concept of developing a simple portal for others’ content is still foreign to Microsoft.

    Of course, it doesn’t help that the word “podcast” itself is a perpetual reminder of how Microsoft failed at digital music.

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  15. Paul, are you SURE that Zune will play music at all? I mean, it’s not like Microsoft officially announced that the device will play music.

    Please, if you have solid information about the lack of certain features, feel free to provide sources or evidence. Otherwise, you’re just contributing to the annoying internet background noise of rumours and echo chambers. (Robert, you’re guilty of this too by picking up unsubstantiated stories 🙂

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  16. The main problem as I see it is that Microsoft tends to think of content only in terms of the business deals it can make to get that content. That’s why you see Microsoft bundling music and videos from major labels and seemingly ignoring the podcasting element altogether: the concept of developing a simple portal for others’ content is still foreign to Microsoft.

    Of course, it doesn’t help that the word “podcast” itself is a perpetual reminder of how Microsoft failed at digital music.

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  17. Paolo: I hope we’re both wrong on this one — but you forget that I read Bill Gates’ ThinkWeek papers and I didn’t see any brilliant podcasting ideas coming through that system this year. Willing to be surprised, though!

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  18. Paolo: I hope we’re both wrong on this one — but you forget that I read Bill Gates’ ThinkWeek papers and I didn’t see any brilliant podcasting ideas coming through that system this year. Willing to be surprised, though!

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  19. Nathaniel, yes that is the Zune (very reliable source informs that it is). And yes, it is the most pathetic attempt at a “me to” product I have seen in a long time. The Zune looks precisely like another Marketing Designed-by-Committee gong show that happens when those without innovation in mind want to “kill” another product.

    I will say this again:

    Zune is NOT an iPod killer.

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  20. Nathaniel, yes that is the Zune (very reliable source informs that it is). And yes, it is the most pathetic attempt at a “me to” product I have seen in a long time. The Zune looks precisely like another Marketing Designed-by-Committee gong show that happens when those without innovation in mind want to “kill” another product.

    I will say this again:

    Zune is NOT an iPod killer.

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  21. Robert,

    I can only comment on what I know so…

    The vast majority of the worlds population do NOT listen to podcasts. I do, but that doesn’t mean that Zune should feature them in V1. Hell, the same goes for video. Who watches video when they’re jogging?!

    And you’re right, some people at Microsoft DO get it! Live Writer is easy to use and works out of the box with a small footprint. How cool is that?

    Do Google get it all the time? Is Calendar great? I don’t think so. You said it already.

    My point is? Think outside the box, not every consumer lives the hype.

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  22. Robert,

    I can only comment on what I know so…

    The vast majority of the worlds population do NOT listen to podcasts. I do, but that doesn’t mean that Zune should feature them in V1. Hell, the same goes for video. Who watches video when they’re jogging?!

    And you’re right, some people at Microsoft DO get it! Live Writer is easy to use and works out of the box with a small footprint. How cool is that?

    Do Google get it all the time? Is Calendar great? I don’t think so. You said it already.

    My point is? Think outside the box, not every consumer lives the hype.

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  23. JT: I’d agree with that. I don’t think they have a team that can “get” the media world. But, that might be spilled milk talking since they didn’t take any of my advice when offered before. More on all this after it comes out, though. I really hope we’re both wrong and this thing comes out to be a huge success.

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  24. JT: I’d agree with that. I don’t think they have a team that can “get” the media world. But, that might be spilled milk talking since they didn’t take any of my advice when offered before. More on all this after it comes out, though. I really hope we’re both wrong and this thing comes out to be a huge success.

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  25. Robert, not disagreeing about the bubble as a birthplace. I am a big believer in the media revolution and that Podcasts and Video casts are starting to change the way we are informed/enterained and I have no doubt that they will become over the next number of years the norm in society, especially as the tools and access mediums improve. All I am saying is that I honestly don’t think that at this particular moment in time the ability to handle Podcasts or not will be the deciding factor in whether a music/video device succeeds or fails. I may be wrong but if this device fails I think it will be because of reasons other than that. What those reasons may be, who know. Heck the funny thing is we are all pontificating about a device that none of us knows anything about other than its name.
    So since I am on the whole wild conjecture stage as well one thing to keep in mind is if(and that’s a pretty BIG if) the device is built on the Windows Mobile platform under the hood (again I know nothing about the thing other than the conjecture we have all read)then add on apps, upgrading, etc for things like Podcasting and more would be trivial (just take a look at Handango.com or some other site to see what I mean). Again I could be blowing smoke but I’ll reserve my judgment until I see the thing first hand.

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  26. Robert, not disagreeing about the bubble as a birthplace. I am a big believer in the media revolution and that Podcasts and Video casts are starting to change the way we are informed/enterained and I have no doubt that they will become over the next number of years the norm in society, especially as the tools and access mediums improve. All I am saying is that I honestly don’t think that at this particular moment in time the ability to handle Podcasts or not will be the deciding factor in whether a music/video device succeeds or fails. I may be wrong but if this device fails I think it will be because of reasons other than that. What those reasons may be, who know. Heck the funny thing is we are all pontificating about a device that none of us knows anything about other than its name.
    So since I am on the whole wild conjecture stage as well one thing to keep in mind is if(and that’s a pretty BIG if) the device is built on the Windows Mobile platform under the hood (again I know nothing about the thing other than the conjecture we have all read)then add on apps, upgrading, etc for things like Podcasting and more would be trivial (just take a look at Handango.com or some other site to see what I mean). Again I could be blowing smoke but I’ll reserve my judgment until I see the thing first hand.

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  27. >All I am saying is that I honestly don’t think that at this particular moment in time the ability to handle Podcasts or not will be the deciding factor in whether a music/video device succeeds or fails.

    True. I won’t argue with that.

    I am saying, though, that there’s a growing group of people who are aware of it. I see the trend lines. They are doing nothing but going up.

    Revolutions start small.

    Microsoft still doesn’t understand that, though.

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  28. >All I am saying is that I honestly don’t think that at this particular moment in time the ability to handle Podcasts or not will be the deciding factor in whether a music/video device succeeds or fails.

    True. I won’t argue with that.

    I am saying, though, that there’s a growing group of people who are aware of it. I see the trend lines. They are doing nothing but going up.

    Revolutions start small.

    Microsoft still doesn’t understand that, though.

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  29. Gerry: >The vast majority of the worlds population do NOT listen to podcasts.

    Who the f*** cares? If you thought this way you would have missed every new product category since the beginning of time. You sound like someone who worked at Sylvania back in the 1950s “who will buy a transistor?”

    Or someone who worked at DEC or IBM or HP back in the 1970s “no one will buy a personal computer.”

    Or, one of those guys who used to make fun of me cause I used a Macintosh in school “only girls need a mouse and windows and menus.”

    Go ahead and keep thinking no one uses this newfangled stuff like RSS, podcasting, videoblogging.

    My server logs at Microsoft were proving you wrong (and now that I get to see the ones at PodTech and other places, I can tell you you’re just as wrong as those past naysayers in my life).

    There’s a growing audience looking for podcasting. I noticed at MacWorld that Apple made a big deal about it and blogging. Both are things that Microsoft has struggled to really grok.

    I’m hoping that I’m wrong, though. Which is sorta why I wrote this post in the first place.

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  30. Gerry: >The vast majority of the worlds population do NOT listen to podcasts.

    Who the f*** cares? If you thought this way you would have missed every new product category since the beginning of time. You sound like someone who worked at Sylvania back in the 1950s “who will buy a transistor?”

    Or someone who worked at DEC or IBM or HP back in the 1970s “no one will buy a personal computer.”

    Or, one of those guys who used to make fun of me cause I used a Macintosh in school “only girls need a mouse and windows and menus.”

    Go ahead and keep thinking no one uses this newfangled stuff like RSS, podcasting, videoblogging.

    My server logs at Microsoft were proving you wrong (and now that I get to see the ones at PodTech and other places, I can tell you you’re just as wrong as those past naysayers in my life).

    There’s a growing audience looking for podcasting. I noticed at MacWorld that Apple made a big deal about it and blogging. Both are things that Microsoft has struggled to really grok.

    I’m hoping that I’m wrong, though. Which is sorta why I wrote this post in the first place.

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  31. Hey maybe we should all start pinging J.J Allaire to follow up his Live Writer when it’s baked to put out a Live Podcaster for Zune 😉
    He does seem like someone who gets it. I loaded up his Live Writer and love it (also sent him an email beging for a Live Writer Lite for Smart Phones)
    Have a great weekend Robert

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  32. Hey maybe we should all start pinging J.J Allaire to follow up his Live Writer when it’s baked to put out a Live Podcaster for Zune 😉
    He does seem like someone who gets it. I loaded up his Live Writer and love it (also sent him an email beging for a Live Writer Lite for Smart Phones)
    Have a great weekend Robert

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  33. Live Writer built in to IE makes perfect sense! Hey on a side note I just got an email from Dodge about their new Chalenger (ah childhood memories of muscle cars) and I thought now there is a sign of the tipping point approaching that you would like. Not a blog but subscription to RSS feed for the challenger. The world is a changin’ 🙂

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  34. Live Writer built in to IE makes perfect sense! Hey on a side note I just got an email from Dodge about their new Chalenger (ah childhood memories of muscle cars) and I thought now there is a sign of the tipping point approaching that you would like. Not a blog but subscription to RSS feed for the challenger. The world is a changin’ 🙂

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  36. Why does the Zune have to ‘support’ podcasts, and what exactly is that support? Does the iPod ‘support’ podcasts on it’s own, and if so, how?

    You gotta remember, MS doesn’t want you to use a Zune, they want you to use ALL of thier products. Timing wise, IE7 will be out about the same time as Zune, and IE7 will have some support for RSS (‘podcasts’ are just RSS enclosures), so a simple option in IE to auto-save the enclosure to a folder that is then added to WMP’s watch list will allow you to sync that audio file to the Zune – done! Granted, I haven’t used iTunes, but I don’t see how this is different.

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  37. Why does the Zune have to ‘support’ podcasts, and what exactly is that support? Does the iPod ‘support’ podcasts on it’s own, and if so, how?

    You gotta remember, MS doesn’t want you to use a Zune, they want you to use ALL of thier products. Timing wise, IE7 will be out about the same time as Zune, and IE7 will have some support for RSS (‘podcasts’ are just RSS enclosures), so a simple option in IE to auto-save the enclosure to a folder that is then added to WMP’s watch list will allow you to sync that audio file to the Zune – done! Granted, I haven’t used iTunes, but I don’t see how this is different.

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  38. Microsoft should have purchased the iRiver Clix design as it is the most elegant portable media player on the market. I soaked my Clix rafting and it worked after a few minutes under the blow dryer.

    The current Zune media design does not look so innovative. Follow the leader…

    My question is does Microsoft understand the potential of portable devices in the corporate world. People are tired of reading text and are better served with audio or video content.

    Seems all of the companies are focused on the media player as a tool for the youth market for playing music. Why is it not a business tool.

    Well with EVDO, Mobile RSS, SD cards and mulitimedia enabled cellphones, perhaps the portable media player will be converged out of exhistance in five years anyways…

    TR

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  39. Microsoft should have purchased the iRiver Clix design as it is the most elegant portable media player on the market. I soaked my Clix rafting and it worked after a few minutes under the blow dryer.

    The current Zune media design does not look so innovative. Follow the leader…

    My question is does Microsoft understand the potential of portable devices in the corporate world. People are tired of reading text and are better served with audio or video content.

    Seems all of the companies are focused on the media player as a tool for the youth market for playing music. Why is it not a business tool.

    Well with EVDO, Mobile RSS, SD cards and mulitimedia enabled cellphones, perhaps the portable media player will be converged out of exhistance in five years anyways…

    TR

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  40. We all remember Bill Gate’s “Think Weep” paper. In it he indicates that he continues to weep that he missed out monopolizing the podcast wave all the while that he was composing his vision of the future. Hi vision of the future included using his Gates Foundation to extend his monopoly by not offering any other computers to libraries except his Windows brand. *S*

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  41. We all remember Bill Gate’s “Think Weep” paper. In it he indicates that he continues to weep that he missed out monopolizing the podcast wave all the while that he was composing his vision of the future. Hi vision of the future included using his Gates Foundation to extend his monopoly by not offering any other computers to libraries except his Windows brand. *S*

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  42. As noted above, Apple is already into podcasting creation. Introduced with iLife ’06 in January. When you get your new Mac check out GarageBand. It has a built-in podcast studio that integrates with the other iLife media tools. Pretty slick… you can do audio and video interviews using iChat, (each guest gets a separate channel for easier editing. Features described here: http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

    As for the iWeb blog creation tools–not to my taste. I find the templates a) too beutiful and b) too restrictive.

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  43. As noted above, Apple is already into podcasting creation. Introduced with iLife ’06 in January. When you get your new Mac check out GarageBand. It has a built-in podcast studio that integrates with the other iLife media tools. Pretty slick… you can do audio and video interviews using iChat, (each guest gets a separate channel for easier editing. Features described here: http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

    As for the iWeb blog creation tools–not to my taste. I find the templates a) too beutiful and b) too restrictive.

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  44. I take the train every day to and from work, an hour ride each way. Every other person that comes on the train at each stop has those white buds in their ears. I have a 60 gig iPod with video myself. , My wife has a 30 gig iPod with Video, and my son an iPod Nano. I download and listen to more than 20 podcasts, including video highlights from ABC news and CNN, as well as tech podcasts and other video podcasts. My wiffe downloads and listens to podcasts on all sorts of topics.

    NOT having podcast support built in (even video) is simply creating a device that may have been breaking technology, 3 years ago. I love the iPod for it’s simplicity, I love how easily iTunes gathers all my podcasts and video’s and pictures and music and seamlessly sync’s it to the iPod…this is what Apple gets..and Microsoft does not.

    Some may flame me as an Apple fanboy…I work in a dual platform environment and use each platform for what it does….I do most of my video and audio work on the Mac, and networking and business stuff on Windows. I use RDC on OSX to work on Windows servers, and VNC on Windows to work on my Mac servers, so I am far from a zealot.

    Microsoft just doesn’t get the integrated user experience. They are just NOW starting to get it with the Media Center and Xbox integration, and that is the direction they need to go in. Apple is often said to not be enterprise friendly because they develop for consumer and not the enterprise. Microsoft is the exact opposite…they get the enterprise, all enterprise products just work together…but not the consumer front (until now).

    Unless Microsoft can develop a device that has the “cool” factor and offers a totally transparent user experiance to deliver everything the user wants, no matter how many features get packed in the box, it will never be able to compete against the iPod in that space. Apple is to consumers…what Microsoft is to business.

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  45. I take the train every day to and from work, an hour ride each way. Every other person that comes on the train at each stop has those white buds in their ears. I have a 60 gig iPod with video myself. , My wife has a 30 gig iPod with Video, and my son an iPod Nano. I download and listen to more than 20 podcasts, including video highlights from ABC news and CNN, as well as tech podcasts and other video podcasts. My wiffe downloads and listens to podcasts on all sorts of topics.

    NOT having podcast support built in (even video) is simply creating a device that may have been breaking technology, 3 years ago. I love the iPod for it’s simplicity, I love how easily iTunes gathers all my podcasts and video’s and pictures and music and seamlessly sync’s it to the iPod…this is what Apple gets..and Microsoft does not.

    Some may flame me as an Apple fanboy…I work in a dual platform environment and use each platform for what it does….I do most of my video and audio work on the Mac, and networking and business stuff on Windows. I use RDC on OSX to work on Windows servers, and VNC on Windows to work on my Mac servers, so I am far from a zealot.

    Microsoft just doesn’t get the integrated user experience. They are just NOW starting to get it with the Media Center and Xbox integration, and that is the direction they need to go in. Apple is often said to not be enterprise friendly because they develop for consumer and not the enterprise. Microsoft is the exact opposite…they get the enterprise, all enterprise products just work together…but not the consumer front (until now).

    Unless Microsoft can develop a device that has the “cool” factor and offers a totally transparent user experiance to deliver everything the user wants, no matter how many features get packed in the box, it will never be able to compete against the iPod in that space. Apple is to consumers…what Microsoft is to business.

    Like

  46. Lee,

    That thinking is exactly the problem…it should just do this, save it here, do this…that isn’t the point…

    In iTunes your music is stored in folders and is contained in an XML database. Same for movies and photos in their respective programs (iPhoto and iMovie).

    When in iMovie…I can simply click on a tab to see all my iTunes music available, and on photos to see all my photo’s. It just works together.

    Itunes subscribes to RSS feeds that contain podcasts. It auto updates and downloads and collects the podcasts, All in one applicaion. Simplicity, that is what it is all about. Users (the average consumer) are tired of bending over backwards to make products work together.

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  47. Lee,

    That thinking is exactly the problem…it should just do this, save it here, do this…that isn’t the point…

    In iTunes your music is stored in folders and is contained in an XML database. Same for movies and photos in their respective programs (iPhoto and iMovie).

    When in iMovie…I can simply click on a tab to see all my iTunes music available, and on photos to see all my photo’s. It just works together.

    Itunes subscribes to RSS feeds that contain podcasts. It auto updates and downloads and collects the podcasts, All in one applicaion. Simplicity, that is what it is all about. Users (the average consumer) are tired of bending over backwards to make products work together.

    Like

  48. Does anyone really think Microsoft will say they support “pod”casts. The name itself probably makes them want to take a shower. I guess I’m confused as to the definition of “support”. Are you saying the content services they will provide for Zune won’t support pushing daily updated MP3 files down to the device?

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  49. Does anyone really think Microsoft will say they support “pod”casts. The name itself probably makes them want to take a shower. I guess I’m confused as to the definition of “support”. Are you saying the content services they will provide for Zune won’t support pushing daily updated MP3 files down to the device?

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  50. Bix, I think you just made my point – the iPod doesn’t support podcasts, iTunes does. Just like with the iPod, any RSS/Podcasting support will come from the software on the desktop, which (I’m guessing) will be IE7 and/or WMP. How well they integrate and make the process of D/L’ing podcasts a smooth experience is yet to be seen, but in playing with the Urge music service and WMP, it’s pretty clear that you can subscribe to channels (such as ‘Top 10’) and have them automatically sync and update your connected device (Zune or other) with the latest content.

    TR – 5 years? I have an EVDO-capable Samsung i730 Windows Mobile device w/ an RSS reader that supports enclosures and a 4GB SD memory card today. Why wait 5 years?

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  51. Bix, I think you just made my point – the iPod doesn’t support podcasts, iTunes does. Just like with the iPod, any RSS/Podcasting support will come from the software on the desktop, which (I’m guessing) will be IE7 and/or WMP. How well they integrate and make the process of D/L’ing podcasts a smooth experience is yet to be seen, but in playing with the Urge music service and WMP, it’s pretty clear that you can subscribe to channels (such as ‘Top 10’) and have them automatically sync and update your connected device (Zune or other) with the latest content.

    TR – 5 years? I have an EVDO-capable Samsung i730 Windows Mobile device w/ an RSS reader that supports enclosures and a 4GB SD memory card today. Why wait 5 years?

    Like

  52. Bix, I think you just made my point – the iPod doesn’t support podcasts, iTunes does. Just like with the iPod, any RSS/Podcasting support will come from the software on the desktop, which (I’m guessing) will be IE7 and/or WMP. How well they integrate and make the process of D/L’ing podcasts a smooth experience is yet to be seen, but in playing with the Urge music service and WMP, it’s pretty clear that you can subscribe to channels (such as ‘Top 10’) and have them automatically sync and update your connected device (Zune or other) with the latest content.

    TR – 5 years? I have an EVDO-capable Samsung i730 Windows Mobile device w/ an RSS reader that supports enclosures and a 4GB SD memory card today. Why wait 5 years?

    Like

  53. These won’t have features for content producers?

    I don’t buy it. Just look at all the domains they registered “Back in May” for the term ZuneCast. They registered .com/net/org/info/us/biz.

    Now, I know that the whois lists someone else as the contact for these domains but that’s simply a form of identity protection provided to large organizations by register.com.

    And remember, no one even heard a peep about these being named Zune back in May when both ZuneCast and moreover ZuneLive were registered in dozens of domain name extensions.

    So, I believe that these will indeed come with all the required features necessary to Zunecast or Podcast if you’d like.

    Like

  54. These won’t have features for content producers?

    I don’t buy it. Just look at all the domains they registered “Back in May” for the term ZuneCast. They registered .com/net/org/info/us/biz.

    Now, I know that the whois lists someone else as the contact for these domains but that’s simply a form of identity protection provided to large organizations by register.com.

    And remember, no one even heard a peep about these being named Zune back in May when both ZuneCast and moreover ZuneLive were registered in dozens of domain name extensions.

    So, I believe that these will indeed come with all the required features necessary to Zunecast or Podcast if you’d like.

    Like

  55. These won’t have features for content producers?

    I don’t buy it. Just look at all the domains they registered “Back in May” for the term ZuneCast. They registered .com/net/org/info/us/biz.

    Now, I know that the whois lists someone else as the contact for these domains but that’s simply a form of identity protection provided to large organizations by register.com.

    And remember, no one even heard a peep about these being named Zune back in May when both ZuneCast and moreover ZuneLive were registered in dozens of domain name extensions.

    So, I believe that these will indeed come with all the required features necessary to Zunecast or Podcast if you’d like.

    Like

  56. Dileepa and Paolo, why is it that every pie-in-the-sky favorable rumor does not get questioned and discounted but the negative ones (particularly those which are well-sourced) should not be believed because “they are just rumors”?

    Seriously, this is pathetic hypocrisy.

    We’ve had numerous seriously stupid and discredited rumors like XM integration, iTunes buyouts, OTA download service, etc… And fanboys want to still believe them… But, no, oh no, don’t believe the images that have remained the same for months and don’t beleive the people who have actually tested the thing. No, that’s just rumor.

    I would like just one fanboy that shouts down a rumor that’s “just a rumor” to equally deny every other promising feature… eh hem, I mean “rumor”… of the Zune. Just one.

    Like

  57. Dileepa and Paolo, why is it that every pie-in-the-sky favorable rumor does not get questioned and discounted but the negative ones (particularly those which are well-sourced) should not be believed because “they are just rumors”?

    Seriously, this is pathetic hypocrisy.

    We’ve had numerous seriously stupid and discredited rumors like XM integration, iTunes buyouts, OTA download service, etc… And fanboys want to still believe them… But, no, oh no, don’t believe the images that have remained the same for months and don’t beleive the people who have actually tested the thing. No, that’s just rumor.

    I would like just one fanboy that shouts down a rumor that’s “just a rumor” to equally deny every other promising feature… eh hem, I mean “rumor”… of the Zune. Just one.

    Like

  58. Dileepa and Paolo, why is it that every pie-in-the-sky favorable rumor does not get questioned and discounted but the negative ones (particularly those which are well-sourced) should not be believed because “they are just rumors”?

    Seriously, this is pathetic hypocrisy.

    We’ve had numerous seriously stupid and discredited rumors like XM integration, iTunes buyouts, OTA download service, etc… And fanboys want to still believe them… But, no, oh no, don’t believe the images that have remained the same for months and don’t beleive the people who have actually tested the thing. No, that’s just rumor.

    I would like just one fanboy that shouts down a rumor that’s “just a rumor” to equally deny every other promising feature… eh hem, I mean “rumor”… of the Zune. Just one.

    Like

  59. Not having podcast DL ability IS INDICATIVE of the cluelessness of Microsoft when it comes to consumers.

    Like their announcemebt today of loading music videos onto the Zune … that is something I’m sure the marketing had weeks of meetings and are high fiving each other when NO ONE bothered to ask – do consumers want pre-loaded content?

    Isn’t the reason people stopped listening to the radio because people only wanted to listen to their music?

    But now there will be how many GB of artists that person who bought the Zune could care about? Mariah? Hiliary Duff? green Day? Garth Brooks?

    Isn’t this EXACTLY like buying a PC and having to spend an hour deleting crap?

    But this is just another in a LONG LINE history of Microsoft’s cluelessness when it comes to consumers … there’s NOTHING wrong in being brilliant at selling to enterprise – but how many hundred of BILLIONS will MS spend on a consumer marketplace that barely cares? And it’s no isolated trend – it’s 10 years running now. After Win95, MS’s lineup is a sad commentary on their cluelessness – each backed by at least a multi-million comapiagn and the marketing dept swearing it will be massive (Talking barney, webTV, home networking, watch OS, tablet PC, media pC, etc, etc …)

    (The Xbox Team has spent $400 on each machine they’ve sold so far … nice math … such a great success, MS is spending $40 billion to prop up Ballmer’s stock).

    Like

  60. Not having podcast DL ability IS INDICATIVE of the cluelessness of Microsoft when it comes to consumers.

    Like their announcemebt today of loading music videos onto the Zune … that is something I’m sure the marketing had weeks of meetings and are high fiving each other when NO ONE bothered to ask – do consumers want pre-loaded content?

    Isn’t the reason people stopped listening to the radio because people only wanted to listen to their music?

    But now there will be how many GB of artists that person who bought the Zune could care about? Mariah? Hiliary Duff? green Day? Garth Brooks?

    Isn’t this EXACTLY like buying a PC and having to spend an hour deleting crap?

    But this is just another in a LONG LINE history of Microsoft’s cluelessness when it comes to consumers … there’s NOTHING wrong in being brilliant at selling to enterprise – but how many hundred of BILLIONS will MS spend on a consumer marketplace that barely cares? And it’s no isolated trend – it’s 10 years running now. After Win95, MS’s lineup is a sad commentary on their cluelessness – each backed by at least a multi-million comapiagn and the marketing dept swearing it will be massive (Talking barney, webTV, home networking, watch OS, tablet PC, media pC, etc, etc …)

    (The Xbox Team has spent $400 on each machine they’ve sold so far … nice math … such a great success, MS is spending $40 billion to prop up Ballmer’s stock).

    Like

  61. If Apple wants to corner the fad market, that’s fine by me. If I wanted a fad-friendly device, I would’ve followed the style-crazed crowd years ago and bought an iPod. I’d rather have actual geek advancements, such as wirelessly beaming music to and from my MCE. That would mean a lot more than me than participating in the latest craze.

    Like

  62. If Apple wants to corner the fad market, that’s fine by me. If I wanted a fad-friendly device, I would’ve followed the style-crazed crowd years ago and bought an iPod. I’d rather have actual geek advancements, such as wirelessly beaming music to and from my MCE. That would mean a lot more than me than participating in the latest craze.

    Like

  63. Pingback: AListReview
  64. If the the Zune can’t play podcst, Microsoft is in big trouble. The ipod can be killed but not the podcasts. Ipod is own by Apple and podcasts are owned by people… This is a really big difference.

    Like

  65. If the the Zune can’t play podcst, Microsoft is in big trouble. The ipod can be killed but not the podcasts. Ipod is own by Apple and podcasts are owned by people… This is a really big difference.

    Like

  66. If the the Zune can’t play podcst, Microsoft is in big trouble. The ipod can be killed but not the podcasts. Ipod is own by Apple and podcasts are owned by people… This is a really big difference.

    Like

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