Microsoft sells one million Zunes

It may not seem like all that much given Apple's recent announcement that it's sold 100 million iPods, but Microsoft seems to be content with the one million Zunes it has sold so far (or will have sold by the end of June), which meets the sales target set at the Zune's launch. That tidbit of information comes from Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, who told the San Francisco Chronicle that the company has sold "a little over a million Zunes," reportedly giving it a 10% share in the hard disk-based player category. While Bach sees that as a "good start" he admits that the Zune hasn't quite gotten as social as the company would like, saying that "when your installed base is a million, the benefits of sharing, frankly, aren't as wide as we hope to see in the future." Unfortunately, Bach didn't get very specific about any future Zune plans, choosing instead to talk up the pink and watermelon-colored Zunes, which'll surely make all the difference.

[Via Zune-Online.com, thanks Nate W]

[Vladimir356 @ May 28th 2007 11:53AM]

that's a surprise!...

[Byrongman @ May 28th 2007 11:54AM]

Awwwwwww...........

I'm so proud of you guys!!! You finally managed to write a Zune article that doesn't use the phrase "OMFG ZUNE SUCKS!!! KTHANKX!!!!"

Maybe one day we'll see an article that actually doesn't counterpoint any positive from the Zune with a bunch of Apple fanboydium. ;-)

[MarkG @ May 28th 2007 11:56AM]

It's my fault. I entered 1,000,000 into the quantity box on Amazon by mistake. Sorry Microsoft. Sorry readers.

:-(

[ray @ May 28th 2007 11:59AM]

Well that officially ends the favourite ipod fanboy joke that there are only 3 zune owners in the world.

[kiwi @ May 28th 2007 12:02PM]

@ray

no, they each bought 333,333 of them. Bill gates has the other one ;-)

[ray @ May 28th 2007 12:17PM]

Lol! Well I've just ordered one off ebay (im in europe) so there will be 1,000,001 zunes sold thenn

[Deezee @ May 28th 2007 12:03PM]

The Zune is a pretty good player. Its starting to be come almost a cult player.

[Marcw7174 @ May 28th 2007 12:10PM]

The only people who have bought zunes are parents that dont have a clue and have bought it as a present thinking that it is what everyone wants, an ipod! Thus, leaving lots of dissapointed people who have to give a fake smile and regretfully say thankyou!

[Matt @ May 28th 2007 12:06PM]

Seriously I kinda like the Zune. Maybe the second generation will support Macs and I'll go get one. But seriously its a nice player. (Apple fanboy saying this.)

[angelsvairwaves1 @ May 28th 2007 6:18PM]

yeah i agree. If it was mac compatible i would have one. Honestly, the only reason is the large album art... kind of shallow but its nice to have something good to look at on the screen.

[Matt @ May 28th 2007 12:10PM]

As a Mac/iPod user, I think this can only be good news. Increased competition in the market is sure to stimulate innovation and mean that everyone has to up their game. Whilst the next iPod will likely include many features included in the iPhone, it hasn't had a major revision for over 18 months, and that's just too long in the world of technology.

It remains to be seen if Microsoft has stimulated market growth (by selling Zunes on top of the current market numbers plus a reasonable growth rate) or has taken marketshare from Apple/Creative and the like. I suspect it is largely the latter of the two.

Running OS X I'm completely tied to iPod, and if Apple decides to rest on their laurels, I'm sunk. Hopefully this will mean that the next iPod raises the bar once more (and the damn battery life).

[Deezee @ May 28th 2007 12:53PM]

Pretty funny. But not true in my case. All my friends that have Zunes bought them and are happy with them. People like to be different believe it or not.
"Think Different" as Apple likes to say.

Plus the scratch resistant surface, larger screen, and better looking interface don't hurt either.

[tim @ May 29th 2007 12:52PM]

no, this would mean that STILL only 1 million have been sold...as you would be buying one that has already been sold, disliked and gotten rid of.

[chris? @ May 28th 2007 12:20PM]

what's a zune?

[aaron @ May 28th 2007 12:20PM]

ive seen the zune in action (friend has one) and the actual ui is much better than the ipod imo. but i really like pmc2.0 and zune is based off that.

i would get one myself but the device is still too big and battery life is too bad. hoping the second gen improves that.

[tundraboy @ May 28th 2007 12:21PM]

This is bad news for MS stockholders. It means MS has just enough hope to keep pouring billions of dollars down the drain hole for the next few years. Billions of dollars that could be put to better use like building a modern OS from the ground up and transitioning customers to the new OS.

They've got to play to their strength. And consumer appeal and hipness is not a MS strength. Not while Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are running it. These two are the alpha and beta males of ubergeekdom. They can never be as cool and hip as Steve Jobs. Can you imagine anyone of them successfully building a Pixar. No, of course not! They've got to stick to the staid, boring, but still profitable world of nuts and bolts, low-glamour, high-function software.

[Austin @ May 28th 2007 12:26PM]

Yeah, it looks like they'll be on an equal plain with apple on the mp3 makrket within a few years. But the direction for these devices can only go up, so good for everybody.

[LR @ May 28th 2007 12:34PM]

I would love to see a small flash based player from Microsoft (ala the 2nd generation Shuffle)

Since receiving the shuffle as a Christmas gift, I haven't touched my HD-based iPod and thus hadn't considered Zune. And since Zune falls short on wireless (a feature a lot of people would like!) and since it doesn't play games, what's the point? It's just an iPod clone that is about equal to the price of an iPod, but has a bigger screen. Big whoop.

My only frustrating experience with Apple is their iTunes software. It sucks. I hate having to drag and drop an item into the library before I can copy it to the iPod. Seems redundant. And there is an odd problem with the flash model. I rebuilt my computer and lost iTunes, so when you plug your shuffle into the computer, it forces you to erase all your music!! What!?!? Why can't I just leave the music on the shuffle and add more? Same thing happens if you try to use the Shuffle on two computers-- won't work. You can only "sync" with one system, and if you try your shuffle on another system, it'll force you to erase all your music off the shuffle before you can add music. Frustrating. By the way, this problem doesn't happen with the HD model.

[Ignacio @ May 28th 2007 1:04PM]

I don't know if it is different with the Shuffle vs. the nano and the regular iPod, but if you enable "manually manage music" you can add music from several different computers, without any of the previously loaded music being erased.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ May 28th 2007 1:26PM]

The idea, LR, is that you are building the library on your computer using iTunes, not building it for you iPod. The iPod is actually auxiliary, just as Apple TV is. Apple wants your computer, not the iPod, to be the center of the digital hub - that's why iTunes works the way it does. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, I'm just saying that's Apple's strategy.

And, to everyone else: I agree that there are not one million Zune users out there. There are one million sold to big box stores, but not to users.

[LR @ May 28th 2007 4:53PM]

Yeah I am manually managing music on the shuffle, but it still forces you to erase all music on the shuffle before you can do anything if you connect the shuffle to another computer. I don't think it even allows you to get into the software before doing that. And it's only the 2nd generation shuffle that does that. I have a HD-based iPod that I've used at multiple locations and the same problem doesn't happen with that model. I'm not sure why the shuffle is treated differently. But I've erased my contents of the shuffle on several occasions now, only after being forced to do so, and it's a bit of a pain.

Also I did find software for the iPod that allows you to drag and drop directly to the iPod. I just wish Apple's software would have given you that as a option. Why not treat it like a removable storage device?

And I think that's my issue with iTunes. It's not flexible enough.

If Microsoft came through with a better Zune, that has better software (which I can't imagine them doing any worse), at an affordable price, I would have no issue with switching from iPod to something else.

It's just that right now, I'm really liking the 2nd generation shuffle, because of it's size and ability to store a lot of music. I also like the Apple earbuds, which brings me to another point-- why aren't the SAME white earbuds that come with every iPod also sold as an accessory?! You can only buy the in-ear buds from Apple, which I found that I didn't like. Apple is weird in that respect.

[Marian @ May 28th 2007 6:05PM]

But in iTunes you can drag songs directy to the iPod! You don't need to put them in the library!

[LR @ May 28th 2007 10:13PM]

MP3s? or AAC? I've ripped all my CDs in MP3, then to get them on the iPod, I have to put them into the iTunes library before I can put them on the iPod.

Now if I bypass iTunes and use a third party product, I can drag and drop a song directly onto the iPod.

[Zoinks @ May 28th 2007 12:40PM]

So... 1 million sold? Or 1 million shipped? It all comes down to "do I trust Microsoft to give me accurate numbers on ANY of their products?"

The answer for me? Absolutely not.

[dw @ May 28th 2007 8:24PM]

Apparently, it 1 million SOLD.

At least, according to this article. I've seen them out and about a few times, so I can believe it. Plus, the guys at Target were totally talking them up to me (unsolicited) for whatever reason....

;)

[harpreet @ May 28th 2007 12:46PM]

seriously zune is completely "social"
and i hate the subject till the bottom of my soul!!!

[Bob E @ May 28th 2007 12:46PM]

Remember the moron Andy Ihnatko from the Sun Times review "The Zune will be dead and gone within six months. Good riddance." - what a piece of shit he is!

I hope to see Zune increase the sales to 5 Million in the next 6 months!

[duke @ May 28th 2007 1:24PM]

zune might not die in 6, but vista surely will

give a year or two, we'll see

[Jonathan Allen @ May 28th 2007 12:49PM]

I still haven't seen one out of box yet. I have seen a ton on store shelves. I always check while walking by to see what wii games the store has.

[jared @ May 28th 2007 12:49PM]

If there are 100 million ipods and 1 million zunes sold, how does that make 10 percent? Isn't that only 1 percent?

[ray @ May 28th 2007 1:21PM]

If you had read the article you'd know that he said 10% of HD players.

[Murc @ May 28th 2007 2:50PM]

well, its official, the Zune isn't going anywhere.

I bought my zune in Feb. and a buddy of mine bought one last month. Since I convinced him that its better then the ipod (IE: bigger screen, better UI, FM radio)
The only thing that could make a Zune2 for attractive for me, is to let it accept a lot more video codecs (this included divx/xvid) and in addition to the FM, and AM radio to it as well, I'm tired of all these player not having AM capability!

[LPXXFAINTXX @ May 28th 2007 2:38PM]

Are you an idiot?

There are many different kinds of iPods. (Nanos, 4G, Video, Video v2, Nano G2, Shuffle, Shuffle G2, etc.) Out of them, only a few are HD based.

[rattyuk @ May 30th 2007 4:47AM]

Actually I think the official phrase is:

10% of the HD players in the 30GB range...

Which is basically saying we're honing in on a VERY small submarket of the iPod to claim a large victory.

[Karl Viklund @ May 28th 2007 1:00PM]

Heh, you know that it has the same resolution as the iPod? Yes, the screen is larger but the resolution is the same. Well, guess that makes it easier to fool normal consumers.

[Karl Viklund @ May 28th 2007 12:59PM]

Heh, I don't think this is true ^^. They may have sold 1 million to retail stores but I have a hard time to believe that they have sold 1 million to end costumers. But, anyhow. Even though I'm a iPod-guy IPOD AND MAC ROX!!! I do find Zune pretty interesting. And if I wasn't sold on iPod I would buy a Zune.

[Deezee @ May 28th 2007 1:10PM]

Whats your point? The resolution is the same, but the screen is bigger and it costs the same. So screen wise its a better deal.

Yeah I can go 1900x1200 on my laptop, but I rather look at 1900x1200 on my 20" monitor. Everything is bigger and clearer.

Who's the one getting fooled again?

[vqh @ May 28th 2007 1:02PM]

jaered, Zoinks >

100 iPods sold
1 million Zunes sold

Zunes supposably now make up 10% of the HARDDRIVE based DAP. Not all iPods are harddrived based, as there are flash based ones.

[michael @ May 28th 2007 1:04PM]

For you naysayers about this news, maybe you're a bit jealous that Zune has gotten this far already?

I personally love my Zune a bit more than my ipod. I mean if you would just try it for once (and not the yucky way the retailers display their stuff) in real life, it's really good as it is. It can use a whole lot more, but for what it is, it's really great. It's like how some of you Apple users like to say, that if you actually try using macs, you'll like them (even though I did, didn't like them, but still bought one for just media work). So just try it instead of listening to reviews and tons of stuff that are dependent on the bias, or just the thoughts of the reviewer. People should try things on their own. And if you try the Zune yourself, you might really like it.

[VQH @ May 28th 2007 1:04PM]

Just to add in response.

That would mean about 90 million iPods sold are flash based, which I am having a hard time believing.

[random204 @ May 28th 2007 3:30PM]

The numbers for iPod sales (100 million) is total iPods over models and generations. That's six years worth of sales and five generations of HD based iPods.

That doesn't mean there are 100 million people walking around with iPods -- just that there are that many sold in total whether it be to new customers or as replacements for old ones.

The number 100 million does not determine current market share in the same way that my old Tandy with Windows 3.1 from ten years ago doesn't determine the current Windows market share.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ May 28th 2007 6:27PM]

if you enjoy looking at pixelated video...

[jere @ May 29th 2007 6:43PM]

I think YOU are getting fooled.

[Karim @ May 28th 2007 1:10PM]

I ♥ my iPod, but I also ♥ Competition. :-)

Maybe the Zune will light a fire under their butts in Cupertino and make them release the damn widescreen iPod already....

[Andrew @ May 28th 2007 1:19PM]

1 Million Zunes were placed in Big Box Stores in the US via massive MDF agreements with M$ maybe.. but 1M end user sales, I don't believe it.

[msfan @ May 28th 2007 1:21PM]

That's great.. Apple just can't own this market alone, but I can't wait for ZunePhone though:) .

[jared @ May 28th 2007 1:44PM]

Man, people sure are pissy on here. I had read the article, and I still find it hard to believe that out of the 100 million ipods sold, only 10 million are HD based and in use to give them their 10% that they are claiming.

[Random @ May 28th 2007 1:27PM]

I wonder how many of these were returned? I can bet a TON.

[michael @ May 28th 2007 1:59PM]

@Random:

The same can be said to this: How many ipod users have had to buy a new one after it broke? I can bet a TON.

[JM @ May 28th 2007 1:35PM]

100 million ipods is the total amount of ipods sold since the player was introduced 6 years ago. This includes sales of 1,2,3,4,5,5.5 g ipods, the 1,2 g ipod shuffle, ipod nano and ipod mini combined over this period. The 1 million zunes is for the 1g zune only. If the current amount of HDD based player market is 10 million (people replace their old ipods) then zune indeed has 10%.