J Allard talks failure, hope, convergence of Zune and Xbox services

J Allard, the mysterious, bedreadlocked, Lex Luthor-ish cat behind the Xbox, Zune and Zune 2 (amongst others) sat down for a Q and A with the New York Times and revealed some deep feelings -- as well as future plans. Mainly, Mr. Allard talks about the hardships of dealing with record labels, the failure of the first Zune to penetrate the market, his hopes for the current generation of Redmond-anointed media players to kill, kill, kill, and the fact that a "Zune Phone" isn't anywhere close right now (though doesn't seem to be off the table). On the flip side, he hints at a future of merged Microsoft services, where you'll be able to order up music, games, and videos on demand -- all in one, centralized package. Says J, "Today we have Xbox live for $50 a year. We have Zune Pass at $15 a month. We don't have a rationalized premium version yet. Fast forward a little bit, and you can image a menu like DirecTV. There is basic, there is enhanced, there is movie pack and NFL Sunday ticket." Of course, right now it's just a crazy tripped-out dream floating around the mind of J Allard... let's hope it floats onto our screens soon.

Read - J Allard: Microsoft's Plan to Be King of All Media
Read - J Allard: The Failures of the Zune and the Record Labels
Read - J Allard: Dancing Around the Cellphone Question

[bob @ Nov 16th 2007 6:31PM]

Has anyone else ever noticed that J Allard always dresses like a stand-up comedian?

[Billy Fiul @ Nov 16th 2007 6:36PM]

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/gallery/execs/allard-2_print.jpg

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Nov 16th 2007 6:38PM]

You only noticed that right now?!!??
He also reminds me of a younger version of ballmer. Don't ask me why! I know that sounds stupid but it's what I think.

[quomen @ Nov 16th 2007 6:46PM]

Have you ever noticed that Steve Jobs always dresses like a mime?

[Alan Partridge @ Nov 16th 2007 7:07PM]

He legally changed his name to "J". That is pretty funny

[Clinton @ Nov 16th 2007 7:23PM]

The picture at the top reminds me of Howie Mandel.

[AlexP @ Nov 16th 2007 9:13PM]

http://www.streettech.com/storypics/allard1.jpg

lol, public relations.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ Nov 16th 2007 10:19PM]

I'm not angry or anything but why am I low ranked.

[crusadernm @ Nov 16th 2007 11:17PM]

To Quomen: I laughed.

[Billy Fiul @ Nov 16th 2007 6:31PM]

Jallard FTW!!!!

[JoeyPod @ Nov 16th 2007 6:32PM]

How much DO clothes cost in the Matrix?

[Kris @ Nov 16th 2007 6:39PM]

Isn't it enough that M$ and Apple copy each other on hardware/software, now M$ has to copy Steve Jobs himself? And not very well, I might add. This guy comes off as a complete douche. Actually, I guess some haters would contend that that makes him the ultimate copy. Ha-ha.

[Alex Padilla @ Nov 16th 2007 6:40PM]

Hints to Microsoft:

1. Get rid of MS Points and use regional currency (USD, Euro, Canadien D, etc)
2. The Zune phone needs to be nothing more than a superior music manager for WinMo phones
3. I have your record label solution: STOP FEEDING THEM. How the hell can you justify giving Universal a portion of each Zune purchase?

[Jared @ Nov 16th 2007 6:49PM]

I can't agree with you more about the points, or at least make the points make sence, can get 2000 points for $20 and a song costs 99 points

[michael @ Nov 16th 2007 7:24PM]

I so agree with you.

1. HATE MS Points. Don't see why bother with them. Just makes it harder to calculate how much you're 'really' paying compared to real U.S. currency. Like how much is 1 cent? 1 point? Out of 80? Weird. Hate it.
2. A phone will always be a phone to me. Nice to have one out there, but I just use simple phones, because I'm far to busy to play around with my phone.
3. Record label companies are so mean. They're just mainly in it for the money. I think ALL major online stores should just fight back together, and just say NO. When record labels see their digital sales dying fast, I think they'll do something to fix that - in a good way.

Yes, MS giving Universal the stupid piracy tax was dumb, but I think Universal managed to pull the string on MS to make them do that. I doubt MS just 'wanted' to make users pay a tax.

I also don't think MS is doing that anymore. As far as I know of, nobody else is seeing this with the new Zunes.

So if MS just gets rid of the MS Points currency, and tell the big record guys off, maybe we'll see more significant improvements for the Zune experience.

I love my Zune 30.

[Mike @ Nov 16th 2007 11:46PM]

I am not a huge fan of the point system but it all makes a little since when you read in to it.

"Microsoft Points is a new universal system that works across international borders and is even available if you don't have a credit card."

"On the original Xbox Live, transactions had to be around five dollars U.S., the minimum for most credit cards. But with Microsoft Points, the price for most anything—maps, skins, levels, demos, and more—can be much lower than that. That's a big deal. For example, say you want to get one of the new maps for your favorite shooter, but you're not that interested in a few of the others. Lucky for you, Marketplace can offer each map individually for just a few points."

Taken from the xbox website.

[Mark @ Nov 17th 2007 6:13PM]

I agree with mike that it would be good for international sales. The problem is that the Zune isn't available in other countries. I love the zune but I have to say they should either make it international OR use US currency.

[wixostrix @ Nov 18th 2007 7:29PM]

OMG! I totally agree about the zune phone is such a dumb idea when u already have a market in mobile phones. hello! just set new standards: internal memory, ram, cpu, wifi. then throw on zune software that works just like the zune. all WinMo phones i kno of have d-pads or something so there shouldnt be a navigation problem and sub the play and back button with the softkey. this seems so simple its redunkulouse. hey, there'd even could be some cool touch screen effect :D.

[vien @ Nov 16th 2007 6:42PM]

"Microsoft's Plan to Be King of All Media"

now theres a scary thought.

[Dixonij @ Nov 16th 2007 8:10PM]

Microsoft has plans to overthrow Howard Stern... Scary...

[CF @ Nov 17th 2007 7:54AM]

Microsoft operates exactly like a cuckoo - they are a parasite.

Why can't Microsoft be happy enough to have 93% of the worlds O/S and Office s/w ?

Must they really have CONTROL OVER EVERY LAST F*CKING THING ON THE ENTIRE PLANET!!

[NumberXII @ May 6th 2008 3:31PM]

Man I love his wardrobe almost as much as I love the Zunes catch phrases, "You make it you" and "welcome to the social" (and they wonder why the Zune didnt sell) lol. BTW Im not a M$ hater, I have a 360.

[Justin @ Nov 16th 2007 6:56PM]

I own a 360 and would consider a zune, but Allard has douche written all over his face

[Josh F @ Nov 16th 2007 7:02PM]

So you're not going to get a Zune because one of the guy's complexion behind it speaks douche?

[Justin @ Nov 16th 2007 7:06PM]

no, still would consider one when my ipod eventually craps out. Just an observation. Microsoft could get a better 'face' person

[JustMe @ Nov 16th 2007 7:05PM]

I've seen Zune commericals, but they don't really explain "what's new" with their product. How does it differ from the iPod? And how does the Zune compare to the iPod touch?

Does the Zune offer any 360 integration?

The Zune has always struck me as a follower than an innovator. Plus the pricing, to me at least, seems too close to the iPod.

[michael @ Nov 16th 2007 7:34PM]

Yeah, the Zune ads were awful before, but they're at least getting better. Many people have dropped off "hints" to the Zune team to do better ads that explain the better features, instead of artsy la-la stuff.

The newest 2 aren't bad at all. Pretty good.

Yes, the Zune definitely does Xbox 360 integration. Just to play media only though. I don't think you can buy stuff from Xbox Live onto Zune. Take a look at this (fuzzy) video about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScRY8A7S-dw

Zune has to start somewhere. I think Zune DID innovate though, just not successfully the first time.

I mean the iPod Touch would probably not have done the whole WiFi thingy, if Zune wasn't the first major player to offer some sort of WiFi feature.

And take Zune Social, the new one. Sort of like Facebook for your music life. I find it ingenius, and pretty awesome if you have local friends with Zunes. I managed to persuade several of my friends to opt. for the Zune route, and we're all pretty happy. So Zune isn't that behind.

As for pricing, MS is trying to show it's on the same quality as the iPod. It's up to the consumer to determine if Zune features are better than iPod's. To me, I'll take the Zune. It shows definite potential. All I got from the iPod was nicks, scratches, defects, crappy iTunes, and a whole lot of things I won't get into. I'm done with it.

[Odog4ever @ Nov 17th 2007 9:46AM]

The zune line doesn't have a competitor to the iPod Touch. Yet. The new zunes do stack up nicely against the ipod nano and ipod classic though. Check out the reviews on CNET or PCMAG and decide for yourself.

[Odog4ever @ Nov 17th 2007 9:47AM]

If you hook up a zune to the Xbox360 through the usb port, you can access all of the music, photos, and video off of it. I've been using the zune software to stream all the music off of my PC to my Xbox360 for a couple of months now.

[SH @ Nov 16th 2007 7:21PM]

Perfect example of a white guy who simply CANNOT get away with the bald look. I am embarrassed for him!

[phlavor @ Nov 16th 2007 7:29PM]

I can't look at him without mentally petting a little hat on his head.

[phlavor @ Nov 16th 2007 7:31PM]

PUTTING! I meant PUTTING! Paging Dr. Frued...

[michael @ Nov 16th 2007 7:33PM]

Yeah, the Zune ads were awful before, but they're at least getting better. Many people have dropped off "hints" to the Zune team to do better ads that explain the better features, instead of artsy la-la stuff.

The newest 2 aren't bad at all. Pretty good.

Yes, the Zune definitely does Xbox 360 integration. Just to play media only though. I don't think you can buy stuff from Xbox Live onto Zune. Take a look at this (fuzzy) video about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScRY8A7S-dw

Zune has to start somewhere. I think Zune DID innovate though, just not successfully the first time.

I mean the iPod Touch would probably not have done the whole WiFi thingy, if Zune wasn't the first major player to offer some sort of WiFi feature.

And take Zune Social, the new one. Sort of like Facebook for your music life. I find it ingenius, and pretty awesome if you have local friends with Zunes. I managed to persuade several of my friends to opt. for the Zune route, and we're all pretty happy. So Zune isn't that behind.

As for pricing, MS is trying to show it's on the same quality as the iPod. It's up to the consumer to determine if Zune features are better than iPod's. To me, I'll take the Zune. It shows definite potential. All I got from the iPod was nicks, scratches, defects, crappy iTunes, and a whole lot of things I won't get into. I'm done with it.

[Rick @ Nov 16th 2007 7:54PM]

'King of all media' Why? Why the egotistical need to be world dominator? Instead of focusing on quality products, they simply want to corner every market and control it. Well, seeing how they did that with windows, I'd say they are destined to corner the market on different media types, release crap and enjoy the profits.

Man how Microsoft makes you cheer for the little guy.

[TheAxMan @ Nov 16th 2007 9:11PM]

He's not the one who used the phrase "King of all media" -- that was the headline Saul Hansell chose for the interview. Don't attribute a catchy headline to be a quote from J Allard and then call him arrogant for something he didn't say..

[Cody @ Nov 16th 2007 8:23PM]

"...he hints at a future of merged Microsoft services, where you'll be able to order up music, games, and videos on demand -- all in one, centralized package."

It's like I've seen this somewhere before...
http://www.apple.com/itunes/overview/

(not so much the games part)

[Ethan Rasiel @ Nov 16th 2007 8:34PM]

J never said anything about "King of all Media." That was just a New York Times headline writer with an over-active imagination. You guys know how the media works, right?

And I have to say, I'm disappointed at all the comments about J's appearance. What does that have to do with anything?

How is Zune different from iPod? Zune Pass (flat rate subscription), Zune Social, Zune Originals (engraved artwork), wireless sync, to name a few.

[willyboy @ Nov 17th 2007 11:08AM]

Jay? Is that you?

[Rick @ Nov 17th 2007 3:00PM]

Well the headline indicated it was his quote. I didn't call him ignorant, I questioned Microsoft's world domination desires.

[John @ Nov 16th 2007 9:59PM]

microsoft will work towards convergence, but first they must acquire kryptonite.

[Wilder.K.Wight @ Nov 17th 2007 12:11AM]

Dear J. Allard,

I love my XBox 360, and I have vigorously defended it both in online and real-life conversations. I'm even getting one for my nephews this Christmas. It's the clear winner in the current console line-up.

I also love my iMac. Sorry, dude. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

I'd like to love the Zune, but you made the bone-headed choice to lock it to Windows-only use. This does not please me, or offer the millions and millions of Mac users the option to purchase a Zune. We're a growing number-- You should know this, seeing as MS most certainly knows the hardware configurations of Apple computers as they're being sent via Windows Activation, and can infer that there are a LOT of people running Windows on a Mac these days.

So why would you not let us use the Zune with OS X? I know, you want us to use Windows Media Player... So give us a new version of WMP, then.

It's just that I see you saying you want the Zune to be the "clear alternative to the iPod" and yet you aren't ALLOWING it to be any kind of alternative for a growing number of consumers. It seems stupid to shoot yourself in the foot by excluding us.

In short, the iPod line-up this year sort of left me cold. I do have an iPod classic, but I would have been VERY open to an alternative, if there *were* one. There isn't, so I ended up getting an iPod classic. I might have bought a Zune. A lot of people might, if only you'd let us.

Apple was clever enough to bring the iPod to the Windows crowd, and that's one reason why they're on top when it comes to music/media devices like this. They saw a market and they went for it. Because they opened people up to the iPod, they also ended up getting a lot of converts to OS X.

Wouldn't it be nice if Microsoft tried the same tactic. I'm impressed by the XBox 360. I like what I see in the Zune. I challenge you to give me a Mac-compatible Zune and give me a glimpse into WHY I should consider Windows Vista or other Microsoft software again. What have you done for me lately?

When it takes third parties can make my Mac play nice with the XBox 360, you know there's something wrong at Microsoft when it comes to acknowledging Apple's growing base. You can't ignore us, my friend. We're out here. We have money. We want choices.

So give us choices. We might choose your product if it's better. IS it better, J?

[hoplite @ Nov 17th 2007 12:32AM]

Why dont you go write Jobs asking him why he doesnt want OSX to run on non apple hardware?

[huh @ Nov 17th 2007 1:34AM]

Whee, top down media. Are you basic, enhanced or premium? Pathetic.

[snitch @ Nov 17th 2007 2:25AM]

His dream is already a reality its call iTunes, also the zune phone is not really a good idea because if you think about it, what the heck is it goin to run on, other than windows mobile, just name any smart phone a zune and get it over with. Same way apple wants a piece of the phone market microsoft also wants a piece of the mp3 market but I must say they both are getting sloppy sure microsoft is the worst but apple is not far behind either

[Julian Bond @ Nov 17th 2007 3:46AM]

I know Apple have built a business on top of locking the hardware, software and merchant together in one system, but why does Microsoft have to just copy them? Please just focus on building a better PMP and forget all this nonsense about dealing with record labels, points instead of money and running a download business. Not to mention having to authorise the hardware before it can be used, not selling it in territories where you haven't set up the download system, all the DRM madness and only being able to play tracks for 3 days after moving them from one device to another.

Just build a better iPod, dammit. There's enough annoying flaws in the iPod system and potential enhancements that it shouldn't be hard.

[jason w @ Nov 17th 2007 10:51AM]

I have a zune and a 360. I would love to be able to watch the stuff i bought from the market place on my zune. All those old South Park and movie rentals would be nice.

[Gemini Ace @ Nov 17th 2007 6:12PM]

When is he going to get rid of that earring? It's 2007.

[Danny @ Nov 17th 2007 11:18PM]

So this is the assclown responsible for the 360? After my WM5 phone, the 360 is the worst piece of hardware I've ever owned. Nice work.

[Noah @ Nov 19th 2007 1:25PM]

"On the original Xbox Live, transactions had to be around five dollars U.S., the minimum for most credit cards." -- From

Um, I know that Micrsoft might not know this, but most credit cards DON'T have minimum purchase amounts - in fact, most merchant agreements for accepting credit cards disallow minimum purchase amounts.

So, pretty much, MS is feeding the customers a line to justify obfuscatory tactics. Yay for them!