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Zune: what we know, think we know, and don't yet know
Ok, so we got off the horn with Microsoft just a few minutes ago and realized that making heads or tails of all this Zune stuff is probably driving some of you crazy . (We know others are probably just getting driven crazy by all the posts we've been writing about it. Sorry, it's our job!) So here's what we know for sure, think we know according to inside sources (i.e. yet unconfirmed information), and what we don't yet know at all about the Zune.What we know (for sure) Zune is the name of the project, the brand, and the device. The first Zune device will be launched this year, with more devices to come in 2007. The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a music, movie, and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music will be the first angle of service that is launched, "connected entertainment" being the ultimate goal. The Zune media service will heavily leverage community aspects and recommendation; emphasis is being placed on using Zune to discover new artists, media, etc. The Zune media device will be drive-based, and have WiFi. The Zune brand is intended to be an entirely vertically integrated end-to-end solution, not unlike the iPod / iTunes / iTunes Music Store triumvirate. The service and device will not be PlaysForSure compliant, meaning you will not be able to use your Zune player with Napster or Vongo, for example. This will be an entirely new system. Microsoft will continue to support and develop for their PlaysForSure initiative, but all things PlaysForSure are handled by two entirely separate division that will not have any crossover. Zune is under Microsoft's new Entertainment & Devices Division, and is headed by, among others, Robbie Bach, J Allard (Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect), and Bryan Lee (Corporate Vice President and CFO, Entertainment and Devices Division), which accounts for the division of this project from the rest of Microsoft, similar to how the Xbox project was also strictly separated. The logo we had is, of course, real. Microsoft's launched the Zune viral marketing site, ComingZune.com. [Thanks, bv] What we think we know (and are pretty sure of) They'll be showing off the device by the end of next month, and will aim for a November release. Microsoft will buy your way out of iTunes in order to convert you to a Zune user. The Zune will come in multiple colors. Pyxis is the codename for their nano competitor which would also include video capabilities; Alexandria is the codename for the software that powers the Zune experience. A Microsoft portable gaming system is in the works, and will be a part of the Zune family. This device should have Xbox Live Anywhere integration. This may or may not be an Xbox co-branded portable, but is probably going to be the portable gaming / media device we've been hearing about for years. Microsoft's ad campaign will include a Super Bowl commercial. The Zune will have a bevy of accessories at launch; it'll probably be cheaper for accessory makers to develop for the Zune port than pay the Made For iPod tax. What we don't yet know Whether the Zune media service will offer the same kind of all-you-can-eat subscription media services as PlaysForSure media services like Napster and Vongo. Supposedly subscription will be offered, but downplayed in favor of song purchase (which is the opposite of most PlaysForSure services). Whether you'll actually only be limited to sharing with up to 10 people nearby, as rumored, and that they won't get the protected files, but will "bookmark" them for later purchase. Exact device specifications for the first Zune device, as well as its price (though we hear it could be as much as $399). Whether it'll include XM and/or Sirius service as rumored (we doubt it). Let the analysis begin!
Microsoft confirms Zune project
Well, it's not much, but we've got a quote and an official confirmation of the Zune project at Microsoft. The Zune brand is being billed as a "music and entertainment" project aimed at "connecting with others to discover new music and entertainment and will deliver a family of hardware and software products." Here's what they sent over, by way of Microsoft's GM of marketing, Chris Stephenson:"Today we confirmed a new music and entertainment project called Zune. Under the Zune brand, we will deliver a family of hardware and software products, the first of which will be available this year. We see a great opportunity to bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together."We've got a lot of questions waiting to be answered (as we're sure you do too), and we'll post updates here as we find out more information from our peeps at Microsoft. In the mean time, keep yourself occupied with their official announcement in Billboard Magazine, as well as two new Zune blogs sprouted by people working on the project.Update: Billboard confirms that "additional Zune-branded devices will follow, including a portable video player and, potentially, a portable game device," as well as an initial device offering WiFi and drive-based storage. The WiFi won't just be for moving around music files, as in the MusicGremlin, however. Apparently other "seven or eight" wireless usage scenarios are envisioned, as suspected, and aims at providing "ubiquitous access to digital media from a wide range of Windows-powered devices in what ultimately aspires to be one part MySpace, one part iTunes and one part Xbox Live." Yikes. Zune will definitely be a general media player, though at launch music will be the "primary content," later also including video and "other types of media." More to come...
Microsoft portable to be a totally "Integrated Experience"
From the looks of it our own Stephen Speicher was on to something in his latest edition of The Clicker. We've received word from a trusted insider (no, not Mr. Speicher) that the shape everyone's been expecting the Zune to take may not be the approach most people (including us) assumed. Here's what we learned: The Zune name isn't being kicked around with Microsoft; so as far as we know that's still a project codename, but probably will not be the device's final title. This is no surprise. Microsoft's forthcoming portable will not use Microsoft's established media platforms. This includes Windows Media, Windows Media Player, URGE, PlaysForSure DRM, and probably also Portable Media Center. Instead it will use its own software, music store, and DRM that will be incompatible with all the major stores, systems, and device out there right now. Yes, this will piss off the industry (and some of the Microsoft faithful) to no end. Due to this approach, the system is being referred to as the "Integrated Experience." This, we can assume, is not going to be positioned as the final name for the device, but the implications of the description and MO are clear. It will be wireless and not flash-based, so large storage capacities are to be expected; wireless music trading is an important part of the device's feature set and marking presence. This we all already knew. All this information does not conflict with information we've received from our other trusted sources. We know, we know, this raises more questions than it answers. When Microsoft has already invested millions in establishing their software and DRM platforms, hooking up with huge names like Napster, Yahoo, Real, and MTV, and encouraging hardware partners to get Microsoft-centric devices on the market, now they're going to throw all that away and compete with everyone else (and themselves)? Well, the answer is very simple. In order to fight fire with fire against Apple, it's obvious a music service + device ecosystem like what Microsoft offers now can't compare to the user experience of an incredibly tight vertical integration. Microsoft can't take on the iPod without taking on its own platforms and partners -- they have to fight fire with fire. If J. Allard and his crew at Microsoft really are behind this project, these details make perfect sense. The corporate culture of the company is such that Allard's team is expected to work outside the confines of Microsoft's typical boundaries, which might otherwise hinder the company getting a foothold in previously unentered markets. Does anyone actually think the Xbox 360 is anything like the normal Microsoft product and marketing experience? No. But it's definitely shaping up so Microsoft's media player is going to be more media player than Microsoft.
Microsoft's Argo, Pyxis, Zune and Alexandria -- confused yet?
It's raining Zune rumors again, or more properly, "Project Argo" rumors, and far be it from us to keep these to ourselves. The latest word comes from BetaNews and their "sources close to the situation," and things just keep looking better coming from the Redmond camp. They're claiming that Microsoft will start showing off the device to the public in the last week of August, followed by more presentations mid-September, and an October release. The August announcement would come a few weeks after Apple is rumored to release new iPod nanos at WWDC, but would come a fair bit before the flagship iPod refresh is expected, giving Microsoft a great shot at the "you have to buy a new iPod at least once a year" crowd pining for a fix. BetaNews also has some more code names from Project Argo for us to kick around: Pyxis and Alexandria. The former is a rumored iPod nano competitor, with similar size and functions, but the addition of video support. The latter we've heard of before, back when Origami rumors were in their prime, and appears to be the music/video service that will complete Microsoft's utopian ideal of end-to-end content and device provider -- and which is sure to piss off a few PlaysForSure music services in the process.
The Clicker: Zune, it's all about the ecosystem
Stephen Speicher contributes The Clicker, an opinion column on entertainment and technology:Upon learning of Microsoft's rumored iPod competitor, the Zune, iPod fanatics could be heard around the globe: "It's just an iPod rip-off." "Can't the boys in Redmond do anything without copying the mighty Jobs?", loyal Appleists screamed at the top of their lungs. "It's got a scroll-wheel. It's got a screen. It will probably play music too! Will the copying ever stop?"While all of the above may be true, repeat after me: It's not about the player. Don't get me wrong -- the iPod is a nifty little machine. In classic Apple style, the iPod is sleek and stylish; its clean lines and rolled edges ooze class and quality. Heck, the iPod is nearly lickable. However, while going to market with such a device certainly doesn't hurt your chances, it's not the root of the iPod's success. The secret to Apple's success in the online music market has always been the ease of a) buying music and b) getting music onto the device. It's really that simple. In short, it's all about the ecosystem.For years the debate has raged on. Microsoft has stood firm; they have boldly and publicly declared, "We give the user choices. We're not about an end-to-end solution. Our PlaysForSure program allows a user to pick the device that best suits his or her needs. Blah Blah Blah." Apple, on the other hand, has chosen a different route. Much like Henry Ford's oft-quoted response to choice in the Model-T, Apple has said, "You can use any device you want as long as it's the iPod." There is no doubt who the winner was in round one. The overwhelming success of the iPod speaks volumes.
Switched On: The music, the money and Microsoft
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about the future of technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: With all the recent coverage surrounding Microsoft's rumored portable music player Zune, some may conclude that Engadget's editors have highly active and detailed imaginations and exceptional Photoshop skills that they employ without hesitation in the traditionally slow summer tech news months. Others, however, may be convinced that Microsoft is following through on Steve Jobs' prediction that the company will enter the market with its own branded player. The pictures of the Zune hardware show an attractive but not groundbreaking design, one that looks similar to a Gigabeat with a small wheel replacing its crosshairs, or a Sansa e200 with its wheel shrunk and a few extra buttons. Much of the discussion around Zune has focused on the strategy shift it would mean for the software giant and the competition that it would bring to Microsoft's current hardware partners. But the company's continuous user interface refinement of Windows Mobile and expecially its deep pockets can let it fight the iPod in ways that its current partners simply can't. Microsoft could best leverage its war chest via player subsidization, accessories and advertising. Regarding player subsidization, if the Xbox consoles have been any precedent, it's doubtful that Microsoft would lowball its player's pricing too much. The company would likely rather bring out a full-featured device that wins the hearts of early adopters. However, it could subsidize expensive advanced features that may be a bit ahead of the market. The rumored inclusion of WiFi would enable Microsoft to play upon one of the benefits of subscription services – legal peer-to-peer music sharing among devices of licensed content -- and allow a tighter level of integration with the Xbox 360. This could also drive a viral marketing effect. Indeed, Microsoft, more than any of its hardware partners, can justify subsidization because it could be considered investment in the future of the Windows Media licensing ecosystem – an interest in which its current partners are only tangentially vested -- or the broader digital lifestyle campaign if Micrsoft eschews Playsforsure as rumored.
Rumor: MSFT's Zune to feature Live Anywhere
Microsoft's Xbox-team-created, would be iPod killer, the awkwardly named Zune, will supposedly share the Live Anywhere architecture with cell phones and Vista boxen, extending the Xbox experience to your music playing handheld (not Xboy). Digital Music News reports:"Part of the plan to attract [iPod] users involves a 'Live Anywhere' architecture, which includes WiFi-based sharing, a 'we not me' community approach, and 'connected entertainment'. Driving the project will be the Xbox team and philosophy, which confirms earlier reports. According to recent sources, the player will be spearheaded by 'the team that designed and launched Xbox,' and the 'intention is the use the Xbox and the Xbox community as an entry point' for the upcoming release."Sounds really swell, all right. Problem is, with a rumored $399 price point (that's the same price as an Xbox 360!) for a 30GB Zune, Microsoft's going to try their hand at the luxury pricing model that's been working well for some while resulting in a lot of flak for others. We know J is cooler than a ship full of tattooed ninja pirates (his stylist told us as much), but will his stewardship coupled with the Xbox "philosophy" really sell MP3 players. Go ahead and color us skeptical ... but be gentle. [Via Engadget]
But wait, there's more... Zune deets
For a product that Microsoft hasn't even officially confirmed, there sure is a whole lot of Zune info to be getting on with. The latest leaks are from Digital Music News, who has been reviewing some of the presentation material that Microsoft shared with top-level execs of partner companies. The biggest detail that they've unveiled is that the Zune will indeed be basing its social networking capabilities on Microsoft's Live Anywhere platform. Not an incredibly huge surprise, given the functions we've already heard described and the Xbox roots of the device, but it should give the Zune a good boost in the direction of its 18-28 year old demographic, which Microsoft claims will skew a bet younger than that of the iPod. The social aspects, including that trusty friends list from Xbox Live, is purportedly taking some cues from MySpace, which seems to go beyond the functions we spied at our E3 demo of Live Anywhere. DMN also reveals that the 30GB Zune will have the "same pricing, look and feel as the 60GB iPod," which was $399 the last time we checked. That, of course, is the same price as an Xbox 360 Platinum, which might put the hurt on the cashflow of their younger target demographic. As rumored, the Zune should come in three colors, and that round button is indeed a scroll wheel to work the menus. WiFi functionality will be able to share music with up to 10 friends in a close-range peer to peer fashion, but to share a protected track your friend will have to "bookmark" the song for purchasing later. The player will be incompatible with other PlaysForSure services, focusing, we suppose, exclusively on their URGE store. There's still no word on non-DRMed MP3 sharing, but the outlook isn't good. Microsoft is aiming for a November release in the US, to be followed by a global launch next year. We would promise you more info as the release looms nearer, but we're not sure what else we could say.
Think Secret dishes on Zune, future iPods
Apple rumor site Think Secret has been busy chatting it up with all those company insiders whom Misters Jobs and Gates would love to get their rich and powerful hands on, and turned those leaks into an article which dispels some of the recently-circulating iPod rumors, along with providing a few more tantalizing deets about Microsoft's upcoming "iPod killer." For starters, it looks like we shouldn't be expecting the "true" video iPod until at least the annual MacWorld Expo in January -- though larger capacity 5G 'Pods may arrive in the interim -- and apparently the long-rumored iPhone also won't be coming anytime soon, as that project has reportedly been put on hold for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, when the 6G iPod is finally released, it will likely lack both the wireless capabilities and talking interface that some people have been anticipating; Apple is said to believe that the former feature would have too much of an impact on battery life, while the latter would only feed what's seen as a marginal consumer demand. Finally, Microsoft's so-called Zune -- which is rumored to sport WiFi for communicating with MTV's Urge service -- may also come equipped with a powerful 400MHz processor suitable for gaming, as well as a built in tuner for receiving satellite radio broadcasts. Obviously all this info is just speculation from unnamed sources for now, but if the Zune does end up duping your iTunes tracks, playing high-quality games, and giving you access to Sirius or XM on the go, then Apple may be facing its first real marketplace battle in the iPod's brief but influential existence.
Zune to get Super Bowl XLI commercial?
Either Microsoft has never had a Super Bowl commercial, or they've wasted some serious cash on mega-expensive advertising that no one -- at least not at Engadget HQ, anyway -- can seem to recall being aired in recent memory. Looks like that could soon change though; amidst all this hype about the Zune / Argo / Xboy / Microsoft portable media player / whatever the hell it's called, we've received word that Microsoft may be taking this effort all the way to the end zone. According to Digital Music News, the Zune could be starring in a Super Bowl XLI commercial in 2007, which would, of course display the company's commitment to the project initiative -- as well as giving it the kiss of death. Remember what happened to the last prominently placed portable media player to get some Super Bowl commercial action? Yeah, barely, right?
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Microsoft approaches iPod accessory makers for Zune
It was inevitable: we get confirmation that the Zune is for real, and now Microsoft is already tapping into the device accessories market. They don't have to go far to find a slew of companies ready and willing to pop out goodies for their new DAP; it's presumably as simple as calling up the folks who make accessories for that other portable music player. iLounge has it that apparently the Zune will feature a proprietary expansion port not so different in function from the iPod's dock connector, and Microsoft is reportedly offering contracts which would allow partners to officially accessorize at a lower rate than Apple's "Made for iPod" program. It was fairly obvious that Zune's release would spark another Mac vs. PC embroilment, so it's no surprise Microsoft is likely covering their bases and making sure their own accessory lineup is ready.
Microsoft's media player dubbed Zune
Well, the info's finally starting to come in about Microsoft's wireless media player; the project, dubbed Argo, will apparently spawn at very least one device, which we saw yesterday. By way of our trusted sources we now know the device is currently dubbed Zune -- though we don't know whether that name will stick -- and we've got ourselves a product logo (shown above). We also understand that Zune to Zune wireless song transfer -- a PlaysForSure feature currently highlighted in the MusicGremlin -- is said to be a prominent aspect of the device's development, and in addition to the white shade we saw yesterday, we can expect a complement of colors to be available at or near launch. Oh, and apparently the Zune will have a brushed metal back with an engraved logo, not unlike the you-know-what. More to come, folks.
