“Microsoft may be putting together an ‘entertainment marketplace’ tentatively named Zune VideoX, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reported Wednesday. In other words, it’s yet another digital content store trying to take a bite out of Apple’s iTunes,” Caroline McCarthy reports for CNET.
“Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Devices and Entertainment eHome division, is reportedly spearheading the project. But it goes without saying that as with any of these ‘iTunes killers’ that seem to pop up like mushrooms after rain, well, it’s going to be an uphill battle even for Redmond,” McCarthy reports. “Creating a solid digital download store is that Microsoft has tried repeatedly, and hasn’t gotten right yet. Its Zune Marketplace hasn’t exactly been a resounding success.”
Full article here.
Microsoft’s Zune is the WNBA of the digital media device world. In other words: boring mediocrity that real people couldn’t care less about propped up by vastly larger organizations with agendas unrelated to the product itself. Products that rely upon ginned-up “interest,” even with very well-heeled backers, cannot sustain failure forever.
Uh… don’t they already have one…? {snicker}
But Zune Tang uses the store everyday. That right there is success.
“Just after her report, Mary Jo Foley turned and crawled back to her cave, muttering about the “Yellow Face” and how “we hates it, precious”. Calls to Microsoft were answered by a 50-foot flaming eyeball.”
I think of Zune Marketplace as more of an XFL than a WNBA.
Yawn. . .
Yet another stunningly original idea from Microsoft.
Will the last person to leave Redmond turn out the lights and remind the Security Guy to lock up and leave the keys at the Realtors office? Thanks.
Hey! I like watching women’s basketball – college or pro.
I guess I’m just a basketball fanatic, having gone to the University of Kentucky.
Lead, follow, or just get the hell out of the way already!
johnny come lately, but with money to burn
Sigh – it must be “New Idea of The Day” month at Microsoft. What next? Phone – um no – um – a Ballmer training kit, complete with chair and whip? These guys are always good for a laugh. Maybe they can buy someone – like Yahoo or Subaru or something.
Look at some of the crappy sentence structure in the article. Jeez.
And, someone should tell SoftAndFlaccid that a 3 syllable name for a product is too long to be memorable and doesn’t roll off the tongue well like iTunes does.
I don’t think that citing the WNBA as standing for “boring mediocrity” makes for an accurate or apt analogy in this instance. The women who play in that league are the best at that sport among their gender, and, although the NBA is obviously more popular, the WNBA certainly has its share of fans.
Microsoft, this ever monney maker on others ideas, won’t get it this time. That hasbeen is just at it’s end.
Monney makes a lot… but not everything!
I thought the Zune store was there version of iTunes. Well, it just shows you that people don’t like renting or paying by a confusing points system that actually forces you to lose money because you can’t use all of it no matter what.
Nothing will match iTunes.
” . . . with any of these ‘iTunes killers’ that seem to pop up like mushrooms after rain . . .”
Also, there’s obviously no shortage of B.S. to fertilize most of these ill-conceived wannabes.
Ooops, they did it again….
Instead of the Genius Bar, they’ll have the BSOD Bar.
So blue, you cry in your beer.
@ Cubert
I’m going to call you Colonel Cubert from now on.
Right now, Ballmer is scribbling out an idea on a cocktail napkin with Burnt Sienna and Midnight Blue crayons for a video game console from MS capable of movie rentals, Zunecasts, YouTube and photos to be called the VideoXbox.
So much brilliance and originality.
No ‘PLANNING’ needed. Just try to copy, as always.
This just looks like more knee jerk MS “me too”-ism in full bloom. The big monopoly has to stick its fingers in every pie and then brag about their innovation, which often is in fact bloated, and half baked imitation.
That’s it Microsoft. Just keep chucking money down the Zune hole!
——RM
MS should change the Zune’s name to the iTurd. Then they can call their new media store the iTurd Store.
Poor, pitiful Microsoft. They can’t beat ’em (Apple); they can’t join ’em. They can’t threaten or bully them. They can only copy them.