Zune Sales Continue to Weaken

Dak RIT writes "Market share data for the first month of Microsoft's Zune sales is now available, and appears to confirm that after the initial hype, sales have fallen off dramatically. Microsoft came in fourth for sales during the month of November with only 1.9% of the market. Apple remained unchanged at 62.2%, and SanDisk even managed to increase to 18.4% (looks like the Zune might not even be able to compete with the rest of the market, let alone the iPod). The one surprise though is that the brown Zune is apparently not only being bought, but more popular than the white model."

waiting

[gEvil (beta)]

I'm just holding out for the yellow model...

Nah.

[Funkcikle]

The one surprise though is that the brown Zune is apparently not only being bought, but more popular than the white model.

Not really. Brown is a nice colour. And people who buy the Zune are probably trying to kid themselves into believing they are real and proper individuals, resisting all those clones and sheep who have iPods and iPod knock-offs. So why should they not go one further and get a wild and cool colour which nobody already has?

Proof indeed that people are dim. Bless their little hearts!

White Elephant

[PoloniumSandwich]

What else could you give as a gag at all these White Elephant office parties?

Possible Use

[dsginter]

I bought a Zune to use as a big screen TV. I had to make my own wall mount, but it was worth it. I measured the screen and it is nearly the same size as 42" monitors going for several thousand dollars.

In all seriousness, I was a bit perked by the Zune until I saw how big it actually was. I'm certainly no Microsoft fan boy, but what the heck were they thinking?

Re:Zune

[aadvancedGIR]

The Zune gives you the ability to share music with another Zune owner. Of course, you first need to meet one.

Re:Get yours while they still exist

[McNihil]

yeah... true... collectors of dust!

Re:White Elephant

[__aaclcg7560]

I worked at an office where the company decided that everyone needed a plant on his desk. One of my co-workers went ballastic since he listed the things that the company should be providing the employees besides a plant. The company backed off on the plant idea. My co-worker received a plant as a White Elephant gift, which he didn't take too kindly and promptly trashed it. I rescued the plant and still have it after three years.

Re:DRM is not in

[GrayCalx]

How dare you assign any company, other than Microsoft, monopoly status on a slashdot thread. Shame on you. Shaaaaame.

Re:It's the hackers...

[photomic]

No. They will be called Zubunti, which is also Swahili for "tribe of horse-faced linux geeks."

Popularity of brown

[Numbah One]

alone the iPod). The one surprise though is that the brown Zune is apparently not only being bought, but more popular than the white model."

Perhaps UPS is buying them in bulk.

A squirting helmet camera. Wha?

[Overzeetop]

I'll tell you what. I'm not really going to be interested in any electronic device which advertises "squirting" or "helmet camera" in the list of features. But, hey, I'm a traditionalist. You just go strap on that helmet camera and squirt all you want, just don't do it near me.

Re:Zune

[russellh]

Style is not just looks. it's sliding out of bed, lookin' awesome, smoothly puttin on your stylin' clothes, hoppin into your sports car and zooming off. In contrast, a lack of style is stumbling out of bed, not being able to find your glasses, forgetting to shave, accidentally brushing your teeth with the preparation H, burning the breakfast, and sighing as you get into the minivan with the broken muffler. Yeah, they both get the job done. One of them sucks though.

Re:Not true

[sammy baby]

I wonder how he'd have reacted if the Zune had, counter to everyone's expectations, been wildly successful?

"I won't lie: we're very disappointed. We'd been hoping to play a mediocre second fiddle to Apple on this one. We'd even put all kinds of half-baked functionality into the Zune to limit the obviously great potential of the wifi capabilities. And yet, we've gone and eclipsed the iPod. Heads are going to roll, I'll tell you that much."

Re:Zune

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm looking for other young male Zune owners to squirt with.

Mark Foley

Re:Zune

[gsn]

I love Slashdot - only here can the argument that an mp3 player has style turn into a movie with you "sliding out of bed, lookin' awesome, smoothly puttin on your stylin' clothes, hoppin into your sports car and zooming off."

You forgot to brush your teeth there bud. Style ain't gonna help you with no cavities fo' sure. Twit.

Re:Slashdot shill spin surprises!

[MasterC]

Instead of trying to spin existing articles, I personally think that it's time for Slashdot editors to just start making shit up. This attempt at spin is pretty sad. Why not just make up an article that says, "Bill Gates went on a shooting spree today, killing 100 orphan children, before turning the weapon on himself".

So slashdot needs to buy the onion [theonion.com]?

That could be fun!

In other news, ESR to release The Cathedral and the Bazaar as a film on October 31, 2007 staring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt and Jessica Alba. Brad Pitt rallies the locals at the bazaar to go around town to burn down all the cathedrals. Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his role as Terminator sent back in time by the GNU Project to elimiate Pitt. Alba is rumored to have a shower scene...just cuz.

Re:Why bother.

[qbwiz]

What else is Microsoft going to do with their mountains of money? I suppose they could hand out more dividends, but their options are actually somewhat limited.

Re:Zune potential

[Cybrex]

Paul Thurrott, is that you? ;-)

Re:Zune

[soft_guy]

what does an IPOD have (other than after market accessories) that the Zune does not?

Customers.

Re:Data?

[whizzard]

after a period of say, six months to a fiscal year

So, is a fiscal year a different period of time than a "regular" year?

Re:Zune

[QRDeNameland]

Sure, the iPod may be more popular, but the brown Zune is more poopular.

Re:Brown is for Wookies

[Bassman59]

So Microsoft's justification for brown is the Chewbacca Defense?

that doesn't make any sense ...

Re:waiting

[Coucho]

I was waiting for the brown color with the new putrid smell feature.. oh wait...

Re:Zune

[scribblej]

Thank you for pointing this out. Of course, this is why I bought the Zune. It's important for me to know that my music player is supporting the starving artists.

In Real World, No Zunes to Share With

[WillAffleckUW]

A number of people who (* cough mistake *) bought the Zune have complained that they can't find anyone to share music with.

In Seattle

In Coffeeshops

In Malls

Think about it, that's NOT a good thing to say.

Me, I think our DRM-obsessed overlords blew this one. Good tech, lousy software/DRM.

Re:waiting

[pseudorand]

The next model will be neither brown nor yellow, but a sort of skin-colored combination. It will also be longer and thicker. It will still have the ability to squirt, but the UI will require that you push the same button repeatedly and rapidly for it to work. Kind of like a double-click, but with a lot more clicks.

Re:Zune

[rk]

I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down" verbally, don't you?

Re:Brown

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah well london sux

Hehehe: looks like shit...

[Anonymous Coward]

That reminds me of a friend at the data center: a very peculiar guy, technically very competent yet focused on learning speech techniques, philosophy, all the humanistic things.

Well, to create a proper climate, he even got himself one of those decorative mini Zen gardens, with sand and little stones. He even made those circles in the sand, meaning the sea/universe, I don't know.

Well, some of his "friends" put a fake crap in his Zen garden... I almost had a seizure when I saw it... Unix guys can kill sometimes, beware! :-)

Why do you people care?

[pclark999]

While I understand the joys of Schadenfreude, I just understand why all of you people are getting your knickers in a twist over this. I have looked at the Zune and it is an OK player. I am on my third iPod, and trust me, they have problems too. give it a rest.

Brown Zune And DRM...

[Tavor]

Maybe the Brown Zune should have a new slogan... What Can't Brown Do For You?