IN MEMORIAM: Microsoft Zune bites the dust

Like 127 Hours hiker Aron Ralson, Microsoft has decided to sever one of its limbs, the Zune. But in this case, the boulder that came between them and success is the iPod.

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IN MEMORIAM: Microsoft Zune bites the dust

POSTED: Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: In Memoriam

(fanpop.com)

Like 127 Hours hiker Aron Ralson, Microsoft has decided to sever one of its mainstays, the Zune. But in this case, the boulder that came between them and success is the iPod.

Released in 2006 (I was working at a Best Buy at the time, and I remember this being something of a big deal), Zune was Microsoft's attempt to cut into Apple's digital music ubiquity. Microsoft wanted Zune to be the Facebook to Apple's Myspace (which, admittedly was one of the more astounding usurpations of market dominance in recent memory). These were lofty goals for sure, but at first it wasn't doing terribly with a nine percent market-share after the first year. It was promising, even. Were it to continue in that direction with any amount of consistency, by today it could have approached competitive numbers with the iPod, and would have at least established itself as the standard iPod alternative worth keeping in production.

What it turned out to be, though, was LiveJournal to Apple's Myspace; RC Cola to its Coke.

Now, Zune is getting dropped and there is no alternative to the iPod. Not in any meaningful sense. This is great news for investors, who will benefit long run from Zune's attempted assault. Whatever small change profits Apple lost to Microsoft in that sector will certainly be made up by the value of the company now that they're seemingly competition-proof. Microsoft publicly demonstrated that taking on the iPod is not a profitable strategy, and it's now far less likely that Sony, LG or Amazon will attempt a similar coup.

Why did the Zune plop? Probably, because of iTunes. Software is one area where Americans are resistant to change. Microsoft should know that. It's the reason that offices and all other non-creative sectors will continue to use Windows until the end of time. If it's time to get a new iPod, and you already have your whole music library invested in iTunes, what incentive do you have to switch over to a whole new (uncharted) system? iTunes isn't perfect, but it's consistently adequate across the board. And everyone has it.

You'd have to be pretty pissed at your iPod to switch over to Zune. Or, if it was your first digital player, you had to weigh the popular iPod against the new, slightly less expensive Zune with a smaller hard drive.

What does "Zune" mean, anyway? It sounds like a mispronunciation of the novel Dune being yelled by a German officer. It doesn't matter because now it's an artifact. It's a Beta tape player, it's crystal Pepsi. It's a brand cul-de-sac whose asphalt paved out an important lesson: Don't fuck with Apple.

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