Open message to Microsoft about Zune
You folks at Microsoft should be feeling pretty good about all the buzz surrounding Zune, your new media player/ media store. A lot of the discussion that is flying all over the web is pitting you against Apple’s iPod with a lot of people even calling Zune the “iPod killer”. That may sound good to you as it is clear for Zune to be successful you will have to convert many current iPod owners over to Zune. You don’t need me to tell you that as your understanding of what you must do is apparent in your plans to buy iTunes music libraries for new Zune customers.
All of this discussion is good buzz for you but I am going to tell you what you absolutely must do to seriously compete with Apple and the iPod/ iTunes combo. You may think that having some killer hardware with WiFi and other fancy features that the iPod lacks is a good start to capturing the iPod market but I think you are dead wrong. Why? Fancy hardware is not what made the iPod go mainstream and garner millions of customer. The iPod is nicely designed but it’s just another media player at its core. What made the iPod so successful can be summed up in one word. Simplicity. Apple nailed this from the very first iPod and they haven’t deviated from it in all the subsequent generations. The customer purchasing the iPod installs the included iTunes software and the combination just works without any fuss. No computer savvy required. Plug the iPod in, it connects seamlessly to iTunes, and it works just as simply every single time the customer plugs it in. The staggering sales numbers of iPods that turned Apple around did not come from their installed customer base, it came from the non-computer loving mainstream marketplace. That’s how Apple generates the huge sales numbers year after year. You must do the same with Zune or it will not penetrate the market, much less steal many iPod owners to the Zune side.
Microsoft, if you choose to put some whiz-bang features in the Zune players and media store, and those features require some level of computer savvy to set up and keep running properly, you will have missed the boat entirely. If you don’t believe that then you haven’t been paying attention through your PlaysForSure failure, and you haven’t noticed that dozens of audio players far superior to the iPod in features haven’t made a dent in iPod sales. KISS* applies more here than in almost any other market segment you play in currently. It must work out of the box with no user intervention, and it must continue to do so every single day the customer owns it. If not, you will quickly find a lot of your customers dusting their iPods off and throwing the Zune in a drawer. This market is not about innovation, it is about the customer experience and iPod owners have spoken with their wallets. KISS. Oh, and throw in seamless podcast support just like iTunes did.
If you believe that super features are the way to attract your installed customer base over to Zune then you must not realize that segment already uses Windows Mobile devices or PlaysForSure devices as their media players. You’ve already gotten them as customers, no it’s the iPod customers you must win over to be successful. KISS.
*KISS– Keep it Simple, Stupid
-jk
[JK..I'll post this message here since it fits better with your post. Feel free to delete my last comment in the previous post]
TABLET PC USER’s MEMO TO MSFT…
Advertising is also a big minus for the other MP3 players. I asked some students why they purchased their iPod and they asked me, “are there other MP3 player?” It was a genuine question and it is clear from the numerous posters around my college that Apple has got it right with getting the word out.
Simple comparison…turn on your TV to your local FOX, CBS or ABC channel and see how many car commercials are on! Millions of car dealers get the word out about their deals and sales! Is there a car with the market share up to 80%? None – go to Wal-Mart and see that domestic cars nor foreign cars have a market share like the iPod has.
How many MP3 commercials are on TV? Where I’m at, I can’t remember seeing one non-apple commercial! So, the MP3 players that are stuck at the <25% have their own marketing staff to blame! Of course, the latest Mac "Switch" ads have only made Apple computers look snobby and unappealing.
Advertising is always important but I still contend that Apple’s huge success with the iPod/ iTunes is due to how simple it is for non-computer literates to setup and go. That’s the market that Apple tapped, no doubt advertising played a role but I guarantee you that if the iPod was difficult to set up or had difficulty syncing with iTunes then it would have been a very different story. iPod owners enjoy the gadget (I am one) because it just. works. period. No hassles.
Bravo! This is a spot-on commentary! Yes, iPods are well-designed, but people lose sight of the fact that what keeps them on top is the fact that anyone with only the most rudimentary knowledge of computers can buy one and set it up in just a few minutes. I’m not a huge fan of Apple’s pricing practices or smug attitude towards those who don’t realize the company’s inherent superiority (those dreadful PC vs. Mac ads have tamped down my MacBook envy for the time being), but I will confess supreme admiration for their ability to never lose sight of the imporance of clarity and simplicity in the use of their devices.
I just hope someone at Microsoft is listening, for as much as I love my iPod, I’d be even happier if it had some real competition.
JK you are spot on!!
There are many superior sound quality MP3 players out there, iriver just to mention one, but they are difficult to use and not easy on the eye. This is where Apple’s strengths lie ; their kit looks good and is simple to use. As for better marketing from the other MP3 manufacturers I think its too late. The iPod has a hugh market share and worldwide brand image which will take many years to erode. Zune can only aim to be the best of the rest.
JK – Excellent letter and commentary.
Microsoft needs to make it seamless to the consumer. The reason that the concept of downloading music and video has become so easy is because they made it easy. I don’t think my father-in-law could ever have figured out the concept unless there was a simple approach. As new technologies become more mainstream they will be incorporated, but the key is not to throw everything into a device and then wait to see what sticks. The key is to put one or two features in that work flawlessly with a great interface and build on them.
Bingo!
Is it just me, or does anybody else think this might have something to do with “the future of entertainment”, Microsoft ALAXANDRIA ???
//F2theD
One thing we must say that recently, MS has been able to get things done right ONLY when they have full control over the start, production and distribution of a system. E.g. would be the XBOX 360, which is dead simple to use and install. MS hardware is also very simple and elegant to use. Their mouse, keyboard and sidewinder line-up are surely among the best (although Logitech does produce some really good quality stuff).
Since the top guys from the XBOX team are on the Zune project, we can only hope (and pray) that they carry on this simplicity. However, I’m still saying that the cool factor is what has made the iPod big. Feel free to disagree with me…but I’m holding my guns! Football is one of the most complicated sports in the world and people love it and understand it well. If people ONLY wanted simplicity, darts should be the #1 sport in the US.
We can speculate all we want but no one knows how this will all work out. I’m patiently waiting to see what MS will do with this Zune. If they produce a full line of “Swiss army” types and “simpler than blinking” type MP3 players, I believe they can make headway. However, if they do like Sony, DELL, Creative et. al. and mess up, they’ll be reaping the sorrows of a wasted project.
It will be interesting to see what the non-US market will do since they tend to see things very differently. After all, so many technologies that we adore, they don’t even look at (CDMA vs. GSM or Palm/Windows Mobile vs. Symbian OS).
MSFT, the ball is in your court. Make a good hit or suffer the consequences!
I have a slight disagreement with the letter. Although I believe that simplicity is definately a important part of the success of the ipod. I believe that world class design is the true reason why the ipod has captured so much market share, and while technical simplicity is a component of that design, its the actual look of the product, the packaging, and the way it makes you feel when you go into a mac store and see those cool little nanos sitting on the table.
There are plenty of other simple, plug and play mp3 players out there but no other company in the world has the design chops that apple has. time and time again they create consumer products that capture peoples attention and make people want to buy them. Even if Microsoft manages to make their mp3 player simple to use. they better get a world class design department in order to compete.
Even worst, apple design sensabilities are leading the market right now. Everything is copying the look of ipod and imacs out there (ds lite, etc). In order for microsoft to truly succeed, they need to find a designer that can truly innovate and take this design leadership out of apples hands. something I just dont see them doing.
I think the only way for microsoft to truly compete is to release the zune game system. Unlike Sony they really understand how to tie a game console to an internet service (360 does a great job) and I believe microsoft would be more successful then sony at releasing a combined music, games, video device. The games component would give them an edge and could possibly compensate for inferior product design.
jk is right, but don’t hold your breath, James.
Complexity helped kill Palm and complexity never made PPC’s market as large as Palm.
And there’s no simplicity with the Nokia 770, either.
As Jobs famously said, Microsoft just doesn’t have any taste.
Still doesn’t. Recall the infamous mock “MS iPod” packaging video. From MS’s own employees!
As for me, those flash Sansa players look pretty good…
Oh boy, you nailed that one. When you have a system that my mother at 84 can use without instruction it is a winner. The iPod/iTunes system is a winner. I hope MS is listening.
MHBJr.
KISS applies only to a certain market segment. Younger customers are trained in adopting new technology and will not fear new features.