Don’t go away mad, as the saying goes…

Listen, I just swept the major retailers in NYC today. NO Gigabeat. And there were REAL PEOPLE in these stores BUYING WHAT THEY COULD SEE FOR SALE.

Enjoy NetGeekVille. But you go too far asking me to believe its self-absorbed inhabitants could ever have a family.

Mike Cane,

I’m aware of DELL moving into stores, although I haven’t heard anything in my area. The original point was that the Gigabeat isn’t out yet. If you take the time to look on the http://www.gigabeat.com website, you’ll find a local store that has it. I found a store in my state. So it is a fact, the new Gigabeat is out to those who look for it. Has it been advertised? Has any other MP3 really been advertised? No, check my earlier comment and you’ll see my complaint(s) about the lack of non-apple MP3-player ads.

Anyways, this topic is going off track. I’m going to enjoy “NetGeekVille” with my family while you split hairs over this. Have a good day…

Show me the TV ad blitz for the Gigabeat FIRST before you sully yourself by dragging in Dell (which now WANTS to be in stores, or haven’t you heard?).

Stop living in NetGeekVille. Most people don’t.

Mike Cane,

I guess DELL computers ain’t out either! I’ve driven all over my State and I can’t find a DELL store anywhere! Oddly, my college has them everywhere! How odd is that??! Could it be that they…purchased them online…

[screams of pain...]

Tablet PC User:

Sorry, you’re wrong about the Gigabeat being out. If it isn’t in stores, it ain’t out.

Geeks swoon over the Cowon PMP, but so what? It’s not in STORES.

I agree on the new Apple ad campaign. They kind of crossed line from “cool” to “snob”. As for breaking the monopoly, awareness, coolness and simplicity kind of all contribute to 80%.
A snapshot of the market today shows the average consumer thinks every mp3 player is an iPod of some kind. It is pretty much a generic term. When someone goes into a Best Buy looking for an MP3 player they ask the salesperson where the iPods are. Most people probably think podcasts were invented by Apple and were first distributed on the ITMS. Thats what happens when you own a market.
jk’s open letter hits the nail on the head. If Microsoft get’s too geeky with this device, you might as well add it to the pile. The average customer just wants to turn it on, copy or purchase their music and TV shows and move on.
The cool factor plays into the X and Y gen demo but the non-computer savvy are the key. It is just too easy to use the iTunes Music store with an iPod.
It’s great to have WiFi but what is Zune going to do with WiFi? If it allows me to sync my contacts, download music and video, turn on my GPS, skype somebody, play my Xbox remotely and slinbox my TV – well guys, I may think thats cool(despite battery issues) but I am positive many people would be too intimidated and will just leave it alone.

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.

I just expanded on the simplicity theme being what made the iPod the raging success it is here:

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2006/07/open_message_to.html

Yes, the iPod is “cool” but it is not the geek market that has to be penetrated as that market is small compared to the tens of millions of iPod buyers who are not computer savvy at all. That’s the market that must be garnered to compete with the iPod.

The Toshiba Gigabeat S30 & S60 have been out for quite sometime. It is truly a mini XP Media Center. IMHO, it is WAY better than the text-only interface of the other “popular” MP3 player(s).

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.gigabeat.com/

VIDEO OF INTERFACE: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3428996358728158914

C|NET Review & Video: http://reviews.cnet.com/Toshiba_Gigabeat_S_MES30VW_30GB_white/4505-6499_7-31660763.html?tag=sub

AMAZON SALES: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EHCUIE/ref=pd_rhf_p_1/102-7447405-5945751?ie=UTF8

********

JK,

I disagree about the simplicity of the iPOD being the main selling factor; it is the cool factor that made the biggest hit. Creative has some very simple players too, but they aren’t “cool”! Trust me…as a college student with 34,000 students at my University, cool is in for 2006! MS only needs make the Zune look really pretty and get enough “cool” people to say that the Zune is cool and it’s a hit, even if it has sloppy battery, screens etc. Perfect example if this is the Sidekick series from T-mobile…not the best device for enthusiasts, but hey, Snoop Dog, Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton are cool so it must be cool!

The reason the iPod/iTunes combination has been so successful is not because it’s Apple or because the iPod hardware is so innovative. It is because it is so simple that computer neophytes can make it work and once it’s working it continues to do so without problems and without intervention. Zune MUST accomplish the same feat or it will not be a serious competitor to Apple. Apple was not saved by selling iPods or music to their existing customer base, rather it was saved because it sells millions of iPods to the mainstream customer base. If Zune requires some skill level at WinXP to work well, it will not make a dent in iPod sales.

It really makes me sick, the sniping about the “iPod monopoly” — all coming from the Windows Monopoly!

That said, whatever happened to that Toshiba Gigabeat everyone licked their chops over earlier THIS year? Why didn’t Toshiba ever release it?

And Zune is STILL the dumbest name I’ve ever heard.

Oliver: My Pocket PC can play music all day and still have juice to spare on the standard battery. Of course, that’s with flash memory, but even with its hard drive, the Zune should still run about the same and it will probably have a larger battery.

That said, the software is the key to the Zune’s success. People seem to forget that the iPod was born as an extension of iTunes, a way to carry iTunes with you. Apple expanded the iPod to PC users by creating a version of iTunes for Windows. Bottom line: if iTunes sucked, no one would want an iPod. So all hype aside, we really need to see the software side of the Zune before any realistic “iPod-killer” talk can begin.

On a related note, wifi on the device is a good idea, but if it works like it does on Windows Mobile, this will be a geek-only feature. My wife and mother-in-law can both use iTunes with their iPods (after I got them set up, of course), but they would never get how to use wifi on my Pocket PC. The wifi operation on the Zune needs to be as easy as, well, using an iPod or this won’t fly.

Will Zune be the wireless 30gb external hard drive that I need for my Q1?

So if they’re based on Windows Mobile, will these devices have PocketPC-like battery lives?

And then we have this rumor…
http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/22/apple-to-do-ebooks/
Hmmm…

Matt,
Good points.
This is not a Microsoft vs. Apple old world grudge match. It isn’t to beat Microsoft, it is about shareholder value. Strictly business. If I owned a company with 85% market share in anything – I would not not stand still, I would remain aggressive to maintain it.
You are right that Apple being quiet is nothing new and OK using the term “set up” obviously set the wrong tone.
However, it isn’t unusual for companies to put out press releases or generate PR to somehow get competitors to show their hand or change strategies. It was just unusual that there were rumors that Apple had some problems with the development of there next gen iPod.
Anyway,
The real question today should address how Microsoft “Plays for Sure” partners feel about the Zune. I’m sure Creative is pretty happy.