Microsoft Zune vs. Apple’s Ipod
The battle for supremacy among MP3 players makers is becoming ever competitive with more players entering the market to sell gizmo devices to insatiable customers. Microsoft is the latest entrant into a market that has become increasingly dominated by Apple’s Ipod. If lateness was anything to go by then Microsoft is definitely too late and comes in at a time when Apples already controls over 40 percent of all the internet music download through it iTunes software. To counter the competition, Microsoft has also announced that it would launch its own music download program known as Zune Market Place. Being an Ipod fan, I wonder what might be so special in the Zune. The device, which the company anticipates will be ready in time for holidays, will come in three colors black, brown and white. Interesting enough, a Zune will have in-built Wi-Fi for sharing full-length music downloads with other Zune devices around it. As rumoured earlier, zune will have a 30Gb hard-disk and a screen. However, Microsoft has declined to disclose any pricing information.
As the battle for gizmo devices intensifies, all I say is that a better pricing strategy by Microsoft could see it curve a sizable market niche from Apple. Pricing wars are definitely in the offing after Apple this week released a new 30Gb Ipod with a lower pricing of $249 -dropping from earlier pricing of $289. There were rumours back in August that Microsfot was going to charge $299 per Zune device. However, there was nothing special in the new 30 Gb Ipod except that a longer battery-life, larger screen, brighter screen and a lower price tag! Apple might boast of its market command but it has missed the opportunity to release a Wi-Fi device!
As I see it now, the key to Zune beating Ipod will depend on a pricing and Wi-Fi technology.