Microsoft made the Zune because partner hardware "sucks

reposted from: www.engadget.com

Posted Jan 20th 2007 5:42PM by Ryan Block

Thanks to yet another Microsoft antitrust suit in Iowa, subpoenaed emails have revealed a moment of candidness and clarity at Microsoft in 2003 when Jim Allchin (Co-President, Platforms & Services Division, depicted left) and Amir Majidimehr (Corporate Vice President, Consumer Media Technology Group) had an email thread that basically summarized the portable media device playing field then, and for the most part, now. Some choice quites from the email back-and-forth:

Jim: title "sucking on media players"; regarding a current Creative player (probably a Nomad, perhaps a Zen Touch): "My goodness it's terrible... What I don't understand though is I was told the new Creative Labs device would be comparable to Apple. That is so not the case."
Amir: "Now you feel our pain." He suggests giving cash bonuses for partners that come up with decent devices. In the instance that doesn't work: "it is time for us to roll up our sleeves and do our own hardware."

And of course so they did, with great hype and great failure to immediately capture market share, the Zune was born many years later -- far too late by most accounts, but hey, you've gotta start somewhere. Still, it's funny to think that for these guys rolling up their sleeves and doing their own hardware means taking an off the shelve portable media OS (PMC 2), getting Toshiba to make a modified Gigabeat, and cutting some seriously anti-consumer deals with major labels.

Some comments>>>>

CaptSaltyJack @ Jan 20th 2007 6:09PM

The thing is, the Creative Zen Vision:M is probably the most kickass PMP out there at this point. Let's see what it does RIGHT:

- No DRM bullshit like Zune
- Handles DivX and Xvid formats, yay for geeks
- FM radio
- Records FM radio
- Voice recorder
- Great screen
- No proprietary software needed (like iTunes), just drag and drop

What's wrong:
- Not strong enough ad campaign
- Not enough accessories

And you can't replace the battery yourself when it dies. I understand this is to conserve on space inside the chassis, but it's still an annoyance.

Sam @ Jan 20th 2007 6:22PM

Other things wrong with the Creative Zen Vision:M...

Poor build quality/cheap materials
Lackluster design
Very 'clunky' to hold, the thing just feels cheap

These are big turn-offs, not that the Zune is any better at all.

Marian @ Jan 20th 2007 6:17PM

An addition to the "what's wrong" list:
- It sucks ass


After 5 minutes of frustrating attempts to use it while I was in a store, I gave up.
By comparison, anyone knows how to use an iPod after one minute.

Eric @ Jan 20th 2007 8:21PM

Has anyone here used a Sandisk Sansa?

I have a Sansa and I love it. The menu is nice, it has nice features, it's extremely easy to add stuff to, or take off, and best of all, when you hold it, it actually feels like something durable and worth the money. I am far from an iPod hater, and I in fact like the iPod, but the Sansa is just as good in my opinion. I recommend to anyone just to try it in the store. :)