I was wondering if there would be any hope in the near future of a new Zune Hardware device. Since Microsoft stopped producing Zune's I take that as a no. And since they acquired Nokia seems like there hardware focus would be on them. But if I know about technology nothing stays dead. Look at Apple for example, their first tablet was a failure and yet where is it now? I think with windows 8 right around the corner this could be a great time to have a smaller tablet like version of it (besides other companies making tablets that run Windows 8). Even though WP7(soon to be WP8) is just getting off the ground, Apple continues to make and re-create iPods and Google continues to jump into everything and anything to see if they can get another hit. If Nokia's advertising department can succeed in getting both the Nokia phones and Windows Phone in more peoples hands then another Zune wouldn't sound so far fetched. Am I a dreamer...Yeah SO WHAT! A separate device with no phone service directly from Microsoft would add revenue to Microsoft itself and can reinvent there Metro UI with the Zune first to work out the kinks and once they perfect it move it to the Phones. It's almost like a trial and error device. To me I believe Microsoft should at least have one device under their control besides the Phones (Nokia). But the way it's looking it seems Microsoft has gone back to the old ways of doing business, OS, buying companies, and putting their OS into the said bought companies devices. XBox will be the only Microsoft product. So I guess my Zune HD is just a relic of the past. I'll just hold onto this bad boy until it no longer works and then use my Zune 30GB and once that dies just use my WP7. But I want to know does anyone count on a come back in the near or far future for a new Zune device or has it fallen into the hole of despair and will never see the light ever again, only as a piece of Windows Phones and XBox's?
Honestly, I would love it as much as you, but its just not gonna happen. If Microsoft had actually advertised the Zune HD it would be a totally different story, but they kinda ****ed that up, and now the zune line of hardware is dead.
In my view, the possibility of new Zune hardware is as possible as Activision releasing free Call Of Duty DLC.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
"I don’t know whether I’m alive and dreaming or dead and remembering. How can you tell what’s a dream and what’s real if you can’t even tell when you’re awake or when you’re asleep?" - Johnny Got His Gun
Honestly, I would love it as much as you, but its just not gonna happen. If Microsoft had actually advertised the Zune HD it would be a totally different story, but they kinda ****ed that up, and now the zune line of hardware is dead.
Actually, to MS's credit, they did actually launch a pretty exhaustive ad campaign for the zHD, so I wouldn't attribute its financial failure to that. I think it failed largely for the same reason its predecessor did, a combination of Apple's phenomenal industry and cultural entrenchment in respect to PMPs, as well as iTunes pernicious latent function of rendering any migration attempt away from its system a long and arduous process which the vast majority of the general consumer market could not be bothered with. Why go through all the agony of circumventing all of Apple's DRM protocols to try out a brand they've never heard of (and if they have, it was probably at the contextual expense of ridicule courtesy of popular culture) when they can just continue to use their tried and tested Apple device?
Moreover, in the age of portable apps, the zHD's launch library was frankly laughable. Again, assuming the perspective of the average consumer (who knows and cares nothing for hacks), why would they purchase a device with an alien name where the only apps available are Checkers and Animalgrams, versus the known Apple brand which boasts (ad nauseum) its thousands of apps in its store?
Ultimately, the zHD was a fantastic piece of hardware which fell victim to market circumstances beyond its control and the ineptitude of its manufacturer. We'll probably never see anything like it from MS beyond WP7, but for reasons I've discussed in another thread, WP7 is at the moment hardly a proper successor to Zune.
I have never seen an ad for the Zune HD. Not on TV, not even on the internet. How exactly did they have a good ad campaign?
Really? I saw its "portable perfection" ads all over the place online. Admittedly, I didn't see that many TV commercials, but I did catch it once or twice.
I suppose "exhaustive" may have been strong, but it certainly received a substantial amount of marketing support, I know for a fact I'm not the only person who saw advertising for zHD. I'd actually be curious as to exactly how much money went into the campaign, but ultimately I still maintain that marketing was not the primary cause of its failure.
Really? I saw its "portable perfection" ads all over the place online. Admittedly, I didn't see that many TV commercials, but I did catch it once or twice.
I suppose "exhaustive" may have been strong, but it certainly received a substantial amount of marketing support, I know for a fact I'm not the only person who saw advertising for zHD. I'd actually be curious as to exactly how much money went into the campaign, but ultimately I still maintain that marketing was not the primary cause of its failure.
I must admit, I may be slightly biased as far as tv commercials because I live in canada, but many of the stations i watch are us and have us ads. I also didn't see any on the net
I must admit, I may be slightly biased as far as tv commercials because I live in canada, but many of the stations i watch are us and have us ads. I also didn't see any on the net
Fair enough, but regardless of your personal experience, the zHD was advertised, and pretty heavily so, as was its predecessor. MS invested $100 million on its "welcome to the social" ads for the original Zune, which I also personally remember seeing all over the place. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they invested as much, if not more for zHD, which was a wildly technically and aesthetically superior platform. Remember this is MS we're talking about, they have very deep pockets, and they've done worse.
Any hope for Zune Hardware in the near future
