Microsoft's iPod killer....

[Trevor Halsey]

I still use a Zune HD for my media so please don't generalise!!!

THIS!! I still have my 80gb iPod Video full of flac albums ala rockbox. Also, that saying that there aren't any portable HD radios, beyond the insignia units (I have both the button and touch units) there isn't a killer portable device that has HD radio beyond the Zune HD which I had wished I could own years ago.





Sent from my RM-860 (Lumia 928) using the OFFICIAL Tapatalk app.

 

[mase123987]

THIS!! I still have my 80gb iPod Video full of flac albums ala rockbox. Also, that saying that there aren't any portable HD radios, beyond the insignia units (I have both the button and touch units) there isn't a killer portable device that has HD radio beyond the Zune HD which I had wished I could own years ago.





Sent from my RM-860 (Lumia 928) using the OFFICIAL Tapatalk app.

I think the lack of HD radio support anywhere is that it never caught on

 

[jmshub]

I have had several Zune devices over the years. I think I count 8 or 9 Zune devices during their product cycle (including gifts). I really did like them. But I know even when I carry my Zune, it sits relatively unused compared to my phone. My phone has bluetooth to sync to my car's stereo or a bluetooth speaker I have at work. I really with my phone could hold more songs, but the Zune Pass allows me download almost anything to hear the song I wanted to hear.

As far as someone building a PMP on WP8 platform, I'd say that ship has sailed. Even Apple seems ambivalent about ipod at this point in time.

 

[Huime]

the one that is dying are those toy like mp3 like ipod. True dedicated mp3s has always been a niche and will probably stay alive with some inde brand.

 

[Angry_Mushroom]

the one that is dying are those toy like mp3 like ipod. True dedicated mp3s has always been a niche and will probably stay alive with some inde brand.

You've still got two major mainstream players here. Sansa and Sony. One of the major reasons of them being around is the fact that they support more than just mp3s. An audiophile, real or fake, will want loseless files on his player. Apparently the Fuze and Walkman provide support for FLAC. Something which our phones do not. Of course you could go for a less mainstream option, but that tends to be pricey to a ridiculous extreme. Some people are willing to go quite far for their portable setup. I'll stick to my Sennheiser Amperior x L810. If Nokia ever releases a phone with more respectable audio specs aimed at the audiophiles... I'll look into it.

 

[jeffskent]

I have owned, or still own Sansa MP3 players, iPod Shuffles, Nanos, and an iPod Video with 60 GB storage. All still work and are excellent for gym use or in the car or house. The majority of my music is now from my Lumia 1020, but I still have two old iPhones, 3GS and 4S. Any mp3 player is good for a child and I would hesitate to give a 12 year old even a $100 cell phone, even with no sim card. All kinds of mischief could ensue. I would be more likely to give a child a cell phone with restricted data and voice locks on it. The music and video player aspect is still amazing on any modern cell phone. I almost think all new borns should be issued a cell phone as soon as they could walk and talk. Can't be too careful.

 

[Robert Novak1]

No need for a dedicated MP3 player here. I don't have a large collection of music but I do have a nice video collection size 64GB of flash is enouh for the time being. Hopefully when the 128GB cards are reasonable, I can stuff one in my Nokia Lumia 810

 

[juanitoriv]

i dont personally know anyone at this time that actually still uses a "designated MP3 player". Everyone just uses their phones.

I know plenty of people that have a dedicated mp3. I personally don't understand it, but people do.. I love my Beats on my 8X

 

[Villain]

People always get over dramatic when talking about the Zune and the Zune failing when it's not for any fault other than the one thing people fail to realize... the Zune launched to late as the portable MP3 player market was just about to crash. that market crashed with the rise of Smartphones becoming common, even ipods/touch have dropped to a niche market. Microsoft had a great product but released it when the who market was on the verge of decline.


I still have my 80gb Zune in my car... it's great BUT **** I hate trying to make playlists with the zune software

 

[Coreldan]

I still use a Zune HD for my media so please don't generalise!!!

Emphasis on the word "personally". Of course I know there's plenty of people out there (and even in this thread already) that still do use MP3 players, I just said no one I KNOW uses one, as they all use their phones. The "everyone" in the next sentence also referred to the people I know, not the whole universe

 

[neo158]

Emphasis on the word "personally". Of course I know there's plenty of people out there (and even in this thread already) that still do use MP3 players, I just said no one I KNOW uses one, as they all use their phones. The "everyone" in the next sentence also referred to the people I know, not the whole universe

Well if you want to get specific, putting a full stop then putting "Everyone" breaks the sentence up. That means that the "Everyone" you used means everyone in the world. What you should have put was "Everyone I know.... ".

Anyway, as evidenced by my comment not everyone uses a phone for music!!!!

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

Smartphones in general are killing mp3 players of all kinds, have been for years now. It just doesn't make much sense anymore, ESP. will phones like 520 being so cheap.

It still can't kill devices like Nexus 7 or iPod Touch.

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

People always get over dramatic when talking about the Zune and the Zune failing when it's not for any fault other than the one thing people fail to realize... the Zune launched to late as the portable MP3 player market was just about to crash. that market crashed with the rise of Smartphones becoming common, even ipods/touch have dropped to a niche market. Microsoft had a great product but released it when the who market was on the verge of decline.


I still have my 80gb Zune in my car... it's great BUT **** I hate trying to make playlists with the zune software

Confidential Apple and Samsung sales numbers revealed in court filing | The Verge

"The iPod touch hasn't seen the same growth trajectory as the iPhone or iPad, but it's stayed strong even as the overall popularity of iPods declines, holding between 10 and 13 million sales each year since 2009 with a total of 46.5 million units. That's about half as many as the iPhone, with substantially lower revenue (roughly $10.3 billion), but people are clearly still buying the Wi-Fi-only devices."

 

[mase123987]

It still can't kill devices like Nexus 7 or iPod Touch.

Smartphones can and will kill things like an iPod Touch, esp if the new, cheaper iPhone is priced right. Secondly, ipod touch and nexus 7 are not just mp3 players like what I was talking about. Those two things aren't even in the same category as each other.

 

[mase123987]

Confidential Apple and Samsung sales numbers revealed in court filing | The Verge

"The iPod touch hasn't seen the same growth trajectory as the iPhone or iPad, but it's stayed strong even as the overall popularity of iPods declines, holding between 10 and 13 million sales each year since 2009 with a total of 46.5 million units. That's about half as many as the iPhone, with substantially lower revenue (roughly $10.3 billion), but people are clearly still buying the Wi-Fi-only devices."

People buy iPod Touches because they are cheaper versions of the iPhone. People want the Apple experience, not because they prefer this to a smartphone. Things like a cheaper iPhone will hurt this.

 

[SnailUK]

It would be really nice to see a Nokia phone with the Wolfston DAC from the Galaxy S3, the amp from the 8X, removable storage, Bluetooth 4 with AptX support. That would be a true phone for the Audiophiles, and shouldn't be that difficult.

Throw in a decent EQ, and hardware Flac decoding and most people wouldn't need a Zune or iPod.

 

[snowmutt]

Dead true.... if XBOX music interface with WP8 devices doesn't improve I will buy myself a nice, used Zune player and enjoy the living crud out of it when I finally decide to jump to WP8, most likely early next year. Now, I do expect it to improve as proof by the GDR2 update addressing some of the bugs. But I already have the Zune software, so a used Zune player would be a fine, fine purchase if it doesn't.

But, do I think a dedicated Zune-style device could be profitable in this day and age of cell phones being the new MP3 players? Well, as I look at the landscape of MS, let us draw an analogy. Mobile devices have all but ate up the gaming industry. The XBOX only sells about 9 million a year. That is small, small french fries when you compare that WP sells well over that in a QUARTER, and it is called underperforming. But it leads to so many other money streams, it is very profitable. So, if a Zune style player (matched with XBOX Music and Media through the cloud, of course) could sell 4-5 million a year,and could be produced cheaply, why the heck not? That is just 4-5 million more music subscriptions and media buys. I can see that paying for itself fairly easily. I am sure the iPod is still profitable for Apple, but that it's actually sales are paltry compared to iPhones and iPads.

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

Smartphones can and will kill things like an iPod Touch, esp if the new, cheaper iPhone is priced right. Secondly, ipod touch and nexus 7 are not just mp3 players like what I was talking about. Those two things aren't even in the same category as each other.

That rumored iPhone will replace iPhone 4S and will have same price as iPhone 4S.

Because 4S has old connector and 3.5 screen.

So they replace 4S with a new phone which has lightning connector and 4 inch screen.

Its a cheaper iPhone compared to other models but not as cheap as L520 or L620.

Apple doesn't race to bottom

 

[mase123987]

That rumored iPhone will replace iPhone 4S and will have same price as iPhone 4S.

Because 4S has old connector and 3.5 screen.

So they replace 4S with a new phone which has lightning connector and 4 inch screen.

Its a cheaper iPhone compared to other models but not as cheap as L520 or L620.

Apple doesn't race to bottom

iPod touch can be $300 so a cheaper iphone doesn't need to be as cheap a 520 to compete with the touch.

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

People buy iPod Touches because they are cheaper versions of the iPhone. People want the Apple experience, not because they prefer this to a smartphone. Things like a cheaper iPhone will hurt this.

That was a reply for "Zune didn't succeed because it entered market at wrong time"
iPod market was declining but still made sale of 46 million units in few years.

My point was , Zune is not a success , no matter in which Angle we see.

Because eco system is weak for that .

iTunes to Zune is like comparing popularity of Windows to Mac.

Another thing was appstore.

EDIT : Cheaper iPhone will hurt it but still iTouch would sell in millions (maybe a 5 ?) which isn't small number and count iPod Nano and Shuffles.