Microsoft's iPod killer....

[Sanjay Chandra]

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

iPod Touch starts at $199 or $229

 

[snowmutt]

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."

Should read other peoples post more carefully. I made my point in my above comment about iPod's not selling well compared to iPhone/iPads without realizing you had already done the homework!!

 

[mms-pc]

I'm owning a Zune HD now, I've been using it for more than 2 years, and I'm still satisfied with it. The reason I bought Zune HD was because of my HD7 handset, back in 2011 I bought a HD7 as my smartphone, I used it to play some music albums for some while, and I liked the UI, but the problem of HD7 was that the battery's not powerful enough to act as my portable media player, and I found Zune HD on Amazon, so I bought it. I kinda felt sad when MS decided to terminate Zune product line, but in other ways it's still a good decision, since most people prefer listening to music with their smartphone, it's going to be a trend, an independent portable media player is not going to sell.

 

[mase123987]

As far as I know, the latest generation ipod touch comes in either 32gb ($299) and 64gb ($399).

 

[snowmutt]

........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.

All valid points. And the XBOX Music selection as well as movie selection is still not up to the iTunes store. But it is leaps and bounds better then most people give it credit for, and it is more resonable in price then iTunes. If a very inexpensive Wi-Fi only XBOX Music player were released, it just needs to break even in production costs when compared to sales due to subscription buys. Those buys in turn will produce better sales on the market, which will help MS increase it's standing with distrubutors and increase the selection that is there.

Of course, I am an eternal optimist. It is a curse. I just do not see an actual down side to the OP's suggestion.

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

As far as I know, the latest generation ipod touch comes in either 32gb ($299) and 64gb ($399).

Apple - iPod touch - Technical Specifications

EDIT : iPod Touch 5th gen comes with exact screen of iPhone 5 which has almost 100% sRGB and its a gold standard display according to displaymate and anandtech.

 

[mase123987]

Apple - iPod touch - Technical Specifications

EDIT : iPod Touch 5th gen comes with exact screen of iPhone 5 which has almost 100% sRGB and its a gold standard display according to displaymate and anandtech.

So what if it is the same screen? (I am going to assume your correct on this)

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

So what if it is the same screen? (I am going to assume your correct on this)

Older iPod touches had crappy screens while iPhone used to have much better quality displays.

 

[mase123987]

Older iPod touches had crappy screens while iPhone used to have much better quality displays.

They seemed the same to me back in the day. Either way, why does that matter? My point stands though. Current ipod touches are expensive, so it wouldn't take that cheap of a cheap iphone model to eat into that market.

 

[sinime]

I had a 30GB Zune and kept it for years, replacing the drive once... Anyhow, now I have a 16GB "Zune" (my Lumia 900 ) it doesnt hold all my music, but enough to keep me happy at work.

 

[Sanjay Chandra]

They seemed the same to me back in the day. Either way, why does that matter? My point stands though. Current ipod touches are expensive, so it wouldn't take that cheap of a cheap iphone model to eat into that market.

Ofc your point stands correct but the fact that iPod market/PMP market is about to crash , is not going to happen.

It stays here and stands at 20-30 million sales per year which is pretty good userbase.

MS can still try for competing in iPod area.

 

[mase123987]

Ofc your point stands correct but the fact that iPod market/PMP market is about to crash , is not going to happen.

It stays here and stands at 20-30 million sales per year which is pretty good userbase.

MS can still try for competing in iPod area.

Does that number include all mp3 players? 20-30 million is a very large range.

 

[drbanks]

I still use an iPod classic, mainly for its capacity, but recently, I've been playing with a Lumia 521 with 64GB SD card as an alternative.

For that, the iPod is still a superior music player.

 

[foxbat121]

Samsung made two generations of android player based in its Galaxy line. When was the last time you saw anyone carry one or even heard of such player?

There is no such market for anything but iPod. Just like there is no market for tablet other than iPad.

It takes more than a good hardware to dethrone Apple in these two markets.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_canada_246 using Board Express

 

[Cindy_H]

I only use my phone to steam music. I may pick some of my favorite songs and put them on my phone eventually, but all the complaints about Xbox music makes me leery of trying it. For home use, I caved and purchased a 160 gb iPod Classic earlier this year just because it's so much easier to find good speaker docks for it. But for portable, on the go listening, nothing I've found beats my trusty Sansa Clip. Still going strong after four years and the battery life is phenomenal :smile:

 

[rockstarzzz]

Loved my Zune. It was a great product. But it came out too late when the world was already awash in iPod products. It was never going to be "successful" because of iPod saturation. I lost my Zune a few years back, tried to buy a new one with no luck. Had to buy a Sony mp3 player.

Amazon.com: Zune Players

 

[willied]

I still use my Zune 80 everyday. Not only does it have more storage than a phone, but it's built around being a music player so it just functions better as one. I really wish Microsoft had better sales with Zune and kept up with it. I actually bought a Zune 120 because I don't have enough space with the 80, but the HDD died.

 

[jsk0703]

I bought a Zune 30Gb on launch day and never looked back. Since then I've also bought and 8Gb flash version and a 128Gb version as well. I still use them today even though I also have my 920. People ask why I still use a dedicated music player. I listen to a lot of music. 6+ hours a day, 5 days a week. It saves me from using up my phone battery. Plus it's less of a worry when I'm in the gym. I don't concern myself with protecting the device as much as I do with my phone.

Also, I prefer the controls on the Zune. Easier to navigate and manage everything.

 

[AiR DEGETA]

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

I still use my Zune 120, I just personally prefer having them separated for a few reason. My phone doesn't have enough memory, I personally hate during the middle of a song when my phone rings it stops the song especially when I don't want pick it up. And if my phone is acting up & sent it to get repair I don't want to be without a MP3 player. That's just my reason but I am one of the few that does that.

I do believe they should still release a designated mp3 player but at a lower price point then before, something like under $100.

 

[montsa007]

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.

Not to forget
-Cameras (Not professional ones)
-Watches
I don't know the list doen't end.