Why Microsoft's Zune Scares Apple to the Core
(Computerworld article by The Raw Feed Editor, Mike Elgan) "Apple fans point and laugh at Microsoft's futile entry into a market totally dominated by the iPod and its transcendent design. Apple's media players are so good they have transformed consumer electronics, inspired a massive gadget "ecosystem" and spawned a thousand imitators. Every pretender to the media player throne -- and there have been hundreds -- has been thoroughly smacked down by Apple and its untouchable iPod. The secrets of iPod's success appear obvious: beauty, simplicity and "extreme coolness" -- three characteristics Microsoft has never achieved in any product. So why is Apple so scared? For GOOD REASON, it turns out..." (Go HERE to Digg it!) UPDATE: This article has been SLASHDOTTED! UPDATE 2: Gizmodo posted some beauty shots of the Zune here.
3:44 PM * PERMALINK * 40 comments
Comments:
You raise a crucial point that I've not seen elsewhere: that "Apple faces the prospect of competing not with the Zune alone, but with a mighty Windows-Soapbox-Xbox-Zune industrial complex."
I think you've read Microsoft's secret playbook. Great article.
Harvey
http://www.zunerama.com
Let me guess.
You're obviously not a Mac or iPod user or fan.
Maybe Apple should just close their doors now and call it quits.
Right?
On the contrary: There are four people in my family and we own six iPods.
You'll noticed what I say about iPods:
"Apple's media players are so good they have transformed consumer electronics, inspired a massive gadget "ecosystem" and spawned a thousand imitators...The secrets of iPod's success appear obvious: beauty, simplicity and "extreme coolness."
The reasons I list as to why Apple is afraid of the iPod have nothing to do with how awesome the iPod is.
I love iPods -- it's just that Apple's easy dominace of the media player industry starts to end November 14.
The zune dosn't look as attractive. There is a short amount of time between release and the attacks from a virus etc. What will happen then? I have not had good luck getting support from MS. When I had an issue with my ipod I just brought it to the store and it was fixed on the spot.
What % of potential Zune owners have an Xbox and what % of those really want to connect it with Zune or would even find that a reason to own a Zune? Do you have numbers on this?
I hope Apple is a little scared of Zune for competition sake. Compuserve should have been scared of AOL. Cool has a lot to do with perception and image. I don't see any hint of M$ understanding that yet. The best product does not always win the market share. Look at the MacOS vs XP to see that.
I agree that the competition will be a good thing and the Zune does look to be a nice piece of equipment with some great features that would be nice to have on the iPod, but I do take issue with some of your points. The first is the title and the main point of the article. Was Apple contacted, has Apple expressed that they are "Scared to the Core"? Apple currently enjoys over 80% market share. It will take a good deal of time to make a serious dent in that.
My next point of contention is the comment that "Microsoft will make the movement of media between Windows, Soapbox and the Zune natural and seamless." When has any thing Microsoft put out been Natural and Seamless? Window's Media Center being a good example. The only people I know that have had little difficulty setting the system up are IT professionals or those that have bought machines with it pre-installed. There are more issues that I could bring up, but I have to get back to work.
Duuude,
No phone or text messaging capabilites?
A stone.
Apple would be foolish to take Microsoft lightly. Even though they entered late, they are still giants, with the Windows behemoth behind them, and the Xbox franchise.
Yet, there are some considerable problems with your article. First, is the mention of all those studios. Where did you get that information about all the TV networks and studios aligning with MS? Like you mention, it *may* have better programming.
Second, Is social and viral what people really want from a music playing device? Its cool that it can do that, but will it be worth the 50$ or so loss that MS takes on each Zune?
Third, The interface might be customizable, but it is just a two button based scrolling system. That might be a real pain in the ass. And with the buttons being placed so low, it does not seem to me that one handed operation is possible.
Fourth, Zune still has more than a month to go, and you are comparing it with a product that was released a few weeks ago. And if there is one thing we have learnt about ipods, is that they are updated really freaking fast. Who knows what the next generation of iPod will look like, and when it will come.
Dear Mike,
you make a lot of great points and when you start to compare statistics it makes sense why Apple would be scared. However, I believe trying to compare Apple & Microsoft in this way is like comparing Apples & Oranges (no pun intended) ...
If Microsoft controls a user installed base of 300 million customers (not sure how you are statistically measuring that, such as business customers, MS Office users [that also run on Mac], etc.) and you estimate they could get 200 million of those users; that does not necessarily mean the 200 million will include the 30 million that Apple has today (which is only 10% of your 300 million figure anyway). Sure, Microsoft is going to make in-roads and may surpass Apple in overall net subscribers. But as important as the iPod has been to Apple, it is apparent they are already looking to the future to set the trend in other new ways. You say the iPod is the core of Apple's business, but you fail to mention where the majority of Apple's growth (and estimated future growth) is coming from today.
Most people use Apple products and stay with Apple products because they are a much more enjoyable and elegant way of interacting with technology. The only reason why there are more Windows users than Mac OS users is the marketing machine that Bill Gates had the presence of mind to create back in the 80's, capturing the desktop enterprise installed user base. Now that Apple machines are able to run Windows (which dramatically eats into revenues of the likes of Dell & HP), all of those new users of Apple products (such as MacBooks which currently have a growth rate of approximately 40%) will have the opportunity to try out a much better operating system, Mac OS X. And there are discussions taking place today inside IT departments and in the press about how Apple Computers might even be considered a viable alternative in the enterprise.
The best thing Microsoft has going for it is the ability to copy technology that someone else created and buy the market with its clout. However, we are at a crucial point in computing, where individuals and corporations will be given the opportunity to make a choice between Mac OS X and Microsoft Vista (which isn't even out yet officially). Microsoft has done it again ... it has effectively produced a copy of Mac OS X ... the problem is, Vista is a copy of Mac OS X several generations ago and now that users will be able to run both operating systems, side-by-side, and truly make an Apples-To-Apples comparison (pun intended), [on Apple hardware = more sales growth], they will finally be able to see the Emperors New Clothes!
Steve Ginn
msteveng@gmail.com
"Apple scared of Zune"? huh? why do you think apple is scared of the zune, where do you get your randoms statics tics from?200 million vista users in 2 years?
From every single business contact i have asked (small business,local city, local college districts) no one is even considering a Vista roll out inside of 1 year!
Secondly im kind of curius about the random biased opinions you have about "features" zune has versus Ipods: "It doesn't last as long as ipods but it will charge faster" You mean even though it can store less energy it can fill up that battery faster too!? How about this great feature: Zune can't be used on macs! yeah thats right it requires windows ! just cause you know so Macs can't use it and it reduces our customer install base unlike ipods that can be used on Macs and PCs how about this awesome feature set to show off why Zune is better:
Compared with Apple's latest iPod, the Zune is a slightly larger, slightly heavier, slightly less elegant device.
I agree with you on one point though about the download service being decided by the quality and quantity of media you can get from it, cause you know Itunes started with a limited number of tv shows and well i guess they have more tv shows for download now while zune has well will have a lot of shows lined up. Right now disney only has disney studios available and zune well their movie download service hasn't launched yet but im sure it will be way better.
One last thing i wanted to point out you mentioned that Zune will squeeze Apple on pricing. thats just kind of funny cause have you seen apple's theoretical margin on the ipods? Yeah i don't think zune could comepete with Ipods on pricing.
I was expecting a thoughtful article, but it was just a regurgitation of microsoft advertising. Few facts and lots of speculation.
BTW, the TV shows listed for Zune are already available from iTunes.
Essentially you have used a flagrant title in your op-ed piece without any legitimate source material from either company. Nice job attracting users to your websites for ad dollars, but your text was disappointing.
Microsoft will make the movement of media between Windows, Soapbox and the Zune natural and seamless.
That's hilarious. Since when has MS ever made anything that's seamless?
The Zune interface is just like a miniature version of the Windows Media Center user interface and is very similar to some elements of Vista.
And this is a good thing? The Media Center interface in Vista is a mess (even Windows evangelist Paul Thurrott agrees: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_mce_beta2.asp). MS is not well known for their UI design. Do not expect them to best Apple in this area.
Apple faces the prospect of competing not with the Zune alone, but with a mighty Windows-Soapbox-Xbox-Zune industrial complex.
And let's not forget that MS is going to have to compete not just with the iPod alone, but with the iTunes-iPod "industrial complex." This includes not just a full range of music players from $79 to $349 (which MS does not have), but also with the free, cross-platform iTunes application, the iTunes store, FairPlay DRM, thousands of iPod accessories that only work with the proprietary iPod dock connector, dominant marketshare, dominant mindshare, and iPod connectivity in cars. Think of how hard it's been for Apple to crack MS's grip on the operating system market, even with a superior product (OS X). Now think of how hard it's going to be for MS to crack Apple's grip on the music player market, with an equal (though I would say slightly inferior) product.
The rise of social networks like MySpace.com and viral Web 2.0 sites like that of YouTube Inc. have transformed the expectations of young people about sharing and using media. In the context of these trends, Apple is old school.
Not true. What about the zero configuration music sharing in iTunes? And it's not like Apple is standing still. Assuming the sharing feature is popular in the Zune, how hard do you think it'll be for Apple to release that in their next iPod? Not very.
Zune may have more programming
Yeah, and the Zune "may" also have little to no programming. We really don't know, do we, since at the moment it's just vapor. yet iTunes is a reality with the most programming available. You think these studios will really sign only with MS and not with Apple? I doubt it.
Zune's screen is better for movies.
And Apple "may" release an iPod with a larger screen in the future. Just maybe.
A few comments on your article: "Why Microsoft's Zune scares Apple to the core"
1. The 92% figure you quote for the iPod was its share of the hard drive based player market in mid-2004. It was not Apple's total market share (which also includes flash-based players - Apple didn't sell flash players then). At that time, Apple's total digital audio player (DAP) - both HD and flash - market share was 65.8% (This is according to PC Magazine, Nov. 4 2004). In 2006, according to an article at ITWorld.com, "NPD Techworld figures disclosed at the meeting showed that U.S. iPod market share reached 78 percent in March, up from 71 percent in December." So, the iPod's total DAP market share has in fact climbed about 10% between mid-2004 and spring-2006.
2. What is Windows 90% market share going to do for Zune what it couldn't do for MSN?
3. Exactly how is the Zune "widescreen"? It has a bigger screen, but when turned on its side, the aspect ratio is 4:3, exactly the same as the iPod. Its even the same resolution (320x240), the Zune just has bigger pixels! The basic premise of "its turned on its side, it must be widescreen" reminds me of Spinal Tap: "This one goes to 11!".
4. How long before someone really does use Zune's WiFi to make it "viral"? I'll admit, this is a knee-jerk reaction to Microsoft's record of gaping security holes, but Microsoft's earned this reputation.
5. Apple is squeezing Microsoft on pricing, not the other way around. Wal-Mart.com leaked a Zune price of $284 earlier this month (noted on engadget.com), indicating a likely planned MSRP around $299. Then Apple cut iPod prices and forced Microsoft to follow, announcing a price of $249.99. If Microsoft were trying to squeeze Apple on pricing, why are they following and not leading?
6. Apple made the U2 iPod, and so Microsoft's marketing team came up with the UPS Zune? I can't think of how else to explain brown - unless they're going with a marketing campaign of "Zune is da sh*t!" with Lynyrd Skynryd's "That Smell" for a jingle. :-)
zune is ugly
mass market is too dumb to figure out vista, and wi fi sharing
you're an idiot
I must say I strongly disagree with many points made in your article. As one person already mentioned, do you have confirmation from an actual source that Apple is scared? Anyway, that is besides the point.
1. Microsoft is hatching a consumer media "perfect storm."
You say the two devices won't face 'mano a mano' and that the Zune will have more leverage. From what I see, it will be iPod vs. Zune, Windows vs. OS X, XBox's A/V to TV abilities vs. Apple's upcoming iTV, the only area Apple is not covered is in the gaming industry ... we won't mention the Bandit. The funny thing is, the Zune is not even built by Microsoft, but by Toshiba running a MS operating system. Sounds a lot like the Gigabeat minus the P2P capabilities. As far as your numbers and percentages, the MP3 player peak has hit and on it's way down. If the general population has not purchased an MP3 player yet, there's a good chance they aren't going to jump ship now and do so. Perhaps when it is time to upgrade, but I don't think Microsoft is offering anything special that will make people drop what they have and go out and buy a Zune. Microsoft should be the one worried about competing against the iPod/OS X/iTunes industrial complex.
2. The Zune is social and viral.
Viral, great ... another yearly subscription to keep our personal electronics protected from intruders. Honestly, we all know Microsoft's past with security. Hopefully they have done a good job with the Zune's security, but time will tell.
As for the comment about sharing music, notes, and photos in class - is Microsoft advocating this type of behavior in the classroom? At least the iPod has recording capabilities to allow one to be productive in class, such as record lectures. Even some large schools are giving iPods to new students and using them distribute lectures.
3. More programming? Of course MS will, because they have succoumbed to the demands of the greedy studios. I feel a little bit better with Apple who is willing to stand up against these people for the end user like me.
4. Zune's screen is better for movies.
The Zune may have a better screen for now, but Apple is working on theirs. I'm sure when the next generation iPod is released, those who wow'd about the Zune's jaws will drop when Apple unveils something leaps ahead of the Zune.
5. Zune is actually pretty cool.
Nicely designed? As compared to what? The physical design is quite generic and there is nothing innovating about it. I would hardly classify the iPod as the soul of Apple's business - sure it helped them, but Apple is a computer company, hence Apple Computer. Apple survived previously without the iPod and they would continue to survive if it was to go away. Computer hardware and software is Apple's meat and butter.
Sorry, but Apple is on top of a mountain and Microsoft will never find the path to the top.
You've got to be joking. And of course I know you are not.
This is one of the most insane statements I have seen regarding a release by Microsoft.
They've never done anything even remotely close to what Apple has done and they, as now with Zune, are just doing a copy cat thing.
Most of their stuff does not work well at all, got one of their operating sytems on your cell phone or PDA (you know what I mean), and it's always being updated.
So, how will they update this device? Same as windows? Well, then most people with a Zune device will be on line spending a lot of time updating the darn thing.
You make their alliances with the movie studios sound like it's a done deal and it's a killer rollout.
That's not what happened with their attemps with DreamWorks.
Apple loves these kinds of moves by Microsoft. They are ready to trump this one easily.
Whatever your sources are for saying that Apple is scared of this new release must be questionable. I think you've been mislead by your sources.
It's statements and articles like this that mislead the consumer and create undue interest in what Microsoft is doing. Hype over substance.
After all, the designer for Microsoft products has always been Apple since Microsoft merely waits and copies. Unfortunately for the consumer, the leaders of the developers at Microsoft can never follow the Apple designs as they were intended and it's doubtful, based on history, that they will able to do so again.
Nice array of details, but I'm not buying one word.
Apple will always have the trump card.
Mike,
While I agree that the Zune has some potential to really hurt the iPod, it's more about Fear Uncertainty and Doubt than an actual strong product offering.
First, a quick debunking of, "the Zune's screen is just as good." The actual screen resolution, measured in pixels, is the same (despite being physically larger on the Zune) which essentially says that the pixels are bigger on the Zune than the iPod. Since smaller pixels = better picture, I have to disagree with your conclusion that experience "is vastly superior".
I do agree that Apple should be scared, but not as a juggernaugt but rather of a marketing machine. The iPod video was the first real improvement from the click wheel generation iPod. I still have my third generation (and until I see widescreen iPod's will not upgrade) iPod and am quite happy with it. The Zune is "feature rich", and Microsoft's penetration in the desktop market will provide it with a huge advantage on the distribution front. However, features aren't always a good thing. Consider the iDrive from BMW and other similar interfaces in cars. Everyone hates them because they try to do too much instead of letting certain devices focus on what they do well while playing well with others. I have a Motorola RAZR phone and while it makes an okay phone, it's a crappy organizer, camera, calendar, calculator, gaming system, web browser, alarm clock, modem ... all while looking good.
Also consider this, of the 300 million or whatever desktops that Microsoft has (90% of world market) is it reasonable to expect that even 5% of that market cares about media players? Quite honestly, the office installed PC's and Servers just don't count. Not everyone is into bringing their music with them everywhere they go... because they don't care about music. Sure there's an audience that does care, but it's not 200 million people. Just because people upgrade to Vista doesn't mean they're into Zune... The media player market share just isn't as large as that.
Small underdog making a cool product that everybody wants = cool
Giant monopoly company that creates a copy of the underdog's successful product then tries to act cool but fails misserably = not cool (a.k.a., the Microsoft Business Plan)
Why doesn't Microsoft do what they know how to do best instead of playing catch up or copy cat. Either buy Apple, try to run it "their" way, muck it all up and then shut them down. Or, they could do what they do now and release Zune, sell it for $49.99, take over the market share on price cut alone (average consumer will always choose cheap over better), other companies in the same market can't compete and have to give their products away, loose money and get close to folding (the Netscape plan).
Luckily for us (the consumer that knows quality, cool and know the philosophy behind Apple's design teams), there are companies that are not as "scared to the core" as some blind followers may want you to believe.
Case and point: IE is a plague of the internet. Too numerous to count bugs, flaws and security holes...resolution, Mac users stick to Safari or FireFox. And really smart users that are "forced" to use Windows use FireFox. Go Mozilla!!!
Apple shouldn't just sit back and let Microsoft catch up with the iPod line. Zune will only have 1 product for the time being, iPod started with 1 but now currently up to 3 iPod lines - how long will it take Microsoft to figure out that the market wants a choice not one generic product (quite a while I assume, say at least 1 year - choice is key, not one size fits all. What will Apple have by then? They not only come up with new products, but cycle those products with new, revised lines (hardware and software). How long has XP been on the market? When will Vista come out and how long was it in development?
Come on people...if Apple announced that they were going to occupy 95% of the OS market, I'd be silently hoping for the best, but know that's just a pipe dream and won't happen (at least with that kind of success, but their share will rise significantly in the next 5 years). But Microsoft going into the portable media market? Please. Why didn't they get into the PC market? With the market share they have with the OS, wouldn't that have been the logical and successful business decision of the century? Watch out Dell and HP....!!!!!! Bet they would be scared to the core too!!!
"Small underdog making a cool product that everybody wants = cool
Giant monopoly company that creates a copy of the underdog's successful product then tries to act cool but fails misserably = not cool (a.k.a., the Microsoft Business Plan)"
Newsflash, Apple didn't invent this market and MS created a portable digital A/V platform (Portable Media Center) when Steve Jobs was still claiming no one wants video on portable media players. MS is also ahead of Apple in the cell phone market and media PC market (the "iTV" is already available in the form of Media Center Extenders).
Apple is the copycat here, copying the true innovators like Rio, Creative, Archos and even MS. Apple should be scared because MS is going to finally pump up their marketing to let average consumers that don't read the tech press know what's available. The precursors and contemporaries of the iPod ceded the market to Apple because they didn't advertise. MS is fixing this deficiency.
Wireless exchange between Zunes? How vunerable will this make them to viruses?
And, maybe Microsoft will win this, but as with Windows, what would not be there as there was nothing else to copy from?
I reckon we would still work with DOS.
"Newsflash, Apple didn't invent this market..."
I don't know what market you are talking about but they made this market viable and lucrative.
The point is that Microsoft does almost nothing original (nothing is truly original anyway -- but it's the new way of applying things that can be original), aside from making software that is highly vulnerable to viruses, and uses Apple as their designer as MikeMn stated.
Think about it, Vista is an Apple OS look alike and Zune is here because of what Apple has done.
And if we are going to talk about who invented what first then we should give credit to Babbage Computer, shouldn't we?
Apple must be pissing in it's pants out of fear! Here comes Microsoft with another me too product!
Problem is! It will be just another mediocre product and Microsoft will piss away few hundred millions of it's untaxed surplus cash and then pull a plug on the whole exercise.
They can not stand success! MS must kill joy of Apple's success!
Before Microsoft can do iPod in, it has to overcome mediocrity in everything they do.
Only fools use MS Windows! There are so many other OS alternatives today, most of them more pleasant to use then vermin infested Windows!
i cant believe u really truely believe ms is gonna get anywhere with this piece of crap. seriously, how could something that obviously steals from apples design, and is, as another poster said, just a re-run of the gigabeat. and that article as a whole, just total crap, why list all of those tv networks as if they're excluzive to this zune market bs when apple already has signed deals with over half of those guys? and then on pricing, apple's isnt scared anymore, yea they may have been before, but then fixed up the nano, and fixed prices which set them ahead of ms once again. next time get ur facts straight and stop kissing ms's ass.
I tried to use an iRiver Clix the other week. It was free and had a great screen.
It required me to boot up Windows and install Windows Media Player with the URGE service.
Gosh it was awful.
The whole experience, just awful.
I hope the Zune is not this way.
Why is the favorable post listed first? It's not by date folks... Enough has been posted to blow holes in the thesis. The article was just another bit of advertisment from the windoze world. Note the presumption of the title: "...Zune Scares Apple..." A more appropriate and accurate title would have been: "Why I think a second rate product funded by mega-dollars could possibly sell a few hundred thousand units at a loss for several years."
I don't think a zune whatever can scare a corporation as inovative as Apple. It may make them work harder and that's not a bad thing.
It's a well argued article but how do you know Apple is scared to the core? Did anyone at Apple say that? You might *think* or *believe* Apple might be scared, or should be scared, but you cannot speak for Apple, you don't know.
Yeah.. Right!
And bigs fly.
How much is MS slipping you under the table for articles like this?
Your rhetoric is so 'over the top' with this article, that I think The Onion would even have a hard time posting this.
M$ must have offered him a new 80GB iPod to write this dribble... why else would anyone lower themselves to this level of journalism?
heh heh, "mighty industrial complex", I bet you've been waiting years for a chance to use that line. Never mind that 2 of the 4 elements of this mighty comlex don't even exist yet - three if by Windows you mean Vista! Why do you say the iPod stands alone against this complex? Wouldn't the zune be facing the iPod-iTunes-iTunes Store industrial complex..?? There's a collection of hardware, software and commerce that's already got the natural and seamless thing down. I just tried to sync video clips from my Windows XP sp2 Dell to my Dell x51v PDA and it was **FAR** from seamless. The Microsoft Active Sync keeps saying that Windows Media setup needs to be completed, Windoes Media needed to be updated, but still can't see the PDA, so Active Sync had to be reinstalled. It just sucks and that's all new Dell products running new MS software.
Apple will be a little wary of zune - that's why they dropped the price and increased the spec of the iPod recently, but they made a point of those changes being a x.5 generation, not a new generation. Who knows what features the next iPod will have. Probably not wifi, but then who wants to get songs that way anyway..? Have MS really done the research to say that that's what tweens want..? If there's wifi in there, why not let me sync to the PC with it. And why for that matter do I have to have XP sp2 or Vista. If I bought into the whole MS business model aren't all my Plays4Sure songs on a Media Center PC..?
Ah, WTF. You probably only posted the article to get the ad revenue anyway and almost eveyone but Harvey Zunerama thinks you're full of it, so I won't waste any more bits.
Is it preload with virus and spyware too????????
When freezes will have a control alt delete boton.
How about replacement batery?????
Earbounds is sold separate like Xbox controls?????
Seamless it is a word M$ don't understand.
Good luck, Dreamer.
I suggest the reading of this article- http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71896-0.html?tw=rss.technology -... that points out that beautifully why Zune in fact is not so dangerous to the iPod.
And anyway by the time MS corrects the probable flaws with all its ZUne-Windows -Xbox-whatever complex, Apple will probably be already rolling out some great, new, inovative, and working-seamlessly-out-of-the box iPod generation
Comments that dare to criticize or marginalize Apple products are SO FUN – if only for the immediate guaranteed eruptions of flusterings from Mac zealots. This is also why politics are so fun. Hyperventilation and hissies are prime entertainment.
OK it's now 2008 and you were so right Apple should have been so scared! LOL
Yeah the Zune really killed the iPod. Ha ha ha
Oh maybe NOW this time Apple should really be scared because they are redoing the Zune and THIS TIME it's really gonna kill the iPod, no for real this time, seriously Apple needs to worry. What do I have to do to convince them to be scared? Why is it not working? Microsoft threw a product out there and Apple just doesn't get scared damn it. What do we have to do to scare them?
What a joke
***** Yeah the Zune really killed the iPod. Ha ha ha *****
I made a big point of saying Zune wouldn't kill the iPod.
Every Zune sold is money taken away from Apple, and iPods are a big part of Apple's profit and revenue.
I said that unlike Apple fans, Apple is taking Microsoft seriously, as they should and as they did and do.
The column wasn't about iPods or Zunes, or about Apple and Microsoft. It was about Apple fans like you.
Mike
***** The column wasn't about iPods or Zunes, or about Apple and Microsoft. It was about Apple fans like you. *****
I'm glad to see you finally admitting the truth. You had no reason to believe that Zune would scare Apple, but you'd become sick and tired of that holier-than-thou attitude of us Apple Fanboys and wanted to write a scary hit piece to wipe that Cheshire-Cat look off our smug little faces.
Unfortunately, reality has set in. And we Fanboys are as smug as ever.
***** I'm glad to see you finally admitting the truth. You had no reason to believe that Zune would scare Apple, but you'd become sick and tired of that holier-than-thou attitude of us Apple Fanboys and wanted to write a scary hit piece to wipe that Cheshire-Cat look off our smug little faces. *****
Don't know what you mean by "finally." The point of this was spelled out very clearly.
I have no delusions about my ability to change human nature. Some people derive a feeling of self worth through group affiliation, which is what the Apple fanboy phenomenon is all about. I'm not going to change that.
***** You had no reason to believe that Zune would scare Apple *****
I did have reasons, and I spelled them out in the column. I also predicted the behavior by Apple that would result from that fear, and every single one of those predictions came true.
Would it be too much to ask if I were to request that you actually read the article?
Mike Elgan
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