Zero Interest In Zune, Sony Media Players Among Teens
Apr 10th, 2009 | By James Lewin | Category: iPods & Portable Media Players 
Piper Jaffray reports a rather surprising fact: there’s zero interest among teens for portable media players other than the iPod.
“Apple’s dominance in the PMP market remains largely unchecked, and it is clear to us that Apple has captured the ‘cool factor’ among high school students across America,” said Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster.
Credit has to go to Apple for nearly flawless execution in developing its portable media platform, leading the way in design and dominating digital music and podcasting.
Other highlights of the research:
- 92 percent of students said they currently own a digital media player, up from 87 percent a year ago.
- 86 percent own an iPod, an increase of 2 percent from the same survey conducted in the fall of last year.
- Only 19 percent plan to purchase a player in the next 12 month, a “dramatic” decline from 28 percent a year ago.
Game Over, Man! Game Over!
It looks like the Zunepocolypse (the Zune 30’s leap year problem) effectively killed interest in Microsoft’s Zune player. Last Fall, 15% of those surveyed showed interest in the Zune. Six months later, there’s zero interest.
Interest in Sony’s line of portable media players also dropped, going from 3% in the Fall to zero.
Is it “Game Over” time for other lines of portable media players?
It was game over for the Zune a long time ago. The only people using them are the anti iPod geeks, which is sort of pathetic.
Micosoft totally and completely blew it with the Zune.
It’s silly to think Zune is done. With Microsoft’s cash, they can afford to have sales be slow for a while. I own a Zune (have had it for a couple of years), and like it. My wife has an iPod (from work). For the money, the Zune is a much better deal just for the Music factor (not proprietary) especially since we are not the “Have to keep up with the Jones” type of people. We are buying another player, and will probably get another Zune, but may get something that is not proprietary.
Just goes to show you, marketing is King!
Microsoft has become associated with “work at the office” so completely that its venture into the audio player market, like its venture into the game console market, is totally hobbled and doomed to fail.
The classic way to fight that is to spin-off a separate division which is completely independent of the main body.
It would have been better for Microsoft to follow that approach than to taint it with anything to do with its presence (other that raw $)
That’s why there are so many brands of soap but so few soap manufacturers.
That’s “Marketing 101”. That’s “Branding 101”. But I guess they don’t teach marketing and branding on the “Microsoft campus.”
You don’t EVER want to become the sole dominant player, even if it means that you set up separate divisions that seem to compete amongst themselves.
While the iPod does have its name going for it, no one seems to be putting forth any sort of competent effort with regards to making something as easy to use as an iPod, much less easier to use. Sad thing is, it’s not like it’s impossible to make something that’s easier to use than an iPod.
Dave,
the combination of the iPod (a range of iPods, the iPod Touch and the iPhone,) iTunes and the iTunes Music Store is what you have to go against.
Its possible to build a better [any one of these {and maybe two of these}] but you would have to fight the entire triumvirat.
The synergistic effects of all three make for an unbeatable combination.
It just isn’t worth it for anyone to bother to go against.
And I’d be very interested to see you what you can come up with that’s simpler to use that the single control surface and the single display of the iPods or iPhone.
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You guys make me feel sad about the anti-Zune stuff. The new 8 GB one I have is actually pretty good.