Zune Loses Its Only Fan to Charms of iPod Touch
8:59 pm, July 28th, 2008, Pete Mortensen
Hey, remember Steven Smith, the obsessive Zune fan who went so far as to decorate his body with not one but three Zune tattoos? Well, the thrill is gone. On Wednesday, he announced that he was trying to get his Zune tattoos removed, claiming that Microsoft pulled back on a deal to bring him up to Redmond as an honored guest (a claim MS denies). Now, he’s moved onto the iPod way. First, he bought an iPod classic, then he swapped it out for a 16GB iPod touch. As he told iPhone Savior:
“It’s super thin and does some really neat stuff like tilting to go into cover flow,” Smith said. “I also like watching movies on it. I can go anywhere to get iPod accessories, that’s not the case with Zune stuff in Iowa.”
I am shocked — SHOCKED — to learn that Zune accessories are tough to find in Iowa. After all, they’re, um, also impossible to find in San Francisco. The writing was on the wall with Zune, long ago, of course. If not after it took nine months to sell the first million, then certainly after it took another year to sell the next million, even with multiple product lines available. But this is just insult to injury. When Zune Guy leaves, it’s time to kill the platform.
Posted by Pete Mortensen in iPod | Comment on this article
damn… makes me want to lose my iphone and ipod touch.
angusshangus, on July 28th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
[...] Visto en Cult of Mac [...]
El Zune Guy se pasa al iPod : planetazune, on July 29th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Ha ha! I’m going to take this and all previous articles on Zune Tattoo guy, print them and file them, and when I have kids who want to get a tattoo, I’ll pull the file and tell them they can get a tattoo, but they have to read this first and think very carefully about what tattoo they get.
Kev Orng, on July 29th, 2008 at 5:13 am
Seriously? Does this guy know the phrase “unreasonable expectations”?
I have had an ipod nano for a couple of years, and now i have a zune 8. I like the zune better for some things, although i liked the ipod better for audiobook support.
As to the claim that zune sucks because it has been out a year and a half and only sold 2 million, The IPOD took 2 years and a quarter to sell that many!
Josh, on July 29th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Simple solution: cover it up with a Apple tattoo.
Church of Apple, on July 29th, 2008 at 7:25 am
[...] to get three tattoos professing his love for Microsoft’s “iPod Killer” Zune, has now decided to get them covered up….and bought an iPod Touch. [...]
Zunerific | madboarder.com, on July 29th, 2008 at 10:02 am
This guy was such a good focus for people who wanted to make fun of the Zune; I dunno if it’s good for the iPod to have him as a convert/fanboy.
Doug S., on July 29th, 2008 at 11:16 am
@Josh: hahahahahahahahahahahahahah….aw man, tell another. Has the Zune even sold 2 million? You sure that isn’t the same thing that happened when Microsoft claimed the Zune sold 1 million, by which they meant they “shipped” 1 million to retailers around the world, where they still sit on store shelves, waiting for someone to say “eh, I didnt need that money anyway?”
This is a perfect case in point for why the Zune was necessary, though – Apple continued improving their technology and released a player like the iPod Touch, which every analyst and reviewer just about everywhere agrees that, while pricey, is the best in the marketplace. I think Apple can credit the Zune with at the very least introducing more competition into the marketplace that forced them to innovate. It’s a shame Microsoft didn’t respond in kind and do the same – the Zune has all but languished as a non-competitor.
phoenix, on July 29th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
@phoenix: Apple is competing only with itself, certainly not with Microsoft. The Zune was never a concern, it came and went completely unnoticed. It got some attention thanks to this guy and his demented tattoos, but that’s all.
gino, on July 30th, 2008 at 12:01 am
LOL, i forgot where i was. Cult of mac.
Josh, on July 30th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Languishing market share =/= bad product. People used to make the same assumptions about Apple products, as you may recall.
The Zune 4/8 and Zune 30 compare very well to the iPod Nano & Classic. The Zune hardware and software are both easy to use. (The iPod Touch is in a category by itself for the moment, so there’s nothing really to compare it to.)
Cal, on July 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
@josh: doesn’t seem like you forgot.
@gino: I suppose you’re right. It’s a shame though – Apple needs more competition in the marketplace if it’s going to keep innovating and producing better products. I mean, they’ve been doing very well based entirely on creativity and a desire to drive the marketplace, and that’s great for any company looking to stay on top of its game, but the last thing Apple needs is someone not nipping at their heels…but I can’t think of anyone substantive right now, even though I can think of a half-dozen significant players in the DAP market.
@Cal: Those are very good points!
phoenix, on July 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
[...] (Zune – Microsoft’o mp3 grotuvas), net savo kÅ«na iÅ¡sitatuiravo Zune simbolika. Tai Å¡tai Cult of Mac praneÅ¡a, kad jis (S.Smith) meta Zune grotuvÄ… ir pereina prie iPod [...]
iScope #4 « Obelis, on July 31st, 2008 at 2:14 am
I think he just thinks they let him down beceause he couldn’t get to the factory of the Zune.
Even here in the Netherlands (Europe) the zune is getting attention and is bought so it’s gaining popularity and it’s not even introduced here!
But good luck with your touch!
Peter, on August 1st, 2008 at 8:44 am