Key Takeaways
- The unique Zune was a repurposed design based mostly on Toshiba’s Gigabeat S30, with a bigger show and a circle-shaped D-pad resembling the iPod’s click on wheel however missing rotation gestures.
- The Zune’s text-based UI had a easy and clear design that later influenced Microsoft merchandise like Home windows Telephone, Xbox, and Home windows PCs, although these merchandise have been typically thought of failures.
- The Zune had limitations, resembling a brand new music distribution system that required repurchasing songs, lack of help for Microsoft’s PlaysForSure DRM protocol, restricted file kind help, and decrease gross sales numbers in comparison with the iPod. The Zune line was discontinued in 2011 after a number of iterations.
No moveable music participant in historical past might ever dwell as much as the recognition of Apple’s iPod, first launched in 2001. However in 2006, Microsoft tried to shake up the market with its personal moveable media participant, the Zune, which began a short-lived line of merchandise that many nonetheless maintain in excessive regard to this very day. The primary Zune launched on Nov. 14, 2006, or 17 years in the past, so let’s have a look again at how Microsoft hoped to win over iPod followers.
Piggybacking off of Toshiba
The Zune was a repurposed design
Regardless of wanting fairly distinctive, the unique Zune mannequin was really a repurposed machine designed by Toshiba. It was based mostly on the Gigabeat S30, one other media participant that ran Microsoft’s Transportable Media Middle interface. Nonetheless, the Zune got here with a bigger 3-inch show (although it used the identical 320×240 decision), and it changed the cross design for the D-pad with a circle form. Whereas it was considerably harking back to the iPod’s click on wheel, it did not help any rotation gestures and was only a primary D-pad, with some reviewers even declaring the way you may need been tempted to attempt to spin the wheel at first.
The Zune was so just like the Gigabeat S, in truth, that each suffered from the identical Freescale driver challenge that triggered units to freeze on Dec. 31, 2008. The driving force was not ready to deal with leap years, and a selected a part of the code triggered the units to freeze throughout the whole day because of having one further day that yr. The machine additionally used the identical 30GB arduous drive.
Nonetheless, the Zune undoubtedly seemed completely different, particularly since Microsoft went for pretty distinctive coloration choices, together with the signature brown possibility, in addition to extra typical white and black fashions (plus a limited-edition pink model). It was a superb bit thicker than a comparable iPod on the time, although, so it misplaced some attraction because of its inferior portability.
The primary style of Home windows Telephone
One of many greatest legacies of the Zune line is its interface, which, for higher or worse, would dwell on for a few years later. The Zune used a largely text-based UI that appears easy and clear in a means that makes it very elegant. It might not have a variety of aptitude, however there’s undoubtedly a appeal to the pure textual content interface and it additionally helps issues run extra easily.
This UI really proved interesting sufficient to permeate a variety of different Microsoft merchandise. most notably Home windows Telephone. Beginning with Home windows Telephone 7, these telephones additionally had closely text-based UIs with massive headers and textual content, making it straightforward to establish UI components. This is able to dwell on in future variations of Home windows Telephone and even seem on Xbox and Home windows PCs through the Home windows 8 period. Many (myself included) nonetheless discover this UI to be visually interesting, although Microsoft began shifting away from this model with Home windows 10 and much more so with Home windows 11.
Apparently, a lot of the merchandise that includes this design language have been thought of failures, with Home windows Telephone being crushed by the highest smartphones available on the market and Home windows 8 typically considered one of many worst iterations of the OS.
The unique Zune had some limitations
One of many large issues with the Zune was that it fully broke away from Microsoft’s earlier efforts when it comes to music distribution and DRM. Zune used its personal fully new music distribution system, with Microsoft shutting down MSN Music simply months earlier than the Zune launched, which means any purchases you made on that service have been gone, and also you’d want to purchase the identical songs once more.
What’s extra, Zune additionally did not help Microsoft’s PlaysForSure DRM protocol. The Zune required devoted software program for syncing music that supported the brand new DRM protocol, fairly than utilizing Home windows Media Participant for syncing.
The unique Zune fashions additionally had pretty restricted file kind help. Regardless of the bigger display, pictures have been solely supported in JPEG format, and movies needed to be in WMV format, although later fashions would add help for MP4 and H.264. Audio help was additionally restricted to MP3, WMA, and AAC. The Zune software program for PC would deal with transcoding for different file varieties when shifting them onto the machine.
A brief-lived product line
Regardless of its reputation with some fans, the Zune line wasn’t actually profitable. Throughout its launch week, it managed to draw 9% of the moveable media market, placing it in second place after the iPod, which led the market with an enormous 63% market share. It by no means managed to succeed in anyplace close to the gross sales numbers of the iPod, with Microsoft having introduced simply 2 million items bought by Could 2008, which included the second-generation mannequin launched in November 2007. By September 2009, knowledge from NPD Group (often called Circana right now) confirmed that the Zune held simply 2% market share within the U.S., behind the iPod line, SanDisk, and Sony’s Walkman line.
The Zune line obtained a few new iterations after the preliminary launch. The second-generation fashions launched nearly precisely one yr later, with a very new design, together with a touch-sensitive navigation pad (known as the Zune Pad) together with introducing new fashions utilizing flash reminiscence as an alternative of a tough drive. In 2009, Microsoft launched the Zune HD, the third and last iteration of the Zune, which moved solely to flash storage, coming in 16GB and 32GB variations (with a 64GB mannequin launched later).
All Zune merchandise have been discontinued by October 2011, slightly below 5 years from the launch of the unique Zune, and a yr and a half after the newest mannequin had launched.
