Microsoft’s Latest Zune Pitch: What Do You Think?

It’s not about the adverts, it’s about the machine, and the machine in this case sucks.

That was not Lewis Carroll… I’d lean more towards acid trip. And wanting an iPod over a Zune is certainly not limited to Apple fanboys.

Joey
the giant bunnies say Alice in Wonderland to me…maybe I’m just too innocent

All style, no substance seemingly in an effort to compete with a more-edgy Apple. It’s moderately interesting to watch but totally meaningless–so I guess that means it’s like most other advertisements out there.

MSFT is on a roll.

http://www.meetingflex.com
Social Networking + Video - Crap

Are they paying you to post this? I’m serious.

Sgt. Pepper Lonely Band on LSD…

Does this means the Zune supports Flash animation?

Does it mean that only Flower-Power people can “dig” it?

Can I use it outside Ashbury-Height?

I want to be the designer that came up with the website idea. I’m pretty sure that dude (or dudette) is drinking mimosa from a coconut inside an inactive volcano in the South Pacific… rotting in money.

I don’t understand why Techcrunch is posting an advert for MS?
I know MS pays bloggers heavily to do “in conversation” advertising where they don’t disclose that they were paid, and are supposed to advertise products by mentioning them in discussion.

very odd indeed.

It is a Digital, 21st century version of Alice in Wonderland.

It really is great quality.

horrible. they are so late.

Yawn…

If they could tout features they would… but they can’t so the do ads like this.

i dont know about you guys, but i think this is great. i dont know, i think that’s because im a commercial director/graphic designer. haha. IMHO i find zune’s ad/zune art way better than what apple does. although i have an ipod and a mac for a system, im really tempted to get a zune this xmas.

i just find it weird that they use flash in their website… why not silverlight? weird…

I’ve watched the video, and visited the website 5 times so far. And now I am convinced that i NEED a Zune. And I have good reasons for it:

Reason #1- One of the most innovative features related to the ergonomic factor of the Zune is…..oh, look! A kangaroo!!!

Reason #2 - The freely accesible SDK available to run…. look, look!!! an astronaut!!! Groovy!!!!

Reason #3 - A $50 Mail-in rebate, plus an instatnt 20% discount if you purchase the unit at… Flashing Jellyfishes!!! Dude, this is heaven!!!!

Chris R
don’t be so cynical and no, I’m not being paid…nor do I think that TC has any commercial relationships with Microsoft. We cover Apple stuff pretty heavily so the Zune fits into this space…and this is just soo weird I had to share it

Tostada-man (#14)
lol. My biggest laugh of the day so far! extremely well said

Nice rack!!! Kept waiting for the wet Tee effect to kick in (2 snaps up !!)

It’s weird.

But hey, at least it’s doesn’t scream “Microsoft: Corporate Drone” or somesuch.

Sad, sad, sad. As weird as MS itself.

SAD.

@3: Yeah, they may have been trying for Carrollian, but I thought they fell quite short.

When I look for a music player I ask only one question - will it make me feel like a hallucinating, sexy chick? If not than I’ll take my sober, hairy self somewhere else, and all the oversize pink bunnies in the world can’t change that.

Ok so the ad doesnt really say much. (or at least I didn’t get what it said.) Same thing with the site. Cool animation but dunno what it means.

But hey the device doesnt look bad. Never tried a it personally but the feature looks cool. Ability to sync asutomatically as soon as I walk into home is nice. It’s ok to bash M$ for what they made in Vista but at least give credit for the nice things they do. V2 firmware for loyal v1 customers is a woot! At least they didnt overcharge their first customers like Apple did.

I own a nano and it was nice but it’s been acting up lately. When I get a new device I’m definitely taking a good look at this new kid.

what’s that song? i just heard it, like an hour ago, but i can’t place it.

I downloaded the video and I’m watching it on my Sansa (!)

I’m pretty sure I saw Bill Gates eating a candy apple (!!) and wearing a red Wendy’s wig behind one of the pink bunnies.

Pink bunnies? ….. PINK BUNNIES!!!!! STEVE BALLMER!!!

Developers, developers, developers, developers…….

Interesting to see the comments regarding the Zune.

I for one am ditching my iPod to get the new Zune.

Not only is the interface much more clean and flexible but it sports longer battery life.

iPod’s have had their day. The masses have turned it into just that - a mass produced product. And while thats great for the bottom line at Apple, it has lost it’s appeal.

I’m not Apple nor am I a Microsoft fan but I really do expect Microsoft to start clawing their way back into this market. They may be late to the game but hell, they were 20 years late to the video games market and now look at them.

Ooops - *I’m not a Apple…

@26: Now look at them? Only this year has the XBox division begun to generate a tiny profit for MSFT. For the last five years it’s haemorrhaged cash (as in billions). The Zune has absolutely zero chance of displacing the iPod; it’s an irrelevance and MSFT should just kill it.

Alice in Wonderland meets Sgt. Pepper Lonely Band meets Blue Deep as portrait by Hunter S. Thompson when he was a kid and was only thinking about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

I wander what Jack Sparrow would say if he saw this

These device are all about playing music, and the music in that ad is C**P. come on MSFT, you can do better than that.

I still dig the subscription aspect. Rick Rubin got it right. Screw apple and msft, I want my music. I’ll gladly pay $15/month to have all the songs I want on my device and computer to play freely…

The part where she swims with Jellyfish is clearly from Chemical Brother’s “The Test” video.

Which suggests maybe the whole video is a series of references to music videos, which is actually a neat idea. But it was unfortunate because most if not all of the videos referenced are rather obscure.

I can’t remember any music video with pink bunnies.

Of course, it could also be that it’s actually a LSD trip with no intentional references to other works, and they plagiarized that bit from “The Test”.

I happen to like Vista / Xbox, but this is sad. $10 Chinese mp3 players still look better than Zune. I’m sure they can hire designers from Japan ‘coz whoever’s in charge of the Zune is soooo out of touch, unless they’re trying to market it to retirees. People instead will want to know what they’re snorting. That’s some good stuff if you ask me.

Great Cinema!
Genius!
I love it!

http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

On a scale of 1 to 10 I give it a rock solid 7

Not too bad.

The song is Rogue Wave’s “Lake Michigan”. The video seems like a rip of Gondry’s “The Science of Sleep,” but with a Charlotte Gainsbourg-type protagonist rather than Gael Garcia Bernal.

The only thing I noticed was the radio station she was tuned to at the end of the clip. KEXP - Seattle, Wa

Duncan - Michael:

I just had a couple of drinks with a friend that works at MSFT and this just in: The Zune comes with Windows Desktop Search!!!

Oh, yeah, Baby!!! The same feature that your submissive XP PC auto installed on your last MSFT upgrade….you know, the one you found out was installed only after the upgrade was completed….the one you had no warning beforehand if you selected EXPRESS install….and after rebooting would show you that search box close to the system clock….

Yes, Zune has it!…..just don’t beam it to anyone, please….BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)

I had the same thought as #32 Mori. Appeared to be references to a bunch of music videos I’ve never seen… good idea, just probably will look like an acid trip to most people who don’t get the references.

Also, I own a first gen Zune (got it from Woot a few weeks ago for $99). It does most things pretty well, and does some things better than the iPod (and some things worse). For $99, though, it was totally worth it.

Interesting CNN Zune review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buKaqRG2SFA

@40, that’s an year old video there about gen 1 zune. Any new zune reviews around?

I thought the ad’ was brilliant. And this Zune looks much better than the old one (I never used it though and I agree that this is about the quality of the machine more than anything)… I would still buy an iPod anyday, but one must admit there is an improvement on MS’s side and that’s good… Competition (of any form) is good for us the consumers (both feature wise and price wise)…

The ad reminds of Disney in the 80s - Goonies and stuff. Perhaps they are trying to reach us that are in our mid-30s? Slow adopters that is?

I love the Zune ads and style. I want to get one but before I make my purchase I like to know that good things are being said about the device. I wish there was more press out there about the device itself rather then their fairly slick ad campaign.

The ad is really nice. And I’m getting one. I have an iPod 80 classic and I’m ditching it for Zune.

Techcrunch is full of dumbass Maczealots.

I couldn’t stomach the video at all. And the device is Microsoft (nuf said). Apple is still numero uno!

Perhaps you could tell your readers when it is a PAY PER POST ad?
Show some ethics!

I’m not sure about the commercial, but I like the product and will ditch my iPod as soon as it becomes available.

With the exception of the Touch, the Zune Product line is now a match for the Ipod line, and I believe the revamped Zune Marketplace will also be superior to iTunes.

Everything MSFT touches turns to a pile of rubbish. It’s only a matter of time before the Zune overheats or displays the BSOD. Go buy SanDisk or something Joe (hmm, Joe MSFT?). OR maybe they will lock in the Zune so it can only work with MS Vista?

MS Market places SUCKS. MS Live SUCKS. MS search SUCKS. MS ZUNE SUCKS! yea caps.

This is horrible. Just horrible.

If this same ad had been made by Apple or U2 or some other hip group, you guys would be nominating it for the first Emmy from YouTube. The ad is artistic and has already suckered TechCrunch into unleashing it to their mass audience.

Does it sell the Zune? Not specifically. Has it accomplished the goal of having everyone view it and speak about the product? Hell yes.

Seems like a success to me……

I only read about halfway down through the comments (as time is short), so please forgive if someone else already mentioned this.

The video reminded me of a Bjork music video–so much so in fact, I had assumed this would have been one of the first comments.

I have both an iPod and just got the $99 Zune at Woot. Outside of the Zune software I really like the Zune (more than I do my iPod). The sound quality is much better. I don’t like the lack of podcast mgt. I do like the way it converts video. I wish my Nokia n800 did that on the fly.

People dog the Zune like its a bad product, i had a Zune and loved it. The only real reason i have heard from people that dog it is that the marketplace isnt as good as itunes. You dont have to use the Zune marketplace to get your music fix so why put down the hardware?

As for the ad it has the same problem as the originals, it doesnt tell you its an portable media player. They need to stop trying to be hip.

lame as shit. alice in Metooland. but it’ll look cool on my big ass table computer.

I’m not a Mac/Apple guy at all, but that commercial pretty much put the nail in the coffin on my choice of which to buy.

Microsoft is loosing it in my opinion. In fact they should provide some drug education for their employees and encourage them to stay of the crack or whatever it was they were taking when they created that ad.

i love the ad, and why does every ms post always get a few apple fan boys asking the poster how much they were paid? childish

…so 5 years ago.

at least m$ managed to clone margot kidder.

I agree with #52.

I think, this Zune ad is brilliant. I won’t be getting neither Zune nor iPod (I’m sold to SE Walkman), but the ad and promo site is very artistic and groovy.

Yes, it’s Aliesque, and yes, I like the ad, and yes, Zune is load of crap.

Triple affirmative, good sirs!

Awesome commercial, but I guarantee the girl in it owns an IPOD if you catch my drift.

Nice to know that owning a Zune is tantamount to taking a hit of LSD… otherwise, why would you bother buying one?

1) you need to imagine other people around you with one to “squirt” music to
2) you need to imagine it working bug-free with Vista/XP
3) you need to imagine it’s better then the iPod

Come to think of it, this commercial actually makes a lot of sense, get people with lots of creativity to buy one, otherwise, the customer will be disappointed!

I look forward to Zune 3 coming out and actually competing with iPod head-on, so far, they are taking baby steps in this marketplace… which they can do a heck of a lot better considering the resources at their disposal.

Jon

Hey, the commercial is kind of lame but then so are the Apple commercials IMHO. But the web site is VERY creative regardless of whether it portrays the correct message “BUY A ZUNE”. To me, commercials have no influence on me other than a product notification. I am going to do my research before I buy it anyway.

I have the first model Zune and I have an iPod and I really do like the menu interface better than the iPod for one simple reason “CLICKS”. I can left click right click, down click, up click and know where I am at without having to look at the screen. Plain and simple. Can you close your eyes and navigate an iPod? Maybe, but not with confidence.

I do not think the issue is whether one product is better than the other. They are both competent in what they set out to accomplish. I get the sense from everyones comments that this is just a pissing contest over which company you like better. To be perfectly honest, who gives a sh*t? Just buy the one you want and shut the f*ck up. end of story.

Oh yeah, I have an iPhone so it is irrelevant whether I use my Zune or my iPod. I just wanted to throw my two cents in…

The ad itself gets a huge plus from me since it ends with tuning to the KEXP station in Seattle (90.3 FM)!!!

Now, forget the ad … I’ve played with the new Zune and it truly does rock. I am going to buy a couple (different sizes) since iPod has left me wanting more, since it launched. There has been absolutely no innovation in iPods interface or features. Oh, and Zune gives me the radio back, baby!!

Cheers.

Why would I want to buy a Zune based off of that commercial? For all the money that is sunk into marketing a product, it is pretty embarrassing that is the most ‘creative and hip’ commercial Microsoft came up with for the Zune

Worm Hole and only a Worm Hole…..

The chick did nothing for me in that ad, was hoping for younger/cuter but I do plan on buying one of each of the new Zune’s.

Zune Pass subscription is the future I think.

Great commercial. Does it represent what the Zune does? Of course not. People “in the know” are still more likely to buy an iPod.

I think giving away free psychedlics with the Zune is a great marketing maneuver.

I liked it. It’s interesting to look at. And hey, at least they’re not yammering on and on about features and squirting.

Microsoft is attempting to be creative. I’m down with that.

how much is apple paying you mac fanboys to post all the hate? seriously, if steve jobs dropped his trousers and called his dick the “i-dong”, you guys would be lining up to suck it down to the last drop.

What a waste of money…

yes yes yes to KEXP. did you know the back of the player says “hello from seattle” also? it’s cute :o)

the commercial certainly points out a feature that ipods don’t have: FM tuner. and if you live around seattle, you value tuning into KEXP as much as listening to MP3s.

I don’t really care about the ad. It’s nice though.

I’m still getting a Zune 2.0.

Obviously you iNerds really don’t see the glass-is-full do you? There’s a bazillion things the Zune has going for it, than the lousy iPod Classics.