The sudden demand for the iPod iTouch may be due to a promotion when students purchase a new Mac, they receive a free iTouch. There is talk that Apple may need to reposition the iPod Touch by this September now that the iPhone price is lower.
Apple’s iPod sales are better than expected. Data shows that iPod sales climbing by two percent through early June. The overall market grew 12 percent in the same period, which was led by Microsoft’s Zune.
This new 3G iPhone has a fast wireless technology with three products in one. A stellar phone, a widescreen iPod and an internet device with HTML email, which acts like the email on your computer with support of PDF, JPEG and Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
This cool iPhone has 2.0 software and this option supports calendar and contacts, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and has a built in GPS with 300 hours of standby. Read more
The new Zunes are here, and they are receiving mostly flattering reviews, especially when compared to last years much hyped but deflated release.
The new Zunes are reportedly a much smoother, nicer model than the first try. The new rounded-octagon shaped click wheels are able to be used by simple touch as well as clicking. This gives users the best of both worlds. Either simply fan your finger over the wheel or click it, whatever way you prefer. Both ways allow you to scroll vertically and horizontally through lists smoothly.
Colors have been added to the new Zunes which now come in red, olive green, pink and black in the 4 and 8GB models . The 80GB model only comes in black. They are also lighter and sleeker than their predecessor. While still not as thin as the 3G nano, they are definitely a step up from the “brown” Zune.
The name the Zune is still not enough to get hearts a trembling the same as when someone says the 3G Nano, but nevertheless, Microsoft has money, time and the will to keep chipping away at the iPod dominance.
On Tuesday, November 13, two new Zunes will be rolled out onto the Marketplace with hipper styling, colors other than “brown”and some new features. By itself the new Zunes may not have enough to impact their place in the iPod world but combined with ever greater software and a new social website they stand more of a chance.
The website will feature a “Zune Card” or an online profile that will display the users image, current playing song, background and bio. Similar to MySpace one can add comments onto friends profiles as well as recommend music to one another. The music will be playable via your friends on their PC in 30 second tracks. The “Zune Cards” can also be tagged onto other social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook.
Microsoft has showcased their new Zunes for the holiday season and while they are not likely to change anyone’s mind from buying one of the new iPods, they are a definite step up in the Zune revolution.
There are three new Zune players - a 4Gb and 8Gb flash-based model and a 80GB hard drive model.
The 4Gb and 8GB Zunes have a 1.8 inch screen, on which video, photos, TV and music lists can be viewed. Colors come in black, red, green and pink. They retail for $149 and $199.
The 80GB model comes in black only with a 3.2 inch screen. It retails for $249.
All the new models come with a new “Zune pad” which replaces the click wheel with a new touch sensitive pad. Basically you can flick or click. They are also smaller, thinner and less clunky than their predecessor. They also have built in FM tuners.
The new Zunes will be announced tomorrow, October 2nd, in Redmond at a Microsoft held event.
There is expected to be a couple of new Zunes being released, with flash-based memory. One is reported to look a lot like the iPod nano, similar to the old Zune design, but smaller measuring 3-inches by 1.25 inches.
The new Zunes are expected to support video and possibly Wi-Fi, with larger storage capabilities than their competition.
Bill Gates will be at the announcement along with his Design and Development Chief, J Allard. Gates and Allard are expected to talk on the Zune’s long term commitment to being part of the MP3 world, and also to give details of the new Zune community site which will launch in beta soon.
Microsoft is reportedly manufacturing 2.4 million Zune 2’s for the holiday season. Currently Microsoft sells one Zune to ever 25 or so iPods sold.
Since Apple has just released a whole new iPod line, news of a possible redesigned Zune just seems to fall very very flat. Nevertheless rumors of a possible new Zune are out there - thinner with a two-tone translucent rubberized finish and what looks like a touch pad rather than a click wheel for navigation.
There has also been speculation of a new Zune phone possibly coming out for the holiday season. Many think that a Zune phone would be a good way for it to capture the technology that Microsoft already has a hold of such as Voip and good old Windows. (A phone with the windows browser - do you really want all those viruses on your phone????)(It would make for some great iPhone vs Zune phone ads!)
The Zune may not have met most blogging standards as the hippest most up to date utterly cool device on the MP3 market, yet it has taken the market share it had hoped for and with the release of new reformatted Zunes coming out this Christmas season it is liable to take more of that market share.
This means that someone is losing market share and while the iPod and the iPhone are still in complete control it is Creative, maker of Zen players, that is suffering the biggest loss since the onslaught of the Zune.
Creative’s stock fell to it’s lowest point in the last 11 years after Creative announced its fifth loss in the last six quarters. Over the last year the stock has lost 35 percent and is the worst performer on Singapore’s benchmark Straits Times Index landing today at $6.60. Sales have fallen 28 percent to $162.2 million in fourth quarter earnings.
The new Zunes are reportedly a much smoother, nicer model than the first try. The new rounded-octagon shaped click wheels are able to be used by simple touch as well as clicking. This gives users the best of both worlds. Either simply fan your finger over the wheel or click it, whatever way you prefer. Both ways allow you to scroll vertically and horizontally through lists smoothly.
There are three new Zune players - a 4Gb and 8Gb flash-based model and a 80GB hard drive model.
There is expected to be a couple of new Zunes being released, with flash-based memory. One is reported to look a lot like the iPod nano, similar to the old Zune design, but smaller measuring 3-inches by 1.25 inches.
Since Apple has just released a whole new iPod line, news of a possible redesigned Zune just seems to fall very very flat. Nevertheless rumors of a possible new Zune are out there - thinner with a two-tone translucent rubberized finish and what looks like a touch pad rather than a click wheel for navigation.
The Zune may not have met most blogging standards as the hippest most up to date utterly cool device on the MP3 market, yet it has taken the market share it had hoped for and with the release of new reformatted Zunes coming out this Christmas season it is liable to take more of that market share.
