"Why they died: While it wasn't exactly a surprise, the demise of the Zune does underscore one certainty: the dedicated music player is largely dead. Instead, Microsoft, like other companies, is focusing on mobile phones and taking the Zune brand into a more software-based future."
"The dedicated music player is largely dead" ??? My daughter has had her iPod Nano for many years and uses it every day. My son uses his at home in a tremendous JBL docking station. They have cellphones, but like the dedicated music players.
The Ipod is doing great as a dedicated music player.
I don't understand the statement because Microsoft phones are dead. So how can the market shift for the Microsoft Zune to nonexistent Microsoft phones? Unless they mean it's going to shift to dedicated Apple music players or Apple or Android smartphones.
Ten gadgets that died in 2011
by Ricardo Bilton | December 9, 2011 1:22am PST | Image 1 of 11
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2011: The year of the dead tablet
With the release of devices like the iPad 2, Kindle Fire, and countless powerful Android smartphones, 2011 was a big year for technology. But with the success of some comes the failure of others, and this year showed that not all devices had what it took to last forever. While some devices were phased out and others outright killed, they all share one quality: they are all dead. Welcome to the gadget graveyard of 2011.
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@Joe.Smetona iPod sales have been dropping 10-15% per quarter for the last 8 or more quarters. Sure they are still selling but they are dropping off pretty fast. I imagine that they will fall to a certain point and hang there.
@Joe.Smetona ... I have an older iPod and a new iPhone 4S. The iPod goes in my glove box for drive time and I play news shows out through the car stereo. I wouldn't want my phone tied up doing that.
@HollywoodDog +100
@Joe.Smetona
Most people, by far who want a dedicated mp3 player already have one. Many of them purchased years ago. Unfortunately Bilton dint word his point very well. His point was that sales of dedicated players are falling rapidly and there is little to no incentive for companies to develop so called new and improved players as such.
And while Windows based phones are a very odd breed of electronic animal right now, they are not exactly dead. They are an odd animal because that while they are not currently in existence in any significant new form, they are not actually dead. That and the fact that anyone in the know is well aware of this. The fact is that its relatively well known that the Windows phone will be brought back to life in the not too distant future as something thats being suggested will be a powerhouse. That may or may not turn out to be the case, but anyone who says the potential of it happening is at least present doesn't know what they are talking about. Its also known that much of the kind of thinking and knowledge that went into the Zune will be finding its own form of home in the new Windows phones when they do come out.
Either you simply don't understand where things are really at at all, or for some reason you cant bring yourself to acknowledge that iPods are on the decline and the Windows phone will live again.
Most people, by far who want a dedicated mp3 player already have one. Many of them purchased years ago. Unfortunately Bilton dint word his point very well. His point was that sales of dedicated players are falling rapidly and there is little to no incentive for companies to develop so called new and improved players as such.
And while Windows based phones are a very odd breed of electronic animal right now, they are not exactly dead. They are an odd animal because that while they are not currently in existence in any significant new form, they are not actually dead. That and the fact that anyone in the know is well aware of this. The fact is that its relatively well known that the Windows phone will be brought back to life in the not too distant future as something thats being suggested will be a powerhouse. That may or may not turn out to be the case, but anyone who says the potential of it happening is at least present doesn't know what they are talking about. Its also known that much of the kind of thinking and knowledge that went into the Zune will be finding its own form of home in the new Windows phones when they do come out.
Either you simply don't understand where things are really at at all, or for some reason you cant bring yourself to acknowledge that iPods are on the decline and the Windows phone will live again.
And while Windows based phones are a very odd breed of electronic animal right now, they are not exactly dead. They are an odd animal because that while they are not currently in existence in any significant new form, they are not actually dead.
Sounds almost like an oxymoron. Are you sure you meant what you said?
That and the fact that anyone in the know is well aware of this. The fact is that its relatively well known that the Windows phone will be brought back to life in the not too distant future as something thats being suggested will be a powerhouse. That may or may not turn out to be the case, but anyone who says the potential of it happening is at least present doesn't know what they are talking about. Its also known that much of the kind of thinking and knowledge that went into the Zune will be finding its own form of home in the new Windows phones when they do come out.
Translation: vaporware
Either you simply don't understand where things are really at at all, or for some reason you cant bring yourself to acknowledge that iPods are on the decline and the Windows phone will live again.
Yes, yes, yes we've heard it all before. Like watching grass grow.
Sounds almost like an oxymoron. Are you sure you meant what you said?
That and the fact that anyone in the know is well aware of this. The fact is that its relatively well known that the Windows phone will be brought back to life in the not too distant future as something thats being suggested will be a powerhouse. That may or may not turn out to be the case, but anyone who says the potential of it happening is at least present doesn't know what they are talking about. Its also known that much of the kind of thinking and knowledge that went into the Zune will be finding its own form of home in the new Windows phones when they do come out.
Translation: vaporware
Either you simply don't understand where things are really at at all, or for some reason you cant bring yourself to acknowledge that iPods are on the decline and the Windows phone will live again.
Yes, yes, yes we've heard it all before. Like watching grass grow.
@Joe.Smetona You obviously are stuck in the "Windows Mobile 6.0" Genre, cause there is no way you can say Microsoft Phones are dead! Thousands of people wait in lines for the new Nokia Lumia in europe! Its the next best phone, trust me man Ive been a LONG time apple user, I aint no Microsoft Fanboy either, but I do wanna tell yah man, Windows Phone 7.5 made me turn away from Apple (7 years) and Android (2years) Im just amazed how amazing the Windows Phone is....here is the link if you wanna try it out on your Iphone. Its a link Microsoft made for Android, and IOS users to try the amazing product out with out downloading anything. 
Enjoy, aka.ms/wpdemo
Enjoy, aka.ms/wpdemo 
@Ryanthelyon said --> Thousands of people wait in lines for the new Nokia Lumia in europe! >>
I don't know about those "lines" but as a US user since Win Phone 7 (Foucus) came out I was disappointed for signing a 2-yr contract for a pitiful phone but then along came Mango update and now I wouldn't trade it for any other type. Even my grandson, a computer engineer and a devoted Apple fan dropped his jaw when he saw the difference Mango made. Now he's going for the Windows Phone. So people who only read reviews on the original should go back and see what the "experts" say about it after the Mango update. Unfortunately, cell phone sales folks were steering people away and to Androids but MS says they are going to launch a massive program to educate the sales departments on the plusses of Windows Phone 7 with Mango. Doubtful it will take over the market anytime soon but give it time for word of mouth to spread.
I don't know about those "lines" but as a US user since Win Phone 7 (Foucus) came out I was disappointed for signing a 2-yr contract for a pitiful phone but then along came Mango update and now I wouldn't trade it for any other type. Even my grandson, a computer engineer and a devoted Apple fan dropped his jaw when he saw the difference Mango made. Now he's going for the Windows Phone. So people who only read reviews on the original should go back and see what the "experts" say about it after the Mango update. Unfortunately, cell phone sales folks were steering people away and to Androids but MS says they are going to launch a massive program to educate the sales departments on the plusses of Windows Phone 7 with Mango. Doubtful it will take over the market anytime soon but give it time for word of mouth to spread.
@jerry: cell phone sales folks were steering people away and to Androids but MS says they are going to launch a massive program to educate the sales departments on the plusses of Windows Phone 7 with Mango.
Translation: Microsoft is going to be pushing kick-backs to Mobile carriers. Windows mobile phone version 7 was a dud out of the gate, yet Microsoft was expecting massive sales because it is a Microsoft product. If you look at the target market, Microsoft Windows Mobile Phone v.7 should be on a feature phone. No one in their right mind would pay $750 for a mobile phone with only 16 GB of onboard storage. Maybe Microsoft should have been more honest about this update, rather than lying about the competition, then under delivering (yet again).
Translation: Microsoft is going to be pushing kick-backs to Mobile carriers. Windows mobile phone version 7 was a dud out of the gate, yet Microsoft was expecting massive sales because it is a Microsoft product. If you look at the target market, Microsoft Windows Mobile Phone v.7 should be on a feature phone. No one in their right mind would pay $750 for a mobile phone with only 16 GB of onboard storage. Maybe Microsoft should have been more honest about this update, rather than lying about the competition, then under delivering (yet again).
@Joe.Smetona
I have to say this one really bothers me...........I would take the 120 Zune over an Ipod classic ANY DAY............no frills, just music that sounded much, much better than any sound I've been able to get off any IPOD. Guess I'll check out the new Samsung stand-a-lone (sort of) music player. Anything but that horrible mess called Itunes. And the Zune Pass is fantastic! Not sure what the latest on that is. With 100+GB of music, don't really care. I'd have liked to have seen them keep producing the HD and 120GB.
I have to say this one really bothers me...........I would take the 120 Zune over an Ipod classic ANY DAY............no frills, just music that sounded much, much better than any sound I've been able to get off any IPOD. Guess I'll check out the new Samsung stand-a-lone (sort of) music player. Anything but that horrible mess called Itunes. And the Zune Pass is fantastic! Not sure what the latest on that is. With 100+GB of music, don't really care. I'd have liked to have seen them keep producing the HD and 120GB.
I love the zune players. I have very fond memories of my Zune 80 and my wife's Zune 8. However, as my wife and I have moved to a pair of WP7's, my kids now love our stand alone MP3 players. My oldest recently bought a Zune HD and loves it too.
My concern with the WP7's is battery life. though I don't want to go back to carrying two devices again, I and can definitely see how people would carry around two devices (phone and mp3). I solved the problem with leaving a charger at work for my phone and just plugging in the phone to "top off the battery!"
My concern with the WP7's is battery life. though I don't want to go back to carrying two devices again, I and can definitely see how people would carry around two devices (phone and mp3). I solved the problem with leaving a charger at work for my phone and just plugging in the phone to "top off the battery!"
We've got two major categories here:
A) Products that died because a new technology supplanted them: Flipvideo, MiniDisc.
B) Products that coudn't compete with Apple: Zune, HP Touchpad, Dell Streaks, Sharp Galapagos and to a certain extent Google TV.
And then there's the Macbook. If this were any other manufacturer we wouldn't even notice that they were ending a product line, especially when they've got other product lines that do the same thing.
A) Products that died because a new technology supplanted them: Flipvideo, MiniDisc.
B) Products that coudn't compete with Apple: Zune, HP Touchpad, Dell Streaks, Sharp Galapagos and to a certain extent Google TV.
And then there's the Macbook. If this were any other manufacturer we wouldn't even notice that they were ending a product line, especially when they've got other product lines that do the same thing.
@dsf3g
Huh? If Dell dropped the inspirion line or Lenovo dropped the thinkpad line I think we would hear about it.
Huh? If Dell dropped the inspirion line or Lenovo dropped the thinkpad line I think we would hear about it.
@Turd Furgeson
Yeah. The issue is that Apple have better products in different lines at nearly the same price point as the MacBook in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines. However, Dell and Leveno don't have lines that converge, so wiping out the Inspirion and ThinkPad lines would be noticed.
I think what @dsf3g meant to say was "if this were any other manufacturer we _would_ notice that they were ending a product line, because they don't have product lines that do the same thing at the same price." Not many people noticed that the MacBook was gone, but yes, educational institutions got a huge price drop for the MacBook. My daughter got accepted to a school (the one that President Obama graduated from) where every student gets a MacBook (new one every two years) at $500 (might be subsidized - tuition is $18k - but $500 more for the computer), but she went to a different school (my alma mater - tuition is $16k - I can buy her a killer computer for that $2k difference). But the point is that the MacBook got squeezed out and at 1 model, it isn't that noticeable.
Yeah. The issue is that Apple have better products in different lines at nearly the same price point as the MacBook in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines. However, Dell and Leveno don't have lines that converge, so wiping out the Inspirion and ThinkPad lines would be noticed.
I think what @dsf3g meant to say was "if this were any other manufacturer we _would_ notice that they were ending a product line, because they don't have product lines that do the same thing at the same price." Not many people noticed that the MacBook was gone, but yes, educational institutions got a huge price drop for the MacBook. My daughter got accepted to a school (the one that President Obama graduated from) where every student gets a MacBook (new one every two years) at $500 (might be subsidized - tuition is $18k - but $500 more for the computer), but she went to a different school (my alma mater - tuition is $16k - I can buy her a killer computer for that $2k difference). But the point is that the MacBook got squeezed out and at 1 model, it isn't that noticeable.
So what do you do if you don't have a phone that is a music player and don't intend to own one? Are we supposed to go back to carrying aound boom boxes on our shoulder?
Have you told Apple about this? They're selling LOTS of them . . . . .
Have you told Apple about this? They're selling LOTS of them . . . . .
@pikeman666@... spend $20 at your favorite big box retailer for a generic MP3 player. If all you want is to play music, it works just fine.
I love my 120gb Zune and if mine croaks I will search them out till I croak! I play it through my car radio rather than listen to what passes for music stations in my neck of the land, and while I do have some OTR shows and some video on my phone and do listen to them more than I ever thought I would, I prefer a separate media player and prefer them to be non-Apple products.
I got a free Zune with a PC I purchased. I listen to Podcasts while driving and was able to lose 30lbs based on the advice from the Paleo Solutions and Livin La Vida Low Crab Podcasts. I can't imagine driving without my Zune feeding my brain, my Atari 400 was never so helpful. What year did Atari die?
@noel@... Atari didn't die. They are concentrating on games, like Sega did (both stopped their hardware sales).
@ManoaHI
The Atari brand has changed hands several times since the days of the 8-bit computers. For all means and purposes beyond the name, that Atari is long, long gone.
The Atari brand has changed hands several times since the days of the 8-bit computers. For all means and purposes beyond the name, that Atari is long, long gone.
@epobirs I agree, Atari today is just a name. Atari is just another name for Infogrames, nothing more, nothing less.
There were two versions of the story of the Flip's demise: one that you generally got from the general news media, as well as tech sites, and another you got from camera/video sites. The first version blames the iPhone and other "convergent" devices that are supposedly obsoleting single purpose devices like Flips and compact cameras, and that it was a hopeless market for Cisco to have entered. The second version thinks that the first version is stupid and clueless -- the Flips had simply fallen behind competing pocket video recorders in features (no 1080p, SD card or external mic support, and no waterproof "sport" model ) and that photos and videos from things like the iPhone are inferior to those from dedicated devices and always will be, although they may be "just good enough" for most average, undiscerning folk.
My daughter's Zune died on her so she took it to Best Buy for thir buy back program and got a fair amount of money for it. I have never had a dedicated player, except for my 5 in Reel to Reel I had in college. It was battery operated, so I could take it anywhere, like the big boom boxes someone mentioned earlier. I have sevearl DVD's with MP3s on them, I wish I could play in my vehicle. I suppose one of those DVD players would work. Don't have one of them either, except for a small TV/DVD player. I just plug in a CD when the commercials or the music is wrong type, my pickup only has a single disk player, the wife's car has a six disk changer. I could use my phone to tune in an acceptable streaming station and plug it into my truck's auxillary port. I haven't found such on the car though.
"Unable to compete on price or features, its not all that surprising while Sharp decided to kill off the devices."
Shouldn't that read why not while?
"Unable to compete on price or features, its not all that surprising while Sharp decided to kill off the devices."
Shouldn't that read why not while?
@dhays : "I have sevearl DVD's with MP3s on them, I wish I could play in my vehicle."
Look around, car systems with DVD player that recognize MP3s exist, but personally I bought one with a USB cable dropping in the glove compartment to which I connect a USB stick full of MP3s... months of music without recharging!
I just have to do a directory tree sorting to get the songs in the right order as the stupid radio plays them as it finds them in the directory structure, i.e. in the order which Windows wrote them which is not necessarily alphabetical...
Look around, car systems with DVD player that recognize MP3s exist, but personally I bought one with a USB cable dropping in the glove compartment to which I connect a USB stick full of MP3s... months of music without recharging!
I just have to do a directory tree sorting to get the songs in the right order as the stupid radio plays them as it finds them in the directory structure, i.e. in the order which Windows wrote them which is not necessarily alphabetical...
This article is a bit misleading in that the death of a brand is not the death of a product category. Cameras like the Flip are still being offered from numerous brands. Likewise for dedicated music players. They are products that have entered ommodity status and no longer carry the margins needed to keep them interesting for the more prominent brands. That is a very different thing from something like Sony killing off Mini-Disc. I'm not aware of any lesser companies continuing to sell the technology as it never had much adoption beyond Sony, especially in the NA market.
I wouldn't want to use my older Blackberry as a audio player if I don't know when I'll next be able to charge it. But I do keep some audio books on it as a reserve in case I'm unexpectedly stuck waiting somewhere for a long period. That is, after all, the big first world problem, the threat of boredom.
I wouldn't want to use my older Blackberry as a audio player if I don't know when I'll next be able to charge it. But I do keep some audio books on it as a reserve in case I'm unexpectedly stuck waiting somewhere for a long period. That is, after all, the big first world problem, the threat of boredom.
There will always be a place for dedicated device in addition to our multiple function phones. If I lose mylittle camera I'm inconvenience. If I lose my phone I might DIE because I cannot summon help.
This is also why I like solar+crank radio/lights that can also charge devices. It would feel terribly stupid to be in danger for lack of a few minutes battery time.
This is also why I like solar+crank radio/lights that can also charge devices. It would feel terribly stupid to be in danger for lack of a few minutes battery time.
Some people are really adamant about their Apple devices. I do not own Microsoft shares or work for them, but if you really want something that works seamlessly with everything, you gotta get Windows. Sorry, Apples and Droids. You are cute, but sometimes cute doesn't cut it.
@brike@???
I have seen issues where different Microsoft products do not work together, so I cannot believe your statement.
but if you really want something that works seamlessly with everything, you gotta get Windows.
I have seen issues where different Microsoft products do not work together, so I cannot believe your statement.
@brike@...That's funny. my Apple devices work with my windows devices seamlessly all the time. maybe you don't know what you're doing???
"2011: The year of the dead tablet"
The tablet's been dying since even the early days. Only Apple really figured out how to do it, and I'd say there's a chance of that dying as well.
While the form factor is a cool, futuristic thing, the truth is that it's not all that practical. It looks cool in movies, but that's about it.
I won't bother responding to all of the dead tablets in this gallery, they all died for pretty much the same reason. Apple is dominant, and the form factor is better for movie props than for real world usage.
"When Cisco bought Flip Video maker Pure Digital in 2009 for $590 million, few expected that the company's prized device would be dead just two years later."
Seemed like a fad to me. A crappy camcorder? You really thought that would stick? Seriously?
"Sony MiniDisc Walkman"
Barely heard of it. I went from CD to iPod.
"Logitech Revue"
The problem is just that most people don't want to use the big screen as a computer. They're fine with the computer being a separate device. Pretty much all efforts to bring computing to the big screen have failed.
"PSP Go"
Meh, the PSP itself was a fad. It had its days, and I don't think it's here to stay.
"MacBook"
Never owned one, but it's been popular for a long time. As you said, it was more phased out than killed.
"Zune"
Kinda surprised it died, actually. It looked like a good competitor to the iPod.
The tablet's been dying since even the early days. Only Apple really figured out how to do it, and I'd say there's a chance of that dying as well.
While the form factor is a cool, futuristic thing, the truth is that it's not all that practical. It looks cool in movies, but that's about it.
I won't bother responding to all of the dead tablets in this gallery, they all died for pretty much the same reason. Apple is dominant, and the form factor is better for movie props than for real world usage.
"When Cisco bought Flip Video maker Pure Digital in 2009 for $590 million, few expected that the company's prized device would be dead just two years later."
Seemed like a fad to me. A crappy camcorder? You really thought that would stick? Seriously?
"Sony MiniDisc Walkman"
Barely heard of it. I went from CD to iPod.
"Logitech Revue"
The problem is just that most people don't want to use the big screen as a computer. They're fine with the computer being a separate device. Pretty much all efforts to bring computing to the big screen have failed.
"PSP Go"
Meh, the PSP itself was a fad. It had its days, and I don't think it's here to stay.
"MacBook"
Never owned one, but it's been popular for a long time. As you said, it was more phased out than killed.
"Zune"
Kinda surprised it died, actually. It looked like a good competitor to the iPod.
I take it you dont mean the MacBook Pro? which is still very much being sold by Apple. I can confirm this because I just bought one.
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