Always a follower

The fact that there is a lot of money going on in the DAP business is obvious. But what would it take to beat the iPod? That is something I have been wondering about myself as well. Obviously features alone are not really that important: my iRiver IHP-120 from 2003 had loads of features that the iPod didn't have at that time and it also got better ratings for sound quality, duarability of the battery etc..

Now, Apple has vamped up on the features over the years, even adding video capabilities to it's player (something Jobs held back on untill he also was able to provide some interesting content as well) but there are players out there that are far better at playing videos and where better at it way before Apple added this feature, like the Archos AV series.

So I think it is safe to say that the iPods are not technically superior to other players. In fact most of them had problems: for instance the first iPods had battery problems (they didn't last as long as promised or just died prematurely) and the Nano had a lot of problems with scratches on it's surface. So what is the secret then?

Well, for starters they are very good players, not the best, but good. Second, as with all Apple hardware, they have a very good design that appeals to a lot of people. They look smooth and just really high-tech. And they are so easy to operate and have a good integration via iTunes with your Apple or Mac. And last last but not least: Apple knows marketing. Obviously Apple had the money to back up the campaigns for their players.

That combination obviously made the iPod a big success.

And now it seems that Microsoft is trying to move into Apple's territory. For starters there is a potentially huge market. Yes, there are a lot of Apple iPods out there, but still lots of people do not own a DAP. Also Microsoft has the money to push their player into the market: both marketing wise and money wise: Microsoft has been known to sell it's Xbox 360 at a price that actually is under the cost of production.

But aside from the Xbox and some keyboards and mice, Microsoft has never been into hardware that much. Unlike Apple they are a software company pur sang. And quite frankly; they are not that 'hip' as Apple. So marketing a piece of hardware, a DAP to be exact, seems a bit odd for them. So I guess they are after something else and the DAP is just a way to a means as they say. Maybe they think about genereating revenues from a online store like iTunes, together with some deals with movie companies.

Bottomline is: will Microsoft be able to get a fair share of the market, where others have failed?

I reckon it's not going to be a easy ride. Microsoft has the money and the means to pump the Zune into the market. But will people accept it? I do not know. But, as they say in the video below: Microsoft is not know to be 'hip'. For starters: who came up with that riciculous name? And another thing I'm sure off: I do not see those millions of iPod users switch. Once an Apple owner always an Apple owner?

I guess time will tell if Microsoft made a good business decision or not. But one thing is for sure: this move proves for once and for all that Microsoft definately is a follower and not a leader.