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October 17, 2006

3:54 pm | 0 recommendations | 14 comments

Steve Jobs on the iPod .Vs Zune

| posted by Lynne d Johnson

In celebration of the iPod's upcoming fifth birthday, Newsweek writer Steven Levy recently talked with Steve Jobs about the iPod's cultural impact, including its design, cool factor, and affect on how we listen to music. When asked wheter he saw Microsoft's upcoming iPod competitor, Zune, and it's propsed community-building abilities as a threat to the iPod, this is what Jobs had to say:

"In a word, no. I've seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable."

Is Jobs take just, or is Microsoft in a good position to be a dominant contender in the MP3 player space?

Tags: Work/Life, culture
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October 17, 2006 at 9:44pm

thedirector

Jobs is just trying to lightly dismiss one of the most potential significant technology advancement to the music player with sarcasm. He’s probably just jealous that Apple didn’t think of it first.

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October 17, 2006 at 10:13pm

Rich

I disagree. It's a level of complexity that Apple has tried to avoid with the iPod. That's not to say that iPods won't have similar features in the future. Apple rejected video on the iPod for quite some time, until they figured out a way to make it work the way they like it.

Maybe Microsoft has figured it out. Or maybe it's premature, and Apple knows it.

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October 17, 2006 at 10:21pm

Rich

BTW, the link to the Levy/Jobs conversation is messed up.

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October 18, 2006 at 12:26am

Max Leibman

Does it matter if Jobs jest is just? He's Steve Jobs. He virtually has to say something like that. (And if he's right about how long it takes, he's on to something.)

I am struck, though, by the romantic "sharing headphones"-style of sharing music is being defended by Jobs, and the very modern wirelessly sharing a song with a friend is Gates & Co's approach. Bill might finally be stealing a march on Steve's cool factor.

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October 18, 2006 at 3:23am

Eric Yao

I think Jobs is right, it is not only a matter of music. The future is video, therefore speed is importment.

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October 18, 2006 at 5:14am

brent

personally, i don't see the point of sharing music in close proximity.. (a) it restricts me to either be near a person or worse, wait until the download is complete (b) music in that context, listening on your headphones, is kinda insular. iPod's branding may have made it a social phenomenon, but the act of using one, is blissfully anti-social (with exception of iTrip and networking one's iTunes - biggest issue with both: you can't keep the music!) Is Zune THAT much better in that you get 3 plays? I seriously doubt it.

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October 18, 2006 at 5:50am

Iain Tait

One word: Earwax!

Yuk ;-)

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October 18, 2006 at 12:39pm

M Lamkin

Microsoft rarely (and I'm being generous here) gets anything right the first -- or second time. However, they have the muscle, financial wherewithal and marketing presence to become a v*e*r*y serious player here -- no pun intended.

Jobs' sarcasm is warranted -- but perhaps only for the moment. . .

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October 18, 2006 at 1:08pm

Lynne d Johnson

Rich,

Thanks for the catch on the link. It's fixed now.

Lynne

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October 18, 2006 at 1:12pm

milo

Sounds like Jobs is afraid of loosing bucks.

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