Makes sense. Thanks for posting the update on the miss quote.

Cesar Quote:

We've said all along that focus and delivering a unique and high-quality experience is important to us and that we will not expand the device family or our geographical footprint until we are positive that we can provide the best experience from the start.

End quote

Not to be the doomsayer, but it kind of sounds to me that us "early" adaptors, are beta testing it for the rest of the world. Do we not rate for the "best experience from the start"?

As always Cesar, this is not targeted towards you. Just voicing my disappointment for what could be a great product. I hope the upper management is listening in on this site.

Cavan

Hey at least Ballmer realizes the need for new services.  Podcast or video anyone?

So, basically you are saying that you're using current zune owners purely as beta testers of gen1 of zune.

nah, ray, you know I've got nothing but love for ya buddy, and you know I'm not saying that - and what's more, you also know that we're planning on adding features to *this* generation of Zune, right?

@admin

But what and when?

The silence is deafening.

Yay, features for *this* gen which I've bought (it should arrive tomorrow in post). I'm going to hold you to that promise Cesar- ok?(or else...well i'll be very dissappointed!)

but you haven't released it on Canada..what the poor Euros and the rest of the world can get this year then ?

Any Unicode support for the poor boys in Asia ?

bah, just keep it up

BTW, iloung gave you some free press on their iPodBook #3

Warning PDF Link (20MB). Browse to page 228

http://www.iloungeserver.com/iLounge_TheFreeiPodBook3_p.pdf

Ilounge editors, Mac & iPod user base....many thanks from the Zune Nation.

I'm planning on picking one up when I go to the US later this year.

Any time frame on announcements? 1 month, 2 months?

I was really lucky when i read that the zune was delayed in Europe and when i told my classmates they were really dissapointed (i live in the netherlands, Europe). I guess this means i can use my zune to transfer songs before i thought!

And btw, the first gen zune was only meant to be first gen for hardware (see big ass proccesor)but the software was supposed to stay the same (at least that's what i thought) so i'm thinking the first new features will come with the 2nd gen zune (maybe flash zune?).

See u guys latr!

Reyer

First generations are always about testing the waters. Not necessarily "Beta" testing in the sense, but more like seeing the reaction to a product what they can do to improve it without losing too much money.

I'd say the Zune has been a phenomenal success, but they still have goals in mind they want to meet. Once these goals are met, they can analyze what worked and what didn't. Using this they can add even richer features to future firmware, or even future iterations of the Zune product itself.

So sure, you call me a "tester" if you want. The bleeding edge never felt so good.

Zune Should of had a TV spot in last nights MTV Movie Awards. A lot of people watched in the younger demographic. I love my Zune. Maybe the Zune team is waiting until the iPhone is released to announce new features in the Zune. That would be awesome if the next major Firmware update is on the same day as the iphone release!

In my high school of about two thousand kids i would say i know of about 50-60 people that currently own a Zune! Many people want one.

Cesar, can you clarify the meaning of 1M units "sell-in".  I've seen

a lot of conflicting reports about exactly what the 1M unit goal

means.  Is it 1M units actually purchased by end-users or is it

a combination of units purchased by end-users AND units within

retail inventory/channel?    

If you're using us as "beta" testers we should get a free second gen. zune or at least a discount.

Free second gen Zune sounds great!

:( *sigh*

BS on the 'we will not expand the device family' crap untill you meet some goals? Thats BS because you are already showing of "some" new zune to people last month in a private thingy. That was confirmed ;) no rumor or speculation there. Microsoft does not do private showings of things that aren't coming to market in the near future.

Hit up the URL if your having selective memory :)

My thoughts are that we aren't necessarily "beta testers" but more first time users.  Microsoft will take information provided by us the consumers and use that to help improve not only the players we have now, but all future ones too.  I don't mind helping out, but I would like to have some knowledge of things to come.  This hush hush attitude about what will be coming in the future doesn't sit well with me.  Let's hear something please!

@ Joe T

"sell-in" means they've sold that many units into the retail channel. it does not mean that many units have been purchased by customers. the number of units purchased by customers is called "sell-through"

Well looks like Zune won't come to europe for quite some time..so the translation wasn't so wrong after all...just like Duke Nukem 4 Ever...It's done when it's done..or it's in europe  when it there.. hehe

Sebastian Foss

----------------------------

http://www.sebastianfoss.com

http://www.etrinity.com

does that mean no unicode for a long long long long time? geez it's like saying americans don't listen to the "world" genre

"We've said all along that focus and delivering a unique and high-quality experience is important to us and that we will not expand the device family or our geographical footprint until we are positive that we can provide the best experience from the start."

Think we need another translation for what you posted Cesar. Why wasn't this taking into consideration 6 months ago?

Thanks Aloysius,

In that case it really diminishes the value of the goal.  AFAIK all the

iPod sales benchmarks released by Apple are for sell-through, not

sell-in.   When your average consumer hears a sales goal like this

they assume it means a certain number of actual people have bought

the product.   It's fine if Microsoft wants to measure that way but I

think they should be much clearer about the fact that it's "sell-in".  

Props to Cesar for using that phrase, but none of the

articles I've read about this goal have emphasized that point.  

Without that clarification, it's very misleading since it's likely that

a significant portion of the players are still sitting in inventory somewhere.    

Wow - quite the whiney crowd here.

By 'buy in' they mean 'is there enough demand for a device like this to justify making more or trying to expand the line'. This is normal - all the marketing surveys in the universe can't tell you how many people are actually going plunk down $250 for a Zune.

Are you beta testers? No. You're first gen users. There really are only two possible ways to go on this: the company constantly improves their product and thus every version is, to some degree a 'beta', or the company waits until it gets it perfect and then ships - somewhere around 2195, if ever.

The real question isn't 'is this device perfect?' - it's 'can I upgrade later?'. Cesar has answered that question: there will be upgrades for the existing Zunes. Will there come a point when there will be a new Zune with different features that cannot be upgraded solely by software? Probably. That's the price of being an early adopter.

As for me, well, I'm in Canada. We're used to never getting most of the products you Americans get to see - so stop your whining if it's not exactly what you want.

I've been spending the last month just trying to get someone in the US to *sell* me a Samsung Q1 Ultra UMPC. You honestly have no clue how good you've got it down there.

Since I am grasping at straws today:

Cesar Quote:

We've said all along that focus and delivering a unique and high-quality experience is important to us and that we will not expand the device family...

Add to that the ever growing Zune 2.0 Rumors.

We could be seeing a a major feature addition in the near future?

Any comments, Cesar?

Cavan