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Rumor · Jan 18, 2007, 08:13 PM

Microsoft CEO claims Zune market share, laughs at iPhone

What a tool. He doesn't even know his own figures. He also tries to downplay the iPhone, which hasn't even come out yet.

turtle777 · Jan 18, 2007, 08:16 PM

Monkey business. What do you expect.

-t

centerchannel68 · Jan 18, 2007, 09:07 PM

By 20%, does he mean 20% new people who were wanting MP3 players but hated apple and live in their parent's basements and play world of warcraft all night? Or does he mean someone ACTUALLY had an ipod, and thought the zune was 'better'?

Kerrigan · Jan 18, 2007, 09:08 PM

In other news, Balmer claims 7% body fat.

rjenkinson · Jan 18, 2007, 09:21 PM

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer claims that his company’s Zune media player took 20% of the high-end digital audio player market—those devices priced $249 or above—following its debut in November. Ballmer’s estimates compare to those of the NPD Group, which said this month that the Zune accounted for only 2.8% of the total digital audio player market in the five-week period from Nov. 19 to Dec. 23.

the title of this thread is misleading or inaccurate.

-r.

osiris · Jan 18, 2007, 09:23 PM

The bogus claims of 20-25% aside, what I find interesting is the negative comment on iPhone.

Coincidentally, I just received a MS sponsored enterprise computing magazine that totally bashes the iPhone and Apple's attempt to enter the enterprise market. Their biggest complaint was that execs use mini keyboards, and the touch screen would bring a wave of confusion.

How they see this as an attempt to enter enterprise computing is beyond me. But my guess is that MS is launching an all out major assault on anything Apple, no holds barred.

Dark Helmet · Jan 18, 2007, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by Rumor

Microsoft CEO claims Zune market share, laughs at iPhone

What a tool. He doesn't even know his own figures. He also tries to downplay the iPhone, which hasn't even come out yet.

Honestly you are the one that interpreted it wrong with this thread title. Balmer never said that.

Rumor · Jan 18, 2007, 09:50 PM

Did I?

“We came into the market, a market in which they are very strong, and we took, I don’t know, but I think most estimates would say we took about 20-25% of the high end of the market,” Ballmer said in a CNBC interview. “We weren’t down at some of the lower price points, but for devices $249 and over we took, you know, let’s say about 20% of the market. So, I feel like we’re in the game, we’re driving our innovation hard and, uh, okay, we’re not the incumbent, he’s the incumbent in this game, but at the end of the day, he’s going to have to keep up an agenda that we’re gonna drive as well.”

Though I do agree that I forgot to put in "player".

Dakar² · Jan 18, 2007, 09:52 PM

High end is the missing qualifier.

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Honestly you are the one that interpreted it wrong with this thread title. Balmer never said that.

Uhh, what? Unless I read the article wrong too then I believe you are mistaken.

Rumor · Jan 18, 2007, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Dakar²

High end is the missing qualifier.

True. Does anyone buy the cheap mp3 players though?

centerchannel68 · Jan 18, 2007, 10:01 PM

Lots of (stupid) people do.

CheesePuff · Jan 18, 2007, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by Rumor

True. Does anyone buy the cheap mp3 players though?

My girl friend needed something to play music for the 30 - 40 minutes that she's at the gym each day, and needed an FM tuner so she could tune into their TV's they have to listen. I bought a SanDisk 512 MB for $40 shipped and it works out perfect.

Gossamer · Jan 18, 2007, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by centerchannel68

Lots of (stupid) people do.

Originally Posted by CheesePuff

My girl friend needed something to play music for the 30 - 40 minutes that she's at the gym each day, and needed an FM tuner so she could tune into their TV's they have to listen. I bought a SanDisk 512 MB for $40 shipped and it works out perfect.

Hey look, a legitimate use for an inexpensive player. No way!

Kevin · Jan 18, 2007, 11:28 PM

cjrivera · Jan 18, 2007, 11:33 PM

Maybe he meant to say 20% of all BROWN digital audio players

Dark Helmet · Jan 19, 2007, 12:08 AM

Originally Posted by CheesePuff

Uhh, what? Unless I read the article wrong too then I believe you are mistaken.

"$249 and over we took, you know, let's say about 20% of the market"

That means for the sales in November when it came out the players that are over $249 MS sayed 20% of the sales were Zunes". It is a sneaky way of saying it because at launch there was a pretty good amount of sales but then it dropped. Keep in mind $249 and up means it only means against the iPod videos.

goMac · Jan 19, 2007, 12:31 AM

Originally Posted by Dakar²

High end is the missing qualifier.

I highly doubt Balmer took 25% of the high end. The iPod share would have taken more of a dent. I'm guess he has his definition of "high end" that ignores the iPod, or may just include the 60 gig iPod.

Kerrigan · Jan 19, 2007, 12:37 AM

Ya I was gonna say, that sounds crazy. He has to be stretching that someone. Maybe in the quarter when it was released, it was 17% of all non-iPod high end mp3 players... that would be believable.

Dark Helmet · Jan 19, 2007, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by goMac

I highly doubt Balmer took 25% of the high end. The iPod share would have taken more of a dent. I'm guess he has his definition of "high end" that ignores the iPod, or may just include the 60 gig iPod.

He said $249 and up.

Rumor · Jan 19, 2007, 01:47 AM

30gig iPod is $249

80gig is $349

8gig Nano is $249

davesimondotcom · Jan 19, 2007, 02:06 AM

Maybe the Zune was 20% of all digital music player sales over $249 for a month or so, but I'm damn sure that they don't have 20% of the total market.

To do that, you would have to assume that the Zune sold many more times in the last month or so than the iPod. Not believable.

Dark Helmet · Jan 19, 2007, 02:11 AM

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

but I'm damn sure that they don't have 20% of the total market.

There is no doubt they don't and Balmer never said they did.

vinster · Jan 19, 2007, 02:12 AM

Ballmer is definitely applying some major spin with those numbers. As mentioned previoulsy, he's using a figure obtained from some type of market-research organization and applied it to a not-very-well defined segment of the market as a whole.

I agree with Ballmer that $500 + a contract is a lot to pay for a smartphone, even if it is a stylish smartphone.

Buckaroo · Jan 19, 2007, 02:18 AM

Balmer is a TOTAL moron. Even Bill Gates had enough sense to realize that Apple made some great products. Balmer is a legend in his own mind. Everyone else he's Monkey Boy.

Dark Helmet · Jan 19, 2007, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by vinster

I agree with Ballmer that $500 + a contract is a lot to pay for a smartphone, even if it is a stylish smartphone.

Tell sony and Nokia.

Nokia sells a non-smartphone slider for $1200.

Sony's smartphones are $500 -$1200 retail.

Treo 750 is $399 - $499 on a two year contract and doesn't have any storage.
Get Started | Cingular Wireless

No large screen, no WiFi, only bluetooth 1, no fancy OS, no useable web browsing, crap camera, again no mass storage. If saving $100 is worth that too you go nuts.

But again, find another smartphone that has what the iPhone has and then say it is too much for a smartphone.

goMac · Jan 19, 2007, 04:05 AM

25% would be more believable if Microsoft just did serious damage to the other MP3 player makers. Apple's market share has not taken any hit, so wherever Microsoft is gaining their market share, it's not from Apple.

Railroader · Jan 19, 2007, 08:44 PM

Digg - Video: Steve Balmer 'Explodes a Laugh' at the iPhone during CNBC Interview