Zune has just doubled its market share of the portable MP3 player market, but it seems that Microsoft is bent upon taking over the whole market. In this regard, Michael Pinto, creative director for design firm Very Memorable has a few suggestions that Microsoft should follow to make the Zune the top most MP3 player.
For one, he says that Microsoft needs to offer a $25 model of the Zune. This will be the competitor to Apple's iPod shuffle. It should also sell itself more as a fashion accessory, like the shuffle does. He mentions that Zune needs to focus more on form and less on the technology inside. Microsoft should also offer limited versions of the Zune like a Hello Kitty Zune and a Takashi Murakami Zune. Finally, Mr. Pinto recommends that Zune should always come pre-loaded with music, including music videos and exclusive interviews with artists. The goal is to make it a hobby to collect Zunes and of course increase the market share of the Zune.
We mentioned that Microsoft had plans to launch Zune in Canada, and we got many inquiries in this regard, now, finally, what seems like an eternity later, we have an official launch date of June 13th. There were also rumors that the whole line of Zunes would not be available in Canada. The 4GB, 8GB, and 80GB Zune players will be in stores on June 13, 2008. Canadian Zune lovers (or would-be lovers) can go over to zune.ca for more information.
Personally, I feel, if Microsoft can market it right, Zune may be a bigger hit in Canada than it was initially in America. However, they will probably need a different marketing strategy in some of the provinces (French Canada for example may require a different approach). The penetration of the iPod is high in Canada as it is in America, so it is not really that surprising. Zune 4GB and Zune 8GB will be retailing $139.99 CDN and $189.99 CDN respectively. The slim ultra-portable Zunes will be available in black, red, and pink.
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