Recently ABI Research conducted a survey where it touted that some 58% of iPod users would consider a switch to a Zune within the next 12 months. The tagline has been passed around online.At face value it raises an interesting question. Are iPod users as loyal as the Apple faithful? The younger, hipper adoptees of the iPod are fickle. They could ditch the device just as quickly as they took it up and made it the 'it' digital device of the last several years.
However, looking carefully at the study's methodology, worries about the iPod's marketshare diminishing drastically are set aside in favor of questions about the study itself. Dig this: the number was reached by showing participants a picture of the Zune media player and then "other competitive media players" and being asked if they would pick the Zune.
The specific mention of an iPod is not in the language. Tell you what, show me a picture of a Zune next to a turd and I'll be 100% likely to indicate a Zune preference, but it doesn't mean I'm going to buy one. We'd like to see a little more detail about the survey in question before panicking just yet.
Although Apple-faithful can always get riled up by negative information, more ripping apart of the horrible methodology of this survey can be found in the comments at Mac Daily News, the iPod Observer, and Ars Technica's forum which provides a run down of the dodginess of the survey. This is not a reason to worry about iPod sales just yet.
Tobias Buckell is an author, freelancer, and professional blogger who owns stock in Apple.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-08-2006 @ 3:22PM
Jordan said...
I want the Zune !
11-08-2006 @ 3:22PM
Zune-Online.com said...
This survey has been around for some days now and lot of keyboards have been suffering from writing comments on it.
First the research used a sample of 1725 online consumers. ABI asked them if they plan to buy an mp3 player in the next 12 months. Those who replied affirmatively were asked if it possible to buy Zune.
I think young people always look for new products and think about buying them. Thinking about something and actually doing it, many times is not the same. Also we don't know how many of them replied affirmatively and if the sample number was large enough to draw conclusions .
But of course we can believe that Mac users and iPod users have not the same Apple loyalty. After all many iPod users use windows, many of them will also want to buy Zune!
In any case you can watch engadget's review. 12 minutes close up video that shows almost every functionality of Zune. Zune works in a very smooth way in this video.
You can check this and videos from Gizmodo and Cnet on our
"Review of Reviews illustrated" ;) :
http://www.zune-online.com/news/latest/reviews-gizmodo-cnet-engadget.html
11-08-2006 @ 3:21PM
Zune-Online.com said...
I forgot to write about an information we have that 28% of the 1725 asked, replied they plan to buy an mp3 player in the next 12 months.
I'm afraid I can't confirm this, but it looks like a reasonable percentage.
11-08-2006 @ 3:21PM
KenC said...
So, Mr. Zune, you are saying that the other 72% of iPod users are reasonably satisfied with the MP3 player they currently own, an iPod, and are not planning to purchase another MP3 player in the next 12 months?
Wouldn't a more accurate statement have been, of the 28% who are considering a purchase, 58% of those would consider a Zune, thus leaving 16% of current iPod users are considering purchasing a Zune in the next 12 months?
Of course, touting 16% is a much smaller number to brag about than 58%.
11-08-2006 @ 9:06PM
Vic Schmidt said...
I would be willing to bet that the 58% of users referred to in the article are Windows iPod users. As any MAC iPod user knows, the total integration between Mac OS X, iTunes and the iPod is absolutely solid and 'idiotproof' and works totally transparent to the user. Plug in your iPod, and it instantly Syncs your Music, Photos, Movies, AudioBooks, Calendars, Contacts, you name it. 'It just works'. The windows experience is not (cannot be) this solid and transparent because Win-doze just doesn't work like that. So... it you were a Windows iPod user, had never experienced this level of sophistication and integration, you wouldn't know any better and you could be easily inflenced to go to the 'dark side' (Zune). Nuff said?!!
11-08-2006 @ 4:20PM
josh said...
ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzune
11-08-2006 @ 8:23PM
L said...
You know, the main thing that sets Zune apart is its ability to wirelessly share music, but the fact that the sharing feature only works between Zunes basically makes it a useless waste of technology.
I mean, I LOVED my Push-To-Talk phone, but did I know anyone else with one? No. So my Push-To-Talk feature was pointless, and after spending 10 extra bucks each month for my special PTT calling plan, I gave it up. "Shared" features are only as useful as the number of people that you know who also have them.
With the Zune, consider the inconvenience of transitioning away from the iPod as the equivalent of the 10 extra dollars I was spending per month for my PTT phone plan. Eventually, everyone will realize it's not worth it.
I couldn't get my friends to switch to PTT plans; how likely is it that I'd convince them to switch to Zunes? Not very.
11-09-2006 @ 3:11AM
DB said...
I'm so suprised that ANYONE even cares about the Zune. Pretty much everyone I talk to sees it for what's it's worth; "A fake wanna-be iPod, contrived by a bunch of money hungry, uncreative thieves."
Microsoft-stick to what your good at...what are you good at? Stealing other creative companies ideas?...ah, no wonder the Zune exists.
11-09-2006 @ 8:12AM
John said...
"We'd like to see a little more detail about the survey in question before panicking just yet."
Who is we? Would you panic if the Zune replaced the iPod? What is your interest?
Not that I care, my iPod is a turd because it won't last more than 20 minutes but that doesn't mean I will buy the zune.
11-09-2006 @ 8:12AM
John said...
Vic Schmidt - I will counter your bet that there is no way that the percentage of folks reading this article who are Mac iPod users is anywhere near 42%. 15% maybe.
11-09-2006 @ 8:19AM
Ardith said...
I wonder how many of these users have had their ipod nearly bricked by the new firmware update (1.2) and have become increasingly frustrated by Apple's lack of a fix.
11-09-2006 @ 1:50PM
SoftGUy said...
To John or anyone else whose iPod battery isn't holding a charge: you should check out the iPod replacement batteries that Newer Technology sells. The battery is actually very easy to replace yourself. They give you the tool you need and there are videos on their site that show you how. I did it in about five minutes. The batteries are inexpensive. My 2nd gen iPod (bought in 2002) has better battery life now (about a year after replacing the battery) than it did when I bought it. That's because the replacement batteries have a higher capacity than the original battery did.
I don't work for them or own their stock, but I'm seriously irritated by people who moan about iPod battery life when there is a cheap and easy fix available. (Apple charges $99 to replace the iPod battery which I think is too much, but then again they do it for you and ship it back and forth. So, you can either pay a lot for the service of having Apple do it, or just pay a little bit for the battery from Newer.)
11-09-2006 @ 10:55PM
Phil said...
The real question is, are the facts biased that are put out right now. When i see an "apple," "ipod," "zune," or "microsoft," I usually disclaim it for some garbage that is trying to get us to love or hate zune. Personally, when my 30 gig video ipod breaks (which it has once already) at the moment, I would go with the ipod. This is solely because I know that they work and well.
However, all garbage that is out right now is pointless insulting as the actual product hasn't been released. Now if it (zune) has firmware issues, or impossible to deal with installation/user friendly, then the ipod is the way to go. But if the zune is all and more that the specs say it is, I would go with it. This is solely because I like microsoft more than apple. Mostly this is due to the fact that apple hordes its code making it so all us that program can't for it, while as PC's are beautiful in the sense that you can do almost anything to it.
11-10-2006 @ 3:18AM
John said...
I gauruntee 58% of iPod users have never heard of a Zune before.
11-13-2006 @ 2:57AM
JR said...
Why would YOU panick at all?
Do you not realize that you are NOT Apple? You are a sad patehtic failure of a writer who couldn't get qa job in the REAL world of journalism, so you chose to write a diary online. You are NOT going go benefit or be hurt by the success or failure of the Zune.
You area NOTHING and will never be anything else. So why care what happens with the Zune and iPod?