Apple announced the iPhone: A threat to the Zune?

Apple is finally introducing the iPhone. The unit is packed with dream features. Check it out here on iPhonefreak.com to get more info on it.

What does it mean for the Zune? Any thoughts? It is certainly not a good news but how bad is it?

Comments

[Southpaw]

Am I the only one who thinks the ipod phone is going to be a world of problems being a large touch screen?

[BillBoom]

Touchscreen problems? Sure but the unit is packed with really cool features! But 500$ is too expensive I think.

[Southpaw]

500 dollars is a real high price tag. At that point you're getting into the PDA phones category, which I don't think it'd be able to compete with. I think it's looking like something Apple produced due to pressure from the Zune coming into the marketplace, just seems like something that looks real cool on paper but won't work quite that way when you actually go to use it.

[pinksage]

I don't think it means anything. Its like saying PS3 is a thread to Wii. Even that example is not right because they are the same..game consoles. This a Phone. I think they are totally different. This to me its like one of those razors that has itunes, just a lot more developed. Not to mention it is not available to everyone.

[Southpaw]

That is a true point(And for sidenote I like the Wii better than the PS3). I'll be curious to how well it does, I just kinda wonder what crowd their aiming for with it simply because most college students can't afford a phone like that. Ah well, we'll see come June. If Microsoft instantly releases a phone to compete with it I'll just shake my head as then it'll just turn into a pissing contest between the two companies

[tim]

A response to the "threat" of the Zune? Come on, this has been rumored and in the works for more than 2 years.

To not see this as a threat is pathetic. The best the Zune team could offer during CES is maybe we'll have games in 18 months or so... Games that a small developer could build in a week's time. The Zune still hasn't got out of the US, still has no video store, has no good interaction with the XBox marketplace or Media Center content, etc...

The two products do not have to compete head to head. However, people will see Apple's commitment to the industry, innovation, expanding the market... then they'll look at Zune and wonder what the hell they are doing and wonder why they should bother.

[LN]

I would compare the iPhone to my Chocolate, not my Zune. It's apples and oranges.

[Vic]

Not much competition with only 4/8GB of memory. To me, 8GB is not satisfactory at all. Plus, I hate getting finger prints on my things. You can get a decent phone for much less which has those capabilities. And PSPs can do the rest for less than half the price.

What's funny is how other companies create cool things and then apple releases the same thing and people are amazed believing it is new technology. If you were to compare the basic iPod with the Dell DJ. The Dell DJ was so much better and cheaper. I got mine a long time ago for $100 (15 GB). You could make playlists and custom EQ settings right on the thing.

The only way the iPhone can destroy competition is to get a lot more memory and change the name. Why not iMedia or something?

[poxtomod]

Unless people want a phone (or can end their present contract quickly) I dont think this will take away Zune (and iPod) regular unit sales. The price is very high as well and I believe it will target people who view the phone as more important than the music player storage.

I utilize over 23 gigs of my Zune storage for audio alone. Videos and in future Audiobooks would be an impossibility on 4/8 gig iphone. I would rather carry the two devices separate.

If an Audio device can not play for more than 9 hrs it is garbage. The iPhone sacrifices battery life for phone/music integration, while it may seem good for some I believe play time is more important than convenience, and I believe others recognize this as well.

Lastly If I look at my Psp I see tons of scratches and see that the Iphone will suffer similar fate or worse. I say enjoy that flush screen because it won't be nice looking for long. Oh wait I can not wait for consumer feed back on the scratchability of these units to hit the internet.

[poxtomod]

Okay this has been up long enough at the top of the page, please post another article. Any article would do it is depressing to constantly see an iPod product on a Zune site day after day. I would not even care if you made up an article.