Well, That's One Way To Try And Boost Zune Sales

from the hot-man-love dept

Thu, Dec 21st 2006 4:30pm — Carlo Longino

With Microsoft hard at work trying to spin low Zune sales into a positive story, it really seems to be struggling to find ways to boost sales. It's trying -- rather poorly-- to market its way to success, but with an uncompelling product, that strategy perhaps isn't the best one. So it looks like the company's taking a new approach: load Zunes up with porn. A woman in the Chicago area says the Zune she bought her 12-year-old daughter for Christmas from Wal-Mart was full of smut, and as Wired says, specifically a "homosexual orgy they had videotaped for an hour and 44 minutes". It's a bit odd that even though the woman was so offended, she managed to sit all the way through it to gather such a precise measurement, but we digress. It sounds like the Zune had been returned to Wal-Mart and resold; a store manager, however, blames Microsoft. Some Chinese mobile-phone sellers use porn to try and boost sales by showing customers video clips to demonstrate handsets' video-playback functionality, then throw them in for free and load them on the device if the customer purchases it. Perhaps Microsoft could use a similar approach with the Zune.

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27 Comments

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sceptic, 21 Dec 2006 @ 4:35pm

?
Come on Carlo!

It's a bit odd that even though the woman was so offended, she managed to sit all the way through it to gather such a precise measurement

Have not used Zune, but I suspect that like most players, it shows the total length of the media in minutes without having to hear/watch it all. That was just a pointless comment on your part.
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nick botulism, 21 Dec 2006 @ 5:15pm

ah, but how did the woman know that the homosexual orgy lasted the full 1:44? i suppose she could have fast-forwarded it, but still.
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Tay Ween, 21 Dec 2006 @ 5:19pm

Well
She had to watch the whole thing to know that it was a homo orgy the whole time. If she didn't watch it all how would she know a few ladies didn't join the party? I kid.

I think it's pretty obvious this was a returned unit and Wal-Mart didn't bother to at least wipe it before reselling.
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Tay Ween, 21 Dec 2006 @ 5:20pm

Beat me to the punch, Nick.
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Alex, 21 Dec 2006 @ 5:21pm

Old news..
Old news.... wired.com had it already (with a similar idea)

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2006/12/zune_comes_with.html

In any case, it was just some asshat who turned his Zune back into the store.
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Tay Ween, 21 Dec 2006 @ 5:33pm

You do realize that Carlo actually referenced and linked to that article in the post, yes?

Funny how they are discussing whether or not she watched the whole thing over there in the comments too.
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2006 @ 7:17pm

It's "try to", not "try and".
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ctyankee, 21 Dec 2006 @ 7:36pm

quote:

Have not used Zune, but I suspect that like most players, it shows the total length of the media in minutes without having to hear/watch it all. That was just a pointless comment on your part.

Dead on.

This was just another in a series of pointless threads here trying to strike a chord and failing.

Zune does seem to have a problem. Who wants to buy a product almost as good as an iPod?
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- Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2006 @ 8:02pm
  
  Re:
  ctyankee,
  While a Zune may show the length of a video, I doubt that it provides a blow-by-blow (pun intended) synopsis of the video's full content. To ascertain that you would need to view it. Am I wrong? Can any Zune owners out there verify that the Zune indeed has such a magical feature?
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  - Ken (profile), 21 Dec 2006 @ 10:09pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Most women who are offended by porn would usually say something along those lines. "It's full of smut" "It's just one big orgy" doesn't mean she saw it. It's just how she expressed it. Besides how do you know she was correct?
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Alex, 21 Dec 2006 @ 8:25pm

Ooo
Woops, no, I didn't see that Carlo's reference beforehand, mostly because I already read about it and didn't want to rtfa again.

------
ctyankee:
"Zune does seem to have a problem. Who wants to buy a product almost as good as an iPod?"

Well, considering thats an opinion, you're welcome to it, but I wouldn't consider the Zune "almost" as good. Its at least as good. Its on par with iPod. It has its ups with the wifi, FM tuner, bigger screen, on top of the fact that it has everything the iPod has. So maybe those extra features don't tickle your fancy, but iPod doesn't really have anything to top it.
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- Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2006 @ 8:57pm
  
  Re: Ooo
  It has its ups with the wifi...
  That should have been "It has its downs with the crippled wifi..."
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  - Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2006 @ 9:39pm
    
    Re: Re: Ooo
    That should have been "It has its downs with the crippled wifi..."
    Dunno for sure ... but I think "crippled wifi" would still be an up, over no wifi. maybe? yes? no?
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2006 @ 9:41pm

pointless comments
Amazing that of everything in the article the biggest focus is on whether or not this lady sat through an hour and 44 mins of gay porn......
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Anonymous Coward, 21 Dec 2006 @ 9:46pm

microsoft
The zune seems like a pretty good competitor to the ipod, only thing is everyone that already has an ipod and has all their music on itunes...........why do they need another mp3 player? and who wants to buy all their music all over again to be able to load it onto the zune?
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Woovie, 21 Dec 2006 @ 10:55pm

I used to have an Ipod video. It decided to die. So I got a Zune. I must say, I rather enjoyed the change. But on the gay porn, I think the woman watched it for educational purposes only. As such one would watch a donkey show.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Dec 2006 @ 12:09am

Why did the mom already open and use the Zune if it was going to be a Christmas present???
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Corporal Max Sterling, 22 Dec 2006 @ 1:38am

kah
re: #17 - because she wanted to watch the damn gay porn! lmao, jk

seriously, the debate about the iCrap and all of it's variations confuses me, and I hate to be the one to bring up an old conflict, but why would anyone want to buy a 'music/media playback device' that only allows copy protected media?? not that I'm promoting illegal downloading, but why can't I make 20 copies of my music, DRM-free, and play them back on my stupid music box!?

I just bought the new LG Fusic phone, for Sprint, and I have about 4, 2gig cards, all full of drm-free music, software, and whatever else is convenient to have with me at all times... and I love it.

please, someone explain to me, WHAT IS ALL THE FUSS about with these stupid MP3 players??

fyi: imho, iRiver is the best, so far... do people not know about this? blows both Zune and iStuff away...

>_>
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- ConceptJunkie (profile), 22 Dec 2006 @ 3:57am
  
  Re: kah
  I'm with you. I use an 80GB Neuros II. I have about 1000 CD's I've ripped and I've about about 150 CD's worth of good stuff from eMusic.com. Who has time to waste on DRM?
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- Rick, 2 Jan 2007 @ 10:39am
  
  Re: kah
  re #18:
  
  To my knowledge, none of the players require you to use DRM files. They just support it. I can vouch for the iPod, I don't think I have a single DRM'd file on there.
  
  I think you've been wandering around with 2GB memory sticks for no real reason other than your own naivety... that or price.
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BlackxxJapan, 22 Dec 2006 @ 5:08am

Obviously...
You guys are missing the point. This is all about HOMOPHOBIA in America.

If it was 1:44 of straight porn, no problem. As soon as it's multiple guys, back to Wal Mart it goes!

I'm surprised none of you picked up on that.

(Sorry, it was unneeded sarcasm, but no one else took the angle.)
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xxl3w, 22 Dec 2006 @ 7:10am

It just shows.
This is about the numerous posts about if the lady watched it or not. I noticed how annoying some of techdirt's readers are. You guys think WAY too deep and NOT in a good way. Every topic I read has been like this. I just can't understand why if the lady watched it or not is important. Of course none of you can be proved wrong. First it was "she watched the whole thing through." Then it's "Well, since it shows you the time remaining we can't say she watched the whole thing through, but how does she know it was gay porn the WHOLE way through? She HAD to watch it all to know" Who cares.. If you saw two men having sex would you continue watching or say "nope, that's gay porn, I'm done with it."
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sceptic, 22 Dec 2006 @ 9:11am

re: kah
Quote by Corporal Max Sterlin

seriously, the debate about the iCrap and all of it's variations confuses me, and I hate to be the one to bring up an old conflict, but why would anyone want to buy a 'music/media playback device' that only allows copy protected media?? not that I'm promoting illegal downloading, but why can't I make 20 copies of my music, DRM-free, and play them back on my stupid music box!?

Hmmm... both Zune and iCrap have support for DRM files. And both can play DRM-free files as well. Are you warm under your rock there?
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tobias robison, 22 Dec 2006 @ 10:43am

Oh for goodness sakes!
The woman may have known the video was 1:44 long because the Zune told her so. My Creative Zen player (and my archos player before it) always showed me how long each item is.

Everyone, please think about something else as yo ushop in techy stores. Microsoft has bought a LOT of shelf space. For example, circuit city and staples had to move out a lot of competitor products to showcase the Zune the way they do.

The big shelf space strongly suggests that Microsoft expected the Zune to sell well, and persuaded many stores they were right. Ask your local sales people about their Zune self space!
- P.B.
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Chronno S. Trigger, 22 Dec 2006 @ 11:45am

For all we know
It could have been Broke Back Mountain. She was wandering what this video was and skipped ahead and just by chance she landed on that seen.

That's not the question I have. Mine is why did she return it? I would have just formatted it before I gave it to the kid.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Feb 2007 @ 7:57pm

ur gay
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WOWboy, 6 Mar 2007 @ 2:39pm

WOW
Way cool!
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