Get Better Gear!

Premier Sponsors

Other World Computing

TechRestore

Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • Rift

    • 8 out of 10
    • Phish
    • This quasi-concept album (the only of its kind) from these Vermonters finally showcased their ability to convey a message with a studio album, whereas previously they only succeeded in doing so live.
  • Perverse

    • 8 out of 10
    • Jesus Jones
    • When you think of Jesus Jones, chances are you can't remember them at all, or you vaguely remember "Right Here, Right Now" because it has been use

  • Trouble

    • 8 out of 10
    • Ray LaMontagne
    • At first, Ray LaMontagne might strike you as just another breathy-voiced knockoff of folk/rock guitarists like John Mayer and Jack Johnson. But he's actually got a better voice than either, he tell

  • Pretty Hate Machine

    • 8 out of 10
    • Nine Inch Nails
    • For years I wanted to make music that sounded like something between Love and Rockets and Ministry. In 1989, Trent Reznor beat me to it with this genre-defining album, and it smacked me upside the hea
  • Aretha Sings the Blues

    • 6 out of 10
    • Aretha Franklin
    • While she didn't always have the best taste in song selection, Aretha Franklin is a must-study for anyone with interest in the human voice. She has the kind of powerful, recklessly passionate deliv

Reader Specials

Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!

News

Microsoft: It Takes $30K to Fill an iPod

Microsoft is extending its message that Apple products are too expensive to include the iPod by telling consumers that they need to spend US$30,000 to fill their media player with music. The solution they offer is to buy a Zune pass -- and by extension a Zune media player -- and use their music subscription service instead.

The ad claims that at a dollar a song, it would take about $30,000 to fill a 120GB iPod with music, but that for $14.95 a month users could have as much music as they want. To add to the credibility of that claim, Microsoft has hired financial planner Wes Moss as their pitch man.

The ad fails to mention that users can add the music from their own CDs to the player for free, and that if a Zune music subscriber fails to pay their monthly service fee they lose their music.

Microsoft has also produced a series of commercials that show consumers choosing PC laptops running Windows over Macs because of price. This new trend in advertising out of Redmond has a common theme: Microsoft-based products aren't better, just cheaper.

[Thanks to ars technica for the heads up.]

9 comments from the community.

You can post your own below.

secret_agent said:

Comical. There are a lot of kids in my hood (Harlem) with $30k laying around…

   Quote

Jacob said:

@secret_agent

No, but they have bittorrent and limewire laying around.

   Quote

secret_agent said:

That they do, Jacob. Thanks for pointing out the punch line to my obvious sarcasm.

   Quote

Sir Harry Flashman said:

iPods are for more than just music, you can also add photos and video that you may have created yourself. I guess you can do the same with the Zune.

   Quote

Doug said:

Um, wasn’t there another campaign that was exactly the same?  Anybody remember how it turned out, because I can’t remember who did that campaign anymore myself.

   Quote

gopher said:

Of course Apple could retort, it may cost $500 for a Dell laptop, but $2000 for data recovery if a virus totally zaps your data.

   Quote

gslusher said:

Re: Doug

It was Napster. See the similarly-themed thread on The Mac Observer.

   Quote

jimothy said:

Doug: That you and I couldn’t remember, until gslusher pointed it out, answers the “how did it turn out” question.

   Quote

James said:

Bah. I’m a music fan, a real one. I buy albums. Lots of them. People like me have kept that industry in afloat the past decade. I do love the convenience of downloads, but I will never pay for a music “subscription”. So dumb. Microsoft still has this so backwards it isn’t even funny anymore. I really don’t think they’ll ever get it, and I really do believe that we are in for truly platform agnostic times in the years ahead; this is just more of their last gasping if you ask me. Niche, meet Microsoft, Microsoft meet niche.

   Quote

Page 1 of 1 pages

Post Your Comments

  Remember Me  Forgot your password?

Not a member? Register now. You can post comments without logging in, but they'll show up as a "guest" post.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.