Microsoft Surpasses 2 Million Zunes Sold. Apple Sells 3.53 Million iPods Each Month
Posted by Jody Mitoma on May 12, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Microsoft’s Zune is the second most popular media player in the United States. Apple’s iPod line-up is by far number one.
On May 9th, it’s been announced by Microsoft that they’ve sold their 2 millionth Zune. Apple sells over 3.5 million iPods every single month.
Looks like Microsoft’s got quite a bit of leeway yet before it becomes the number one seller, and by “quite a bit”, I mean a hell of a lot.
Microsoft has sold 2 million Zunes since its debut in November of 2006.
Apple has sold over - get this - 140 million iPods since its very warm welcome to this earth in 2001. That’s 70x the sales in comparison to the Zune.
However, let it be known that Microsoft surpassed Apple’s two-year selling point. It took Apple two full years to sell 2 million iPods back in 2001 - 2003. Microsoft sold 2 million Zune’s in just short of 3/4’s of that time.
The Zune also now has J Allard, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Design and Development, Entertainment and Devices Division (how’s that for a mouthful?), overseeing the strategy for the device. Allard is one of the key figures behind Microsoft’s successful Xbox gaming console. Microsoft also recently revealed that popular hobbyist games will be coming to the Zune soon.
Congratulations is in order to Microsoft all in all, but, they’ve still got a lot of catching up to do.
One thing is for sure however, if this is anything like what the next generation Zune will look like, Microsoft’s design team is taking a step in the most-definite right direction:
Just remember, looks aren’t everything - and not only when it comes to the opposite sex, either. 
To finish off this story, I’d just like to take a second to say that, in my very own opinion, the Zune will never surpass the level the iPod line-up has come to be, especially with the more-recently released iPod Touch. Well, that is unless Microsoft’s got an intense innovative idea for their next generation Zune that Apple hasn’t thought of yet, which I doubt. We’ll see!
(Source: VentureBeat)
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May 12th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I traded some emails with Allard a few years ago after I accidentally misquoted him in something I wrote. I wrote to apologize, and he came across as a thoroughly decent bloke.
Nice to see he’s still around.
Watch out Steve… Allard’s Zune is gaining…
May 12th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Allard’s Zune still took over a year to sell two million units. The new Zune had better be wicked cool with useful WiFi or it won’t even catch up to Sandisk (currently the #2 market share holder for DAPs/PMPs), never mind Apple — and to be honest, I don’t think it’ll ever even become serious competition for Apple. Apple defined the DAP and PMP markets. Before the iPod came along the only real choice were various flavours of Diamond Rio players, and once the iPod came along, Diamond’s market share pretty much evaporated, and no one has been able to catch Apple since.
The Zune seems capable and halfway decent, if rather ugly, and I’m sure the forthcoming XNA games will be a nice addition — but let’s face it. Put up against the iPhone and Touch with the forthcoming SDK games, there’s just no competition.
If the Zune somehow steals a significant portion of Apple’s market share, I’ll send Jay a picture of me in dreads.