Direct responses from Microsoft regarding brain-dead Zune SW/FW - Page 2

Unforgivable? It's the consumers responsobility to know what their products are capable of. Just because the company chose not to support something of your desire does not make their products bad, nor do they badmouth the company itself. It's a simple procedure that people should undergo before actually criticizing as you did.

Have you not understood capitalism? If it does not satisfy you, do not buy. Find something else that satisfies your so-called necessitated needs.
You can surely demand for an improvement, but reprimanding is rather naive, especially if you are aware that the company does not care to meet your standards, since obviously they're only trying to make money and that you are not part of their consumer market.

Consumers' demand definitely is, but your demand does not represent the demand of the medium. You should never be too optimistic if you are dealing with revenue-driven enterprises if such that the central market is composed outside of you. I am not saying you are completely out of the sphere, but your demands do not match those of others, as those responses from Microsoft suggest.

And my "flea market" approach on consumerism is the way capitalism in this world works. People buy what they want -- something that will satisfy their needs. That's why you have return policies if the products you buy are not satisfactory. Maybe it is just another way to receive the corporates' market focus through low sales, but as long as they sell their products, they make their money, resulting no change in regards to such demands.

No, you don't. We get your point, you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it anymore!. I thought the software upgrade was great, for four reasons:

1. It worked on my old Zune 30.
2. My device now supports lossless files.
3. My device now supports wireless sync.
4. My device now supports podcasts.

The fact that they were able to take a feature/hardware capability (squirting files to other Zunes/wifi) that nobody used and use it to create a device that can do something no other device can do is sheer genius, IMO. The fact that they could make it work on my old Zune 30, when I would have happily upgraded to get it, is just plain good customer service.

The bottom line is that I have an excellent sounding, 30 gig, lossless capable DAP with decent video capability that can update my podcasts every morning without going near my computer. Oh, and did I tell you I paid $79 for it on Woot and it's not brown?

As to the guy that bought a 30 AND THEN an 80, ASSUMING it did East Asian fonts both times, well how difficult would it have been to find that out before purchase?

I have not seen a portable player do this since MiniDisc.

Maybe I can help you a little bit here...

 

When Bill Gates was heading up Microsoft there was a greater focus on technology over sales, when Ballmer took over the mantra is sell, sell, sell and DONT worry about support or the fact that we are sending out crap.  In fact, Microsoft today, lives a Service Pack mentality.  That is, software and products are generated with a target launch date that is written in stone.  Whether the product (software OR hardware) is actually "done" does not matter.  Whether its "right" doesnt matter either.  On their software side, MS knows that Service Packs are going to be going out so the mantra is "we will get it right later..."  On the hardware side, like the Zune, XBox, etc. the mantra is to get it as close to "good" as possible, and meet the target launch date.

 

Microsoft does not care if its "right" because they know millions are going to buy it either way, and then the concept for them is to simply dodge any support costs, and fix anything that is truly wrong later on.  You can see this clearly in the history of the Zune or the XBox and (at least from MS's view) its a great way to do business.

 

We should just accept this, (actually we have...) and thank God that Microsoft does not build cars.  Becuase if they did, there would be hundreds dead and then they would issue a Service Pack to fix whatever was killing people - brakes that dont work, cars that accelerate on thier own, etc etc.

 

Its the new way of doing business for MS and they are making millions producing crap - so why not continue?  MS execs still live in palatial homes, drive the finest automobiles, and vacation in the world's most exotic places - all they have to do is simply sacrifice pride in their work - and as you can see from MS history, thats easy to do.

 

Simply put, this is not your Grandfather's Microsoft - this is the age of Steve Ballmer - bombastic, push push push the sales, and who gives a rat's backside about whether its actually right or "good".  Just make the money.  Remember, this is the same Steve Ballmer who once called the Apple iPhone a "flash in the pan" and predicted it wouldnt last very long.  So as you see, this guy is no genius - other than knowing how to sell us garbage for a big price.

 

Oh, and as for the poster who claimed this is "capitalism" and that should make it all "ok"...  I sure hope that you never take a plane flight where some mechanic decided to be lazy and careless in his work - but then again, the market will fix that, right?  Sure, after they scrape your remains from the splatter when the plane crashes...  You might want to do a bit of reading...  The idea behind capitalism did NOT include producing crap just for the buck.

Edited by AndyF - 6/28/10 at 7:01am