Microsoft ads begin to target iTunes
updated 06:40 pm EDT, Mon May 11, 2009
MS targets iPod in Zune ad
In airing a new video, Microsoft has expanded its ad competition with Apple to encompass music support. The ad specifically targets the iTunes Store, and relies on a financial speaker named Wes Moss to criticize the value of buying tracks outright instead of subscribing to a service like the Zune Pass. At 120GB, claims Moss, the full-sized version of the iPod classic would cost roughly $30,000 to fill when using the iTunes Store.
The Zune Pass, by contrast, costs $15 a month, and lets users download an unlimited number of tracks. The ad does not mention however that subscribers can only permanently keep 10 tracks a month, and that any track not chosen to keep is lost should a person unsubscribe. The latter music can also be synced only to Zune players.
Microsoft advertising has become intensely focused on Apple in recent months, a delayed response to Apple's long history of anti-Windows campaigning. The spearhead in Microsoft efforts has been the Laptop Hunters series of TV spots, which observe that comparatively-equipped PC notebooks are frequently cheaper than MacBooks. The company has been slowly eroding computer marketshare to Apple during the past several years.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2007
Ha ha.
Great comparison. Yeah, if you bought ALL of your tracks through iTunes with the intention of filling up the classic, it certainly WOULD be expensive.
However, they fail to realize TRUE buying habits. Most people only purchase a handful of tracks a month. I know my personal buying of music is far less than $15 per month on average. I do however rent movies and buy TV shows which are nice to store on a classic. I can also use it as a portable hard drive to store files.
I would be willing to bet that not a single user has an iPod classic filled with ONLY purchased songs and has run out of space. Not too likely.