[討論] The Verge: Zune 2.0, Surface RT?

看板WindowsPhone作者notmuchmoney (真的不錯....)時間12年前 (2013/07/22 14:41)推噓10(11推 1噓 7→)

留言19則, 13人參與討論串1/1

Zune 2.0: is Microsoft making the same mistakes with Surface RT? Surface RT：微軟是在重蹈 Zune 的覆轍嗎？ Back in June of last year, Microsoft started teasing a "major announcement" that would soon be revealed as its first tablet: the Surface RT. There was an air of excitement, and the expectation that Microsoft might be able to tackle the iPad head-on with a slim and lightweight device that took advantage of a keyboard accessory. Fast-forward 12 months, and Microsoft is cutting the price of its Surface RT tablet by 30 percent worldwide because it's simply not selling. It’s also taking a $900 million hit related to the stock it has left over. For a company that has struggled, with the exception of Xbox, to generate consumer interest in hardware products like Zune and Kin, was Surface RT always doomed? Is Microsoft's iPad competitor quickly becoming another Zune? 時光回到去年 6 月，微軟醞釀一個「重大決定」——將迅速推出首款平板電腦 Surface RT。空氣中仿佛都彌漫著欣喜的味道，微軟期待用又輕又薄，還有鍵盤配件的設備給 iPad 迎面一擊。而在 12 個月後，Surface RT 開始在全球大減價 30%，因為它賣的並不好。同時，積壓的 Surface RT 庫存價值已達 9 億美元。從微軟的歷史來看，除了大獲成功的 Xbox 以外，這家公司的 Zune 和 Kin 等硬體產品基本都沒能搏得消費者的歡心， Surface RT 呢？微軟用來抗擊 iPad 的利器會不會變成另一個 Zune？ A key part of Microsoft's previous hardware failures has been in the lack of a clear message to consumers. The Zune was designed to take on Apple's iPod, but it ended up becoming the brunt of many jokes. Microsoft limited its distribution to the US, and it never committed fully to the product. The marketing for Zune was also very obscure, and often confusing. If you'd never heard of Zune, then an ad featuring kangaroos jumping around and jellyfish didn’t really help you understand what it was. Microsoft is repeating the same mistakes with the Surface RT. 沒能向消費者傳達清晰的資訊，是此前微軟在硬體設備上失敗的重要原因之一。Zune 本來打算幹掉 iPod，但最終卻落下了各種笑柄。微軟只將產品發行區域限定在美國，而且對 Zune 也並沒有百分之百地用心。對 Zune 的行銷策略更是模棱兩可，讓人摸不著頭腦。如果你從來沒有聽說過 Zune，那麼下面這個廣告裡四處蹦蹦跳跳的袋鼠和水母，估計也沒法幫你弄清楚這玩意兒到底是什麼。微軟果真又在 Surface RT 上犯了同樣的錯誤。 WHAT DOES RT EVEN MEAN? The initial name for the Surface RT, as Microsoft now refers to it, was Surface with Windows RT. Not only did Microsoft face the challenge of explaining what this new device was, but they got tangled up trying to mash up a new touch device with a desktop mode that could only run its key legacy app suite: Office. As is so often the case, Microsoft was hobbled by its inability to make a clean break with its cash cow, Windows. 據微軟解釋，Surface RT 名字最先來源於 Surface 和 Windows RT 的結合。微軟不僅面臨如何解釋這個新設備是什麼的挑戰，還在試圖創造一款全新觸控設備的同時，把主要用來運行其 Office 辦公套裝軟體的桌面模式給保留了下來——微軟混亂的樣子想必大家都看到了。微軟最後還是沒能和公司最重要的現金來源Windows「劃清界限」。 Faced with these challenges, the initial marketing for Surface RT was perplexing. A series of street-art ads appeared in several US cities ahead of the launch, but the company refused to talk about pricing or availability. It was a clear effort to generate hype, but there was mixed opinion over Microsoft's TV ads. "The first round were a little bit polarizing," admits Surface general manager Brian Hall in an interview with The Verge. "People were really excited about Surface, they thought they were great ads … at the same time, a lot of people, and Surface fans, wanted them to carry more weight on why Surface is great at a feature level." 面對這些挑戰，Surface RT 最開始的行銷策略也令人費解。早在產品問世前，美國部分城市便出現了一系列街頭藝術廣告，但微軟卻沒有透露任何關於價格和購買管道的資訊。微軟的電視廣告也沒能清晰地傳遞資訊。微軟 Surface 總經理 Brian Hall 向 The Verge 承認，「第一輪宣傳的確有些太過了。很多人為 Surface 倍感興奮，認為都是不錯的廣告；但同時，也有許多人，包括 Surface 的粉絲，希望能在廣告上面獲取更多功能層面上的資訊。」 Instead of explaining the benefits of a Surface tablet or airing its hard-hitting introductory ad, Microsoft chose a Glee-like commercial with dancing school girls. It focused on the "click in" aspect by demonstrating the Touch Cover the company had built to accompany the Surface. The cover was, and still is, an optional accessory at retailers, and yet practically all of Microsoft's advertising includes it. A lack of a bundled Touch Cover also underlined a big challenge Microsoft faced: price. The software giant didn't undercut Apple's iPad pricing, instead it matched it. That wasn’t good enough, as Apple's iPad had brand recognition, a high-res "Retina" display, and over 300,000 apps. 在這些廣告裡面，微軟既沒有解釋 Surface 平板的好處，也沒有投放有影響力的介紹影片，微軟只是選了一批舞蹈學校的姑娘拍了一個活力四射的商業廣告。它重點展示了微軟專為 Surface 搭配的觸控式鍵盤保護套（Touch Cover）。這個保護套曾經和現在都是銷售中的可選擇性附件，然而 Surface 幾乎所有的廣告裡都有它的身影。在價格上微軟也面臨不小的挑戰：這個軟體巨頭沒有在價格上向 iPad 示弱，而是跟它平起平坐。這樣真的不太明智，因為 iPad 更有品牌知名度，有更高清的 Retina 螢幕，還有超過 30 萬個apps。 In practice the Surface RT is a tablet with good battery life, and a keyboard for when you need to do some writing or work on the go. It's not a laptop, but more of a tablet with a bonus feature. Initial reviews praised the hardware of the Surface RT, but the software held it back. Windows RT, the ARM-based version of Windows 8, was sluggish on Microsoft’s first tablet, and key apps like Music and Mail lacked the features you'd expect from a modern tablet. Microsoft has improved things greatly in monthly updates ever since, but a small number of apps and the lack of a solid software to match the hardware didn't help. Surface RT 這款平板，有不錯的續航能力，還有可以供你隨時寫東西或辦公的鍵盤。它不是筆記型電腦，更像是一個有附加功能的平板。Surface RT 發佈後，媒體對它的硬體都大加表揚，但軟體卻拖了後腿。Windows RT，這款使用 ARM 晶片設計的 Windows 8 系統，在 Surface RT 上步履緩慢，主要的app，比如音樂、郵箱，都缺乏你所期待的現代平板電腦所應該具備的功能。微軟已經開始每月更新中下功夫，app數量匱乏的和重量級軟體的缺失，都拖了這款優秀硬體的後腿。 MICROSOFT FINALLY TAKES ON THE IPAD PRICE Despite this, Microsoft thinks it’s ready to take on the iPad once again. "Because iPad has such a strong awareness and understanding in the tablet market, it's important for us to start to compare more with iPad," says Hall. Microsoft is launching a new ad, similar to its recent Windows 8 spot, that directly compares Surface RT and iPad. After a 30 percent price cut, Microsoft now has the upper hand on pricing, and it's also explaining the differences between the two. After a $900 million hit due to Surface RT stock in its latest quarter, it's clear Microsoft has millions of these tablets it still needs to sell. 儘管如此，微軟認為現在是時候再跟 iPad 較量一番了。「因為 iPad 在平板電腦市場裡很高的認知度，把 Surface 與 iPad 放在一起比較就顯得十分重要了。」Hall 如是說。微軟最新打出一則廣告，與之前 Windows 8 那一支非常相似，直接將 Surface RT 和 iPad 進行對比。經歷了 30% 的大減價後，微軟在價格上已經處於上風，然而它還講了兩個產品的區別。上個季度 Surface RT 庫存調整費用達 9 億美元，很明顯，微軟還有大批的平板電腦要出手。 Microsoft isn’t throwing in the towel, but this idea of a "productive tablet" is one that seems frustrating for it to try and explain. "If everybody just looks at the market through the lens of an iPad, that obviously is a tougher position for us," explains Hall. "For us we need more people using Surfaces, so that they can explain the benefits." Part of the problem for Zune was the limited availability and distribution. Microsoft faced the same issue at the launch of the Surface RT, limiting the tablet to online sales only or through the company’s small number of retail stores in the US. It rectified that after a number of months, and it’s still broadening distribution internationally, but the initial buzz was sidelined by consumers not knowing where they could try or buy the Surface. 微軟並沒有認輸，但這個「生產力平板（productive tablet）」的 idea 無論是做起來還是解釋起來，都夠令人頭疼的。「如果大家都通過 iPad 的角度看平板電腦市場，情況對於我們就十分不利」，Hall 解釋道，「我們需要更多人使用 Surface，這樣他們可以替我們解釋所有優點。」對於 Zune 的失敗，很大一部分問題源於產量不高以及有限的銷售管道。在發佈 Surface RT 時，微軟也遭遇過這個問題—— 僅僅通過網路商店和美國個別零售店售賣（該問題在數個月後得以解決，它的銷售管道還在繼續向全球擴展），發佈之初造成的轟動，卻因為消費者無法試用或購買，而效果打了折扣。 It’s obvious Microsoft has made some mistakes here. The numbers speak for themselves. Overestimations on hardware, a strange marketing campaign, and a lack of retail presence are all part of that. You can’t help but feel the company knew it needed to be aggressive, and that it was — and still is — playing a tricky balancing game with third-party manufacturers in an effort not to damage its Windows 8 prospects. Microsoft seemed to be serious with the Surface RT in some respects, but it certainly held back initially. 顯然，微軟犯了不少錯誤，「9 億美元」這一數字就是有力的說明。對硬體吸引力的高估，詭異的行銷活動，缺乏零售管道都是失敗的重要原因。你能感受到，微軟知道自己需要更加進取，但它卻在跟協力廠商生產商艱難地尋求著平衡，以求不要破壞 Windows 8 的前景。微軟似乎鐵了心要把 Surface RT 給做起來，但在起步的時候肯定是有所顧慮了。 IT'S TIME TO FOCUS ON WHAT SURFACE IS Thanks to a full version of Windows 8, the Surface Pro is a less confusing way forward for Microsoft under the Surface brand. It supports the millions of apps that are still in use today on the desktop, it’s fast, and it opens up the idea of touch when you need it. Windows 8 is a hybrid OS, and that’s not a bad thing. But no single manufacturer has successfully combined a full PC with the form factor of a tablet and made it work in all modes, even though it’s the dream right now. 有了完整版 Windows 8 以後，Surface Pro 的定位就更加清晰了。它支援數百萬現今在桌上型電腦中依然可以使用的 app，而且速度更快。Windows 8 是一個混合型的 OS，產品也並不差。但還沒有任何一家生產商成功地把 PC 的完整功能和平板這種產品形態做很好的整合——現在，這還只是一個美好夢想而已。 Microsoft needs to focus on Surface Pro and tune it until its "Metro-style" apps are truly ready for productivity and play. The company wasted years on Zune, and never really got it right. Microsoft’s idea of a hybrid tablet for work and play could be a hit, but right now it’s making the same mistakes of old and struggling to convince consumers it’s the next big thing. If it’s really devices and services Microsoft wants, then it needs to look closely at its mistakes before Surface turns into Zune 2.0. 微軟需要專注於 Surface Pro，做各種優化和調整，直到它「Metro-style」的app 真正能在生產力和娛樂性上面都做到足夠好。微軟在 Zune 身上浪費了太多時間，也沒能把它引上正途。整合 PC 和平板的 idea 或許真的大有可為，但如今他們還在重複著過去的錯誤，還沒能說服消費者，這就是 the next big thing。如果微軟真心瞄準了設備和服務，那微軟真的很有必要再回過頭來，好好審視一下自己犯下的錯誤，別讓 Surface 變成 Zune 2.0。 http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/19/4537944/surface-rt-mistakes-look-like-zune-2 http://www.techbang.com/posts/14123-surface-rt-microsoft-is-in-the-fate-of-zune-do ========================================================= 問題在行銷? -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 111.252.41.160

推

Lsamia

07/22 14:42, , 1^F

07/22 14:42, 1^F

→

Nuaaukw

07/22 14:45, , 2^F

07/22 14:45, 2^F

推

w0420cc

07/22 14:46, , 3^F

07/22 14:46, 3^F