Well, it had a 5-year run. Straight in to the ground. After starting 5 years behind.
Microsoft has announced that they will no longer be releasing new Zune devices. Instead, they are turning Zune into a smartphone app. This sounds very similar to the path Garmin is taking with their GPS devices. And they were, in fact, the industry leader. But now, with free Google Maps software on your smartphone, the role of an expensive GPS no longer makes too much sense. And yet, Garmin is selling extraordinarily expensive mobile apps via iPhone and Android.
I totally understand the desire for these companies to hold on for dear life. But I also think they need to understand when they’re dead.