Zune HD to get Twitter, Facebook as Microsoft abandons ‘squirting’
One of Microsoft's big bets when it decided to challenge Apple's iPod in 2006 was a feature known as Zune-to-Zune wireless sharing — or “squirting,” as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dubbed it.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft had framed Zune sharing as a differentiator as early as its 2006 plan to add video sharing, while the Zune HD rollout had already put attention on Zune apps. The new device replaces that proprietary sharing emphasis with connections to Twitter and Facebook, aligning the player more closely with established online services.
The shift matters because mobile developers and an analyst have argued that Zune HD lacks a compelling software market. Social-service integration gives Microsoft a visible use for the device’s software layer, even as it removes a feature unique to the Zune family.
First-order effects
- Zune HD users gain Twitter and Facebook integration, while Zune-to-Zune wireless sharing is no longer part of Microsoft’s product direction.
- Microsoft shifts the Zune proposition from a proprietary device-to-device feature toward services operated by Twitter and Facebook.
Second-order effects
- Twitter and Facebook gain another distribution surface for their services, while Microsoft must make their integrations meaningful enough to support Zune HD’s app-focused positioning.
- The decision puts greater pressure on Microsoft’s Zune software and app offering, an area developers and an analyst have publicly identified as a weakness.
Third-order effects
- If portable-media makers favor web services over proprietary sharing features, differentiation moves from hardware-only functions toward the quality of each device’s service and software connections.
The trend: Portable media players are evolving from standalone devices with proprietary sharing into service-connected software platforms tied to major social networks.