Microsoft lambasted for 'iPod Amnesty Bin'

updated 02:30 pm EDT, Thu May 24, 2007

Microsoft iPod amnesty bin

Microsoft is receving some unusual attention for a decoration in its corporate offices. A user of Flickr recently uploaded a photo of the company's "iPod Amnesty Bin," found in the Zune headquarters, apparently encouraging employees to abandon Apple's media player in favor of Microsoft's competitor. The bin has drawn the ire of voices such as Macworld UK, which suggests that it is emblematic of "child-like and unrealistic behavior," a view aided by the lack of iPods in the Flickr image. The Zune has not sold as well as expected; it has in fact sapped the profits of Microsoft's entertainment division, which is in otherwise healthy shape thanks to the Xbox 360 console.

By Electronista Staff

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mgpalma

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2000

05/24, 02:41pm | report spam | close reply

OK, that's stupid

If you are really so much of an idiot that throwing away your iPod seems like a good idea then you deserve a Zune. Most likely the few that are in there are broken and the owners couldn't sell them on ebay.

broohaha22

Joined: Jul 2006

05/24, 02:45pm | report spam | close reply

hey, it's cute.

Weird for me to defend Microsoft, but it's SOP for many companies to rile up the troops like this.

I don't see this as a big deal, and I'm an iPod fan!

stainboy

Joined: Sep 2005

05/24, 02:52pm | report spam | close reply

why is this bad?

i'm a Mac fan and i still thought this was funny and clever. the people who are up in arms about this seriously need to get a sense of humor. it's in the Zune HQ, for pete's sake. maybe MS needs to put out a box to collect the bugs these people have up their butts.

suhail

Senior User

Joined: Nov 1999

05/24, 02:58pm | report spam | close reply

old ipods

they all seem to be the same generation ipods, old BW ipods that probably don't work anymore. I'm sure they got them off of eBay or something.

ecrelin

Junior Member

Joined: Oct 2000

05/24, 03:10pm | report spam | close reply

big bin, few pods

With their usual hubris it seems they were ready for a few thousand iPods to end up there, hmmmm, I wonder if the brave soul will continue to show the "progess" of the bin. Any one wanna take bets they don't cover the bottom?

OtisWild

Joined: Feb 2005

05/24, 03:21pm | report spam | close reply

This is funnier...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pXL5_RvGrs

And yeah, I think that Microsoft did the old homeless gambit of putting a few in to encourage more 'donations'..

05/24, 03:55pm | report spam | close reply

more…

And to make it look like they've got more ipods in there, they took out the skin from one of the ipods and threw it back in there as a separate item!

aristotles

Grizzled Veteran

Joined: Jul 2004

05/24, 04:08pm | report spam | close reply

Amenesty bin?

Doesn't that imply that there will be reprisals against people caught with iPods at Zune HQ at some point in the future?

Amnesty usually implies a period time when you can "turn in" something that is considered either illegal or undesirable.

talisker

Mac Elite

Joined: Oct 2001

05/24, 04:11pm | report spam | close reply

Macworld UK's comments...

about this being "child like behaviour" say a lot more about the attitude of a certain type of mac user, than the amnesty bin says about microsoft.

zl9600

Forum Regular

Joined: Oct 2003

05/24, 04:15pm | report spam | close reply

i agree about the troops

But in the day of camera phones and our friend the internets (all of them), it's a stupid move to be so brazen here.

It would make more sense to be less brazen in your attitude given the fact that Zune has been such a huge disappointment, as here it screams of low self-esteem.

And nothing short of horrible publicity.

MS could fill that bin if they really wanted to; bet you have a corporate hack right now trolling to find a lot of broken ipods to buy discreetly.

05/24, 04:17pm | report spam | close reply

@talisker

I'm not sure how you make the leap here to blame mac users, talisker. Did Mac users create this little travesty of an art project? Not likely.

Perhaps calling it child-like is a bit much, but it's definitely beyond dumb.

cblackmo

Joined: Nov 2006

05/24, 04:32pm | report spam | close reply

I count 14?

I think it's a creative and fun little distraction. Now if only they could use that same imagination to find a way to sell more Zunes.

I only count about 14 iPods - so either the Zune team is insufficiently staffed (which would explain a lot) or most MS Zune employess love their iPods too much to .

jarod

Joined: Apr 2005

05/24, 05:06pm | report spam | close reply

MicroMorons

Expect no less from the kings of garbage. I bet that lonely ipod in that bin was actually bought by Bill Gates! LOLLLLL Four eyed toad.

Beechlady

Joined: Oct 2006

05/24, 05:30pm | report spam | close reply

And this would....

surprise anybody how? They ARE acting childish. Then again, they have a track record of acting foolishly and putting out bad/inferior product. When it "flops" they turn around and blame other things. They take NO personal responsibility for ANYTHING (i.e. IE monopoly anyone?) THEY can bite ME and my iPod...lol

elroth

05/24, 05:39pm | report spam | close reply

good idea

I think Ballmer set up that bin, hoping he'd get one iPod that works. That way he can have his secret iPod (you know he's always wanted one) without having to buy it (and have it show up on his credit card).

ZinkDifferent

Joined: Jan 2005

05/24, 05:46pm | report spam | close reply

those ipods...

...come from the people that put up that bin themselves, and they are broken, non-functional ones that were tossed in there to 'prime' the box -- so, no real iPods, from real iPod owners ended up in there.

Sadly, the tactic has misfired, judging by the lack of any other ones, and the negative PR this idiocy is earning them.

Typical. Morons.

climacs

Joined: Sep 2001

05/24, 06:02pm | report spam | close reply

old iPods

those all look like old iPods. I sure don't see any video iPods or nano's in there...

Mr. Strat

Joined: Jan 2002

05/24, 06:05pm | report spam | close reply

Pitiful Microslut

The only Zunes I've seen have been in a locked case in Wally World...no sightings in the wild.

smjayhawk

05/24, 06:14pm | report spam | close reply

Buy More

I find this amusing. It's no skin off Apple's nose if they throw away a bunch of iPods. They have all been bought and paid for at some point. I sure Apple will be glad to sell them more to throw in the pile.

debohun

Joined: Feb 1999

05/24, 06:49pm | report spam | close reply

Hmmmm

Microsoft has how many employees and only nine of them turned in their iPods? This picture is priceless.

robttwo

Joined: Nov 2005

05/24, 06:50pm | report spam | close reply

Funny

This is classic geek stuff. It is "kinda" clever, but it just doesn't come off as cool. And that is MS continuing problem. They just don't get "cool."

By the way—cool would have been to have an automatic iPod crusher. You put it in, turn the crank, and a pile c*** comes out the other end. Then you put a Zune logo on it.

I dare ya MS

Put up a Zune disposal bin next to it and see which one fills up the quickest.

xianman

05/24, 07:29pm | report spam | close reply

I'm so tempted...

to go buy a Zune and deposit it in this bin - it would make for a lovely photo =). The Zune headquarters are only a few miles from me afterall! Hmmm, maybe I should take up a donation page...

ender

Joined: Mar 1999

05/24, 08:22pm | report spam | close reply

MS rules

Putting up a bin at the office is one thing, but I have a co-worker who's brother-in-law works at MS. Supposedly they had to retire their TiVo's in favor of MS Media Edition IN THEIR OWN HOME! The prefer their TiVo, but MS rules didn't allow them to have them. Not sure how they enforce that rule, but certainly says something about the MS attitude towards their own employees.

05/24, 08:28pm | report spam | close reply

re: ms rules

wtf? what, are Microsoft co-workers going to rat them out if they come over to visit and see a TiVo there?

and Microsoft has RULES about what kinds of technology employees can use in their own homes?

I've said it before... quite a few similarities between the Bush regime and MS.

05/25, 02:01am | report spam | close reply

re:MS rules

Wow, just wow. Balmer has really lost it.

Your own home should be your own business. No employer has the right to dictate what you use in your own house.

lardlad

Joined: Aug 2005

05/25, 07:12am | report spam | close reply

Big Deal

This is where they make the Zune, why is this a big deal?

Well it does show their lack of creativity If they really wanted to add something extra to it, why didn't they say 'Byte' instead of 'Bite.' Since that is what the 'bite' in the Apple logo represents.

LouZer

Joined: Nov 2000

05/25, 07:22am | report spam | close reply

Re: i dare ya and rules

Put up a Zune disposal bin next to it and see which one fills up the quickest.

It still would be the iPod one. As everyone loves to say (and I'll argue that the constant dissing almost seems a tad too much, like there's a part inside people wanting a zune but afraid to admit), no one's buying a Zune. So if no one buys one, then how would the box fill up?

Putting up a bin at the office is one thing, but I have a co-worker who's brother-in-law works at MS. Supposedly they had to retire their TiVo's in favor of MS Media Edition IN THEIR OWN HOME! The prefer their TiVo, but MS rules didn't allow them to have them.

Well, my barber's sister-in-law's maid-of-honor's cousin works at apple, and supposedly all the people there have to bow at Steve Job's feet and agree with him on everything or they're given a nuclear wedgie and hung from a flagpole.

Sorry, but I don't buy the "Forced to get rid of the Tivo" story. Find someone who actually works at MS and confirms this, rather then hearing it 3rd hand.

LordJohnWhorfin

Joined: Aug 2002

05/25, 10:15am | report spam | close reply

Re: better yet...

Priceless: after the Zune presentation, one CNN anchor shows off her new iPod Shuffle and the other asks "why don't they [Microsoft] get in some decent design people?". Thanks damonlaw :)

dan20164

Joined: May 2007

05/25, 12:46pm | report spam | close reply

I would bet..

That these iPods were recently purchased for the sole purpose of this publicity stunt.. Can't imagine a sane person giving up an iPod for a Zune.. Just another example of what's wrong at MSFT.. I dumped my shares in this dog some time back...

sailin74

05/25, 09:38pm | report spam | close reply

Awesome

Perhaps they're taking up a collection to inspire better design for the zune?

This one is going to be a little more complex than putting the trash can in the other corner of the screen, and moving the window control buttons from one side of the window to the other.

Wonder how long it'll take to get "zone" released, after iPhone hits the streets. Just drop the ph, and add that zexy z.

Innovation is hard to foster, and Apple seems to have the corner on the market. MSFT needs to inspire their engineers and design people.

The battle, although bloody, is fascinating to watch. Apple on the hardware/OS side, and Google on the office/productivity side. Microsoft is up against some tough competition, perhaps it'll spur some great developments for the consumer.

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