Microsoft’s defunct music player Zune trends on social media as soon as Marvel‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 was released in cinemas.
The GOTG franchise has focused a lot on music, which actually made it stand out from the rest of the MCU films. The music that Star-Lord, aka Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), listens to is generally from the 60s to 70s. But what he was listening to also stood out.
In the first two films, it’s shown that Quill actually used an audio tape player called the Walkman. It was a product of its time, and it defined the 80s. The brand is well known for music that can easily be recorded and brought on the go without having to carry turntables and vinyls. Star-Lord uses the Sony TPS-L2 Walkman, which is the first model of the first generation of personal stereos.
It’s one of Sony’s most popular products other than PlayStation. Even though tapes have been reduced to a niche format, the Walkman brand still continues today.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, the Walkman was destroyed by Quill’s father, Ego. But in turn, Kraglin Obfonteri gave a Zune player to replace his portable music player.
GOTG Vol 3 Ignites Fans’ Curiosity On Zune
READ MORE: James Gunn Talks Guardians Of The Galaxy 4 Possibilities
As soon as GOTG Vol 3 came out, Zune was trending on social media. It even got the attention of the director James Gunn who posted about it on Twitter.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 16, 2023
The player continued to be used in the third film and played a significant role in the story.
Zune was Microsoft’s own digital media player, which ran from 2006 up until 2012. It tried to compete against Apple’s iPod. The Zune failed hard, as it was also competing with other known brands like SanDisk’s Sansa and Creative Zen media players. While most brands lasted until 2014, iPods lasted until 2022.
Choosing Zune for Guardians was an exciting decision. While many wonder why Gunn didn’t use Apple’s iPod instead, at the time, the iPod was still a brand being used. Looking at Microsoft’s Zune, it gives you the idea that it’s an outdated device compared to Apple’s similar product. This, again, gives a similar feeling when seeing the Sony TPS-L2 Walkman. Something that won’t be equally achieved if the audience sees an iPod.
Not long after the release of the GOTG Vol 3, Microsoft did a giveaway of an old, still shrink-wrapped, sealed 8GB Zune. Microsoft did say that they don’t know if it’s still working since there is very little chance that the internal battery is still working today. But hey, it’s still part of film history.
In honor of @MarvelStudios’ #GotGVol3 we’re giving away this never opened Microsoft Zune. We have no idea if it works. Like and RT for a chance to win! US 18+. Ends 5/17/23. Rules: https://t.co/Mdr2C4z9aY. #ZuneSweepstakes pic.twitter.com/SOR6IMCKqB
— Microsoft (@Microsoft) May 15, 2023
This, plus the fact that the Zune is highlighted in the film, obviously trends the popularity of the defunct brand.
Zune Trends Anew Due To GOTG Vol 3 Feature
Credit: Marvel Studios
READ MORE: James Gunn Could Bring Guardians Of The Galaxy Actors To DC
Star-Lord’s Zune was pretty much passed on as a gift from Yondu. But it was also used by Tony Stark after the events of Avengers: Infinity War. Also, it was used by Rocket Raccoon after that since Peter Quill was missing for 5 years before he and half the population of the universe returned in Avengers: Endgame.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the music selection continues to incorporate a mix of songs from the 60s and 70s, as in previous films. However, there are also several songs included from the 80s up until the mid-2010s. One intriguing aspect is the inclusion of the song Koinu no Carnival from 2016, which is four years after the discontinuation of the music player.
It’s amusing to imagine Peter Quill or Rocket Raccoon attempting to navigate Windows 7 or 8 just to update the song list since the player is not compatible with Windows 10 or newer versions. This raises questions about how they would have managed to keep the music collection up to date, given the limitations of the Zune technology. Then again, Raccoon has the know-how to figure that out.
Overall, the inclusion of songs from different eras adds variety to the soundtrack and highlights the evolving musical tastes within the Guardians of the Galaxy universe.
While most of the original members of the Guardians of the Galaxy have moved on, Microsoft’s Zune apparently remains with the team.
What do you think of Zune trending on Twitter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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