Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

[caseyd]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

Does Ipod have any ability (or will there be) to use a picture as a background like the backgrounds shown on the Zune?

[RubenDouglas]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

nothing about video codecs. i like the horz. or vertical screen changing, and the size.

anything on battery life.

for me battery life is key.

[ObiWanJenkins]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

I am definitely interested, but price, battery life, and media formats matter to me the most. I completely agree that $1 a GB more for an ipod is a much better deal no matter what features the Zune has.

[FOXYboy]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

one reason i would stick to the ipod is because of itunes. i hate using windows media player for mp3s

[pk500]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

So as I understand it, one of the "big" features of this machine is that a buddy can Wi-fi me a song that I can only listen to a limited amount of time?

Big f*cking deal. If I wanted the tune from a buddy, I would just get it from him on a burned CD and transfer it to my player permanently.

The 80 GB iPod is a much better deal at $349.

Take care,
PK

[Silverstring]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

So as I understand it, one of the "big" features of this machine is that a buddy can Wi-fi me a song that I can only listen to a limited amount of time?

Big f*cking deal. If I wanted the tune from a buddy, I would just get it from him on a burned CD and transfer it to my player permanently.

The 80 GB iPod is a much better deal at $349.

Take care,
PK

Thats has to be one of the most mind-boggingly STUPID feature inclusions in a mainstream consumer electronics player EVER. Im sorry. Where in the hell did they focus group/test this?

pk, you're exactly right. Friends, and people that know each other well enough to share music, just trade CDs.

So what was Microsoft thinking?

I can only assume that they thought people would run into each other, begin talking about music, whip out their Zunes, and trade. Even if you allow for that outlandish possibility, there are still several crater-sized holes in that thinking.

1. Who will approach a stranger, asking to trade music over wifi? You'll get a crazy look or a punch in the face, most likely.

2. Even if they were receptive, most people who are walking around with mp3 players are running/jogging or commuting. They don't have the time to stop, go through some settings, and transfer with you.

3. How would you even know who to stop? Most people have their mp3 players concealed in a pocket or bag.

4. The user says "Great, I have a Zune! Now I can transfer with.....almost nobody." Even if the Zune is super successful, it will be years before it achieves iPod-like market penetration(75%).

5. Wi-fi KILLS battery life(this is why I hope apple never adds wi-fi to the iPod. I don't want to swap songs, and I don't think its more convenient to sync my mp3 player over wi-fi on my couch from 50 ft away instead of just plugging it in when I get home. Besides, when I sync my iPod, I like the visual feedback and level of control I get from sitting at my computer screen while the process is occurring. Oh, and don't give me internet browsing. I've been browsing on both wi-fi and cellular palms with higher resolution screens for years, and it is NOT an enjoyable experience, just a "in-a-pinch" type of thing. So what other useful thing is wifi for?)

I really thing the downfall of some consumer electronics is trying to converge EVERYTHING, or include "buzzword" features(like wi-fi) that have cachet with geeks. Like all the xtra **** that comes on the ps3, that people will use to justify in their mind the price they paid for it, but probably never use(i.e. photo browsing from some type of flash memory).

[RubenDouglas]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

SS, the limitedness of the songs as I see it is from the fact they download and pay for the songs on their player. and then those protected files can transfer over and then you could also buy them. its almost like a free preview.


"You can also share playlists and pictures with your buddies, along with what we suppose are "unprotected" homemade recordings."


let me ask you this or anyone for that matter, who has music STRICTLY from itunes on their ipod players (the stuff you pay for and is protected)? id say 90% of peoples library of music is unprotected homemade stuff. unless somehow itunes protects the music that you burned from a cd from being shared elsewhere, i see this as a plus.

if my friend has a nice recording/burned copy of a song that just came out, its possible since its unprotected, that I could get it wirelessly.. It seems like it create a big group of people strictly sharing files left and right, but in the physical sense. p2p sharing first hand.

[mjb2124]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

So what other useful thing is wifi for?

The only positive I can see from having wi-fi on an ipod/zune is that one could download a song from anywhere where wi-fi is available. Example - the entire area of downtown Pittsburgh is wi-fi ready. So one can use their laptop and surf the web for free (2 hour max) from anywhere in downtown. Granted, Pittsburgh is ahead of a lot of areas when it comes to technology, but expect to see this in more places.

Downloading a song for an ipod/zune might be an attractive feature to some. I know many times I'll hear a song somewhere, but forget about it later. If I had a zune/ipod that had wi-fi and was in a wi-fi enabled area, I could just download it.

For those worried about battery life, just turn wi-fi off on the device.

With that said, if the $300 pricetag rumor is correct, it's not worth it. I'm not an ipod fanboy by any means, but the 80gb version is too good to pass up at it's price point.

[mjb2124]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

MS revealed the price of the 30gb Zune today - $249.99.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/0...eut/index.html

I thought this part was interesting:

For consumers looking to own a song, the Zune Marketplace will sell tracks for 79 Microsoft points. A user can buy 80 Microsoft points for $1 and points will also be redeemable at its online video game store, Xbox Live Marketplace.

It's not surprising, but it looks like the Zune might further integrate into the 360 in the future.

[nyyanksfan20]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

I saw a Zune display at Target today and I must admit it looks pretty cool. I like the big screen and all. My Dell DJ crapped out so I am getting a new mp3 player just not sure what yet.

Anybody planning to get one? It comes out next week.

[NYJets]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

Ehh...looks nice, but I'm happy with my iopd.

[Thrasha]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

I saw a presentation on Cnet for the Zune and I think part of the wifi/trade song aspect was that you could send that specific song to any other Zune's within your range. Whether you know said person or not.

It just comes up as a prompt on the other users Zune that someone wants to send them a song and asks them if they want it.

Still stupid IMO.

[dkgojackets]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

I saw a presentation on Cnet for the Zune and I think part of the wifi/trade song aspect was that you could send that specific song to any other Zune's within your range. Whether you know said person or not.

It just comes up as a prompt on the other users Zune that someone wants to send them a song and asks them if they want it.

Still stupid IMO.

I would just get pissed off whenever that stupid prompt comes up if that's the case, especially if anyone can do it and mine must automatically receive it.

Terrible idea all-around.

[Thrasha]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

I would imagine (hope) their is an option to turn off all incoming file exchanges.

But like others have said... This is really a feature that will only be used amongst for the most part. And if a friend has the song, why would he not just burn it for you and give it to you for free?

Needless fluff.

I don't see why a company doesn't look at the faults of the iPod (battery life, and more importantly (imo) sound quality) and just try and come up with something that knocks Apple on it's ***.

The Zune looks like a poor man's iPod somewhat... Apple just has a sleeker look. But if the Zune was better than the iPod in those two areas that I just mentioned, I wouldn't have a question on which I would purchase.

[Silverstring]

Re: Microsoft announces Zune (ipod Competitor)

I would imagine (hope) their is an option to turn off all incoming file exchanges.

I don't see why a company doesn't look at the faults of the iPod (battery life, and more importantly (imo) sound quality) and just try and come up with something that knocks Apple on it's ***.

I don't really think that battery life is an iPod "fault", it's just a condition shared by hard-drive based mp3 players. Case in point, the Zune is rated at 13 hours, the ipod 14, and the Zen Vision:M 16. Those are all obviously very close. It not like there is some hard-drive mp3 player out there that goes 30 hours. The only way to increase that is to put in a bigger battery(as Apple does with the 80GB iPod, which is rated at 20 hours), but most people don't want to make the size/weight tradeoff to do that.