Although i’m sure Microsoft were trying their best to keep Zune their best kept secret, pictures and information managed to surface across the Interweb a few months back. But today, Microsoft seemed to do the redundant task of ‘officially’ announcing the Zune. So what shall we come to expect from the it? WiF capabilities, 30GB of HDD, built-in FM, 3-inch screen and music, pictures and video playback. The player will also come in three colours, black, white and rathly odly, brown. Nothing to groundbreaking, but Microsoft seemed to be keeping tight lipped about other functionalities. So expect to hear a few more features treacle there way out over the coming weeks. The first video of the Zune in use has made its way out, showing the majority of its features under heavy screwtiny.
Aside from the impressive screen, I can’t say i’m to fussed for it. The player itself looks very corporate, and uninspiring. I want to see some curves, Microsoft. Curves! So, what is everyone elses take on it?
Holy crap that thing is huge! It’s like carrying a graphing calculator in your back pocket. I don’t care if it cures AIDS, I’m not gonna buy one.
Can Microsuck do anything at least remotely original? It would appear not.
Do they actually THINK they will even lightly touch the sales of the iPod?
Curves huh? Make it shaped like a pear!!!
This product is waaaay outdated. Smartphone pc’s are poised to overtake the ipod market. Of course, Apple knew this long ago, which is why they already have a smartphone media thing in the works.
But surely MS knows this as well, so I wonder – why did they even bother with this?
I think it loks great, going to mount it to my sterring wheel so i can watch stuff whiel drivin
#wonder6oy
I think it’s just to put a pressure on Apple. The Zune is not very high-tech, I mean a lot of small companies could have made this, but it is simply a temporaliy product created to steal some of Apples thunder. And to help them pushing WMP11 and Vista.
But I totally agree. Dedicated portable music players are a thing of the past. I prefer using my SE phone with a 2 gb or 4 gb MS Duo, than any flash based players.
the 1st thaugh i had when i saw it was WTF…
honestly… i saw microsoft and then WTF!?
Screen looks pretty hot imo. Other than that, maybe second gen will have some features to sway me.
Personally, I have no interest in a phone/media combo. Sound quality has been crap, and I use the two very differently.
I need a new media tool and have a 360. I’ll probably evaluate this and an iPod. We shall see…
It probably will only play DRM-contaminated WMA-files …
Of course with MS’s dominance over the pc-market and the fact that most people will have WMP + the music-store that’s attached to it it could be very competitive.
Why buy an iPod and install software when this Zune will work seemlessly with Vista ?
Keep in mind that MS killed Netscape simply because they could deliver their solutions with the OS.
/me I’d rather stick to my iRiver and whatever portable music-player supports open DRM-free formats like .ogg vorbis.
I allready have my iPod, why should i need anything else?
I will get it if it is the right price, and it has good battery life. I am sick of my ipod only lasting 4-6hrs (usualy closer to 6. But when i work it is an 8hr shift. If it is $100 or below i will wait for a sale to bring it down to $75 and then i will prolly get it.
The new video i-pod rules in every way and looks COOOOOL. Nothing else comes close and the i-tunes works well as an organisation system. OK, so music is non-transferable, but who cares? – why would anyone with an i-pod want this?
Plus the i-pod and Mac etc were designed by a British design genius.
’nuff said!
“OK, so music is non-transferable, but who cares?”
I certainly do.
That’s why I havn’t bought any of ‘em yet. That, and lossy compression codecs.
I personally hate and despise anything iPod or iTunes related. That said I have been looking for an alternative that has a nice screen for watching portable video. Up until now I figured the PSP was my best bet, but I may be giving this thing a look before I spring for a PSP.
Haha… “WiF capabilities”? It can swing and miss?
Seriously, am I the only one who’s shaking his head because of the BLATANT RIPOFF the design poses? It’s simply an IPod Design with a larger screen, two additional buttons and some *little* changes in design…I think that Microsofts laziness shouldn’t be encouraged by buying this avatar of lacking ideas. I mean…it lacks style (err, I mean, OWN style…), it lacks real technological innovation and then there’s also the fact that Microsoft is extremely good at fucking things up with consumer control…it’ll probably discriminate everyone who uses the false programs and/or the false OS and/or the wrong data types and/or the wrong computer. Also it’s ALREADY a dead rabbit because many people are already accustomed to itunes etc. and Apple’s not sleeping…this step would have been understandable as a quick reaction short time after Apple’s launch of the IPod or when it became clear that it’s selling like hell…but all that happened 5 years ago…five years in which people bought IPods because they were lacking an alternative. Five years in which Apple could grow deep roots into the music market. Microsoft’s only chance to get a foothold in te music market would have been over REAL innovation…but all I see is a copy…one that is sure enough not bad…but a copy.
Any idea what it’ll cost?
Oh please. “Curves”?
What are we, like stuck in the 90s or something?
Surely we have been around long enough to notice that modern design does not necessarilly imply “curves”. Shapes can be simplified and then made more complex – it really doesn’t matter, it’s just design. I’ll agree, they’re not breaking any grounds here with it – but I get this problem with my students (of Design) all the time.
It seems that everybody wants to re-invent the wheel – and guess what? Sometimes it’s just not going to happen. Sometimes it’s better to simply take something that works and take it from there. The iPod design works – but saying that from this moment on any rectangle with a screen and circular is an iPod ripoff is like saying that every single person that’s wearing a cape is a Batman wannabee. Batman didn’t invent the cape – and your precious iPods are NOT as original and innovative as most of you claim them to be.
Microsoft is not about design, and that’s no secret to anybody. They’re simply taking something that works and building it from there. There’s no shame in that, no blatant ripoff. While most of you seem to have elevated your iPods to an almost morbid status of importance, some of us still think that iPods are overpriced and overhyped. Sure enough, I’d have and use an iPod if I could afford one. But seeing so many cheeper alternatives I find no reasonable explanation as to why I would spend such an absurd amount of money – and the whole “rectangle and a circle are the -next step- in design” simply doesn’t cut it for me, mostly because it’s NOT the “next step”.
If the price is right, I’d consider buying it. If it’s not, then I won’t. This will not redifine the way we conceive portable music and it will not change my life. The iPod did, kudos to them for that. But I’d think that it is a bold statement indeed to say that the iPod should have dibs on anything related to protable music from now on.
In conclusion: Sorry people. Innovation is not always pertinent, and your iPods are not the wonder-gadgets you think they are. love me or hate me for saying it, but it’s still true.
If I may ask a favor; please DO NOT start a flame war over this. It’s not worth it.
(I wonder if I should’ve even bothered writing this)
very true, just like the Playstation (in particular late PSX and PS2/PS3) it all comes down to hype and design to please the masses though…
The Ipod is over priced and under featured and look where that is…
You may a lot of good points O, and I used to hate the i-pod.
I then bought a creative Zen for a few days and it was hopeless and I returned it, then tried the i-pod and it just works every time and looks damned good. It’s true that Apple have just paid Creative about $100m in a patent dispute, but it ain’t about who invented it (Creative), but who created the consumer demand and created an “image” to go with it. Apple are the experts at this.
Love them or hate them, I-pods and almost everything that Apple do are design classics and people like owning a piece of that. The figures don’t lie!
Again, no flame war!
this is kinda like the psp goin against the ds…like nintendo’s handhelds, apple’s ipod kinda already owns the mp3 player world.
Hate the game…not the player! I love my iPod! But this thing looks damn sexy!
the transfer thing is cool, but unless im mistaken, the song only last for 3 days or 3 plays, which sucks
I really like these things, I’ve never been a huge microsoft fan. I also don’t have an Ipod, soo since I hate apple I now have a valid second choice. Perfect.
Pretty sure its just a marketing attempt for Vista. I bet this thing will cost more than the iPod and barely sell.
Well, Zune for sure is on my “to buy” list for a while already. While I love the design od iPod, the fact it HAS TO be used with iTunes and iTunes only is hust plain pain in the butt. iTunes on the other hand is even worse. It won’t even let me place a comment on Extralife Radio podcast, because I don’t have a credit card originating from the few select countries that iTunes shop is available in.
I am using a little thing called Sansa from Sandisk. It has 1GB of memory, color screen, plays variety of formats and best of all – works with ANY FREAKING MEDIA PLAYER I want (apart from iTunes).
By the way people, go to http://www.comingzune.com/ and check the 2 awesome spots they made. Birdies are just amazing.
this is just like anything less M$ comes up with. It’s just another stolen idea from someone who came out with it first. You can’t tell me you don’t see the striking resemblance to something else…*cough*iPod*cough. Just like tabs in IE7, and most other “features” M$ steals.. I mean comes up with.
Who cares if the design is inspired by the iPod? As O said its just a rectangle with rounded edges and circular controls on the front. Thats hardly a complex and original design. What was Microsoft supposed to do? Make it some crazy shape that is an ergonomics nightmare just so that its original? Also, the fact that it is designed like an iPod but isn’t an Apple product and doesn’t require you to use iTunes (which is one of the worst media players I’ve ever seen. It ranks up there with Sony’s SonicStage) is a huge improvement over the iPod in my opinion.
The fact you can share and transfer songs via WLAN is enough for me to buy one.
I was going to post something meaningful, but O said it all. I’m still sticking to my Lyra player, but I’ll give this one a try.
Oh, and (as agraphic designer student) the design looks way better than the iPod’s