Microsoft's media player dubbed Zune

Well, the info's finally starting to come in about Microsoft's wireless media player; the project, dubbed Argo, will apparently spawn at very least one device, which we saw yesterday. By way of our trusted sources we now know the device is currently dubbed Zune -- though we don't know whether that name will stick -- and we've got ourselves a product logo (shown above). We also understand that Zune to Zune wireless song transfer -- a PlaysForSure feature currently highlighted in the MusicGremlin -- is said to be a prominent aspect of the device's development, and in addition to the white shade we saw yesterday, we can expect a complement of colors to be available at or near launch. Oh, and apparently the Zune will have a brushed metal back with an engraved logo, not unlike the you-know-what. More to come, folks.

[Todd @ Jul 11th 2006 4:29PM]

Zune? Like the Amiga GUI?

http://www.aros.org/documentation/developers/zune-application-development.de.php

[andrew @ Jul 11th 2006 4:29PM]

I love my Ipod but it is not a bad name better than Wii

[emiliano @ Jul 11th 2006 4:32PM]

Im not feelin the name. They coulda come up with somethin better. Either way I would care less about the name if the product is great.

[ron g @ Jul 11th 2006 4:38PM]

No, Zune like as in, they can't think of anything better so they will not only steal Apple's ideas but Creative's Zen marketing. They are gonna be pissed. Talk about back-stabbing...

Let's here it for Zunecasting. Whoohoo! There new "Personal On Demand broadCast" thing is go... wait, that's what Creative calls it. I mean their PORTABLE On Demand broadCast called Zunecast, is going to be so successful.

[Endejas @ Jul 11th 2006 4:53PM]

So, they're dropping the idea of an Xbox-branded music player?

[Torontoguy @ Jul 11th 2006 4:54PM]

Is "Zune" pronounced anything like "Sony"?
How about calling it "SuMe" and then when other companies complain Microsoft can say "Sue Me".

[Dolomite @ Jul 11th 2006 5:00PM]

Just what we need, another Microsoft product that will BlueScreen. I'll stick with the iPod thank you.

[kiteflyer @ Dec 2nd 2006 5:43AM]

but after the one yr warrenty runs out on yr ipod they will not play the songs u have bought so i can't wait to get a Zune

[Tommy @ Apr 13th 2007 2:32PM]

I have recently migrated all my music from WMP to Itunes. Here's a simple example of why........

I tried to do a simple print of all my songs in WMP and it took me over an hour. I had to search for, download , install and run an add-on from a third party. The add-on created a text list which I pasted into an excel spreadsheet so i could sort it. However, i couldn't sort it by song title as the list had a nunber appended to the fromt of each song. So I had to save the excel ss as a text file, import it back into excel, using it's import feature to strip off the numbers at the front, then finally sort the list by song title. (but i could only strip off the numbers, not also separate the title and artist into separate cells.)

I could then do what I did on itunes in 3 minutes. Itunes has a preformatted report from a 'print' option. It gave me exactly a simple report of song title, time, album name and artist.

When when I tried to comment on this to the Microsoft web site, I couldn't make a simple coment without registering my non 'hotmail' email address so I gave up trying to help Microsoft add simple features to allow their products to compete in this business.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm moving all my music to itunes.

[shineman @ Jul 11th 2006 5:02PM]

Zune? As in, "It's too Zune to tell..."?

S.

[DJ @ Jul 11th 2006 5:05PM]

No, it's Zune as in LOONEY!

[Francois @ Jul 11th 2006 5:15PM]

The TESS database doesn't have an entry for Zune... What are the chances that whoever came up with the name didn't register the trademark yet.

[doubtful @ Jul 11th 2006 5:23PM]

That logo looks eerily similar to the final magic seal from Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow on the DS.

http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/castlevania-ds/ss-018.jpg

[Tyler @ Jul 11th 2006 5:27PM]

Dolomite, when was the last time you've even seen a BSOD? I've run XP for over 4 years and have never had one. Think up a new insult.

[Neo @ Nov 9th 2006 11:29PM]

By default, there are no BSODs in Windows XP. If a stop error occurs, XP just restarts the computer. You can turn BSODs back on if you prefer: http://www.mvps.org/marksxp/WindowsXP/bsod.php
Follow the instructions and soon it will feel like you're running Windows 98 again!

[khamel @ Jul 11th 2006 5:35PM]

i gotta say, with my 3rd ipod dying in the past 1.5 years, im certainly in the market for another big mp3 player to take my money from me. i use itunes and the ipod because at the time, they were the only thing that were 40 gigs (and not from a sketchy online company). i admit i like itunes but wouldn't mind switching for an 80 or 100 gig player from microsoft.

[Andy S. @ Jul 11th 2006 5:41PM]

No, no, no. It's "Zune" as in "we don't know what it means either, but it tested well with the 18-24 age group, and that's where the money is. Yes, the kids will be blinging some fat beatz with this shizz-nit, or at least that's what our marketing team tells us. Also, word to your mother."

[Andy S. @ Jul 11th 2006 5:46PM]

Tyler, I've seen XP bluescreen a number of times (I've run it since release on anywhere from two to four PCs concurrently). Not only that, I came home from vacation last weekend to discover that my XP install was broken because the hardware abstraction layer DLL was corrupted. Windows couldn't repair it, so I had to reinstall from scratch.

Maybe you're right, though. Out with the BSOD jokes, in with the YOUR DAP ASPLODE jokes.

[sir @ Dec 18th 2006 11:36AM]

the only reaso you are gettin a blue screen is because you dont know how to run windows. i have been a systems builder for many years and have worked with several windows systems and i beleive i have only run across this "blue screen" twice, and they were lifesaver screens, with out those i wouls have lost a damn good computer. look at it positivly.

[deecee @ Jul 11th 2006 5:47PM]

Well Said Tyler.

[Edge @ Jul 11th 2006 5:52PM]

Wait... did I just see that right? Someone complaining about an Apple product being so proliferating that they are considering a Microsoft product to go against the grain? That's beautiful... simply beautiful. I never thought I'd see the day when MS was the alternative product... yet here we are.

Think Different, eh?

[Nick @ Jul 11th 2006 6:02PM]

give it some time they havent even said it was a concrete name yet "device is currently dubbed Zune"
currently as in there could be a change to the name

whatever its called i still think its gonna be awesome

PeACe,
-Nick

[Daveoc64 @ Jul 11th 2006 6:06PM]

I wont buy it because I just don't think MS knows what they are doing with Music.

They have their own services - MSN Music and URGE: Zune as well? Why do they need 3?

They have hardware partners that they have been working with for years, why aren't they doing something worthwhile with the technology MS produces?

With the Xbox Division you can see what they are doing, but Musically MS is pouring out nothing but bad tunes.

[Ian Jardine @ Jul 11th 2006 6:11PM]

Zune Zune Zune.......

Huh?

Zoom Zoom Zoom

????????? Powered by Mazda?

[B @ Jul 11th 2006 6:31PM]

Andy,
I have been running xp since it was released on at least 4 different systems. I have yet to get one BSOD. However my 4g iPod has frozen at least a couple of times while my nano has probably frozen close to 10.

Also in the past when I have used Macs, they have not worked flawlessly. But at least they have that little bomb icon (or used to) to let you know when you are screwed.

[Elliot @ Jul 11th 2006 6:34PM]

And Apple knew what they were doing with music way back when they introduced the iPod and iTunes....

[herenot @ Jul 11th 2006 6:45PM]

zune is very VERY close to F*CK (and *is* spelled F U C K)- in hebrew. this is going to be fun. I cant wait for the day this comes avaliable in the shops in israel.

[Galley @ Jul 11th 2006 6:51PM]

Well, at least the logo is nice...

[marcin @ Jul 11th 2006 7:03PM]

XP has never gotten the bluescreen on my computers, all the years its been out.

Apple on the other hand, gets class action lawsuits for the Nano, and each and every day i see more news of Macbook failures.

Microsoft and Zune FTW.

[Jeffrey M Foster @ Jul 11th 2006 7:11PM]

i think "not unlike the you-know-what" is something we all know to assume for any software MS puts out...

it's kind of a "gimme."

[E71 @ Jul 11th 2006 7:16PM]

Zune, huh? I don't know, that sounds like an ugly name but then I'm glad it's not called Wii.

Put a 100GB+ hdd on it, Windows Media Center (so it supports lots of codecs like divx/xvid/mp3/ac3 etc), a 16:9 screen and it's sold.

[aleandro @ Jul 11th 2006 8:07PM]

Sometimes I wonder who lets some of you guys use the internet. Seriously read your own posts.

[aleandro @ Jul 11th 2006 8:14PM]

"I wont buy it because I just don't think MS knows what they are doing with Music."

Just like Apple knew everything about music back in the early00s? Or maybe like how sony knew the ins and out of gaming in the early 90s?

"They have hardware partners that they have been working with for years, why aren't they doing something worthwhile with the technology MS produces?"

Hummmaybe because so far they still haven't been able take on Apple.

[Maverick @ Jul 11th 2006 8:17PM]

Brilliant design.
Pronounced like toony? What about Xuni or Zunē? Or even Xunē. The AHD pronunciation key symbol makes it sound smart and striking. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:English_pronunciation_key

[Bryan @ Jul 11th 2006 8:25PM]

"No Dana only ZUNE!!!"

[idude135 @ Jul 11th 2006 8:34PM]

Actually the logo seems as intricate and redundant --just like the whole Windows platform.

Actually Apple did know music right from the beggining. They chose the right format (AAC or Mpeg4), and unlike Sony, Apple has always had a great UI which has been so important to their success.

Also, I highly doubt that transferring music files, for obvious legal reasons. Whatever features this MicroBrick may have is already being added to the next-gen iPod.

It is too late in the game for Zune to replace the iPod's established popularity. It will be just another alternative to people that are willing to sacrifice ease of use for features the mainstream market doesn't need.

I would be a relly concerned Apple stockholder, if they gave up on the iPhone. That, people, will be Apple's killing touch in the portable market. They just need to find the right carrier, if they are to prevent a huge failure like Helio.

Apple will not be beaten by a company with such unrealiable chip suppliers that have yielded a 2% defective rate of the XBOX 360 (a stat a Best Buy manager confirmed).

[Larry Laks @ Jul 11th 2006 9:28PM]

I don't know about you, but I can't cary a Zune.

[Dayal @ Jul 11th 2006 9:40PM]

Oh, I forgot to mention:

The xbox 360 is able to connect to ipods and decode AAC and MP3 files. Additionally the new WM player 11 Beta is showing support (albeit minimum support) for the iPod. Perhaps the Zune will also offer AAC (although I doubt for purchased music)

[ZuneMe @ Jul 11th 2006 10:00PM]

Apple drones crack me up... BSOD's... yeah like iPods aren’t notorious for crashing all the time... The iPod video has notoriously buggy firmware.

Whining about a 2% defective rate on XBoxes... Wake up matey... Apple hardware, from the hilariously dud Mighty Mouse to the nano (which after only a few days resembles a domestic abuse victim) to their latest craptastic (overheating/colour fading/falls to bits) laptops... Apple hardware is notorious for being the worst on the planet, but the best marketed. Apple are always scrambling to cover up their latest public relations mess, and even their smug ads are starting to insult more than convince anyone otherwise.

I can’t wait to see if MS can come up with a music player as good as the Xbox 360.

[Chris @ Jul 11th 2006 10:53PM]

Have to back the MS backers here... the fact is i havent seen a BSOD in xp since i got it around 4 years ago as well on any of my 5 pc's (office/home) ... it's a crap complaint that was bad even before XP considering it was normally drivers and not the OS's fault... XP just made it less impactful...

And while MS haters wont admit it... applie is notorious for bad hardware... nanos that look beat up and easily crack, that mouse, then theirs the macbooks that turn yellow in a matter of a month or 2 ... give me a break... then their are the ipods that break god awful amount of time and have firmware on the latest that crash religiously....

As for the name Zune it sounds catchy... and no URGE is mtv's service to compete against itunes openly... msn music was an online testbed for their music bench ... ZUNE is the PLAYER... or atleast one of the player devices microsoft has planned.

[Eric Blair @ Oct 16th 2006 3:17PM]

XP might not BSOD as much as it used too (I have seen an XP BSOD), however there are plenty of other little headaches to deal with. I just started using a powerbook for kicks and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. My next desktop will be a mac as well. OS X, just like the iPod are superior products on most every level.

[Chris @ Jul 11th 2006 10:56PM]

btw... dont know where idude is from... but guess what, 2% failure rate is AMAZING... considering its normally ALOT higher than that... especially in the case of ipods...

On top of that ipods are easy to replace... considering their failure rate will end up making them replace it anyway... this time though instead of another faulty ipod... it'll be a Zune

[DELL SUCKS @ Jul 11th 2006 11:15PM]

JUNK hardware with JUNK software From a JOKE of a company!

ps DELL SUCKS

[Moto Oda @ Jul 11th 2006 11:53PM]

Chris, try learning basic grammar.

[idude135 @ Jul 12th 2006 1:00AM]

3rdsun,

What the heck does a made up noun like Zune have to do with a 3 dimensional figure portraying the wi-fi connectivity of the device?

At Best Buy the defective Xbox 360 consoles was 2%~5%, which differs with other merchants. Such defective numbers are unacceptable for a video game console. It has as you may have heard been one of the most defective consoles ever.

The next-gen iPod will put everything to rest. Apple's interactive click-wheel patent will prevent people like MS from getting near them.

Apple already has their feet cemented with a billion tracks with drm that will tether them to the iPod. Even if Microsoft does let new adopters download the songs you purchased at iTunes for free on Urge, all the music VIDEOS and shows you already bought will be missing. This is the possible strategy that can make Microsoft a strong competitor. And MS will need to pay up big time. For what? Is the profit margin of less than 25% worth it? Of course not. It's just hype.

If MS is willing to take a huge loss, for the sake of monopolizing, then I think the anti-iPod people like most of you, are rooting for the greater evil.

[Lance @ Jul 12th 2006 1:03AM]

Everyone here is obviously connected to the Internet. Use it for the reason it was born...RESEARCH! Failure rates of the latest iPods are within the same range as the failure rates of the Xbox 360. Plus, can we really take the failure rates of a mobile device with a hard drive taken through many extremes, including temperature, and compare it to the failure rates of a gaming device that is stationary and in a controlled environment? I think not!

[Endejas @ Jul 12th 2006 2:11AM]

Looks like a lot of people are cautiously welcoming Microsoft into the PAD market. Could it be, people want a change? Are people getting tired of the iPod?

My Nano is a trusty little player. Sure it's crashed more than my PC (3-0), but I haven't suffered from the stuff described on the 'net (although it does look like I took a scouring pad to it even after being placed in that pouch Apple gave me). My problem is with iTunes.

I really could use a change of scenery. Hopefully, Microsoft can bring something new to the game.

[Ben @ Jul 12th 2006 3:52AM]

"Looks like a lot of people are cautiously welcoming Microsoft into the PAD market. Could it be, people want a change? Are people getting tired of the iPod?"

No. Consider the type of person who reads engadget - mainly tech nerds. Said tech nerds are pissed off that the iPod is mainstream now, so they're looking for another bandwagon upon which to jump. They want to be able to say to their iPod wielding buddies "but look what mine does. Windows Mobile, OUTLOOK!" - and their iPod buddies won't give a fuck. No doubt MS will try to wedge the software into Vista in order to attempt to monopolise, though.

Good luck to them, because something wicked this way comes, and it's the fullscreen touchscreen-click-wheel iPod.

PS I'm neither an Apple nor Microsoft fan (but a Windows user), I am quite simply a neutral observer.

[Steve @ Jul 12th 2006 5:13AM]

Can somebody tell me how many class action law suits Apple has been slapped with now for defective products?

I've lost count.

[ZumeMe @ Jul 12th 2006 5:22AM]

A "fullscreen touchscreen-click-wheel" video device would be an absolute disastor unless they are expecting users to constantly be wiping down the display to remove their finger prints. Needless to say it will also be exceedingly prone to scratching given Apples' pathetic track record in that regard.

Then again... the iPod has never really been about functionality or practicality has it.

Apparently it's all about consumers being locked into Apples DRM like that is a 'good thing'.