Microsoft launches the Zune!

As expected, Microsoft is busting out the Zune today, and we've got the rundown. Not a lot of surprises in the specs department, but they've confirmed the basics we've known for a while, like WiFi, 30GB of HDD, built-in FM, a 3-inch screen and the basic music, pictures and video playback. They also finally let slip the screen res -- an unsurprising QVGA -- and some better news on the codec front: the Zune supports h.264, MP3, AAC and WMA. As for ballyhoo, wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing is where the real action is at, and it works pretty much like we've been hearing: you can share a full-length track with a friend, and they've got three times to listen to it over a three day period, after which they can flag the song for purchase on the Zune Marketplace -- unless they're an unlimited "Zune Pass" subscriber, of course. You can also share playlists and pictures with your buddies, along with what we suppose are "unprotected" homemade recordings. So far Microsoft isn't mentioning Live Anywhere functionality, but they do hint heavily at future software updates to take even better advantage of the wireless capabilities. Of course, it all really comes down to matching your Zune with that snazzy new fall wardrobe of yours, and to that end the Zune comes in black, brown and white. Sadly, Microsoft still won't spill the beans on pricing and availability (other than a vague "this holiday season"), so we'll keep an eye out for that just like always. Keep reading for all relevant pr0n.

[grimace @ Sep 14th 2006 12:26PM]

wow that brown is hideous!

[Minority @ Sep 14th 2006 12:27PM]

I'll be getting myself one of these.

[Malfoy Roark @ Sep 14th 2006 12:28PM]

Give me a much larger hard drive and OS X support and I just might get one. Really I'm waiting for Toshiba's jap only player to get over with a big hard drive so I can get that. BUT HEY, if MS does it first, I'm sold. I had an ipod and now i want something new.

[Sean @ Sep 14th 2006 12:28PM]

I love the widescreen... Apple SEROIOUSLY needs to get their ass in gear and release a widescreen iPod.

[ShiroRyu @ Sep 24th 2006 12:16PM]

"Apple SEROIOUSLY needs to get their ass in gear and release a widescreen iPod."
Why? Why the hell would someone want widescreen on a portable device? Okay you get widescreen movies, more screen space, but it's a PORTABLE media player for cryin' out loud!

Sorry 'bout that... on to my comment on this thing.
To be honest, it looks okay. It doesn't strike me as much as the iPod, but at least it doesn't look like absolute crap (well, maybe the brown one does). I am going to guess that the circlular 'button' thing will work similar to the ipod? The GUI imo could be greatly improved, I don't really like it at all. It's simplistic, which can be good, but it seems too simplistic imo. However, I don't really see the advantage of getting this over an iPod, or (depending what the pricing will be) a Pocket PC (aside from more capacity in the latter's case).

Anyway, overall, I'd say it's a good try, and it kinda meets my expectations for Microsoft. However, they have a long way to go if they think this'll be a competitor for the iPod, I think.

[Jankylicious @ Sep 14th 2006 12:28PM]

OK... price.. thats the last thing... whats the dang price!!!

[tom @ Sep 14th 2006 12:30PM]

wheres the links?

no postation without linkresentation!

[Fuzz @ Sep 14th 2006 12:30PM]

That brown is hideous. It looks like an old leather shoe. The others sure don't do much for me either.

[sideshow_raheem @ Sep 14th 2006 12:30PM]

Executives at Apple -
"Microsoft launches the Zune! ROFL"

[Fraser Drew @ Sep 14th 2006 12:33PM]

My guess- this will do ok, due to the Xbox 360... but i still think people won't quickly swao their iPods (say zune to someone and they'll really wonder what your on about..)
My prediction seperate iPod true video soon. If apple cn do it, and rumours say they can, they probably will before christmas. They have left that magic £299 open. My guess.. it won't be for long!!

[Peter @ Sep 14th 2006 12:33PM]

i like it, i want one, a brown one.

[k3rnel @ Sep 14th 2006 12:34PM]

Hmm so this is supposed to be their iPod killer? I hardly think so.... I can't see any benefit of using this over my conventional iPod, call me an Apple purist I suppose....

[HentaiDesi @ Sep 14th 2006 12:34PM]

Time to return my video ipod 30GB to costco and get Zune.. :)

[Peter @ Sep 14th 2006 12:35PM]

Where are the unpacking shots of the Zune. Only joking. It looks like it's best left in the box.

[Joe Henson @ Sep 14th 2006 12:35PM]

It looks like an old iPod but with a bigger screen, it even uses similar translucent plastics... why can't a company of Microsft's size make an original design??

I am dumfounded

[Austin @ Sep 14th 2006 12:35PM]

but can it connect wirelessly with the 360 to stream and control music?

[Joe V @ Sep 14th 2006 12:38PM]

Looks awfully... thick. What are the dimensions (compared to the iPod)?

MS is bettin' big that people will get on board the sharing/collaboration wagon, but I remain skeptical. I get the feeling some execs said, "iPods are popular... MySpace is popular... let's combine them for something even more popular!"

[Jeff @ Sep 14th 2006 12:38PM]

"It looks like an old iPod but with a bigger screen, it even uses similar translucent plastics... why can't a company of Microsft's size make an original design??"

It is original! You see, the wheel isn't actually a wheel! It's just a bunch of buttons in the *shape* of a wheel! Genius!

MS is about to get schooled.

[james @ Sep 14th 2006 12:38PM]

I like the brown it will fit nicely with my Sony Ericsson K800i in Allure Brown

[45347 @ Sep 14th 2006 12:39PM]

Looks good!!!

[A_B @ Sep 14th 2006 12:40PM]

I think the brown looks pretty decent in an "urban hipster" kind of way. If that's your look, it works.

The lack of a HD over 30 gigs is the biggest deal breaker for me.

I'm looking forward to see the "unboxing" shots of this and how it compares in size to the iPod.

[Albert @ Sep 14th 2006 12:40PM]

Ok, Apple fanboys. This Microsoft 1.0 release actually looks decent. Apple really dropped the ball by not releasing an iPod with a bigger screen.

My prediction: Microsoft will eventually win.

Remember the Palm PDA vs. the first Microsoft Palm-Sized PCs? Now Palm is selling Windows Mobile products.

[Jankylicious @ Sep 14th 2006 12:42PM]

defintely digging the brown.. but.. the Black is the one.

Priiiiiice please

[General Public @ Sep 14th 2006 12:43PM]

just curirous. Does Zune come preloaded with virii, or do we have to wait a while for them to be written??

[casa @ Sep 14th 2006 12:43PM]

Still 30GB of HDD...
Much ado about nothing

[Nathaniel @ Sep 14th 2006 12:44PM]

Forget about the external design aesthetics for a second and look at the screen itself. That is one awesome looking interface. The ipod's screen is not a joy to look at while music is being played, in fact it's not a joy to look at period.

[dave95 @ Sep 14th 2006 12:44PM]

Brown???

I would like to see the research that said Brown is a popular color for electronic devices.

This player looks so bland, basic, uncool I don't see it going anywhere fast.

[greg @ Sep 14th 2006 12:44PM]

now i just need to take some photos of someone piggy-back riding me

[James @ Sep 14th 2006 12:45PM]

Okay well I personally LOVE it, I really did not think I would but now I have seen those pics, heard the facts about it and seen the music store software its won me over. I have always had iPods and was going to get the new 80gig model but now im going for the Zune.

Well anyway looks quite nice, love the screen and has the functionality I want. Its not all about having the 'cool' item its about what it does as well ;)

[nowhere @ Sep 14th 2006 12:45PM]

Can it play Tetris or Mahjong?

[itguy06 @ Sep 14th 2006 12:45PM]

YAWN!!!!
Let's see here. If I cared about sharing music and playlists with others, I sure wouldn't want the Zune. Most have iPods or some other sort of player. So, my chances of stumbling on a Zune user are pretty much 0. Yeah, I want that/

Then there's those who bought content on iTMS - what to do then? But it will at least play my AAC files I created with iTunes.

Where's the accessories, ecosystem, and Mac support? Oops, Zune's got none of that.

Where's We Hope It Plays For Sure?

In short, one big YAWN/FAILURE!!!!

[Simon @ Sep 14th 2006 12:47PM]

God damn that looks slick

[d-man @ Sep 14th 2006 12:48PM]

Anyone know what the dimensions should be? About the same as the video iPod?

[CharlieX @ Sep 14th 2006 12:48PM]

Battery life?

Throw in a bigger hard drive, add OSX support, and swap the plain brown with a white-trash-chic wood veneer!!! then maybe

[Spencer @ Sep 14th 2006 12:49PM]

I, for one, welcome our new wirelessly streaming, DRM-laden portable media playing overlords

[Geoff @ Sep 14th 2006 12:49PM]

I find it funny that people bash a product because they like another brand name better. You'd all be much happier if you just bought the best product on the market at the time and didn't behave like fanboys.

[arthurbarnhouse @ Sep 14th 2006 12:49PM]

The not-a-scroll-wheel wheel is an. . . interesting UI choice. It gives no indication of how it is used, no names, no icons, nothing. The design should give SOME indication of the buttons. I guess they didn't want to break the pure look of it, but still.

[primetime4 @ Sep 14th 2006 12:49PM]

Microsoft will eventually win what? The OS war? I hate how people say stuff like this like there is a finish line in 2008 and the first stack of media players to cross it gets a trophy. MS will chip away at iPod dominance with this but seriously there is not much outside of a monopoly that could sustain the iPod's levels. At some point people just want something different which is where all these other players step in.

[Jeff @ Sep 14th 2006 12:51PM]

"Remember the Palm PDA vs. the first Microsoft Palm-Sized PCs? Now Palm is selling Windows Mobile products."

Not the same thing. Palm failed because the entire category of device failed. Windows Mobile machines are basically phones, not PDA's. Once people realized they could get all the functions of a PDA on a phone, they stopped buying PDA's.

MS, though, is not doing anything different here than Apple, and they're doing it all worse. Say what you want about the screen size; nobody cares. People don't buy these things for video. There are millions of iPods out there, probably 100 million at this point, and not a single one of them was bought for video. Video is at best a bonus.

FM radio? Please. Plenty of FM radio DAPs on the market already; again, nobody wants or needs it when you've got thousands of songs in your pocket (and given the state of modern radio).

Sharing songs? Would be great if you could listen to them more than *three* times. Sheesh! Non-feature if you ask me. This could have been a neat thing; as it is, it's pretty pointless.

iTunes also still does some pretty important things that Zune probably doesn't, although I'm not 100% positive yet but just haven't seen mention of them. A lot of people, IMO, seriously underestimate the importance of iTunes' server functionality - which serves as a basically *unlimited* "sharing" function. Every corporate network has hundreds of people sharing their music via iTunes, and that becomes an ecosystem in itself. You can do the same at home on a home network, allowing you to keep a central music server and sending music all around the house. (Dedicated machines that serve this purpose still cost thousands of dollars - you can do it with iTunes for free.) So I'm not sure MS has even *identified* all the reasons that iTunes and the iPod are successful, let alone managed to copy or improve upon any of them.

And 30GB max? Please. Enough said about that. Especially when you're talking video *and* music *and* photos on one device. I've got a 100GB drive on my laptop and I'm already constantly having to delete stuff off of it to make room. If you're talking music, 20-30GB or even less is acceptable; for all those functions in one device, it's not nearly enough.

[sith33 @ Sep 14th 2006 12:51PM]

The screen is QVGA, same as the iPod with video. MSFT has just turned the screen sideways. Resolution wise, it's identical to the ipod though.

[dave95 @ Sep 14th 2006 12:52PM]

What surprise me is the codec they support:
h.264, MP3, AAC and WMA

Is this a new MS or something, h.264 & AAC?
Looks like J. Allen influences is slowly changing Microsoft for the better.

[Nick @ Sep 14th 2006 12:52PM]

There is just something wrong about this, its just not that great looking and seems a bit large. Also ill wait till apple comes out with something.

[John B. @ Sep 14th 2006 12:53PM]

How longs the battery thats all i need to know if I will ever get one... i mean wifi kills battery life...

[Tim @ Sep 14th 2006 12:53PM]

What I love about my Zune is how lightweight it is in my pocket.

[Jough Dempsey @ Sep 14th 2006 12:53PM]

Only QVGA? No divx, xvid, or mpeg for video playback?

I'll stick with my Palm T|X PDA for video - larger screen, twice the resolution, and plays any format I can throw at it (via TCPMP and plug-ins).

The price is $299, which is $50 more than the iPod for the same capacity, or $50 less than the 80Gb iPod.

I think the extra 50Gb is worth the $50.

[E @ Sep 14th 2006 12:54PM]

>I love the widescreen... Apple SEROIOUSLY needs to get their ass in gear and >release a widescreen iPod.

If it's QVGA, it's not widescreen. It's the same resolution as the iPod, only turned on its side and bigger by half an inch diagonally.

And did market research tell MS that people were CRAVING a brown DAP? "I Love the iPod, but I wish it was colored like a turd!"

[AndrewNeo @ Sep 14th 2006 12:54PM]

If I get to see a price and maybe play with the interface I might get one of these instead of an iPod. I'd never use iTMS anyway (I buy CDs for their no DRM goodness) so I don't care about that.

[Chris @ Sep 14th 2006 12:57PM]

That brown colour really does look horrbile!

And it looks mega thick.

Not getting any of my money.

[James @ Sep 14th 2006 12:58PM]

(To comment quoted below)

MS should of hired you, if only you had told them you can see the future on your CV. Seriously though they will have a lot of accessories apparently, they have signed a lot of the iPod accesory makers to help them.

No one with a Zune? That might be because its not launched, thats like saying "The iPod is doomed no one has one, and it has no marketshare" before that was released. I know of 15 - 25 people who are considering getting one of the Zune based MP3 players because they can share the music they are listening to. Afterall sharing headphones and trading iPods can be a pain. In a college enviroment its perfect.

Anyway I do not see it taking down the iPod, instead I see it getting to be the second largest MP3 player within about 2 years....

In terms of functionality its great, looks are nice (black and white ones especially) and the fact that the UI is not a bland and ugly thing is good it actually lets you customise it.



[quote]YAWN!!!!
Let's see here. If I cared about sharing music and playlists with others, I sure wouldn't want the Zune. Most have iPods or some other sort of player. So, my chances of stumbling on a Zune user are pretty much 0. Yeah, I want that/

Then there's those who bought content on iTMS - what to do then? But it will at least play my AAC files I created with iTunes.

Where's the accessories, ecosystem, and Mac support? Oops, Zune's got none of that.

Where's We Hope It Plays For Sure?

In short, one big YAWN/FAILURE!!!![/quote]

[gooDs @ Sep 14th 2006 12:59PM]

Finally, buh bye ipud. It was painful while it lasted.