New Zune(s) in the works? Flash, larger screen may be on the way.

When reports of a Microsoft-hosted Zune event seemed to fizzle out the other day, other Zune blogs lost heart. But not iLounge, which originated the rumors, and says the event indeed took place as a private -- and supposedly secret -- tech preview by Microsoft to developers. iLounge purports that Microsoft wasn't terribly happy to hear about the leak, and even more displeased when iLounge noted the meeting was underway. However, perhaps even more interesting than the drama surrounding the leak is the fact that Microsoft apparently has a flash-based Zune in the works, along with a larger-screened Zune with beefier storage options. The word is the flash Zune is nothing to write home about -- bigger than a nano, and best described as "not bad" by the sources familiar. A bit more surprising is the large-screen Zune, which Microsoft might be positioning to capture folks digging the iPhone's real estate, but looking for more movie storage. The leak seems to overlap and contradict prior rumors about a flash Zune, but a lot of this seems logical enough to be inevitable. No word on when these will be out, or how much they'll cost, but rough estimates point to a couple months from now, and prices will most likely be pretty much in line with comparable Apple offerings.

[Image from our Design-a-Zune contest]

[kuzu-b @ May 9th 2007 6:11PM]

I hate to be overly critical, but all of those entries were either a touch screen or zune with a keyboard attached. Has industrial design really gone THIS stale? I want to see something I would have never though of. I kinda liked the fridge.

[FrankTheCrank @ May 9th 2007 6:25PM]

Bigger, brighter, better...hehehe....nice try Vole.

This is the amazing world of Micro$oft...just keep throwing money at it till you decimate your opponent in that space. Problem is Micro$oft is the Chevrolet of the portable media world, and Apple is the Lexus.

I don't know one person who would take a Chevy over a Lexus.

[nryder @ May 9th 2007 6:28PM]

Those Caddies sure are nice though.

[toosday @ May 9th 2007 7:07PM]

Question: Why are a lot of Mac-evangelists so threatened by Microsoft entering a market to compete with Apple?

If they aren't threatened, then I'd have to ask why they feel compelled to flame every conversation about the company.

Honestly (Scout's honor), as a Mac-user, it's a little bit embarrassing.

[Josh @ May 9th 2007 7:38PM]

I dunno...The Corvette is much faster than any Lexus you'll find. The IS series is nice -- and the Lexus convertable is ok -- but I'd still take a 'Vette. :-)

[Bart Lee @ May 9th 2007 6:30PM]

I seriously can't believe Microsoft hasn't corrected the huge error of not having a flash-based player on the market yet. And did I hear that right? They are working on making the Zune... bigger? Dear god, someone please help these people. Didn't they learn with PMCs?

[anonymouspimp @ May 9th 2007 6:37PM]

The answer to your question is "No, you did NOT hear it right."

[Klaus Burton @ May 9th 2007 7:30PM]

What's this obsession over having tiny things? I'm an iPod user and I would be happy for iPods to be bigger if it meant they had bigger screens or more storage. I certainly don't want them to get any smaller (nanos and shuffles are too small for my taste as it is).
I want something that fits comfortably in my pocket and my hand, I really don't see any functional advantages over making a handheld device smaller than that.

[Zeus the God @ May 9th 2007 6:34PM]

Too bad that's wrong, Frank. Apple products are terrible no matter how you look at them (most of them atleast, and iPod is one of them).

[nfoo @ May 9th 2007 6:48PM]

Aaaahhh ... the new iZune .. hehehe

[Aaron Walker @ May 9th 2007 7:03PM]

I'd be kind of suspect of that report as well. I scan the blogsphere yesterday and didn't see a single report of anything from anyone, not even you guys. Smells like a scam to me.

Microsoft would not be pulling an Apple about this and not letting folks know what's coming. From a marketing standpoint, the days of keeping things "under wraps" is rapidly drawing to a close. Competition is getting to fierce to keep things secret for to long.

Microsoft will upgrade/improve the Zune, that's a given. But I would certainly hope they will listen to their customer base and unlock the Wifi making it truly useful and fix the other issues instead of coming out with simply a "Me Too" flash based player.

[randy @ May 9th 2007 7:05PM]

"The revolution evolves"??

Is this from the same marketing ape who gave us, "The WOW starts NOW!"?

[Aaron @ May 10th 2007 12:12PM]

"The revolution evolves"??

Is this from the same marketing ape who gave us, "The WOW starts NOW!"?


Nope. That was from someone who entered the Design-A-Zune contest. Which it said in the article.

[rp @ May 9th 2007 8:00PM]

I don't think Mac users are feeling threatened, I just think that after years and years of abuse by MS fanboys that they're finally able to say that MS sucks and have most people agree instead of instantly getting tons of crap for it. That's why Apple users are compelled to talk smack because, jesus, weren't you around before the iPod, or are you a switcher? Golden rule, and all that.

[Chuckles McGee @ May 9th 2007 7:18PM]

About time. If Microsoft doesn't try coming out with a new Zune, they might as well pack up and leave the DAP scene.

[tekdroid @ May 9th 2007 7:30PM]

i long to play all my RIAA-approved WMVs on a bigger-screened Zune.

I say go away to alternatives like the Cowon A2, with support for every format under the sun.

The COW starts NOW
http://www.cowonglobal.com

[MasterCKO @ May 10th 2007 12:07PM]

hehe, nice.

And that's why people shouldn't use retarded, inappropriate analogies to make their point. Take note, kids.

[Jake @ May 9th 2007 7:47PM]

Why don't they correct all the problems with the existing Zunes before they release new Zunes?

And honestly, how many people actually own a Zune?

[Miguel @ May 9th 2007 10:46PM]

@rp

Yes, 'cause Apple has improved so drastically. Let's see, they scrapped their proprietary OS and built on a UNIX kernel that was developed independent of Cupertino, then locked down the shell as airtight as possible, continued with a closed hardware environment with virtually no software/hardware support. And then they put it in a shiny white form factor. All hail Apple. Thanks, I'll stick with my universally accepted Windows box and attach whatever mouse I damn well please to it. Then, to avoid the ever-present viruses of Windows , I'll just try not being a dumbass and refraining clicking on "Free Anna Kournikova Pr0n" e-mails. Oh, snap. Aren't I clever?

@FrankTheCrank

I'd take a GM over a Lexus. Lexus is basically a Toyota with a high-priced leather interior. Their design cues don't even deviate that much from the Camry/Corolla line. Gimme a Cobalt--it's on the smaller end of a midsize sedan, better gas mileage than a Lexus, comfortable interior even if it's not leather. Gee, imagine not needing all the pretty and still having a perfectly driveable, reliable car.

[Jamisu @ May 9th 2007 9:42PM]

A few of my friends have a Zune, and I personally like it. Being a Mac use, I really wish MS would make the Zune OS X compatible. I feel that the Zune is a nice cahnge of pace in the iPod dominated market.

[Zeus the God @ May 9th 2007 10:18PM]

Actually, to that analogy, Lexus sucks. Plain and simple. Sluggish performance, heavier than it needs to be, more expensive than it needs to be, unreliable, and ugly. I'll stick with GM, thank you.

Also, that tag line in the picture, is not real, as it has been discussed and clarified before. That is a user created picture, and that user put that in there.

The Zune feels much better to me than the iPod, and other than that, Mac just plain sucks. No software support (except those few decent programs), and just like Lexus, more expensive than it needs to be.

Mac is nothing more than glorified trash. At least Microsoft makes a decent product that is available across multiple systems (Windows).

[chad @ May 18th 2007 9:54AM]

LOL, you make such idiotic statements on this board now, nobody even takes you seriously anymore; it's truly a pitiful thing to watch. Lexus (Toyota; now the world's biggest global automaker) suxors and GM (still churning record losses and going through restructuring rulez?!). I supposed with your $200 a month paper route, you're inclined to make assertions about the driving performance of a automobile that your family couldn't afford to put a down payment on. PFFFFFT!

Next thing you're going to be telling people is that Earth is flat because MS said so.

Kids...

[Zeus the God @ May 9th 2007 10:19PM]

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

[Chris @ May 9th 2007 11:15PM]

"continued with a closed hardware environment with virtually no software/hardware support. And then they put it in a shiny white form factor. All hail Apple. Thanks, I'll stick with my universally accepted Windows box and attach whatever mouse I damn well please to it."

You are so sadly ill-informed...

[Zeus the God @ May 9th 2007 11:48PM]

"You are so sadly ill-informed..."

You are so sadly uneducated...

It's "uninformed".

Learn how to spell.

Also, he is correct. You don't see much as far as games, media players, web browsers (safari and IE suck), instant messengers, budget programs, etc. Also, you are generally restricted to the white mouse, as a Mac doesn't accept much else. Add into the fact that they are unreliable, slow, and have a terrible OS (OS X sucks. Maybe it doesn't have many viruses [because people hate it], but that doesn't make up for it's drawbacks).

[Bart Lee @ May 10th 2007 12:27AM]

'Also, you are generally restricted to the white mouse, as a Mac doesn't accept much else'

What a woefully misinformed statement. I've plugged at least two dozen different pc mice into a Mac and they've all worked, without downloading a driver or anything. Scroll wheels and all. Oh, and OS X rocks. I suspect you've never used Exposé or spring-loaded folders on a day to day basis. Pure bliss.

Did I spell everything correctly there?

[Rich @ May 10th 2007 7:25AM]

It's so funny when people flame others for not being able to spell. Then make a mistake themselves.

It's and its are different!

[bleeka @ May 10th 2007 8:03AM]

Wow, you & the other tool here are very, very UNINFORMED. You, my foolish friend, are just jealous. You obviously know nothing about Mac or Apple. I can plug *any* usb mouse into my mac and it works. It doesn't give me a message about "New hardware connected to my computer..." Why does Windows have to tell me that? I know there is new hardware, I just plugged it in. I have both Macs & PCs that are used daily. Can you say the same? No, you can not. Whatever one of you bafoons siad the "more universally accepted" OS: go eat at McDonalds every day for the rest of your life you lemming.
(by the way, mindsets like yours are what make dictatorships possible)
IE and Safari the only browsers?
first, IE is no longer developed for Mac, Not much of a loss, the least secure browser that is always lagging behind in development is no longer available.
boo hoo. But for you two comic book readin' dum dums, here is a list of a few alternatives (Not even including Safari)
BumperCar
Camino
ELinks
Firefox
Flock
iCab
KidsBrowser
Lynx
Mozilla
Netscape
OmniWeb
Opera
SeaMonkey
Shiira
SunriseBrowser
WaMCom

Now go back to your WOW game, you know-nots.

P.S. Lexus & Chevy both suck. BMW, Audi, Benz are more like it.

[Miguel @ May 10th 2007 1:29AM]

Scroll wheels are not the defining element of PC mice. If you want the full use of PC mouse, you can't get it in a Mac enviornment. I have four buttons plus a click-enaled scroll whell, and each buttons performs a different task. Is that available on your Mac without the proper driver? No, 'cause you can't map the buttons accordingly.

[bleeka @ May 10th 2007 8:09AM]

Macs can't use a multi-button mouse? They ship with a multi-button mouse! And not only do we have multi-button mice, although you can use the system with a one button mouse as well (do that on Windows) but we DO have a scroll wheel. Not only is it a scroll wheel, it is a scroll ball that has 360 degrees of scrolling, not just up & down.

These threads are infested with uninformed haters!

[dogarms @ May 10th 2007 2:18AM]

"You don't see much as far as games..."

I use boot camp on my iMac. works fine for me.

"media players"

vlc is all i've ever used, for both mac and pc. why do you need many when one works fine?

"web browsers (safari and IE suck)..."

IE? Who has used IE for the mac in the last 4 years? It hasn't been updated since 2003. I use firefox - you might have heard of it? It's kind of a big deal.

"instant messengers"

adium - best multi-client chat program for ANY platform. You still use multiple chat programs? That's adorable.

"budget programs"

any budget program worth a damn makes a mac version. see quicken for my needs.

"Also, you are generally restricted to the white mouse, as a Mac doesn't accept much else."

Flat out wrong.

"Add into the fact that they are unreliable, slow..."

Haha, you think macs are slow. That's weird, because they have identical components to regular PC's now (see Intel), and are more or less specced the same.

What's the lesson folks? Criticizing a mac is easy when you've never seen or used one before!

[Naris @ May 10th 2007 4:41AM]

All I know is that, if there is any grain of truth to the new HD Zune being bulkier then they better shoehorn in a 2.5" drive (think 200GB). Of course with that capacity NOT adding a lossless audio format and more video and picture codecs would also be quite stupid.

Of course I'm not sure how this information reached only reached a site specializing in ipods and the rest of the gear rather than any of the numerous sites that touch on the Zune.

[Rich @ May 10th 2007 5:17AM]

Give me 100GB and AAC/H.264 support and I'll buy one.

[Miguel @ May 10th 2007 12:16PM]

You obviously did not actually read what I said. "Multi-button" simply means 3+ buttons. But you require driver software to get full use out of a PC mouse, like, say, the Habu, to program all 7 buttons. And Mac does not have that hardware/software support. Uninformed? Try no. I have an iMac running Panther. I just have the good sense to prefer my Windows box.

[bleeka @ May 10th 2007 12:28PM]

"good sense" & "Windows" is an oxymoron

[Miguel @ May 10th 2007 3:06PM]

Ooh, look, unaborted, unsubtantiated bias instead of a good line of argumentation for your conclusion. Who were you calling a tool again?

[Miguel @ May 10th 2007 3:06PM]

Ooh, look, unaborted, unsubtantiated bias instead of a good line of argumentation for your conclusion. Who were you calling a tool again?

[Bleeka @ May 10th 2007 9:11PM]

ooh, look! A double-posting tool with bad taste!

[Bleeka @ May 10th 2007 9:11PM]

..but you are correct, I am "unaborted"
Good thing for me, roe vs. wade happend after I was born.

[tobin92 @ May 10th 2007 4:56PM]

Ok, The best thing MS could co is a price drop, If the Zune went for $150 or even $200 and advertise more, It would take away a chuck of Apple's market.

[martin @ May 11th 2007 6:01AM]

don't u guys get it ?

Zeus the God is a mac user having a bit of fun.

[chad @ May 18th 2007 10:01AM]

Believe me, he's not. Mac users are on the whole, far too intelligent for what Sir Silly Britches (Zeus) whips up on a day to day.

If MS were still licensing 3.1 and its only competition was Leopard, he'd still be arguing jibberish in MS's defense.

Example:
"You PEOPLE are all stupid. Who needs all those silly graphics and alpha blending when you get things done with text!!!"

Moron, plain and simple... perhaps the biggest I've ever met in my life, which is why I feel this post a service for anybody that has passed Grade 10 world wide (which includes Ricky from Trailer Park Boys whom I'd consider an intellect next to this one)!

[&*^&**^& @ May 18th 2007 10:52AM]

:-D

your example only makes it more obvious that he is joking.

[chad @ May 18th 2007 4:33PM]

LOL, I know what you're thinking. How could anyone say the things that he says and for it to not be a joke. But I assure you, this one believes the crap he dishes out... he's all over this board.

[&*^&**^& @ May 18th 2007 11:23PM]

u know him better than me.

this is hilarious, what's next ?, "who needs the mouse when u have a keyboard !" ?

bring back the floppy disk ?

[ray @ Sep 4th 2007 2:36AM]

But I thought iLounge were apparently just pulling a stunt to get all the zune blogs excited. After all just look at the name of it---iLounge----- it just doesn't sound like the sort of site that would genuinely get interested in ms products. Anyway I know zuneinsider.com is hardly an unbiased site either but Cesar from there basically said that iLounge were joking and he really put down the notion of the secret conference and said it simply didn't happen.