Custom Zune colors arrive

Got $74 to blow on a Zune that isn't watermelon, brown, blue, pink, etc.? Well c'mon in, the fine proprietors of Colorware are now processing new colors for Zunes, and will redo-ify your current player for $74, or send you a new one all done up for $325. (Note: new Zunes cost under $200 at some online retailers, so if you're thinking over a new device we suggest you buy one yourself, send it in, and save the extra dough.) Now you'll double the surprise when showing off your portable to your more uninformed friends: "Microsoft makes an MP3 player? And it comes in fuchsia??"

[Thanks, Joel]

[Macinjosh @ May 18th 2007 4:30AM]

"Microsoft makes an MP3 player?"

Don't you mean "Toshiba makes an MP3 player?" ;-)

[michael @ May 18th 2007 4:53AM]

That's awesome news. I sent my Xbox 360 to Colorware, and it came back great. Now I've got a greenish/bluish Xbox 360 and it's really cool looking. My friends were really impressed with it. Now it's cool that I can change my Zune looks too. My black Zune looks fine, but I wouldn't mind putting some more green and blue to match my 360. This is great news Engadget, you rock.

[Edward Grefenstette @ May 18th 2007 5:40AM]

@Michael
Man, you can just SMELL the astroturf, can't ya...

[michael @ May 18th 2007 5:02PM]

Exactly how am I different from all the other Apple users on here astroturing?

[Tivac @ May 18th 2007 5:58AM]

I bet it ruins the doubleshot effect :(

Not like that's a deal-breaker, but I still think it's really neat.

[Ryan @ May 18th 2007 6:01AM]

Zune failed, the end.

[Shiva N Singh @ May 18th 2007 6:24AM]

@Ryan

How can you call the Zune a faliure when it has 10.2% market share (as of December) in all Hard Drive based mp3 players?
Come out of your stupid world of ignorance and accept the fact that the Zune's an amazing device!

[Chris @ May 18th 2007 8:52AM]

Zune hasn't got 10% market share of hard drive players.

It might have 10% of 30GB players retailing for $249 at Circuit City and Best Buy, and not counting sales from Amazon or the Apple store. In other words, about 1-2% of the total market.

[Quacktastic @ May 18th 2007 10:07AM]

Because, of all the fanboys on this site (particularly of the ones that write the articles), he's the most fanboy-ist of them all. Where most pubescent teenboys had posters of Pamela Anderson (or Carmen Electra) arched over some hot car on the wall of their bedroom growing up, he probably had one of old Jobsy arched over an Apple 2e, sans black turtleneck, peering over his shoulder seductively.

[brutha-man @ May 18th 2007 7:36AM]

sorry i-fanatics Zune's not going anywhere. make room

[podge, irish macbook @ May 18th 2007 8:31AM]

Hi i am a mac user and an avid iPod fan but i have to say the Zune is not going any where. We have to admit Zune is trying to implement features that the iPod has not even bore thought to. I feel in about two yeears the Zune will be huge competition for the apple iPod

[ray @ May 18th 2007 11:49AM]

You idiot, you obviously know nothing about npd which gathers the statistics for zune and others. NPD does take into account apple store(and online) sales, look here:
http://zuneinsider.com/archive/2007/05/01/what-i-learned-about-npd.aspx

[Chris @ May 18th 2007 12:12PM]

Face it, Zune market share is declining...

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/113293.asp

[tweaker_b @ May 18th 2007 8:56AM]

Zune? 10.2% in December? Are you in another world or something?

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a4mxDq8JK89U

Microsoft Corp.'s Zune device dropped to fifth place from second in the U.S. market for digital media players in its second week in stores, market researcher NPD Group Inc. said.

Zune captured 2.1 percent of the market in the week ended Nov. 25, said Stephen Baker, an analyst at Port Washington, New York-based NPD, in an interview today. Baker said Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod remained the leader, with 39.4 percent that week, based on units sold.

[Phil @ May 18th 2007 10:13AM]

What I want to know is, how do they "color" it?

If I remember correctly, the Zune has that rubbery touchy-feely material covering its exterior. Seems like it would be hard to paint.

[Jade Robbins @ May 18th 2007 10:14AM]

I really don't think the zune has anywhere to go but up. I think it's a great device for people who don't YET have an ipod. I had 4 friends buy one after they saw mine, but none them owned an ipod. I think once you own an ipod you somehow turn into a rabid horse with blinders on. The zune has a much nicer interface and a bigger screen, features for me (and most people) seal the deal. That is unless you are dug in the ipod trenches. I honestly think that the thing holding the zune back and the thing that keeps ipod users loyal is the software used to interface with them. The zune software is mediocre at best while itunes is very full featured.

[Noah Ramon @ May 18th 2007 11:38AM]

I have to admit that I find the Zune interface... displeasing. Yeah, part of that is my familiarity with the iPod interface, but I really think that the issue is that MS was torn between "it's gotta have a round thing on front for image recognition", "it won't have a scroll wheel" and "we still want the drill-down interface". As a result, you've got a d-pad and then also this vermiform "back" button.

Eh. Ultimately, I think that MS's mistake with the Zune certainly wasn't that they made a bad player, but rather that they made one that's so AGGRESSIVELY mediocre. (I've always found the "larger" screen to be a red herring - if it's the same resolution, it just means that images on the screen are a little blockier.) The only reasons I've heard people give for buying them have really been that they aren't iPods and the name recognition.


Back on the main topic, I do think it's cool that Colorware's doing this. While I'd always say DIY for this kind of thing, it's a nice mod-for-those-without-the-confidence-to-DIY-themselves...

[Aaron @ May 18th 2007 10:21AM]

Same tired "witty" jokes from the Apple lemmings......Yawn

[lev polvoi @ May 18th 2007 11:22AM]

It's so ugly. Only 13 year old girls would buy such a monstrosity ):

[Jeff @ May 18th 2007 12:05PM]

It really hit me just last night how badly the Zune, at least from a marketing point of view, has indeed, yes, failed (so far)...

My roommate came home from work, walked in the door, and asked, "What's up?"

"Not too much. 'bought a Zune today." (Yes, I bought a Zune. Shut up with your iPod is the coolerest shpiel. No one cares what you like; they care what THEY like. In this case, "they" is me. I've owned two iPods, an Archos, and a Zen. The Zune's interface freakin' rocks. I'm as surprised as you are that MS busted out a kickin' UI, but they did, so just deal with it. Anyway, moving on...)

"What's a Zune?", she said.

"Wait. Seriously, you don't know what a Zune is?", I asked, not intending to poke fun, but rather because I was actually surprised. I mean, sure, people may or may not LIKE the Zune, but everyone's at least HEARD of it, right? Wrong.

"No, I don't. What is it?"

"It's that", I say, and point to it on the table.

"So it's like an iPod?"

"Yeah."

"But better?"

"Well, I think so."

"Of course. I mean, that's why you bought it."

"Right."

"Ok, cool. Well, cya", and then she went into her room.

So, like I said, back at the begining of this novella of a post, from a marketing point of view, yeah, the Zune has failed. My roomate and I are both in our twenties; we should be Microsoft's prime demographic, and one of us has never even heard of this thing. That just shouldn't be.

[James @ May 18th 2007 1:38PM]

Jeff, that was a great breakdown of a real-world Zune interaction. Is your roommate interested in this sort of thing? I'm surprised she didn't even pick it up. . . but that might say something about the appeal of the design.

I'm still hoping Microsoft will revamp things a bit in their 2nd release. This really isn't bad for a phase 1 product offering.

[Jeff @ May 18th 2007 3:36PM]

I wouldn't say my roommate is "interested" in this sort of thing, but I would say she's usually aware of stuff. I mean, she has her own notebook, a digital camera, a myspace page, was thrilled when I brought home the Wii, etc. Obviously not as connected as your typical engadget reader, but not someone who's completely out of touch with technology either, ya know? If she was going to buy a Zune or not, one would assume she'd at least know what one was... or, like you said, would've at least picked it up and looked at it once she did. But nope, she just walked away, indifferent.

And, let's face it, if I had told her I just bought a new iPod, she probably would've said, "Oh yeah? What makes it new? Lemme play."

[emma @ May 18th 2007 2:43PM]

i think this product is amazing and well described...

[Spencer Ferguson @ May 18th 2007 6:06PM]

Pretty cool! Maybe Microsoft will decide to make a Zune phone next!

-SF
http://www.wasatchsoftware.com/blog

[Greg @ May 18th 2007 8:50PM]

Too bad zunes suck.

[Wally Mahar @ May 19th 2007 12:38PM]

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry.
talk about the exterior paint job. or SHUTUP.

btw are they mixing their own rubber/plastic or painting it?

[Woody56292 @ May 20th 2007 12:29AM]

it gets rid of the double shot... =(
I think they just take the casing off and put a new case on... probably won't have that same rubbery feel, and losing the double-shot effect would suck. Thanks but no thanks, my white zune is fine as it is.
( although if anybody would be willing to trade for one of those zune team orange zunes, I would be happy to deal )

[Paul @ May 27th 2007 12:07AM]

Jeez, what do u expect from a barely 6 month old device? its not like when the ipod came out it was a big hit. It took it about 2-3 years before it became popular. So calm down and let the zune grow.

[Ladyvan @ Jun 4th 2007 5:18PM]

I LOVE MY ZUNE!! sure....the marketplace could use some work but the zune is new give it time to grow. but on subject i would like a color change. i bought a black one. i like it but my favorite color is green.....so yeah i want a green one. so how do i get colorware to change the color of my zune?

[TylerK @ Jun 5th 2007 12:13PM]

Well, this would be cool if the actual thing worked. I got one 3 days ago and its the biggest pos I've ever had. I've had more problems with it in 3 days than I did with my Ipod for over 2 years. Shuts off randomly, skips, shocks you.....GG microsoft GG.