Red Zune coming on June 10th, try and contain your excitement
By Paul Miller 
posted June 4th 2007 5:24PM
posted June 4th 2007 5:24PM
[Via Zune-Online]
posted June 4th 2007 5:24PM
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I humbly accept my lack of mac know-how....
But still,I suggested ABI primarily because of its great reiews, and secondly because everyone has used an ipod before...
ABI is otherwise (usualy) unbiased*, and offers a wealth of information on not just palyers, but also earbuds and pretty much anything else audio-related. Of course, most macfanboys like yourself wouldn't be able to tell the difference between my cowon d2 with v-moda vibes vs. ipods with white earbuds playing illegally ripped tracks from file-sharing sites. How quaint. Have you ever heard of an audiophile bothering with ipods?...
(OK, before you snap back, I admit the zune's sound-quality is about the same as the ipod)
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*Enzo does have a slight bias against "touch" controls (in otherwords, not all tactile controls), and non-UMS compliant devices. which is totally understandable.
Isn't it funny? If anyone who has information about the mac and cares to comment on factually errant statements (like yours regarding $3000 macpros) is automatically a 'macfanboy'.
but yes. I am. I prefer using macs. I think they have more pros than cons than windows machines. Macfanboy am I.
and the other point was that any site that in its very name, is excluding a whole class of product, and the best selling product at that, is not the place I'd point anyone to to give them a chance to make a good decision. I don't know, perhaps because maybe the ipod is a good solution for some (%70 of) people. I have nothing to say regarding the suitability of the devices for audiophiles seeing as I am not one.
Perhaps Microsoft would have a better product if they didn't spend all of their time and money making different colors instead of actually fixing the issue people are complaining about.
Right, because the same people who pick the purdy colors write the code.
Who cares about WiFi? Can you upgrade your iPod's features? I didn't think so.
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Haha.. Um.. I assume you're talking about Software Updates... Just like iPod/AppleTV/iPhone..
hey, no talking about the iphone when it comes to updates.. that is totally cheap!!!! :D
(ahem..surface computing....*cough*)
Apple TV updates aren't comparable; it's connected to the internet and is much larger, with components already built in. We're talking exclusively Pmp/Daps here.... you're freaking comparing the expandability of a desktop computer (almost, the mac mini... ;), to a small portable thing, like a cellphone. You can't (easily) add extra physical hardware, so its easier to add them initially if you see potential, and then add features with firmware updates.
IPod software updates are relatively minor things, like faster scrolling, bug-fixes (freezing?)etc...
ON THE OTHER HAND, zune updates could possibly include buying or sampling tracks on the go (look at the sansa connect for this), sending files on the go, and even "synced" gaming (like the nintendo DS).
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You may now begin to publicly humiliate me.
If you're not that mean, you can email me at
rthprog@gmail.com
Release a Blue Zune, and it's game over. I will buy you Blue Zune...I will buy you.
"Of course, most macfanboys like yourself wouldn't be able to tell the difference between my cowon d2 with v-moda vibes vs. ipods with white earbuds playing illegally ripped tracks from file-sharing sites. How quaint. Have you ever heard of an audiophile bothering with ipods?...
(OK, before you snap back, I admit the zune's sound-quality is about the same as the ipod)"
I know you weren't responding to one of my posts, but:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/red-wine-audios-imod-hack-tweaks-the-ipod-for-audiophiles/
And, the iPod supports lossless audio (Apple Lossless and WAV) whereas the Zune doesn't: it "supports" WMA Lossless encoded files by converting them during synching to compressed WMA. (Of course, it doesn't remove/replace the original in your PC, only the copy that goes to the Zune).
In any case, both the iPod and the Zune are *portable* media players. A true audiophile doesn't just have a good audio system - he/she has a *room* with the right acoustic for it. ;-)
It's always funny to read comments on microsoft zune or apple ipod threads. There are the two camps. the mac fanboys (mfb's) and the microsoft fanboys (m$fb's). I lean towards the mac fanboy side because knowing both equally as well I think apple stuff is nicer software, hardware, and bug wise. They both have problems, that is true.
What's funny though about this is, we are all not joe public. The M$fb's scream about the superior features and abilities. The mfb's respond with who cares you only sold 10 (or whatever). M$fb's respond with, no they sold one million or whatever. Somebody makes a figurative comment and then somebody has to respond with a literal comment to negate the figurative one.
The fact is right now the Zune is not a polished product. The execution of the features did not live up to the idea of the features. M$ is always going to have a problem, and be #2, if they let others design their hardware (IE: slap a new face on a Toshiba product). Apple might not have all the features, but the features they do include are always 100% polished (with a few exceptions). They are features that are easy for joe consumer to get and use almost always intuitively. We're not joe public. The one thing the Zune does have is a great and intuitive interface and a nice fm solution.
I personally think M$ messed up by trying to add features before they were ready. If they just came out with a great mp3 player with a great interface (both on the zune and computer interface) and a nice fm solution they would have been better off. But to come out with the stuff like wifi before it's ready and then market it around as something every joe consumer wants is a complete joke. I'm sorry joe consumer will NEVER use that stuff, it's too difficult a concept for them right now. That and microsoft is just trying way too hard to be cool. They're not cool, they're a joke.
I look forward to see what they will release in the future, but their first one was a hit and a miss. It will definitely keep apple on their toes but I highly doubt M$ will ever beat them outright.
One more thing: As for the xbox vs. ps2 and the xbox 360 vs ps3 analogy. That is a bad example the ps2 outsells the xbox 360 even now (well at least through xmas). Besides, the xbox 360 had about a 1 year headstart over the ps3, thus more games and a larger sell in base to move more games.
Nice job with yet another color.
Open your firmware up to ogg, flac, and xvid, and you have my money. Even a rudimentary web browser would be great. And it wouldn't be that hard to do. ogg, flac, and xvid are all open source, and therefore, free. Getting Opera to make you a web browser would not be very hard to do, and they would be dam good at it. Web is what they do, and they did a good job for Nintendo. Its not that hard, to make a great product. You have the hardware, not get the software.
hey look another paul miller post about how microsoft sucks blah blah blah. Jesus a fucking two year old can write more professionally.
Zune sucks. Make it red, blue, pink, whatever -- it will always be a big and stinky ball of sh*t. That's a scientific fact.
It's one of the worst products ever made -- obviously, made by M$.
It's made by Toshiba, dumbass.
It's branded by Microsoft. They are building a factory in China right now to start manufacturing their own Zunes.
And for the record... before it was branded by Microsoft, the Toshiba Gigabeat S series was considered one of the TOP hdd mp3 players on the market, consistently getting rated HIGHER THAN THE IPOD by nearly every non-macfanboy-run website with DAP reviews.
OK, it's made by Toshiba. Now I can say with confidence: M$ AND Toshiba suck!
And those "non-macfanboy-run" websites must be run by someone with a severe brain damage to even TRY to compare a chunky Toshiba Gigabeat with a wonderful piece of design like an iPod.
Mr. dumbass.
I just have to wonder how much MS has to give Engadget to keep reporting on this failed product as if it mattered. It has not only failed as an iPod killer, it's not even a Creative Zen killer.
-jcr
Kids kids kids.
The Microsoft vs Apple debate is nothing but a waste of your time.
Apple users: Stop and think about it for a moment. Most Microsoft fanboys haven't even used Mac OS X, hence they're still using Windows. MS fanboys are still enjoying their new features, the same features Mac OS X users have been enjoying for years. Let the baby have it's bottle, as they say.
Microsoft users: Sure, MS has 95% or what ever of the computer market. But don't fool yourself, Windows ISN'T the only option. Unless your a gamer nerd, you'd be surprised at what Mac OS X can actually do. If you're closed minded and not willing to try different things, the only person losing out is yourself. Think about it.
As for the Zune vs iPod, it's like comparing Apple's with lemon's. The Zune (lemon) isn't a direct competitor of the iPod (Apple). Even though the iPod DOES play video, it's primary use is for music.
Zune is a case study in failed Right-brain marketing. Now bring on those $20 designer name-brand fly-swatters please!
Okay here's the truth about a Zune Vs. iPod.
I own several iPods but I'm a gadget lover, so when the zune came out, I rushed out and bought one. It was a lot of fun to change my background wallpaper on my music player, adjust all kind of little settings that the iPod didn't have. Then I realized between the really bad Zune software, and the overly complex features I didn't use, I was SPENDING ALL MY TIME screwing around fixing stuff or messing with settings than actually using the Zune.
The worst feature on the Zune is the HORRIBLE SCREEN. And I do mean HORRIBLE. Make sure you see an iPod screen first, it's so much more dense pixel wise that looking at the zune felt like wearing blurry glasses.
Other things I hate about the Zune. It's got portable media center interface navigation, it adds more complicated to the interface and it's just annoying. Of course people who use it for a long time or DO NOT have an iPod will THINK it's just fine if you remember your walkman or portable cd player.
I went back to my iPod, my Zune was last seen under my bed, I was gonna give it away but I can't find it.
Oh yeah, the iPod's battery life, navigation, sound quality, software screen, connector (yes even the connector), and SIZE OF even the 80GB one is much thinner than a zune!
hmm so many misconceptions, it's not even funny. I have compared the screens on the zune and ipod and the zune's is MUCH better. The pixels are still small enough that it's not a noticable difference but since the screen is bigger, it doesn't hurt your eyes to watch it. The sound quality of the zune is a lot better than the ipod and that's pretty much just generally accepted and has been reported even on ifanboy sites. Also most people find the interface to be easier to use than the ipod. I frankly don't know what you're talking about. The zune is much more intuitional. This has to be one of the most misinformed posts I've seen even on engadget.
two things come to mind when reading these comments.
1. The term 'MacFanBoy'; does anyone not think that Vista isn't a blatant rip off of Mac OS? No matter what your response, it is. Open your eyes, do some research. As was Windows 95,98, XP...
So if we Mac users are 'fanboys' I guess, since you are using an imitation, which is the best form of flattery, of out OS - doesn't that make you a Mac fanboy by default?
2. Where would the Zune be, if Apple never released an iPod? Lets just pretend MS would have even had the insight to come out with it in the first place. It would be as popular as the Dell Jukebox was, no doubt about it.
Apple paves the road, then Microsoft drives down it, claiming it as their own & trying to drive everyone else off of it. That is the cycle of things.
Yes, there are many great MP3 players out there - Creative comes to mind, and has been in the game way early on. But what did Creative do, at all, to help meld the MP3/DAP market & the recording industry (who would have put an end to the devices eventually hadn't anyone played nice with them)?
How about DRM? MS loves DRM. They think it's swell. If it were up to them, every thing would be DRM'd. At least Apple took the first steps at changing that. When Steve Jobs posted his thoughts on DRM, does anyone remember what the initial response was from MS?
The problem with many of you, it kills you to give credit where credit is due.
You have your Zune, & I'll keep my iPod, thanks.
Nice pretty red on the outside, still brown on the inside.