Next-gen Zune "Scorpio" rumored to be delayed

While Microsoft has yet to officially announce anything about its next-generation Zunes, we've had no shortage of rumors informing us of the company's supposed plans. Last we heard, Microsoft so-called "Scorpio" and "Draco" Zunes were headed for production in July, with something set to be released before the end of the year. Now, if this latest rumor is to be believed, Microsoft seems to have hit a snag. According to Zune Scene, while the flash-based Draco is reportedly still on track, the hard drive-based Scorpio has been delayed, supposedly due to "continuity problems between the flex cable and pcb." As a result, Zune Scene says the production run will now not be complete until "well into September." As with all of these rumors, however, we wouldn't pin too much hope/disappointment on them pending some further confirmation.

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 27th 2007 11:33AM]

Awww, I was looking forward to seeing an updated hideapod...

http://hideapod.com/

[Argot @ Jul 27th 2007 12:42PM]

You can hide your iPod all you like. It won't turn into a Zune no matter how hard you wish for it.

[paloooz @ Jul 27th 2007 1:05PM]

No, you're missing the point. He hides his iPod in a Zune-looking case so that people won't try to steal it. Reason being - no one wants a Zune.

[Totalfixation @ Jul 27th 2007 11:35AM]

I'm going to ask this and tell me if I'm right to ask this question. How hard is it to make a Portable Audio/Video Player? If your Making a Zunephone.....Then I'm going to shut up. Otherwise really?

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 11:38AM]

Well, hmm...I don't see a iTotalfixation or Totalfixazune on the market, so maybe you aren't right to ask that question. I might be wrong though.

[Totalfixation @ Jul 27th 2007 11:49AM]

Wow you got me there...If only I had assets of billions of dollars... just maybe........I could make a iTotalfixation. let me say something to you chadow, as much as you think most people who complain or praise a product or company. I believe they have every right to, corporations are entities in which people have invested, money...? dependability...? and possibility relations...? with these huge mogul corporations. So When I ask the question above, I believe I should have every right. Just because I can't produce one doesn't mean I can't ask why.

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 11:56AM]

You are right. You can ask that. I just wrote to NASA to ask why the hell I cant live on the moon. I mean, they have space shuttles. They said no, and that I wouldn't understand why...but thanks for asking. Maybe Microsoft would say the same to you. You should ask them anyway though.

I'm totally just trying to be funny. I'm always the first to accept that maybe I'm not :)

[Totalfixation @ Jul 27th 2007 12:01PM]

You know you can right? But do you have the money for it?

[paloooz @ Jul 27th 2007 1:18PM]

I don't understand this logic. Unless you have an MP3 player on the market, you can't criticize some company? That's like the elementary school "come back" to something you don't have an answer for.

"This playground sucks."

"I don't see you building a better one."

That doesn't matter! The playground still sucks. Look at figure skating judges. Do you think they can all figure skate better than the ones they are judging? No! Otherwise we'd be watching THEM figure skate.

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 1:37PM]

He didn't say anything sucked. If he did, that would be his opinion...not really a question. He said "how hard is it to make a Portable Audio/Video Player?"..and "Really?"(to MS). None of us here have ANY IDEA what it takes to make a digital media player with features none of us know they want it to have. Hence my response.

Even still, I was just trying to be funny to his somewhat funny comment.

[romeo @ Jul 27th 2007 3:05PM]

Chadow... that was very funny.
I've been emailing NASA for years asking the same question... only Jupiter instead of the moon.

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 3:15PM]

Romeo, what did they give you for a reason? Something stupid about improbabilities, or calculations and formulas not showing it to be hospitable to life? Sheesh, like they know what we would consider a cool place to live.

[Muncheon @ Jul 27th 2007 6:55PM]

I may be mistaken but aren't "Draco" and "Scorpio" members of the Malfoy family in Harry Potter?

[Kunikos @ Jul 27th 2007 7:20PM]

It's Scorpius, not Scorpio, and you just spoiled part of the book, asswad.

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 7:18PM]

You would be mistaken if you didn't think that was already posted a few times :)

[bob e @ Jul 27th 2007 11:39AM]

I'll be buying one of each of the new Zunes just as soon as they come out.

:>

[Chester @ Jul 27th 2007 11:59AM]

oooooh, wow! must be so awesome to be you!!!!

[LinuxIdiot @ Jul 27th 2007 11:38AM]

I wouldn't mind having a zune, as long as my prereqs were met:

1. Flash (looks to be soon answered
2. Thinner
3. method for hook-up similar to hooking ipod up to alpine head-unit.

I had no interest in getting an ipod until they released the flash-based nano as I had no need to carry around 30gigs of music and I didnt like the idea of bouncing around a HD-based mp3-player

[EX2PlEEZ @ Jul 27th 2007 12:03PM]

I wouldn't mind having a zune, as long as my prereqs were met:

1. it has absolutely nothing to do with Microsoft, hardware or software wise.

[Nick @ Jul 27th 2007 12:28PM]

my problem with the zune is the navigation (d-pad) button. It just feels too cheap and i cant stand it. I like the UI alot though.

[L.M.L.Y.P @ Jul 27th 2007 1:17PM]

i like the d pad, much better feel than the scroll wheel or other touch scrolls

[LinuxIdiot @ Jul 27th 2007 2:24PM]

You know, I havent checked out the d-pad that closely. I will plan on making a non-crappy D-pad a requirement, as I dont mind the scroll-wheel on the ipod. My only complaint is that the nano can not view vids :(

[tekdroid @ Jul 27th 2007 10:12PM]

I like Zune. It's the only one with:

1) Why?-Fi 3-days-or-3-plays restricted 'sharing'
2) no ability to store my non-audio files on the device
3) restrictive, platform-tied Zune software with no Mass Storage support (see above)
4) restrictive format support & transcoding-to-WindowsMedia video support
5) sounds worse than some far cheaper competitors

[tekdroid @ Jul 27th 2007 10:19PM]

...I also love the fact that every sale results in a nice kickback to the record industry, whom I love dearly.

...and the fact that no open format support (FLAC and Ogg Vorbis) means that independents have less chance to be heard and change the cultural landscape under their own terms (without paying huge royalties to the patent holders in order to be heard)

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 11:42AM]

I don't plan on NEEDING a new digital music/video/photo holder/FM tuner anytime within the next year so I'm not too concerned with delays from any manufacturer. They should just take their time and make a great product.

[roc ingersol @ Jul 27th 2007 11:51AM]

Unless they get the wifi right, I really don't see a reason to go for a Zune.
(unless you're really into renting your music.)

"Just Works" fans aren't gonna be pleased with the way it doesn't quite 'just work' (mostly the software) and if you get any more hardcore you're likely to look for something that doesn't require a burdensome syncing application and has wider format support.

[Stephen Lang @ Jul 27th 2007 12:05PM]

What actually happened is the dog ate the plans.

[Addy @ Jul 27th 2007 12:17PM]

I would go as far as comparing the first generation of Zune software to that of the 1G iPod, at least in terms of what people should expect. Apple have had many many years to work out the kinks in their on-board software so try not to be so tenacious with Microsoft's Zune division just yet. You can do that if they hit 2G without sorting out the basic issues with the current model.

My two cents on both players:

The current Video iPod is too wide, lacks extended codec support and has too diminutively a small viewing area for watching movies, unless you're a church mouse.

The current Zune needs to stop limiting the features that could otherwise make it a real competitor to the iPod (i.e WiFi sharing). It also looks a little too much like a concept design from 1975.


www.blarnee.com

[cyfer @ Jul 27th 2007 12:19PM]

Do these two music players also have a last name "Malfoy"? In the "Harry Potter", Draco Malfoy has a son named Scorpius Malfoy. Draco and his father were on the dark side but despised by the dark lord.

[Brad @ Jul 28th 2007 2:13PM]

Ruh roh. Some one ran out of brown paint...

[BestSnowman @ Jul 27th 2007 12:39PM]

So an unannounced product is... delayed? Wow... with stuff like that I could start my own "news blog". This just in Apple's completely unannounced Windows based machine has been delayed indefinitely. My first big news story!

[Barrald @ Jul 27th 2007 12:43PM]

hate to do it, but has anyone noticed that the two names, "Draco" and "Scorpio" are the names of Draco Malfoy and Scorpio Malfoy, his son, in the last chapter of the last Harry Potter book? The book came out like a week ago but these have been in dev for a long time... that's a very weird coincidence indeed...

[Kunikos @ Jul 27th 2007 7:07PM]

It's Scorpius, not Scorpio, and you just spoiled part of the book, asswad.

[mazola @ Jul 27th 2007 12:28PM]

At least this won't inconvenience anyone.

[w00t @ Jul 27th 2007 4:33PM]

God I really hope there's another brown one or I'm just not interested!!! :D

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 4:59PM]

I hope you are serious, as I would only have an eye for a brown one as well. It makes people mad, and I love that.

[kcar @ Jul 27th 2007 12:54PM]

"They should just take their time and make a great product."

You mean like the the 5+ years it took to create Vista, Chadow?

I can't believe anyone would buy hardware from Microsoft, with the possible exception of hard-to-screw-up items like mice and keyboards. Love that 30% defect rate on the Xbox.

[miyagi @ Jul 27th 2007 1:05PM]

Sorry as solely an iPod owner (going on 5th one now), it is hardly the epitome of quality hardware. If it wasn't for my huge investment of accessories (2 IM7's, car integration) I would be looking elsewhere for my next portable mp3 player.

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 1:10PM]

I have no problem with Vista. It has been running flawlessly for months now on a machine that is always on (XP never liked that). No problems on my laptop either. I could care less how long it took them to develop it, or when a service pack is going to be released....or even if my next OS is made by MS or not. I have it...it works perfectly, and I like it better than XP.

I also love the 100% fix, for free and for 3 years, that "30%" of the Xbox 360 owners receive.

[miyagi @ Jul 27th 2007 1:18PM]

And I fail to see how the 360 has anything to do with the Zune.

Well the good thing is we only have to worry about microsoft making faulty hardware.

[kcar @ Jul 27th 2007 1:29PM]

"I have it...it works perfectly, and I like it better than XP."

Whatever you say, Ballmer. How much is MS paying you to post such up-with-Redmond drivel all day?

"I also love the 100% fix, for free and for 3 years, that "30%" of the Xbox 360 owners receive."

Yes, I'd love buying a game console and games for $$$ and then sending it off for repairs within the year. Here, read a little bit more about the failure rate if you have trouble understanding:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problems

Or just use Google to catch up with the rest of us.

Final thought: I can't imagine MS is paying you that much to shill. Why not get a better job...and a life to boot?

[miyagi @ Jul 27th 2007 1:40PM]

Guess what I've been using Vista on my Laptop & Desktop for several months and *gasp* it has been working better than XP. Except for a few old devices not yet supported by Vista it has been much more stable for me. You can disregard my opinion though because I'm sure I'm just a MS Shill o_O

"Why not get a better job...and a life to boot?"

I guess that includes blatant 360 & Vista bashing in a Zune news article.

[chadow @ Jul 27th 2007 1:53PM]

@ Mayagi. kcar brought up the 360 (and Vista). I kinda wondered the same thing you asked. Since he was trying to use that to say something about the Zune, I was just speaking in defense. Thats why its in a reply to his post and not a separate post altogether.

@ kcar. I had a red ring Xbox 360. I don't need to read a link. A 10 minute phone call, a prepaid box, and 2 weeks, was all it took to have a perfectly running system again. I'm one of the 30% and it honestly didn't bother me in the least after the initial 'WTF is wrong with this stupid thing' moment. Then again, I'm an adult that doesn't play it night and day and pouts when I cant. I got over it quickly, unlike all the non 360 owners that are upset about something that doesn't affect them.

As far as your personal jab, my job as a firefighter/emt pays AND rewards me enough...and my life couldn't be better. Thanks for the concern.

[miyagi @ Jul 27th 2007 1:54PM]

Yeah, my comment wasn't directed at you. Sorry if my bad wording made it out that way :)

[anagram 4 møngo @ Jul 27th 2007 2:17PM]

@miyagi
what the hell are you doing with them? 5?
I've had my 15gig iPod since June of 2003. I bring it everywhere. Its been dropped at least 2 dozen times, including from a moving mountain bike while off road. Been left in the freezing cold, been dropped in the snow, is used constantly on its dock, with portable speakers, with headphones, in my car and with an iTrip or as an external hard drive. It is hardly handled with kid gloves, yet it is still working just fine. Never once had a battery issue, had to reboot it into disc mode a couple of times - but other than that, it works as it did 4 years ago.

[miyagi @ Jul 27th 2007 3:13PM]

@anagram - I typed up a long response but deleted because honestly it's way off topic. I haven't had issues with all the units I've owned and some were replaced because of newer/flasher models being released. Not for being faulty. Also don't think I am rough on my equipment at all it's pretty much the exact opposite. I do however use my iPod almost daily but the only "action" it sees are on long roadtrips, in my car setup, or at home in my IM7.

[anagram 4 møngo @ Jul 27th 2007 4:52PM]

so what was th point of your post then? You stated that they were hardly the epitome of quality hardware, after stating that you had 5, leading one to believe that you had quality issues with them & only continued to buy then because you were tied in due to you investment in third party accessories.
Then, you reply & state that you had 5 different iPods because of the styling.
Apple certainly has had a track record of quality hardware, and continues with that now. That is why they have their fans. Quality inside & out.
We can't say that about Microsoft because only until recently (less than ten years) have they even manufactured anything on the hardware front? And even what they have, it is basically XBox, and keyboard mouse type stuff. I'd say Apple has a giant advantage as far as experience goes, and it shows in their products.
Now, time to label me a 'fanboy' for stating facts.

[kcar @ Jul 27th 2007 5:17PM]

Anagram, apparently MS has fanboys/girls of its own. No idea why...but then again, George Bush could be found in bed with an underage boy and his hardcore supporters would defend him.

If people want to support Microsoft, fine. But here's my take:

* Vista was 5+ years late and shorn of many major features. It's gotten very mixed reviews and its uptake is largely driven by new PC purchases. Several security companies are now reporting that Vista is no more secure than XP.

* Zune is a one-pound brick that isn't backward-compatible with PlaysForSure tracks. So if you bought a lot of songs with PFS DRM restrictions, you have to buy them all over again if you want to play them on a Zune. That, or rip them to AIFF encoding, which boosts the file size by 10X for each song. Even sharing songs with other Zuners is heavily restricted.

*Xbox isn't a bad console...when it isn't breaking down. There are a lot of industry estimates that 1/3 of Xboxes have needed or will need repairs. MS is paying over $1 billion for these repairs and extensions of warranties.

So when Engadget touches on the rumor that 2nd-gen Zune is late, I'm neither surprised nor really interested. MS is having a great deal of trouble these days executing in just about every industry sector it's involved in. (I guess Office 2007 is OK, but the reviews I've read indicate that it's not a compelling upgrade.)

If you like your Zune and/or are anticipating the next version, great. But even with the significant price cuts MS has given to Zune, it hasn't gained much traction. This isn't a re-play of the browser wars: there are real costs to switching to Zune and following an upgrade path, whereas switching from one browser to another was largely free and painless. I don't think people will ever really care that deeply about Zune.

[reticulate @ Jul 27th 2007 11:51PM]

Hey kcar, does trolling blogs ever get boring?

Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wonder what the hell you're doing with your life that you find it fun to try and insult people based on a purchasing decision?

Just wondering, because otherwise I'd have to think you were a total douche, instead of just a bit of an idiot.

Also, happy 360 owner and XP user here. Only reason I haven't switched to Vista is gaming. Also, Office 2007 is a massive upgrade over 2003, and you'd know that if you'd spent more than five seconds researching. And no, I don't get paid to shill, I'm just a consumer who doesn't feel the need to base my personality around the products I buy.

[kcar @ Jul 28th 2007 12:24AM]

"Hey kcar, does trolling blogs ever get boring?"

(Yawn...) Sorry you're so upset. If you're really that brittle and thin-skinned, you should stay out of these forums.

I read the Engadget post about Zune's delay and was amazed to read all these pro-MS/pro-Zune posts. Chadow's original comment that MS should take its time to make a great product struck me as especially hilarious.

"Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wonder what the hell you're doing with your life that you find it fun to try and insult people based on a purchasing decision?"

One more time, "reticulate." If you like Vista and Zune, great. It's just that in my normal life as a technical writer and programmer, I don't hear people rave about MS as much as they do in forums like this one. I hear a lot of "I hate XP" or "I'd never buy a Zune."

Here's a clue: satisfied users *do* feel that software and hardware purchases are an extension of their lives and personalities. That's why Apple users seem so zealous.

I've met very, very few zealous users of MS hardware or software. The products for the most part don't justify or command loyalty.

I make fun of people when I think that they're blindly loyal to a company, MS or Apple. I stayed in this thread because it struck me that posters were being exceptionally pro-MS, chadow being the worst offender. I'm convinced he was shilling for MS. You'll note that the Microsofties gave just as good as they got in this and other threads about "Scorpio", btw.

You like MS, that's wonderful. I hurt your feelings, boo hoo. The anger in your post says to me that this statement of yours is a lie, though:

"I'm just a consumer who doesn't feel the need to base my personality around the products I buy."

Good luck to you. Don't bother to respond. I really don't care what you think.