$150 Zunes -- buy one, please buy one
By Ryan Block 
posted Aug 22nd 2007 3:16AM
posted Aug 22nd 2007 3:16AM
[Thanks, Marc]
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haha.
i feel bad for Microsoft. didn't they know that they couldn't come into a market competeing with the ipod.
can't blame them for trying.
But I can blame them for not trying hard enough.
Oh, they could come. But they would need to have the user as priority. Unfortunatelly their priority was to quickly rival iPod just to boast about it on shareholder meetings.
The Zune is their first attempt the same way The Motorola ROKR was Apple first step into the world of cell phones. Now when MS have seen that it is possible to compete against the iPod their next Zune will be extremely competitive.
I don't ever feel bad for Microsoft...
The design is just not good enough and neither the PR efford. Microsoft has to wake up and realise that Apple is selling lifestyle and technology. If they want a share of the iPod marked, they have to do better. They need a harmonic, clean and exclusive design and a marketing campaign that is more catchy. They also need to add some new feature, like Apple did with the electrostat wheel. Something that makes it different and interresting. B&O has almost always done that in new products and Apple also did it in the iPhone. The new multi-touch screen and the flip sensor are examples of this.
Zune is very nice, sadly it came a bit late and Microsoft is too well known with many problems such as BSOD, RROD, and many more. Though I must say that this player hasn't given me any problem other than the software's a freaking memory/process hog.
I would have bought one for that price but - as usual - they don't sell outside of USA. So if as long as we do not have a Woot in Europe/Germany, I will keep my 4G/20GB iPod :-(
i'd buy one too for 150$. sadly, in Poland zunes officially aren't avaliable, and even if they will introduce it into market, the price will be probably twice of that 150$ :/ on actions they go for 699zl which is 320bucks. you yankees even don't know how luckily you are with consumer electronics, so so so cheap.
So what, Apple is perfect? I don't have fancy acronyms for you, but how about disgusting turd brown laptop palmrests or sterilizing heat from their Macbooks? Give me a break.
This is so unfair, I live not even 150km (less than 100 miles) from the border and I can't get one. As stated above, you guys don't know how lucky you are in terms of consumer electronics availability and prices. Sometimes I think it would've been that much better if the war of 1812 had ended more favourably for America.
I bought a 30GB White Toshiba Gigabeat S early this year. I loved that thing so much, but it was lost and stolen (not returned) just a couple months of owning it.
So I bought one of these off Woot. I'm sure it'll match or exceed what I had before.
(Check out the t-shirt they have on shirt.woot.com also!)
Im happy with my Zen Vision M:30gb (BLUE!!). Dont need something that wont play what I want *codecs*!
You go enjoy that fat piece of turd Zen Vision:M.
But it does suck (@downvoters), try it and compare it to an iPod.
Could someone explain to me why is it that every non-Apple product I own feels inferior now? I got the Zen Micro Photo 8GB instead of a Nano last year and I got my hands on three since and own a 2GB one (it came free with my car). Why? Because I thought iPods were shit...
Yeah... Now that I own one... The Zen's basically turned into a supplementary storage device because I hate using it for music now (and ran into several issues with it, although I've gotta admit the bundled headphones kicked ass until I chewed on them while sleeping).
meh i already have a rockboxed ipod which i love so now i guess ill try my luck with a zune if i dont like it ill just hand it to the girlfriend... lol she needs to gimme back my meizu M6 anyway...
You may all say about the problems with codecs and/or the software but a reason why the software is so memory hogging is the marketplace area, all you have to do is rename the file in the Zune directory and the software will run a lot faster. About the codecs, is it really that much to convert them into the correct format? I mean, if you like it so much then what is wrong with a conversion?
There is this thing called Time, sometims I dont have it to convert stuff, I like drag and drop and thats it, no converting or anything.
A Quick way to get it to recognize your files is to change the (let's say avi) file to .wmv. Add it to your library, then go back and change the file back to .avi. Sync it and it should convert it, just like it would if you had a video larger than 320x240 or in .mp4.
Ok that's 9 comments without an MS/apple flame war starting! We have to keep this up people!
lol the one time you try to predict it, there's no fanboy debate. Who woulda guessed?
I don't like the white one. I'd rather get the brown, but I think I'll wait to see what Microsoft will add to it if they release a new one. If it doesn't release a new one, I'd have to see what I'd want to use for a PMP. Maybe a new PDA or smart phone.
Maybe MS is going to be announcing the Zune 360 pretty soon so they wanted to clear some stock of the old ones that not a lot of ppl bought. :shrug:
Wish I had $150, I'd buy one.
where can i get this in germany? :(
at this price i would take one, even as an apple and ipod user.
who cares about image and looks? its cheap, it has storage and it works (and it isnt available in germany).
oh wait, its the wihite one. didnt microsoft say something about the brown one being for dirtbikers? so even if it would be available here, i couldt by one, it would interfere with my bike ;)
I loved the shark in the picture of the Zune! Nice photoshop, made me laugh, Thanks!
BTW to contribute to the discussion: Apple and Microsoft both s***. Why get a seperate device just for the playback of MP3 when almost every mobile phone can do the trick? As soon as HTC gets devices out with a bit more storage space (idiots for not having done so before), the MP3 market will crumble! I predict this will be in around 18 months.
Well, in 18 months time, iPhone will have eaten its way longer than HTC and will be in higher capacities than today, and most likely come with new and improved functions like GPS and better/improved UI. The reason HTC haven't done so yet, is because of the high price of flash, and they therefore give the user the ability to expand via SD-card expansion slots.
It's easy to just say "this will happen, and they will die" when you're not taking other factors in.
And btw: HTC uses MS Windows Mobile, so why praising them, while dissing MS and Apple earlier in the post? Especially considering Apple's move in to the cell phone market with (at this point) only ONE cell phone which is doing pretty fuc**** well, considering it has been only one and a half month on the market, and there being only one model compared to SE's and Nokia's 10-or-so models on the market. What's your point anyway?
HTC mobile phones already have GPS these days. Also, HTC was one of the first to introduce Smartphones and PDA-phones. They were the first to implement a functioning sliding keyboard. Apple only uses it's marketing to present gadgets which have already existed for a long time, but by smaller brands. Everybody says that Apple is always so new and innovative, but I've yet to see something they created from scratch. They're just good at capitalizing and marketing, by creating hypes.
My point was that MP3-only gadgets will disappear. I didn't mean to be so serious about it, my primary comment was about Zune's picture in the article.
It's really tempting but I would like a larger one and I figure they must be coming out with a new version soon it's been a year hasn't it ?
Why do you think they need many? It isn't selling out, my hypothesis is that they are not selling at all... They don't need that many in that case.
whats so good about ipod video anyway? their front covers are virtually made up of soft plastic, the rear cover is also made of soft cover, my old video started to make sond if l lightly pressed the cover, cuz there was a gap between the metal and plastic layer, and the HDD, forget it, those are so so easily broen if you accidentally drop it, the scroll wheel, itsn't it a bit hard to press menu or play button, or the other three? the screen, its fine for music, i think, but now fays, almost all movies are in 16:9, so you see two irritating black bars on its 4:3 screen, and if you are going to watch movies on it, the screen is not nearly as good as creatives zen or Zune, and i assume that you ipod video lovers all have stuck a layer of so called 'clear platic' on to the front to prevent screen damages, that makes screen quality worse, and has anybody noticed that the bac light is not even?
and talking of audio, I have like 200 gb of lossless WAV and Play for sure protected tracks in my music collection, ipod doesn't help very much there, scrolling though a massive music collection can be a problem when you cannot control the sensitiveness of the wheel, without having to break warrenty with ipod linux that is to say. As a user of shure E500, i now that higher bit rate maes difference, and i'm afraid to say, that using the same earphone, but compare with my new Zen W, ipod 's high frequency sounds slightly hollow.FM? nope you need splash out another $50 for a pair of S**T sounding apple FM headphone set...Every slugs Zune for having useless wifi, its still better than not having it in ipod.
I'm not saying Zune is great, but come on, just because its Microsoft, does not mean you can say its S**T without directly comparing it with unbiasesed mind. Beside it only the first generation, Hope that MS can launch V2 knowing what went wrong, and not to make the mistakes again. I'm sure that ipod's interface is simple, but slow itune syncing and poor photo support, video codec support isn't great either. If uou want audio quality, go for creative, if you want video on move get archos 605, if you want both, still get 605, $400 listing prive for 160 gb is quite cheap considering that a 30 gb video in u costs almost £200 on the high street, £ to $ wors great atm
sorry for a few typo, i'm typing on a powerboo G3, so certain keys doesn't work that great.
he probably bought them from dell, dell had a pricing error where you could buy zunes for $104 with shipping included. dell fucked up big time and canceled all pending orders.
no no, i dont have a zune, i'm using a 160 gb iMAX T2900 for my collection atm , it is so solid that it has been tested for 2 metre drop by the company.
I can't find a site in English that describes such a device...
A mp4 that doesn't break easily is the new Black...
I cant wait for the Engadget follow-up story entitled:
"AppleTV -- buy one, please buy one"
Today on woot for $149.99 + $5 shipping. Get 'em while they're hot
Niiiiice!!!! Still, it's sad to see how did the Gigabeat ended in...
I don't own either a Zune or an iPod, so I'm pretty neutral in the whole debate, but one telling piece of data is the price trend for each over the past 12 months:
iPod 30GB:
Initial price: $249
Lowest price now: $244
Price drop over past year: 2%
Zune 30GB:
Initial price: $250
Lowest price now: $150
Price drop over past year: 40%
Things in high demand sold by a single producer (i.e., no substitution) generally don't see huge drops in price over a relatively short period of time.
I'm in the same boat as you.. The only portable I have that plays music is my PSP. What gets me is that every time there is a Zune article, it seems like the worker ants come out of the woodwork and praise it up and down on how great it is... but I've never known or seen anyone with one.
were can you buy the zune at for 150
Should i even mention the iPhone? ;)
Couldn't be better time; my ipod just corrupted and I lost all my music while away on the other end of the Earth with out my computer. I am more than happy to switch sides
Poor Microsoft. Their entry into the digital audio player market was a disaster. Their gaming consoles are practically guaranteed to burst into flames from over-heating. Their much-delayed operating system was so poorly-received that many users dumped it for the previous version.
Ur DUMB! Nuff Said!
But the thing with MS is that they wont stop! Look at the original Xbox. they lost millions of dollars but they made a second, better one and right now it is the leading "next-gen" model (PS2 is still the king of sales). Sure the first iteration was very hot but they changed processors and now its not a problem. MS doesnt care if the zune loses(sp) money in the short run, they have the cash to stick with it untill it makes money. MS is a jugernaut that really wont be stopped unless somehow windows dies, but there is no sign of that happening. I know people have problems vista but the normal user will have very few if any, because they buy from a manufacturer(sp) and most times those work well with the OS. Plus, office is a perenial powerhouse( just ask mark whalberg) and longhorn server will be a big improvement over server 2003.
Thanks so much engadget! Perfect timing too!
Just ordered one to be sent to my mum who's on holiday in Florida. Paid through paypal and she'll bring it back in 10 days. A Zune for £75!?
I'm ecstatic!
Just bought one. Actually convinced somewhat by Craig's comment. The Zune isn't popular, but everything that I've read about it says that it's not a terrible player. My ipod hard drive died after 2 years (unacceptable, btw), and I'm dying for a new player. I'm actually waiting for word on the higher capacity flash players (i7, or perhaps the new Meizu M3), but $150 for 30 gigs isn't a bad deal for experimentation -- bummer about the white, though.
what's this ipod crap people keep mentioning, sumkinda newfangled walkman thingamajig?
Not to Shabby!!
Id rather have a Zune then that POS Ipod!
if there's one thing that time has told us, never, ever, EVER discount Microsoft's ability to throw money at a product until it begins to take over the market
Wtfs is up with the product info on woot? What idiot wasted his/her time trying to be cute and instead dropped a six paragraph dump about nothing?
that's just how product descriptions are on woot. generally tongue-in-cheek.
How exactly was it a disaster? I dont see Archos as being a disaster, and pretty much all of their players specs stomp everyone elses in the market. The Zen Vision W is badass, but its not tearing up the market either. I personally never had a problem with my 360 (definately not saying there arent issues, but last i heard they were taking care of everyone) And then with Vista, i remember the same stuff when XP came out, I hated it, I hated the menu, it didnt work right, it needed more RAM,etc... But now its the standard and considered stable... I wonder what platform your a fan of...
--++ Kudos to Ryan for the last line in the article ++--
Just bought one. ^_^ I'm no Microsoft fanboy, in fact I have an 80Gb ipod, 17" MacBook pro and an Xbox 360 Elite. $150 for a 30GB 1.8inch hard drive, a battery AND a screen, was just to good to pass up.
I don't see why all these Apple fanboys are hating. Ever think this actually might be good for you folks? Imagine - development of a new Apple iPod that has wifi. Or hey, a cheaper iPod that isn't a one trick pony. Sheesh - you guys should be appreciating this competition.
The tructh is - I have no idea how woot got a hold of these. Its a pretty good deal if you don't already have a portable mp3 player of some sort. I have a "keeping it real fake" direct from gadgetland china which has a USB plug on the end and no software to install. Not much on the storage but then again, no proprietary anything to lock me in.
I would love a Zune. Seriously. My SanDisk Sansa is great for running, but a Zune would be perfect for everything else, especially at the 30GB level.
However...it's the white one. If it were brown, totally. But white? I'll pass.
$150, what the hell... I just bought one. If it's _that_ bad i'll just ebay it.
Well when you sync it automatically converts it. You should be willing to have the time but you know I was just adding my 2 cents. :)
I love my Zune. I think it is one of the best non/ipod devices out there. I choose not to be an iTard so I avoid their products completely. I have had a Black Zune and my wife has been wanting one since I got mine. I think this is an awesome sale and snatched her up one too. But question. Just what is superior on the ipod? guess they come with a metrosexual magazine or something.
It's a good device just as good or better than the ipod, unfortunately, the Zune software was the mistake. Using WMP11, software superior to iTunes and already on 90 percent of computers, would have been the way to go. Along with integration to media center and Xbox 360 and some updates to allow games, clock, calculator and such. OH, and of course that whole wifi angle could have been improved, along with the a higher storage capacity and lower price and most importantly for media center integration, the ability to play Microsoft's own DVR-MS files was a huge oversight.
I stick to my cd player. I love music and I only listen to CDs.
i would buy a Zune, if only it ran linux.
Yeah - I hear you buddy. But we all know that (evil) Linux support would be priority 127 of 127 for Zune at MS HQ.
Having said that the funny "unfunny sales copy" Woot posted alongside says in the feature list: "Compatible with Windows only - big surprise". Which made me chortle. An e-commerce company with a beating heart, you gotta like that. Anyway, great price but no Ogg Vorbis support and no Linux support means unfortunately not today Microsoft. Not that I think this means bankruptcy for the Seattle boys.
MS's biggest mistake? Calling it "Zune' WFT does that even mean?
They should have called it "MBox" and made it work with the XBox. Duh.
I Just bought a zune from woot and I cant wait, I have had many ipods before and im just tired of being a sheep and following everyone else with ipods yea their good but their not the best and for 150$ you cant beat it.
I'm with the rest of the internationals - at that price, I would pick one up, but they don't ship outside the continental USA... their FAQ is pretty funny, though:
"We do not ship to Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, nor to Maggie's Nipples, Wyoming or Assinippi, Massachusetts at this time."
Hmm the zune for £75? Why wouldn't you want one? I mean the iPod is really iconic and all but is it worth double that? They are both exactly the same from my point of view only that its a little foul looking, but its £75! hmm anyway to get one working with a Mac? =D
So many people are bitching about the IPod being much better than the Zune.
But really, how is it better? The Zune has a radio, music subscription, bigger screen and better price. Sure, teh IPod looks better than the Zune, but speaking from an unbiased view, the Zune really don't look that bad.
And it's not a failed launch. They've sold over 1 million Zunes.
Also, most people say another problem with the Zune is that it doesn't play music DLed from ITunes. First of all, that's Apple's fault for putting DRM on non-subscription music. Second of all, why would you buy from ITunes, when there are much better legal and illegal music services?
Zune's are perfectly fine MP3 players.
Gosh, have you heard the news? me2microsoft is talking about offering photos & music on their windows mobile os. Gosh, looks like they're following the leader once again.