Zune price officially dropping to $199
By Paul Miller 
posted Sep 4th 2007 9:19PM
posted Sep 4th 2007 9:19PM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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Nice, I might get one but I am going to first see what apple is coming out with tomorrow.
I had a funny, but realistic thought here:
What if Engadget wrote an open letter to Microsoft about the Zune like they did with Palm?
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/21/dear-palm-its-time-for-an-intervention/
It'd probably look something like this:
"Microsoft, stop wasting money on the Zune - We all know this isn't going anywhere. And even if it does do alright -- and let's be real, it's never going to do better than alright"
X-D
^ Lame.
^ Fanboy?
How about you don't get one even after you see what Apple has tomorrow? There's so many better players now for under $200
Fanboy? Have you seen the comments I post before? I'm pretty much Apple>M$, but your little thing there ... about M$ ... pretty fucking lame. If you're going to insult M$ ... do it right.
"Fanboy? Have you seen the comments I post before? I'm pretty much Apple>M$, but your little thing there ... about M$ ... pretty fucking lame. If you're going to insult M$ ... do it right."
Oh, so it's a matter of "taste" then? I don't amuse you?
It's a shame because I don't really care what a petty e-tard thinks.
P.S. check your grammar, pls.
You started your sentence with And...
You also used a conditional (if) and never finished it..
CHCK UR GRAMMER PLZ
@ Dan Hubel
"Microsoft, stop wasting money on the Zune - We all know this isn't going anywhere. And even if it does do alright -- and let's be real, it's never going to do better than alright"
^ This is a quote from ENGADGET, and not mine. The only words I edited in were "Microsoft" and "Zune", of course.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/21/dear-palm-its-time-for-an-intervention/
THINK B4 U POST PLZ!
@liquid
they finished their conditional in that post..?
What's better than a Zune for $199 with similar features and equal or bigger storage capacity?
I would love to get my hands on a Zune, but I think I'll wait for the second generation Zune. I'll be buying an 6G iPod straight away, but if it doesn't live up to the rumours (i.e. no touch screen, still a small screen) I'll trade it for 2G Zune the second it comes out..
fanboyism manifests itself in such weird ways. I would hate for microsoft to throw so much money into the zune that they buy their way to the top of the mp3 player market and then fuck everyone over with crappy products a la windows monopoly, but when it comes to game consoles i am happy to buy a m$ subsidized 360, though the same thing could apply to that as well. I guess i just like apple a lot more than sony, and nintendo seems to be doing just fine on its own
Hmm, maybe they got wind of that elusive Apple event tomorrow...
Damn, those are some ugly ass colors! Charge $299, take the addition $100, and go buy a clue about design.
If that photo was the new iPod you would be pitching your tent outside the Mac store right now.
I quite like the design, a lot better than the iPod to be perfectly honest. I own neither, but the look works for me.
Whatever dude! I've barfed colors more vibrant that these. M$ has its head up its ass when it comes to design. Must be where they get the colors.
I like the colors too. Who said vibrant was a measure of good design?
For the record I own two ipods.
I don't think it's healthy to barf colors more vibrant than those...you might want to get that looked at.
I hate to say anything bad about my beloved ipods but excluding the nanos or 2nd gen shuffles the ipods don't come in vibrant colors unless you consider black and white vibrant. I don't much care for the Zune for a number of reasons I won't go into but the color isn't one of them.
as a matter of fact the brown zune has been very highly regarded for its color combo. Check out i.d. magazines review of it.
Man, I didn't even mention the iPod! Get a grip. These colors, whatever your opinions about color being or not being a measure of design, are depressing and f-ugly. They don't need to be neon to be attractive, just something not depressing. Aesthetics play a role in marketing and these just don't do it for me. These don't scream "buy me!", they say to me "don't forget to wipe!".
The only time I ever "pitched a tent" at an Apple store was when I saw the Victoria Secret store next door.
I didn't say you were comparing them to iPods. What I was getting at was that the majority of iPods don't come in vibrant colors and yet they are selling like crazy so colors are the least of the Zunes problems. It's an ok player I guess but I've just gotten spoiled buy my iPod.
because white and silver is so the rage when it comes to design.. oh wait there was also a black one and a pink one too.. wow... such cutting edge design . OMFG I WANT A iPod right now!!! ha uSheep...
Damn! I was thinking they were going to pull a Palm and just freaking cancel it. These are sorry looking devices.
We're not wasting enough money subsidizing the XBox division!
I'm sure that this price drop will cater to people who really want a cheap mp3 player after they see how much the new iPods will cost.. anyway how much will the new iPods cost if they are touchscreen and all that jazz?
If some people complained and yawned at a $100 Zune..
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/13/dell-flub-nets-you-100-zune/
..it'd be hard to imagine anyone getting excited over an official price drop! :-P
Even if the Microsoft Zune screams "mediocrity", I'd still nab one though.. (if I had some leftover cash from Apple's next-gen offerings, of course)! ;-)
Why dont they make mp3 players with optical out anymore?
I'm pretty sure the Zune does have a video out. The Gigabeat S30, which the Zune is based on, does. It's just one and the same with the headphone jack, so you have an extra cable that comes with the thing and has a three (or maybe two) jack AV output on the other side. Again, that's at least how I know the S30 works, I own one.
iRiver iHP120 had optical out a few years ago
optical out is not video out. it is digital audio out.
My fault.
They ought to be breaking even in 3...2...1... never.
Zune still this by left of the quality of the apple Ipod and for 199 is bad bussines
I tried really hard to understand this sentence...I really did.
Meh. With nice storage, and a nice screen, I don't see the problem with the Zune. Yes, its a little bulky, but not too bulky to fit in your pocket. When its in your pocket, whats it matter that it has a touchscreen or a fancy design?
...oh crap, I just said the Zune wasn't horrible. Time to hide.
I like it too, but I'll tell you the problems: GREAT hardware...horrible software, bad support, and the most of all, BAD marketing.
The software's okay I never really had some problems. It does stop responding every now and then. I think the real problem is the lack of support. It has so much potential and MS isnt using any of it. I love my Zune, but it could do much more.
"Its not horrible" - Paul Thurrott
It's not horrible by any stretch - it's just that it's agressively mediocre, especially given its hoopla-laden launch.
Gracias a Engadget.com soy el primero de mi cuadra en enterarme de los nuevos modelos (fake) del iPod
Me cago en tu madre?
Tu comes la caja.
Chingata tu madre.
the list goes on.
Tu eres trabajador en A-1 Rentals?
hahahahaha babel fish FTW
spanish cursing is win.
Apple isn't ostensibly bringing out new iPods, they ARE bringing out new iPods.
Ostensibly would imply that they are hinting at new iPods, but most likely aren't releasing anything new.
and the invite to the event having A. coverflow B. a guy holding an iPod. pretty much means we will see something with the iPod line today
Coincidence? I think not. It wouldn't matter if the zune was free it still is an abysmal product also a couple years late. It's worthless and not to mention it comes in brown.......eck
I just cant belive the applefan boys please only talk bad if you have used one. i have 5 ipods in my house and one Zune and for gods sake the Zune is better to use.
who gives a rats ass if its brown blue pink or green the bloody thing is in my pocket when it plays
please try one
Bullshit. This price drop is to get the "Zoon" some press coverage ahead of Apple's event tomorrow. Why await until after Labor Day to annouce a price drop? Gawd... that should just remain Microsoft "Shit for Brains".
Apple did the same exact thing when they released the 5.5g iPod before the Zune launch.
2 months before the zune launched - and they actually updated it with a larger capacity and a couple added features. the door is wide open for the zune to add support for 640x480, gapless audio, and an 80GB option. at least then they could match up a bit more favorably (in my opinoin) with the ipod's current feature set (even if it does get turned on its head tomorrow).
I actually like the Zune. The interface is fresh, the screen is nice, and it has a nice size to it (though a tad chunky).
All the problems with the Zune could be remedied with software.
- Allow it to sync with mac users
- Completely open it up to about a million formats
- Package no Zune software with it
Agreed. I actually purchased a Zune, but returned it. I was not a fan of the software, and the fact that the player only natively supports WMVs. I would have to convert my entire h.264 collection before syncing, which irritated me. But I like the hardware, even though the wireless is pointless. But im tired of the iPod design, and enjoyed the texture of the Zune, and the larger screen.
For the Zune to succeed as hardware, MS will have to completely re-design it. I still cannot accept that Redmond actually committed to selling an MP3/4 player weighing ONE POUND. IIRC, the iPhone weighs 4.4 ounces.
The Zune's screen apparently is nice, and people seem to have positive comments about the durability of the device and the feel of the skin, but the click-wheel that isn't a click-wheel is a real bummer.
Look: MS isn't going to give up on Zune right away. They may even come out with a 2.0 machine that's considerably more competitive. But the software, the music store and the DRM restrictions are always going to be Microsoft's collective achilles heel in the digital music industry.
MS should have stuck with its collaboration with OEMs instead of trying to own the entire system as Apple does. Microsoft doesn't have the coolness factor of Apple or the trust of most consumers, and it doesn't seem to have enough ease-of-use sense when it comes to software.
You are counting in the wrong direction. Nice try though.
The Zune would absolutely murder many other players at this price point, if only it supported Rockbox...
I have a Zune and have had an Ipod video.
Honestly, they're both wonderful devices.
The Ipod has a few drawbacks, they break a lot. No joke, but I've had two of mine break (With the exception of my late Ipod Video...my Video before that DID die) and have a handfull of friends with broken ipods...good to know how to replace components in one. That nabs some fast cash.
Besides some bugs when I first purchased my Zune, it's been nothing but perfect. Honestly, I like it much more than my Ipod. I think that's because I'm all about presentation. This Device presents your music in an amazing way.
Drawbacks?
Can't be used as an external HD (no problem...I have my flash drive and 500 gig external).
The Wifi is useless...Though a fricking firmware update could remedy that situation.
...other than that, I have no problems with it.
Mine STILL looks brand new and I use it every single day. And Yes, I did buy it the first day it came out.
How does my Ipod look? Like a scratched up piece of shit.
Honestly, I feel like all the people that rag on the zune and say it's just a bad device just have not used it. And if they have, it may just not be for them. But we all know for damned sure that there are those out there that just cling to the Ipod because it's an Apple device. Anything else is shit in their eyes.
Cheers to being open minded?
And yes, I am very excited to see what the Apple guys roll out with tomorrow and on top of that what out MoneyPants Microsoft does to try and beat it. This is an Exciting quarter! Wooohhoooo!
Good comments I have a zune and I agree its looks as good today as the day i bought it. and my ipods scratched up like heck
I'm with you guys- I bought a zune after fixing ipods of several friends. All of them experienced failures after about 1.25-1.5 years of use. And they all looked like junk! Scratched to high heaven.
My buddy bought a zune from woot the other day @ $150 and putting his side by side with mine, they both look brand new, and I bought mine at launch last year.
I still love my zune. The wireless functionality that we all anticipated would have been pretty cool, but I'm getting by without it and not losing any sleep. Even the software that so many have had issues with has been flawless for me. I'm really happy with my zune.
Just like Jeremy I look forward to what apple has to announce tomorrow. I'm not a fan of the ipod after owning a zune, but i'm not going to say apple should pull the plug on it because it's a crappy product.... if you like what you're using, that's all that matters!
This is great! I still waiting for it to coming in Brazil!!!!
Let's not forget that the Zune 2.0 is coming out relatively soon (maybe two months?) I mean, that's not rumor, that's as close to fact as you get without a release date.
Not to say that this price drop isn't meant to catch the buyer's eye when they see all of these new, shiny, but more expensive iPods. Just saying that it wouldn't be bad timing for a price drop regardless of the new iPod release.
Before teh apple fanboi's cry out loud consider the possibility that the Zune too is getting ready for that v2 refresh? A price cut would be a great way to flush out old stock.
Last I heard ,the ZV2(Zune Version 2) won't be out till early 2008
Do you even know what "queefing" means?
If so, do you realize how little sense it makes in conjunction with "iTards"?
I just don't understand why MS invested millions to come up with a device so huge! It's a brick! Couldn't they at least have copied ('a bit at least') the iPod, since they entered in the game so late? I really would like a MS based device that were as appealing as an Ipod to use seamlessly with my Windows Media PC... until then I guess I will continue with the iPod! Besides, who was the knuckle head that came up with that WiFi music exchange idea?? What a waste of time! Come on MS!
I don't understand the brick comments. Yes, it's not as thin as a pencil, but really nothing can be a "brick" in the modern age. The zune is as thick as my thumb is wide, and is about as wide as my pinky is long. Basically, if you can fit your hand into your pocket, you can fit the Zune.
they didnt copy, even a little bit because every fanboi old enough to get on the internet would have complained that MS stole Apples design... now dont get me wrong. i used a 30gb iPod in afgahnistan for a year, in the desert. in a Humvee extreme use if I might say.. it survived.. performed well and kept me entertained while sitting in a tower by myself. not a bad peice of hardware. But like someone said earlier.. where else can you find a comparable mp3 player for under 200 bucks.. hell i figure ill give it a shot.. atleast then i would have an unbiased opinion about the equiptment.
Bought a Zune of the woot sale. It's actually a pretty sweet player, in most respects. I agree that everything that sucks about it basically sucks with the software/firmware. It's really shocking, the basic stuff that was missed by the designers:
1) No shuffle by album
2) No "or" statements in auto-playlists (e.g.: no "Rock" OR "Alternative" Playlists)
3) No clock... which means that you can't sort by the last time a song was played
The clock isn't a deal-breaker, but I like to sort by last played to keep my songs "competitive". The (lack of) quality dynamic playlist support, however, is unacceptable. The device itself is quite pretty (the soft lighting in that shot doesn't do it justice), the player operates smoothly, it sounds great (even with the stock headphones), and the screen looks great for album art and videos.
Actually, you can shuffle in the album if you want. Go to settings, music and click shuffle. When you go into the albums it won't play them in order. Also, just in the general 'album' setting the shuffle feature is there...at least it is on mine. But yeah, you can do it.
Josh -- Not shuffle in the album, shuffle BY album (compare to shuffle by folder in Rockbox). I want to hit play, have the Zune play a randomly selected album in correct order, then select another randomly selected album. It's just silly that WMP/Zune doesn't have this as an available option.
You can do auto-playlists with the "Or" function. Just add another condition in the "And also add" section. It'll add all songs with Rock or Pop or whatever you want to do.
Zune is much better than iTunes in all respects with playlists.
Thanks, John Miller. I saw the "and also add", but didn't explore it. To add one more complaint though (1 in, 1 out)... I would love to be able to have a playlist that refers to another playlist.
It's called farting when a guy does it...and so what if I did. Your "joke" was still childish and stupid.
Yes, yes he is.
Commenting error. My Apologies.
The problem is that there are so many rumors of new model Zunes coming out to make me want to buy one at any price above $100. I really do want one, if only because the screen doesn't scratch as easily as an iPods, but buying one would mean I'd spent $300 for my 5.5g iPod, then $200 more for a total of $500... and I can live with my scratched up iPod for quite a bit longer.
Why don't you buy a $10 case. Mine still looks as new as the day I bought it.
It's not bad by any stretch, and certainly no worse than many other similar devices from many other companies. That's the problem.
Instead of really designing something great that could potentially lead the market, they grabbed Toshiba's average product, and shackled it together with new DRM software as fast as they could, hoping to jump on the "integrated solution" (read: iPod/iTunes) bandwagon.
They did add wifi, but hobbled it to 1 relatively lame application, and never delivered the additional functionality they promised.
The results were not surprising. But there's always Gen 2, let's see what they come up with.
and really, the fact that they never did deliver the updates as promised kind of makes me a bit sour...That was really my intent when it was bought...to have a device that evolved as time went on.
I got dicked out of that, but I still love it.
she is an idoit
Becky, it is really funny how often you pull the iTard variants. It makes you the functional equivalent of someone using "M$".
Nice, maybe its time to get one
...bastards
I just put my $150 woot white zune up on ebay. there goes my profit.
Quien se compra los modelos rosa??
yawn!
I can also buy a brick for about .05
probably serve better than this. guess they're getting desperate with the ipod releases tomorrow.
Well for a brick its has a scratch resistant case and a 3in screen that plays music,videos,pictures, and has built in FM radio. Correct me if im wrong but if a Zune is a brick the ipod must be a brick as well then that scratches alot easier with similar features excluding a few for now. Their both good players just don't bash one that you have a predetermined thoughts on because your in love with its mainstream counter part. Actually try it first then if you don't like say so.
P.S. I own both a video ipod and a Halo 3 Zune I just prefer my Zune right now that could change tomorrow
substantially it's a zune 2. I don't like the things with "2"
Not a bad move. Seeing as the Zune is now ranked #5 on Amazon's top selling mp3 player list. # 1 for hard drive system. At least they can say they beat Apple for at least a day. I bought one a while back after playing with a friends. I don't miss the click wheel at all. The click wheel really seems like the gimmick now. The software needs some more features pod casts but all in all a solid first try. I'd also like to see them open up other syncing options software wise. As far as the device and interface I have no complaints. Apple has to do better than touchscreen to win my business back. First feature I'd like to see on an i-pod is durability.
Also a note to the commenter that claims the Zune weighs a pound and the i-phone is 4.4 ounces. Check your facts the phone is 4.8 ounces and the Zune is a good 10 ounces short of a pound.
Uhhh is that really a Microsoft official blog for the Zune? It looks like it was made in 5 minutes using iWeb. The heading overlaps the description too... what a joke.
its depressing...
knowing that tomorrow apple will announce yet another level of ipod that i will want for something in the $300-400 range, while the Zune, which i would prefer to keep at 10-foot pole distance is now under $200.
just sayin...
i've never owned an ipod or a zune. used both, not for me tho i cant be locked into a player i dont like, especially itune, ugh. i luv WinMedia and it works well with my 8525. only problem is the usb 1.1 and the storage and i recently contiplated on buying an actual mp3 player. if apple opened the widescreen ipod 2 any player i would definantly get one. and i think the zune look nice, its more contemporary looking 2 me
I know the Zune doesn't seem like much now but I honestly wouldn't be writing it off so easily. If they really care to make the Zune something big, they will. This is only a 1st generation product, by v2 or v3 of most products, they have killed or seriously wounded the competition. Ipods are certainly nicer at this point but not by a huge margin, mind you that could change today.
What's a Zune?
Just kidding, I know what they are really, but if it wasn't for the Internet, I would never have seen one. Zune is sold at 0% of high street retailers in the UK.
I'm surprised that no one hacked this thing... I mean the features were a great idea... wireless sharing of music with other Zunes. It was just the limitations that sucked. Now I might not be clear on the limitations of hacking here but isn't it possible to somehow remove or lock those limitations?
I'm rolling on the floor squirting
2008:
the year the Zune dies.
Mark my words.
Microsoft even copied Apple's design for advertising it. It looks exactly the same set up as the iPhone product image. (Not a fanboy btw, i am just saying so stay calm lol)