$130 Zunes -- $10 Woot credit mocks Apple

If the $150 white Zune was too rich to Woot, then how does 30GB for $130 sound Zune boy? Yup, $129.99 to be precise, which leaves you with half of the 2 cents required to sound-off in the comments. In a tip of the hat to their customers (and a mocking poke at Apple), Woot's "Emergency Open Letter" offers a $10 Woot credit for anyone who purchased at the higher price. My my, how consumer expectations are changing.

[Thanks, Lagomorpho and everyone who sent this in]

[wslcrew @ Sep 21st 2007 3:07AM]

So they're clearing Zune before Zune 2 arrives?

[anderesp @ Sep 21st 2007 3:17AM]

im not trying to be a dick or anything.

but i still dont think a price drop will attract more customers to buy Zunes.
let alone be able to 'clear the shelves' before Zune 2 comes out.

i mean, thats all im saying.

[John @ Sep 21st 2007 6:06AM]

Actually, I originally bought an iPod Shuffle 2nd Gen to tide me over until I could decide which 30 GB player to buy. I have never been sure and probably never will be. However, the Zune's interface isn't that bad and for $130, I may snatch one up. Of course, I also want to see how the supposed Zune 2 stacks up with the iPod Classic, so maybe not. Neither player is perfect and the latest gen of iPod problems has me weary...

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Sep 21st 2007 3:07AM]

The price of technology falls at a rapid rate, it's always been that way and you know that before you purchase anything. Early adopters WILL ALWAYS PAY A HIGHER PRICE, SO ACCEPT THAT AS A FACT. If you don't like it, then I say that's just tough; so don't buy it.

[Chird @ Sep 21st 2007 8:38AM]

The exception to that rule being if you're apple. Where your prices seem to magically stay at their launch price...like...FOREVER. The one caveat being products that don't sell due to ridiculous price hiking **cough**iphone**cough**

[Nick @ Sep 21st 2007 9:31AM]

@ Chird

What you forget to mention is that Apples prices stay the same, but the specs of the products (when new technology comes out) doesnt.

I dont understand why everyone is mocking Apple for actually doing something that was to the benefit of their consumers.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Sep 21st 2007 4:43PM]

@Myself

Amendment:

When the price falls and you know it eventually will, don't bitch about it. Instead be a man and suck it up, that's just life in the technology lane.

[comrade @ Sep 21st 2007 3:14AM]

Great. That guy will have enough leftover for a tattoo.

[wetworker @ Sep 21st 2007 3:18AM]

The Canadian dollar is on par with the U.S dollar, Zune v2 baby.

[dj-kenpo @ Sep 21st 2007 1:50PM]

$8cdn = $8us...

love it...

[wetworker @ Sep 21st 2007 2:20PM]

It’s all planned, making way for the Amario, keep an eye on the Mexican paso.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hiPrsc9g98

[jroc @ Sep 21st 2007 9:45PM]

It's true the Amero threat is more real than ever and most people don't even know about it. We are breaching fascism!

[JoshR @ Sep 21st 2007 3:19AM]

Count me in for the $10 credit... sigh.

[Reader @ Sep 21st 2007 3:27AM]

That shark is gonna pwn that guy.

[js @ Sep 21st 2007 3:36AM]

Are you kidding with this Zune shit? Or are they paying you? No one gives a shit about the Zune.

You've got a great blog: don't blow it.

[GrossGreg @ Sep 21st 2007 4:45AM]

Man, you're a turd.

Newsflash: The world doesn't revolve around you (tough lesson, I know). Just because you don't care doesn't mean no one does.

[Thomas Ricker @ Sep 21st 2007 4:52AM]

@js,

Wait, I thought Apple was paying us!?

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/19/macbook-wifi-hack-to-be-published-sound-of-snoring-overpowers-a/#comments

Man, we gonna be rich!

Thomas

[Bob @ Sep 21st 2007 6:16AM]

"Wait, I thought Apple was paying us!?"

Realised that your pro-Apple spin was getting a bit obvious, so you posted a neutral Zune article, huh? Transparant, but nice to see that you guys are worried about how obvious your Apple bias is.

[Blue @ Sep 21st 2007 7:46AM]

Funny, I was interested enough to go to Woot from the link and buy two zunes.

[bhaal @ Sep 21st 2007 3:40AM]

Wait a minute inferior prices are being charged for an inferior product? Move along nothing to see here.

[Matt @ Sep 21st 2007 4:12AM]

Wow, you're clever!

Ohhh, wait... wouldn't an inferior price be one that's crappy, and since we're dealing with money, that would mean overcharging for it... and we all know who's guilty of that.

That said, I'd get one, except for that nasty rumor of the 2nd gen coming out soon. I shall bide my time.

[fobunited @ Sep 21st 2007 10:44AM]

Inferior product? I have a Zune (bought off woot the last time) AND an ipod. The interface for the ipod is easier to you, but doesn't mean the Zune is inferior.

Ultimately, both the Zune and the iPod are used for what...? Listening to music! And trust me, in that department, the iPod is the one with inferior audio quality.

[modified @ Sep 21st 2007 4:18AM]

"We want to convincingly pretend to do the right thing for our valued Zune customers. We’d apologize for disappointing some of you, but we long ago lost the capacity for sincere remorse. We will continue to do our best to trick you into having high expectations of Woot."

Apple and Jobs owned.

[Julian Bond @ Sep 21st 2007 4:51AM]

30Gb? Where's the 160Gb Zune?

[bruckwine @ Sep 21st 2007 6:50AM]

It's out there selling for 3 times the price of this one - are ya blind or Woot?!

[bruckwine @ Sep 21st 2007 7:53AM]

It's out there no doubt selling for 3 times the price of this one (e.g. iPod classic) - are ya blind or Woot?!

[BarryBee @ Sep 21st 2007 4:51AM]

I'm actually kinda sad seeing that I just got an 80GB iPod the other day. While I like the iPod as a player, the Zune price is very intriguing, I might just have to grab one for my lady.

[webon @ Sep 21st 2007 4:58AM]

man thats cruel tha ladies deserve noting but tha best of bestseses, you cheap you,
do not missdesinterpret me man, means me you gotta show some love to get love man

[JoeT @ Sep 21st 2007 4:53AM]

"im not trying to be a dick or anything.

but i still dont think a price drop will attract more customers to buy Zunes.
let alone be able to 'clear the shelves' before Zune 2 comes out.

i mean, thats all im saying."

Two people I know already got in on this deal. Yea, we are doing a he said she said but still...

130 bucks for a 30gb mp3 player is a great price, not to mention the zune is really not as bad as everyone want you to believe. I have had mine for 9 months and my only complaints are its chunkyness and its inability to be used as a portable hard drive. Great UI, precise d-pad, solid build, scratch resistant, yada

[beattt @ Sep 21st 2007 5:07AM]

ok i bought a zune just LAST WEEK. because i realized there was a 50 dollar price drop. paid 200. 130 now? no im not pissed off. a roommate of mine got a ipod classic 160gig. the player is garbage in terms of sound and isnt all that great. i try my zune im satisfied. just need to find some use for that sharing your music thing. which is ending up to be pretty useless. i just hope that with this price drop i will actually be able to try song sharing out. opinion. zune is hands down a better PLAYER after navigation is figured out. sound quality is great. video playback is a lot better than the ipod classic. just at the moment it is not as practical (until this price drop actually hits everywhere) as owning a ipod.
just to put this out i am not apple or microsoft fanboy.
i have used pc my entire life and have owned every ipod since the 3rd generation. i have a new macbook pro and a recently upgraded windows desktop.

[deniz @ Sep 21st 2007 5:20AM]

creative zen vision m does that

[Meridimus @ Sep 21st 2007 5:36AM]

I'm getting one. Imo, that's some cheap meeeedia playa

[Lex @ Sep 21st 2007 5:49AM]

@ tits

The Creative Zen Vision M can play both those formats. there are 30 and 60 gig versions... Enjoy.

[Rob @ Sep 21st 2007 6:14AM]

Why are you people getting all upset about? This is a clear indication that they're trying to get rid of the lowest selling version of the Zunes; the white one. All other colors are priced at $179 and higher. So, it has nothing to do with the player's worth at all. It's a very good option to consider if you're in the market for an PMP. At $130, I'd get it. But, I don't have a need for another PMP at this moment.

[kruiz @ Sep 21st 2007 6:22AM]

This is an example of why does Mocksoft exist. I have checked it at http://www.mocksoft.com

Curiously, the last strip is very significant.

[Zach @ Sep 21st 2007 7:18AM]

Zunes are almost cheap enough to buy a brown one as a gag gift. Tempting.

[paakofi @ Sep 21st 2007 7:27AM]

I wouldnt be surprised if Thomas posted that commect (as js) so he could make that quip.

In my eyes... most of engadget writers have no integrity and would do anything for the hits, comments and high ranking in search engines.

I really wish there was an alternative. You have a good business model.. Too bad you're running it into the ground by hiring all these Apple fanatics to be writers.

[Thomas Ricker @ Sep 21st 2007 9:47AM]

@paakofi,

In the runup to the Zune launch, we were accused by people just like you of being on the Microsoft payroll. That is, until our review came out, and then we right back on the Apple payroll. Start reading from here, back:

http://www.engadget.com/tag/zune/page/9/

Your reaction is pathetic, tiring, and just plain lame. While I appreciate your attempt to slander my character, I'm sure you can find another site whose authors will appreciate it even more.

Thomas

[paakofi @ Sep 21st 2007 10:36AM]

Thomas, If my reaction is "pathetic, tiring, and just plain lame", keep in mind that i didnt turn into that overnight.

It's a good thing people keep on saying "it's their blog they can do whatever they want with it" because if it werent and your readers had the power to vote some of these posts off the pages or better still vote some authors off... i'm sure it would keep you all in line.

No one is saying you cant be biased a little or show your preference to one company over another... but it's being overdone. Your reply to me seems to be still trying to prove that you're not biased. You seem to be the only people that dont get it.

The mere fact that you had to create an apple-free feed should say something about how bad it's gotten.

With what it's become, it not a simple matter of "skip it if you dont like it" but seemingly even posts that shouldnt have an ipod/iphone link seems to end with it being mentioned.

As said before, I'm not gonna say I wont read Engadget again... I will of course.. i just want it to change for the better.

[Thomas Ricker @ Sep 21st 2007 10:49AM]

Paakofi,

Thanks for the thoughtful response. Please don't confuse bias with enthusiasm. We're gadget fans just like our readers and most of us started writing about them before it became our "job" to do so. Right now, Apple has captured the attention of not only us, but of the general population. To deny that is to view the entire CE industry with blinders on. You can't even talk to a CE company these days without the subject of Apple coming up. They all compare themselves to Apple and their innovative approach to the development and fostering of a product ecosystem. As such, Apple gets an extra level of play on our site, but in proportion to the level of interest and influence in the industry.

I would say, however, that with the iPhone finally opened up, a vast majority of iPhone related news would be better served by Engadget Mobile than Engadget. I'm personally lobbying for that internally.

I'm sure that when the gPhone comes out, we'll be called Google fanboys because our coverage will be non-stop and with any luck, our level of enthusiasm, through the roof.

Thomas

[paakofi @ Sep 21st 2007 11:14AM]

Thanks Thomas,

It's certainly good to hear this:

"I would say, however, that with the iPhone finally opened up, a vast majority of iPhone related news would be better served by Engadget Mobile than Engadget. I'm personally lobbying for that internally."

Otherwise we've assumed the only debate was in the comments sections of posts. It's good to know there's a debate going on in the staff room and hopefully things will change a bit.

It sure beats being told to skip posts, to create one's blog or to use the feed that doesnt mention apple.

Thanks.

[Justin @ Sep 21st 2007 11:16AM]

The problem isn't that you cover the Apple gadgets extensively--okay, that's not completely true, but they deserve to be covered just like anything else. I'll come back to that point later.

What we don't appreciate is that when one gadget has a problem, it might be highlighted and brought to everyone's attention as a negative. When an Apple product has a problem, you highlight it, and then talk about how it's actually a positive because of (insert ever so small or rationalized mitigating factor here).

It's as if Apple's mistakes are less problematic than other companies' mistakes, just because they're Apple. If you think about it, due to Apple's dominance in sales in the PMP market, a hardware or software bug/failure should invite *more* criticism, not less, because more people are going to be affected or potentially affected by said failure, and because Apple has more resources than most other PMP manufacturers to make sure they get the stuff right the first time.

Now, back to my comment about the coverage. Apple products need to be covered here. But they should be reviewed with the same eye that reviews the other PMPs. Every single review of other PMPs seems to tie them in with one of the Apple products, even if that's not what the other PMP is trying to be. The little flash-based players on the market are not trying to be the Touch and therefore shouldn't be criticized because they don't match that feature set. They're usually not trying to be the Nano, either, but negative comparisons abound here.

Lastly, when you review an Apple product, you never mention other products that have already done what the Apple product does. When you review another company's product, you always have to get a jab in about how the Touch already has a touch screen, or the classic already has a 160 GB drive, or something of that nature--nevermind that those weren't Apple innovations in the first place. And then there's the build quality, sound quality, video quality, and so on, where Apple doesn't lead in any of those categories, but that's the company you hold up as the benchmark.

It's just tiring for those of us who know there's a PMP world outside of Apple products, and it seems like no matter where we go, we can't get decent information about any of them just because they don't sell as well. It's ridiculous, to be honest.

[Thomas Ricker @ Sep 21st 2007 11:25AM]

@Justin,

As I learned from Men are From Mars... I understand that you feel that way and that's important in and of itself. However, you should be able to backup each of your points with links if true. While what you say may happen occasionally (though I'm not aware of any examples), it's certainly not common.

I can certainly come up with many examples where what you say is simply not true. However, the burden of proof is with you.

Thomas

[Justin @ Sep 21st 2007 12:11PM]

@ Thomas

I'm at work. I'm lucky I got the text typed, let alone going back through old articles for research purposes.

If I get time later, I'll oblige you. Otherwise, I may let others stand in my stead. It really shouldn't be that hard.

[paakofi @ Sep 21st 2007 12:56PM]

An example that I remember off the top of my head -- because i posted on that article -- is with the new Creative Zen devices.

When it was announced, engadget asked us to wait to see what apple had to offer but when the apple devices were launched and seemed inferior -- as we all suspected -- to the zen, none of the ipod review entries made a reference to the creative zen as being possibly better.

I understand why you'd say the onus is on us to prove what we're saying but really it should be.

It's not like we've sat down for months without saying anything and suddenly sprung our complaints on you.

They've steadily been coming through for a while now... I personally wont be making any quips about how much of engadget apple owns or any silly remarks about igadget etc, but i'm sure you (the authors) have been constantly (and quickly) made aware of these things when they've happened.

The first step would be to acknowledge that there's something wrong.

[Ryan @ Sep 21st 2007 2:32PM]

Just to add my 2c that I agree with Justin. I'm at work as well, but I remember at least one post that nearly made me swear off engadget altogether.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/19/apple-ties-gateway-for-third-in-pc-shipments-looks-to-steal-the/

Reading the source article, it's sorta amazing that Engadget _still_ managed to turn it into an Apple post. It's easy to say that you don't have a bias, treat all devices equal, etc. But that's just not the case.

I guess the thing that frustrates me the most is that you have a great opportunity here to promote competition, advancement, and awareness of different and unique products. You have a chance to come down hard on features you don't like, and promote ones you do. But the overwhelming feeling I get when reading the media player section now is that if you're not in love with Apple products, you're really missing out. But nearly every non-engadget/fanboi review I read on other major media players is along the lines of cheaper/more features/more complicated interface/better sound and video/less hip than the iPod(phone).

I get that Apple is *the* player out there right now. And that comparing any other media player is nearly mandatory. The problem is that you seem to make the comparison with the assumption that the iPod is the ideal media player (or the iPhone is the ideal phone), and compare from there.

The rest of your blog is fun to read, and you usually even do a decent job on computers even with Apple being a major player (the article linked above being a somewhat major exception), but the blog just goes off the deep-end of fanboism when it comes to the iPod and iPhone, and it's sad that I have to filter out any gadget news just cause I know it'll be stomach-turningly biased.

[Henri @ Sep 21st 2007 7:45AM]

well let me put it this way, if they sold the Zune here with THAT price not a random really high price, then I might consider buying it. As it is everything that eventually gets here is so highly overpriced it makes me sick. So for example all the different pods cost basically 100$$ more than in US. But I guess I'm just whining I believe the British have even higher prices. Still though if i'd ever get with the current century and ever DO buy a "mp3 player/video player/single mother" I would probably make it an iPod of some sort.

[Mrmean @ Sep 21st 2007 8:01AM]

LMFAO @ the crapasss Zune

[aaron @ Sep 21st 2007 8:24AM]

I shouldn't have to say this, but thanks for not horribly slanting this article in some apple fanboy way. I think you can tell, we're getting sick of the bias...

[Patrick M @ Sep 21st 2007 8:36AM]

I'll take a refurb Creative Zen M for only $150, thanks. It still has a full warranty, and plays the most formats. As a matter of fact, I just ordered one :)