Microsoft clears up Zune 80 availability issues
By Nilay Patel 
posted November 21st 2007 5:52PM
posted November 21st 2007 5:52PM
Those of you searching in vain for a Zune 80 may not have longer to wait -- Cesar over at Zune Insider has just posted a note about the situation, saying that all the Zunes are ready and shipping, but the Zune 80 won't be widespread for the next 7-10 days. Apparently Microsoft's sales forecasts called for it to produce more flash Zunes, but the strong reaction from the press and consumers has led to increased interest in the Zune 80 instead -- which seems like the sort of thing you commission sales forecasts for, but hey, live and learn. Anyway, Microsoft's sorted things out and scaled up Zune 80 production, so all of you aching to get 80GBs deep into the social should be good by next week.[Via Got Zune?]
Unless of course you want to put a decent music library and a few movies on it. 16GB is a joke for a PMP and PVP.
Tip: When trying to promote your website, try not be even MORE of an idiot by posting stupid comments along with it.
Well, maybe I stand corrected. I'm sure the Apple Fanboys have brought your server down by now.
You guys say the iPod touch and Zune can't be compared, then go on to say the touch is a joke due to its low capacity and high price.
Why are you so afraid of iPod touch vs. Zune comparisons, then?
Actually, I think one guy compared them and the other said they couldn't be compared. Maybe they have different opinions.
Not everyone who likes the Zune is in collaboration with everyone else who likes it.
Do they sell this sucker in Canada?
Good, I'm waiting to get my hands on the Zune 80...
Same here. I've got a $100 Amazon card coming from my Visa work card and I'm dying to spend it on a Zune 80 to replace my 30.
What I'm trying to figure out is what you're so afraid of, Byron.
At $300 and $400 price points, the iPod touch itself is still likely to outsell the Zune 80. So there doesn't seem to be a problem with price differential and limited memory in the eyes of customers. They are their respective company's flagship players. So why can't they be compared?
They're both PMPs. Screen size is almost the same. Both have nice implementations of WiFi. They have more in common than out. It all boils down to memory and price. Does that mean that more expensive solid state laptops with limited memory capacities can't be compared to the cheaper laptops with larger hard drives? Where do you draw the line?
Actually as a person with 3 Macs, 3 ipods and an iPhone, I'm actually quite happy to hear about the Zune 80. I recently built a new PC with, yes, Vista and I have to say that I like it a lot. I've had nothing but problems with my ipods, battery issues if you must know, so I'm interested in trying the Zune. I recently installed the new version of OSX and time machine wiped my library of about 14 gigs of music and video. I figured since I have to re-rip my cd collection and everything from the itunes store was wiped, I might try a new player. I'm not bashing the Mac, I have a collection as I said, but I'm not against trying something new and I for one have been trying to find a Zune 80.
@MacVicta
1. You assume all iPod touch buyers are aware of the zune brand. They are not.
2. The wifi implementations are different. One for syncing and sharing (zune) and the other for web and starbucks (touch).
3. Zune has tactile control. Touch does not. (biggie for me)
4. Sure, SSD laptops can be compared to their cheaper cousins only if the buyer is not looking for the laptop to have a lot of on board storage. If they don't want all that storage, don't want wifi syncing, don't want tactile control, and have $100 extra to burn then the touch is an attractive option and a fair comparison.
Lets see- here are the reasons the 2 cannot be compared.
1) The iPod Touch has a touch screen based UI. The Zune is analog (mostly).
2) The iPod Touch is a flash based player with an exceedingly low amount of memory for what it is expected to be used for. The Zune is a hard drive based player with more than enough memory for it's intended use.
3) The iPod Touch is a new venture by Apple into a territory largely maintained by Archos and other companies with touch screens. The Zune is a DIRECT competitor to the iPod Video and Classic.
I'm pretty sure that Newegg won't ship to Canada, I've tried before, but I definately want them up here. I know that with the original zunes you could get them at Canada Computers. I'm going to the states though to get me one of these. It'll work fine but you can't download tracks from the Zune Marketplace or get support here. Plus you can't even access the Zune originals site from Canada.
Microsoft's in der country, Hoggzing der Zunez.
You can download tracks, its just that the passport you use has to be a US based account. I created one (a gamertag, that is) with my xbox, and set the region to be US. That same gamertag and email address was used to create my Zune account, which used the same gamertag. That account is now registered in US, so to access the marketplace (at least, to buy tracks), i have to purchase US based Microsoft Points cards (from online retailers or ebay).
This has no effect on me since i wont buy online music (i prefer lossless copies of my actual CD's).
Im not sure if the subscription service will work the same way, as i think you might need a credit card that is based in the US.
Warranty is where the trouble comes in. If you do have an issue with your device, then they wont take care of you here.
Unfortunately, no. Although after a while you may be able to get one from Canada Computers, that's where my friend got his.
1. You assume all iPod touch buyers are aware of the zune brand. They are not.
M: Why wouldn’t they be aware of the Zune? You think people that drop $300-$400 on a PMP won’t do a little research first? A simple Google search for "mp3 player" brings up a couple of internet buying guides. I saw the one for CNET and there’s a big picture of the Zune right there on the first page.
2. The wifi implementations are different. One for syncing and sharing (zune) and the other for web and starbucks (touch).
M: I never said they weren’t different. I said they both have WiFi. I guess I can’t compare two vehicles with high powered engines because one is Direct Injection and the other isn’t?
3. Zune has tactile control. Touch does not. (biggie for me)
M: I understand. That may be a deciding factor but it in no way impedes a comparison.
4. Sure, SSD laptops can be compared to their cheaper cousins...
M: That was my point. All of the factors that differentiate SSD and HDD laptops are what the customer will use to determine which is best for them. But for you to say the iPod touch and Zune can’t be compared or cross shopped AT ALL is akin to saying those two types of laptops can’t be in the same sentence.
...
Lets see- here are the reasons the 2 cannot be compared.
1) The iPod Touch has a touch screen based UI. The Zune is analog (mostly).
M: The iPhone has a touchscreen UI and the BlackBerry Pearl doesn’t. Does that mean a customer can’t compare them when shopping for a smartphone? I doubt it, instead iPhone haters (like yourself possibly) cite it as a weakness against other smartphones with buttons. Yet here it makes the comparison invalid?
2) The iPod Touch is a flash based player with an exceedingly low amount of memory for what it is expected to be used for. The Zune is a hard drive based player with more than enough memory for it's intended use.
M: That’s your personal opinion, Zeus. Who are you to decide how much memory I need? Not only that, you’ve decided the Zune has “more than enough.” By whose calculation, Zeus? What if I want 160gb? That’s up to each individual to decide. I might have 4gb of music and the 1st season of 30 Rock, in which case a 16gb iPod touch is fine for me.
3) The iPod Touch is a new venture by Apple into a territory largely maintained by Archos and other companies with touch screens. The Zune is a DIRECT competitor to the iPod Video and Classic.
M: This whole point is irrelevant. They’re all PMPs. The iPod with video has not been exempt from comparisons to more advanced Archos players with touchscreens and WiFi for all this time. Now that Apple has the upper hand in a match, you’ve suddenly decided to draw up rules on what can and cannot be compared. It doesn’t work that way, Zeus the Goddess.
If you don't want a Zune 80 don't buy one. I don't want to hear about you deciding not to buy one. Good for you, now go and talk to people who buy the things you want to buy. I wanted a Zune 80, I bought it. It was a great purchase. I owned the 30 for the past year and have loved it. I just wanted more capacity since I have over 50 gigs of music.
The 80 is better in many ways. I like the feel of it, the look, I like the ZunePad and the ability to scroll with the flick of my thumb without making the screen greasy, I like that the 80 works with all of my 30 accessories, I like the new headphones with the 80, I like the reduced size, I like the new Zune software, I like the whole ZuneCard concept and think it is an awesome way for people to easily share music ideas and music with others via the web with the share feature, I like the big screen, I like the podcast integration in the Zune software, I like the wifi syncing as it is nice to be able to drag media items I want synced in my Zune software to a Zune icon and sync it from anywhere in my house, and I like the fact that I can sync tv I record on vista with it once I get vista media center hooked up.
That pretty much sums it up. I will say once again, if you are in the market for a high capacity media player you can't go wrong with the Zune 80. I could tell you why I chose it over other media players but I think the Zune 80 speaks for itself. Check it out and decide for yourself. I think you will become a fan of the Zune.
MacVista. The main problem I have with your argument is that:
1) Of course anything can be compared, but the fact is it is foolish to compare these two devices. Every consumer has something he is looking for... If he has a small music library, then he may be attracted to the iPod Touch or another flash based player of similar capacity (Nano). I believe a Nano and an iPod Touch can be compared effectively. Going back to my point, each consumer has their own idea of what they need/want. There is little room for change. I have a music library far larger than the 16GB iPod Touch can store. So... the iPod Touch simply CANNOT be compared, because it is not an option.
If things weren't so clear-cut, say I have a 10GB music library. In this case I have many flash-based options as well as hard drive based options if I wanted. Let's say that I am looking for a flash player. Only in this case would it be ideal to research all qualified players (in this case the iPod and Zune flash), but even so the iPod Touch is in a class of its own. Good for Apple, they have a product unlike most on the market, but people will know instantly whether they are interested in a touch interface versus a tactile interface, and the differences between the two devices are too many to warrant such a comparison. Like I said, you can compare anything in the world, such as comparing two cars with manual and automatic transmissions, celery versus tomato, or even a dog versus an aluminum can. Granted the last two are extreme cases, but the point is that sometimes it is pointless to compare two things in the effort of choosing the better one for your needs, in this case because: the iPod Touch has newer and radically different technology, has one fifth the capacity, among other things.
I love zune posts from engadget-
I am guaranteed a flame war every time.
To each his own eh?
And I say this as I look at my mom's Ipod video next to my wooted zune 30, snuggled up against my sony s705 as I just wooted a sansa... I'm a technology whore...
that being said- I have a few statements-
I hope that canada gets zunes soon
I hope someone gets a zune to work on OsX
I hope someone gets rockbox to work on a zune.
the end
you can say anything about Zune... I have the 80gb and im lovin it, thats all that matters to me, next to your funny fanboism comments that is =P