Zune headed for Canada on June 13th!

Hear that? That's the sound of dozens of Canadians rejoicing as they finally get a launch date for the Zune in Canada, a year and a half after Zune's debut in the US. As rumored, Canadians will have a slightly limited lineup on offer, with no 30GB or green versions to puzzle over, but the red Zune 80 will indeed be making an appearance, along with the rest of the players. Prices range from $140 to $250 Canadian Dollars, which sources tell us is a real currency akin to salt traded by the ancients or a Starbucks Card.

[RC @ May 6th 2008 11:35AM]

Are Zunes easy to use with webbed fingers?

[Michael Writhe @ May 6th 2008 11:49AM]

i dont have any problems... i've had my zune for a year and a half... bout time that the markeplace will actually let me sign in though ;-)

[Akshat @ May 6th 2008 11:36AM]

that's a helluva Canada joke

[CraigJ @ May 6th 2008 12:37PM]

Especially since the Canadian dollar is equal to the US dollar now...

[fanman @ May 6th 2008 2:37PM]

Hehe americans making currency jokes.

[applefan @ May 6th 2008 11:37AM]

Dozens of Canadians.

LOL. That's alot for a Zune.

[sinai @ May 6th 2008 12:01PM]

LOL YOU GET THE OBVIOUS JOKE THAT WAS MADE IN THE POST! RANK UP FOR YOU GOOD SIR!

[charles.a.ray @ May 6th 2008 11:37AM]

"Dozens;" seriously, what is wrong with you guys? Do you really have to take a shot at the Zune every time you report on it? We all know you hate Microsoft, that's not a surprise, but at least throw a little subtlety on your bias.

[applefan @ May 6th 2008 11:38AM]

Engadget hates Microsoft. Really.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/07/bill-gates-the-exit-interview/

[CubeGuy @ May 6th 2008 11:41AM]

M'eh. I'm a Zune owner. I know that there aren't many of us.

[Thomas @ May 6th 2008 12:04PM]

Seriously what is up with Paul MIller. Paul why the shots at Zune?

[BoxOfSnoo @ May 6th 2008 12:26PM]

It doesn't say how many dozens, sheesh. Just because we use a base 12 numbering system in Canada doesn't mean you have to get all hissy about it.

[nd @ May 6th 2008 1:08PM]

I dunno...I think it was a shot at Canada more than at the Zune. Canada has a little over 1/10th of the population of the US. Zune has only sold a little over 2,000,000 units. Let's suppose that ALL of those were sold into the US- that would mean they have about 200,000 people that were their potential market for Zunes- but many have already bought other players...I bet they don't sell more than 50,000 units there in the next 2 years.

Kinda makes the effort seem pointless and not worth the marketing dollars and effort.

[nathan_rudyk @ May 6th 2008 2:25PM]

The problem with these pathetic Engadget "jokes" is that it's the same negative joke over and over. Try to be at least a little bit creative.

[omnicloud @ May 6th 2008 11:31PM]

Well that also could be a jab at our minuscule population (in comparison to the US).

[Saad @ May 6th 2008 3:29PM]

Finally, eh?

[Rich @ May 6th 2008 11:44AM]

Released on Friday 13th?

Good work, Microsoft.

[Ogre @ May 6th 2008 11:45AM]

The silence is deafening....

[Jubei @ May 6th 2008 11:47AM]

.....and somewhere in the distance a lone dog barked.

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 6th 2008 12:46PM]

Are you sure that sound wasn't from a lonely moose trying to get Steve Ballmer's attention?

[crycry @ May 6th 2008 11:46AM]

Apparently $3000 of my Canadian dollars can buy me a house in one of many "rustbelt" cities in the grand ol' US of A. In related news, thanks for making all my electronics about 50% cheaper.

[Neal @ May 6th 2008 11:49AM]

But then you would have to live in the rust belt...

[sinai @ May 6th 2008 12:03PM]

mac fans and canadians have one thing in common: they think the rest of us care and they won't shut up about it.

[Jaws @ May 6th 2008 12:06PM]

don't forget to mention that our currency isn't undulating like the spastic eel that the US currency is. ;)
If it continues to tank.... I think you head into mexico, and they'll ask you to pay in pesos, Cdn $, or Euros.... no US, too unstable senor.

[simon @ May 6th 2008 2:10PM]

@ sinai

Good one eh!

[holycow @ May 6th 2008 11:51AM]

they should release an exclusive Zune for canada day!

[YpoCaramel @ May 6th 2008 11:55AM]

I don't understand why the Zune was launched America only and took over a year to go international (and by that, just to Canada). The iPod was available globally within a short time - though the Zune music service complicates matter, at least select markets would have been better.

And there's still no unicode support.

[tekdroid @ May 6th 2008 12:14PM]

YpoCaramel @ May 6th 2008 11:55AM

I don't understand why the Zune was launched America only and took over a year to go international (and by that, just to Canada).
---------
Lots of items are tested in local markets before international sales with so many other companies. I think Microsoft are more-or-less getting their feet wet in this (new) market for them, making changes where appropriate and responding to the most popular feedback before going full-on.

That said, i think my list of priorities of what make a good player go right up against Microsoft's game plan (and Sony's current direction, and Apple's)...
http://flac.sourceforge.net
removable batteries and flash
gapless playback
two-way Mass-Storage drag/drop copy/paste.

[Morgan Percy @ May 6th 2008 1:54PM]

They had to modify it for Canada's crippled bluetooth laws.

[Pavan @ May 6th 2008 3:35PM]

...because the Zune has bluetooth?

[Skeezle @ May 6th 2008 11:57AM]

welcome to the socialist

[Skeezle @ May 6th 2008 11:58AM]

er.. .you make it you, eh.

[DG @ May 6th 2008 12:02PM]

I love all of the "who cares" posts. They're funny, because irony is funny. Clearly, you do.

[CosterMonger @ May 6th 2008 12:42PM]

we just don't care in the form of nausea
It's gross, we don't want to look at it, but you sorta do a the same time, like a freshly cut of finger.

"oh look, there's that ZOON, eh!?"
"who cares... when is Apple going to get off their asses so we can stop ordering iPhones from the states and err hacking them to run on our crappy rogers wireless plan, eh!?"

[StalkerZERO @ May 6th 2008 12:03PM]

Zunes headed to Canada June 13th????? Really and truly???!!!!!! :D

[Spider & The Fly @ May 6th 2008 12:11PM]

Zune comes to Canada?

Oh! Gotta run, it's Don't-Care-O'Clock.

[Tayo @ May 6th 2008 12:17PM]

When the hell are we going to get the zune in the UK ?
I can't wait much longer

[Richard Lai @ May 6th 2008 8:35PM]

I was about to say the same. The upcoming services for the Zune sound promising, but then will the device arrive in time?

[Tired_ @ May 6th 2008 12:20PM]

Zune 30's have been available for some time up here. They're in stock right now at a store here in Victoria (as they've been for months).

[CraigJ @ May 6th 2008 12:39PM]

http://weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/archive/2006/08/26/Zune-_2D00_-The-Hebrew-Perspective.aspx

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 6th 2008 12:42PM]

Canada has had Zuones for many, many years. Although they never use them in polite company. Mainly used for doing the horizontal hokey-pokey.

http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=6505

Well, I hope they sell more of those devices in Canada than they sell in the U.S.

[Zeus.:God @ May 7th 2008 10:23AM]

Because "zoune" isn't a slang term and they're pronounced exactly the same, right?

[Drew @ May 6th 2008 12:45PM]

Wow, the race is on, what will get here first?

Zune or iPhone?

"officially" I mean

[MarxMarvelous37 @ May 6th 2008 12:59PM]

How 'bout a real question instead of a flamewar...

Anyone know if Canadians will be able to get subscription music?

[kelly @ May 6th 2008 1:20PM]

you guys can keep the zune :P

[Jason McLeod @ May 6th 2008 4:19PM]

who cares, we all use ipods eh.

[Achilles @ May 6th 2008 1:54PM]

Zune really disappointed me. I thought the next gen would get better but it's baby steps compared the cross-country track that it's lagging behind. So sad....

[Mam00th @ May 6th 2008 2:06PM]

What do people have agaisnt the zune?

[sinai @ May 6th 2008 2:36PM]

people think since microsoft is a big company and their old CEO is the richest man in the world, that somehow disliking this company and all of its products is somehow hip and the thing to do. hence, people gravitate - sometimes violently - to their nearest competitor, apple, who is very much like microsoft - to the point of being almost identical - in terms of political and economic practices.

somehow, people believe being a fan of the competitor to the so-called big bad evil companies makes you some sort of technological robin hood. troll the rich, and give to the not-as-rich.

[mode_m @ May 6th 2008 3:03PM]

it's too late now!! we already own psps and ipods