The smarmy writeup didn't help. What would you guys have said if $apple_guy said that the 3G S hw rev was "like holding a mini laptop in your hands"? Would you have agreed? :)
Hello alternate-reality people, this is a totally normal picture. It's not Engadgets fault that the accompanying video is as horrible as it is.
I am grateful Microsoft keeps making the Zune. It's pretty much the only company out there which can afford lose money on a product for years on end, and the iPod needs some competition. Even if it's just a square-ish rip off of the touch.
Look at the picture. Compare it to other pictures Engadget's posted here of the ZuneHD. Is it flattering? No. The angle and shading makes it look thick and chunky. The front glass is smudged and badly lit. An amateur could have taken a nicer photo.
All I said was that that photo was surprisingly unflattering. It is. Did it need to be? No - you've had other shots of the ZuneHD here that look much nicer. Since I also know there aren't many photos of the ZuneHD in the wild, you'd have to go *looking* through your collection of photos to find one that unflattering for this post.
Now, please, tell me with a straight face that you didn't have ANY photos of the Zune that weren't more positive than that one?
Considering that the post is about the ZuneHD using a Tegra chip, which, correct me if I'm wrong, the Engadget staff mostly has tent for - it seems odd that because the ZuneHD has it - some way to made to make it look a little less nice.
Trying to insult me isn't really a compelling counterargument. (And it won't work - I always consider the source of the insult before being offended... :)
So, is that because Engadget has a 'secret plot to destroy Microsoft'? Personally I couldn't care less.
Now - what's the odds Engadget's wonderful message system will misfile this - or just not accept it?
Let me know what other site you find. I'm sick of these pretentious Apple fan boys and I'm a Mac and iPhone owner. They don't need endless posts about the lines or constant reminders about the new iPhone. They don't need an in depth review of the new macbooks, what's new about them that's changed since the last macbook review? Is the new SD card slot really justification for an in depth review? Engadget needs to stop basking in Apple's shadow.
I hope this reply wont got lost, but I think the picture isn't that bad. If you took a real-world picture of the iPod Touch's backing, it would look a hell of a lot worse than a few smudges placed on the screen. The Touch has those as well as an awful backing. For those of you saying Microsoft has terrible designs for their products, look again at the iPods. The aluminum backing is awfully annoying and is almost impossible to not get scratched immediately after purchasing it. I myself have a Touch and I am extremely disappointed in the software as well. Overall, looking forward to replacing it with this. I at first thought maybe I would wait for the new Touch announcement, but Apple wouldn't add anything in the Touch that isn't in the iPhone, meaning no Tegra and such. This means the Zune HD has no competition at all.
The picture isn't that bad, but I find it hilarious that all this time Engadget has been gushing over Tegra, and when it's confirmed to be in the Zune HD they're skeptical all of a sudden. I mean, the power of a laptop is stretching things, but hell, the way netbooks are going it's bound to be around as powerful as one.
@Jeff Lewis -- I took that picture after I managed to hustle a hands-on out of Steve Ballmer at the D Conference. I assure you it wasn't my intent to show the Zune HD (a product we actually broke the news of to begin with) in a bad light -- rather, I was only given a VERY small window of time to handle it and take shots. Did I mention it was in a room with awful lighting filled with tons of people?
But you can go on believing whatever childish crap you want, and go on pretending that the editors at Engadget don't work their asses off trying to bring totally offensive and ungrateful people like you scoops like that because it jibes better with your pedantic and pathetic worldview.
no worries, josh. skyblaze's got your back. most of us realize you had limited resources to work with as far as pics go... its really a no brainer that youd use one of the only live shots you had. even with the bad lighting, etc. it still sums up the tech pretty good imho.
and don't let the naysayers talk you guys down. you're all balls to da wall swaggnificently awesome. keep up the great work :)
Jeff Lewis was quite angry today Came out swinging and bitching away Oh, but a sight to see He got owned by Josh T Gadget bias he'll still cry all day.
Wow, thirty something comments ranting about a stupid picture. And you guys say Apple Fanboys are crazy.
Remember kids, you can call Apple users stupid and insult the writers of Engadget on a regular basis, but it's the Apple users that are the douche bags. Yeah, right.
...apple's released tons of official pics for the 3G S.... its out in retail already. not only that but engadgets had plenty of time to play with it and take the quality pics they need... while the Zune HDs hardly got any info released... and wont even be out till this fall. we dont even know the capacity or type of hard drive its got.. let alone have any quality pictures... not only that but the one ballmer had was just a prototype! its not even a finished product. why expect "glossy, beautiful, official" pics from something that was only just recently announced?
I am with Josh. It's a picture. It's not his job to take the best shots that show the product as something other than what it is. This is what the product looks like, not a bunch of perfect press photos. It's his job to inform, not advertise.
I get the feeling reading some of these comments that some of these guys would kill you where you stand if you insulted Microsoft in their presence, no doubt with a Halo pulse rifle.
"@Jeff Lewis -- I took that picture after I managed to hustle a hands-on out of Steve Ballmer at the D Conference. I assure you it wasn't my intent to show the Zune HD (a product we actually broke the news of to begin with) in a bad light -- rather, I was only given a VERY small window of time to handle it and take shots. Did I mention it was in a room with awful lighting filled with tons of people?
But you can go on believing whatever childish crap you want, and go on pretending that the editors at Engadget don't work their $#* off trying to bring totally offensive and ungrateful people like you scoops like that because it jibes better with your pedantic and pathetic worldview.
Enjoy your weekend."
Seriously, Josh! You deserve a cookie! Heck, you can have an entire jar of cookies!
Why isn't Engadget banning YOU? You routinely make annoying comments praising Apple. Never ONCE have I seen you not praise Apple.
I owned you a few posts back. We proved that you are an ADHD fanboy who is unwilling to even read his opponent's post because he already knows that his response will follow thus: 1) If praising Apple, support 2) If not praising Apple, call fanboy and hater
P.S. @Engadget and Josh I completely appreciate what you all do. I don't care if you have your eccentricities, be it with Microsoft or Apple. I, unlike others, know that it is impossible to truly provide completely unbiased reporting. You guys are one of my only sources of info on gadgets, and you all do the most thorough job of researching and publishing your writings in a timely manner.
Only thing though: could you cut down on a liiiiitle of the smarminess? It's cute in small dosages, but can be offensive to some people (look at comments above and below). I would suggest a limit of one to two smarmy comments per post. I enjoy the smarminess because it feels like you're reading something made by a human instead of a robotic press release.
Yeah, they used a crappy picture because they are biased. Just like they used the crappy pictures of the new Mac Pros with the awful glare all over the screens in their recent review because they are biased against Mac Pros as well. You ever think that they might be more interested in giving us breaking news than in spending all day in the basement photoshopping everything to perfection?
Wow, seriously I can't believe the shit you fuckin weirdos complain about. It's a picture. One guy wrote they chose that picture because it makes it look fat! Give me a break, or engadget at least.
I would love to meet some of you people. Hang out for a few hours, get to know you better and possibly find out what's causing you to be delusional?
I simply... don't understand how you guys can complain about it. Sometimes it seems like some of you go all out to try and prove Engadget are pro Apple. Ironic much?
All this over a photo is making me lol. The photo is less than flattering really and you guys do have a history of using such pictures for Zune products. On the other hand, this picture has been used before without the upoar and at least it is not mr blurrycam.
If the same snarky comments and pictures were used for an Apple product, their PR department would probably block access, as revealed by the BBC last week.
Overall the ZubeHD looks to be a class leader and nothing can change that.
Ok so they snapped a picture without it's makeup on. Big deal. Seriously though, you couldn't make the ZuneHD look bad if you tried. It's really that awesome.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
Wow.. couldn't have found a less flattering photo if you tried.. and I'm sure you did.
Right, because of our secret plot to destroy Microsoft.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
(pleas don't tell me that I need /s.)
No doubt. Mr. Miller, please practice your unbiasedness (it's a word if people use it enough).
i dont think its that bad, btw thats the famous joshua topolsky of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. we are in the presences of a celebrity.
Sometimes you guys really make me laugh. That's a perfectly flattering picture. There is no bias here whatsoever.
The smarmy writeup didn't help. What would you guys have said if $apple_guy said that the 3G S hw rev was "like holding a mini laptop in your hands"? Would you have agreed? :)
"Right, because of our secret plot to destroy Microsoft."
What? Secret? :P
I kid.
Just be glad that they did not post a picture of the Zune 30 and try to pass it off as the latest version, as they are apt to do with the Zune.
Agreed. Why use a photo taken with an iphone? We all know you would never Post a pic of the Ipod Touch taken from an iphone so why with a Zune HD.
even though the post heaps praise and anticipation...
you're a tool, Jeff Lewis
Hello alternate-reality people, this is a totally normal picture. It's not Engadgets fault that the accompanying video is as horrible as it is.
I am grateful Microsoft keeps making the Zune. It's pretty much the only company out there which can afford lose money on a product for years on end, and the iPod needs some competition. Even if it's just a square-ish rip off of the touch.
gee wiz inno8sky! your awesome
@josh
Look at the picture. Compare it to other pictures Engadget's posted here of the ZuneHD. Is it flattering? No. The angle and shading makes it look thick and chunky. The front glass is smudged and badly lit. An amateur could have taken a nicer photo.
All I said was that that photo was surprisingly unflattering. It is. Did it need to be? No - you've had other shots of the ZuneHD here that look much nicer. Since I also know there aren't many photos of the ZuneHD in the wild, you'd have to go *looking* through your collection of photos to find one that unflattering for this post.
Now, please, tell me with a straight face that you didn't have ANY photos of the Zune that weren't more positive than that one?
Considering that the post is about the ZuneHD using a Tegra chip, which, correct me if I'm wrong, the Engadget staff mostly has tent for - it seems odd that because the ZuneHD has it - some way to made to make it look a little less nice.
Trying to insult me isn't really a compelling counterargument. (And it won't work - I always consider the source of the insult before being offended... :)
So, is that because Engadget has a 'secret plot to destroy Microsoft'? Personally I couldn't care less.
Now - what's the odds Engadget's wonderful message system will misfile this - or just not accept it?
Oh come on, you guys are seriously squabbling about a picture? How long were you planning to look at it anyway?
@ kwikit (aka tikiwk)
Let me know what other site you find. I'm sick of these pretentious Apple fan boys and I'm a Mac and iPhone owner. They don't need endless posts about the lines or constant reminders about the new iPhone. They don't need an in depth review of the new macbooks, what's new about them that's changed since the last macbook review? Is the new SD card slot really justification for an in depth review? Engadget needs to stop basking in Apple's shadow.
I hope this reply wont got lost, but I think the picture isn't that bad. If you took a real-world picture of the iPod Touch's backing, it would look a hell of a lot worse than a few smudges placed on the screen. The Touch has those as well as an awful backing. For those of you saying Microsoft has terrible designs for their products, look again at the iPods. The aluminum backing is awfully annoying and is almost impossible to not get scratched immediately after purchasing it. I myself have a Touch and I am extremely disappointed in the software as well. Overall, looking forward to replacing it with this. I at first thought maybe I would wait for the new Touch announcement, but Apple wouldn't add anything in the Touch that isn't in the iPhone, meaning no Tegra and such. This means the Zune HD has no competition at all.
I always look forward to the countless and useless complaining on every Apple and Microsoft related posts. And you guys complain about the iFans? :-/
The picture isn't that bad, but I find it hilarious that all this time Engadget has been gushing over Tegra, and when it's confirmed to be in the Zune HD they're skeptical all of a sudden. I mean, the power of a laptop is stretching things, but hell, the way netbooks are going it's bound to be around as powerful as one.
@Jeff Lewis -- I took that picture after I managed to hustle a hands-on out of Steve Ballmer at the D Conference. I assure you it wasn't my intent to show the Zune HD (a product we actually broke the news of to begin with) in a bad light -- rather, I was only given a VERY small window of time to handle it and take shots. Did I mention it was in a room with awful lighting filled with tons of people?
But you can go on believing whatever childish crap you want, and go on pretending that the editors at Engadget don't work their asses off trying to bring totally offensive and ungrateful people like you scoops like that because it jibes better with your pedantic and pathetic worldview.
Enjoy your weekend.
no worries, josh. skyblaze's got your back. most of us realize you had limited resources to work with as far as pics go... its really a no brainer that youd use one of the only live shots you had. even with the bad lighting, etc. it still sums up the tech pretty good imho.
and don't let the naysayers talk you guys down. you're all balls to da wall swaggnificently awesome. keep up the great work :)
Whereas the banner for the 3gS guide uses glossy, beautiful official pics. Because Josh will be damned if they use a crappy photo of the jebusphone.
Jeff Lewis was quite angry today
Came out swinging and bitching away
Oh, but a sight to see
He got owned by Josh T
Gadget bias he'll still cry all day.
Wow, thirty something comments ranting about a stupid picture. And you guys say Apple Fanboys are crazy.
Remember kids, you can call Apple users stupid and insult the writers of Engadget on a regular basis, but it's the Apple users that are the douche bags. Yeah, right.
@decoy
...apple's released tons of official pics for the 3G S.... its out in retail already. not only that but engadgets had plenty of time to play with it and take the quality pics they need... while the Zune HDs hardly got any info released... and wont even be out till this fall. we dont even know the capacity or type of hard drive its got.. let alone have any quality pictures... not only that but the one ballmer had was just a prototype! its not even a finished product. why expect "glossy, beautiful, official" pics from something that was only just recently announced?
I am with Josh. It's a picture. It's not his job to take the best shots that show the product as something other than what it is. This is what the product looks like, not a bunch of perfect press photos. It's his job to inform, not advertise.
I get the feeling reading some of these comments that some of these guys would kill you where you stand if you insulted Microsoft in their presence, no doubt with a Halo pulse rifle.
@TareX
oh there you are, dude... i was expecting you to be the first to comment on this article, lol
@Paul
"And you guys say Apple Fanboys are crazy."
They ARE crazy.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/19/steve-ballmer-dodges-eggs-at-hungarian-university/
"@Jeff Lewis -- I took that picture after I managed to hustle a hands-on out of Steve Ballmer at the D Conference. I assure you it wasn't my intent to show the Zune HD (a product we actually broke the news of to begin with) in a bad light -- rather, I was only given a VERY small window of time to handle it and take shots. Did I mention it was in a room with awful lighting filled with tons of people?
But you can go on believing whatever childish crap you want, and go on pretending that the editors at Engadget don't work their $#* off trying to bring totally offensive and ungrateful people like you scoops like that because it jibes better with your pedantic and pathetic worldview.
Enjoy your weekend."
Seriously, Josh! You deserve a cookie! Heck, you can have an entire jar of cookies!
Dear inno8sky,
You are creepy. And banned.
Good day, sir.
@Paul
Why isn't Engadget banning YOU? You routinely make annoying comments praising Apple. Never ONCE have I seen you not praise Apple.
I owned you a few posts back. We proved that you are an ADHD fanboy who is unwilling to even read his opponent's post because he already knows that his response will follow thus:
1) If praising Apple, support
2) If not praising Apple, call fanboy and hater
P.S. @Engadget and Josh
I completely appreciate what you all do. I don't care if you have your eccentricities, be it with Microsoft or Apple. I, unlike others, know that it is impossible to truly provide completely unbiased reporting. You guys are one of my only sources of info on gadgets, and you all do the most thorough job of researching and publishing your writings in a timely manner.
Only thing though: could you cut down on a liiiiitle of the smarminess? It's cute in small dosages, but can be offensive to some people (look at comments above and below). I would suggest a limit of one to two smarmy comments per post. I enjoy the smarminess because it feels like you're reading something made by a human instead of a robotic press release.
Thanks for the great work!
Yeah, they used a crappy picture because they are biased. Just like they used the crappy pictures of the new Mac Pros with the awful glare all over the screens in their recent review because they are biased against Mac Pros as well. You ever think that they might be more interested in giving us breaking news than in spending all day in the basement photoshopping everything to perfection?
Wow, seriously I can't believe the shit you fuckin weirdos complain about. It's a picture. One guy wrote they chose that picture because it makes it look fat! Give me a break, or engadget at least.
I would love to meet some of you people. Hang out for a few hours, get to know you better and possibly find out what's causing you to be delusional?
has the image been changed since posting? i don't see a problem with this one. it's not a press shot, no, but it's ok.
It's a picture...
I simply... don't understand how you guys can complain about it. Sometimes it seems like some of you go all out to try and prove Engadget are pro Apple. Ironic much?
All this over a photo is making me lol. The photo is less than flattering really and you guys do have a history of using such pictures for Zune products. On the other hand, this picture has been used before without the upoar and at least it is not mr blurrycam.
If the same snarky comments and pictures were used for an Apple product, their PR department would probably block access, as revealed by the BBC last week.
Overall the ZubeHD looks to be a class leader and nothing can change that.
Ok so they snapped a picture without it's makeup on. Big deal. Seriously though, you couldn't make the ZuneHD look bad if you tried. It's really that awesome.