Zune HD lands September 15th, up for pre-order today
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Aug 13th 2009 3:01AM
posted Aug 13th 2009 3:01AM
Do you want a Zune HD real bad? Well you're in luck, because the wait is nearly over. Microsoft announced today that the heavily hyped media player will be making its way into retail channels come September 15th, and will be up for pre-order at select spots (Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, and the Microsoft Store) today. That's right... today. The Tegra-packing, HD Radio-playing, 720p-outputting device will come in a black, 16GB flavor for $219.99, or a beefier, "platinum" finish 32GB version clocking in at $289.99 (apparently the player will come in five additional colors, but no word on which ones, exactly). If you're super impatient and in select markets (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis / St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.) you can head into a Best Buy on August 22nd and 23rd to play with a device and drop $25 on a pre-order. Otherwise, you'll just have to sit tight till the ZHD makes its way into the wide world... which is actually pretty soon. Check out more info about the player at our Zune HD hub, and after the break you can enjoy a recent video we shot of the device in action and the official PR.
See more video at our hub!
ZUNE HD AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER TODAY
MICROSOFT'S NEW PORTABLE DIGITAL MEDIA PLAYER AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON, BEST BUY, WALMART and MICROSOFT STORE
REDMOND, Wash. – Aug. 13, 2009 – Zune HD, the next generation of Microsoft Corp.'s portable digital media player, is available now for pre-order and is set to hit store shelves on Sept. 15. The player, available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, is the first touch-screen Zune and includes powerful playback technology to give you a different way to experience media on the go. Combined with unparalleled PC software and online services such as Zune Pass, Zune provides a rich and meaningful connection to music, videos, podcasts and more.
Pre-order Zune HD in 16GB Black and 32GB Platinum through http://www.zune.net/zunehd from Amazon.com, Best Buy,Walmart and Microsoft. Beginning September 15, at http://www.ZuneOriginals.net, both 16GB and 32GB capacities of Zune HD will be available in five different colors with the option to customize your player with one of 10 new engravings.
WHAT: With a sleek and stylish design, Zune HD is the first to combine these features:
• Built-in HD Radio™ receiver. Allows you to listen to higher-quality sound than is available from traditional radio channels, as well as access additional programming through HD2 and HD3 multicast channels from many of your favorite local FM radio stations at no extra cost.
• HD video output capabilities. Supports HD video playback from the device through a premium HDMI A/V docking station (sold separately) directly to an HD TV in 720p, making it easy to enjoy better-than-DVD-quality video on your own big screen at home.
• OLED touch screen. Allows you to easily flip through music, movies and other content. The 3.3-inch glass screen and 16:9 widescreen format display (480x272 resolution) offer a premium viewing experience.
• Built-in Wi-Fi. Allows for browsing, streaming or downloading new music from Zune Marketplace.
• Internet browser. Full-screen Web browsing, optimized for the multi-touch screen with zoom-in and zoom-out gestures.
• Accessories, at home and on the road. Zune HD and AV Dock charges and syncs players while playing supported 720p HD videos on HDTVs. Play HD Radio, music and podcasts from your Zune HD device through your car stereo using the Zune Premium Car Pack.
WHY: Pre-order now to be one of the first to experience the new Zune HD's advanced design,innovative technology and rich multimedia capabilities powered by the NVIDIA Tegra™ chip ultra low-power HD processor.
PRICING: Zune HD 16GB: $219.99 (estimated retail price); Zune HD 32GB: $289.99 (estimated retail price)
WHEN: Pre-order starting Thursday, Aug. 13. Purchase in stores on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
WHERE ONLINE: http://www.zune.net/zunehd
WHERE IN STORE: Place a pre-order in person at Best Buy beginning August 16. If you want to sneak a peek, visit select stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., areas on August 22 and 23.
MICROSOFT'S NEW PORTABLE DIGITAL MEDIA PLAYER AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON, BEST BUY, WALMART and MICROSOFT STORE
REDMOND, Wash. – Aug. 13, 2009 – Zune HD, the next generation of Microsoft Corp.'s portable digital media player, is available now for pre-order and is set to hit store shelves on Sept. 15. The player, available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, is the first touch-screen Zune and includes powerful playback technology to give you a different way to experience media on the go. Combined with unparalleled PC software and online services such as Zune Pass, Zune provides a rich and meaningful connection to music, videos, podcasts and more.
Pre-order Zune HD in 16GB Black and 32GB Platinum through http://www.zune.net/zunehd from Amazon.com, Best Buy,Walmart and Microsoft. Beginning September 15, at http://www.ZuneOriginals.net, both 16GB and 32GB capacities of Zune HD will be available in five different colors with the option to customize your player with one of 10 new engravings.
WHAT: With a sleek and stylish design, Zune HD is the first to combine these features:
• Built-in HD Radio™ receiver. Allows you to listen to higher-quality sound than is available from traditional radio channels, as well as access additional programming through HD2 and HD3 multicast channels from many of your favorite local FM radio stations at no extra cost.
• HD video output capabilities. Supports HD video playback from the device through a premium HDMI A/V docking station (sold separately) directly to an HD TV in 720p, making it easy to enjoy better-than-DVD-quality video on your own big screen at home.
• OLED touch screen. Allows you to easily flip through music, movies and other content. The 3.3-inch glass screen and 16:9 widescreen format display (480x272 resolution) offer a premium viewing experience.
• Built-in Wi-Fi. Allows for browsing, streaming or downloading new music from Zune Marketplace.
• Internet browser. Full-screen Web browsing, optimized for the multi-touch screen with zoom-in and zoom-out gestures.
• Accessories, at home and on the road. Zune HD and AV Dock charges and syncs players while playing supported 720p HD videos on HDTVs. Play HD Radio, music and podcasts from your Zune HD device through your car stereo using the Zune Premium Car Pack.
WHY: Pre-order now to be one of the first to experience the new Zune HD's advanced design,innovative technology and rich multimedia capabilities powered by the NVIDIA Tegra™ chip ultra low-power HD processor.
PRICING: Zune HD 16GB: $219.99 (estimated retail price); Zune HD 32GB: $289.99 (estimated retail price)
WHEN: Pre-order starting Thursday, Aug. 13. Purchase in stores on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
WHERE ONLINE: http://www.zune.net/zunehd
WHERE IN STORE: Place a pre-order in person at Best Buy beginning August 16. If you want to sneak a peek, visit select stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., areas on August 22 and 23.
ZHD will rule the world....
Not if it only goes for sale in one country...
@Steve - that depends who you ask... for some people, a map of the world has Alaska in one corner and Florida in the other.
@CreepinJesus:
What are you saying? That there exists some other map that goes beyond Alaska and Florida? Surely you jest.
What a sweet looking gizmo this is! If only it had GSM features :(
A device with ancient web browser and no 3rd party apps? Zune will likely rule the street of homeless people. :) There are plenty in this economy I might add! :)
@CreepinJesus
I'm not going to lie: When I was like five years old, I thought for a brief time that the United States was the world. I saw a map of the US in my classroom and simply assumed that it was a world map.
Ironically, my parents are from India. It should've clicked that they're not from the US but from the other side of the globe. Luckily they soon got me a globe and I was no longer ignorant.
Ancient browser? IEM 6 != IE 6
@kaz
Don't bother. You can't teach people who want to be stupid.
@Jasmine,
That is pretty funny actually.
not until ms makes zune docks for everything, from cars to toilet roll dispensers!
i really want this zune hd but its useless without connectivity to my car :(
Seems like a nice media player, it appears to be very responsive. It just won't rule the world because the iPod already does. As long as the Zune HD can easily get content on it, it has a chance of selling in respectable numbers. The hardware is good and it has potential. The price isn't going to be a clincher once the price for the iPod Touch takes place. Ten bucks isn't enough to pull lots of people to the Zune HD platform. I doubt if it will make any Apple Touch users switch, but Microsoft may get a lot of former Zune users to buy this new model. No early judgments. We'll see how it does over a year's time.
Microsoft probably won't even offer any software for OSX if Mac users wanted to use the Zune HD.
I wish the 32gig was in Black, too. Oh well, it doesn't look that bad :)
Apparently Zune Originals will sport 5 different colors which you can customize at will http://www.zunerama.com/2009/08/zune-hd-available-for-pre-order-now/ (near the bottom)
@Jander
SA-WEEEEEEEEEEET!
wish it WERE in black
The new zune looks and probably is great to use, but i cant pay 220 or 290 to downgrade on storage capacity. My 80GB zune is near capacity and i wouldn't want to give up my collection for fancy graphics.
I'm with you on that. It's gorgeous and I'd love to have one...but I'm waiting until we see higher storage capacity. I've got about 5GB left on my Zune 80GB right now and at least 90% of that is music, not videos.
I used to be that way on my old iPod, but then I won a free 8gb Zune at a Microsoft event and I learned how little of that bulk I actually needed.
I openly admit that I wish I had more than 8gb of space, but I think I'll be able to get by with 32gb just fine.
Buy a hard drive lolz. 250 gig drive and extranel exclosure for cheap. I only have teh 8 GB flash model and I have 224 gigs of music lol. Listen to the music on the Zune, then swap that out for some more when you get tired of it. I have no idea why some people never like this idea, if you had space to download the music on your pc then no excuse. Until they make a 320 GB model what am i to do? Cry? haha, come on guys.
There is no way you actually enjoy 100% of 70 gigs of music. Seriously, the only ones who should be bitching about storage capacity are those who want to carry 4 HD movies, and really that's unnecessary.
Order the... Zune HD before you see the new iPods?
Wow. MS must really think its customers are stupid.
Well, considering that the next iPod Touch will merely be a iPhone 3GS without the phone part, what's the big deal?
It's worth switching to a Zune for the desktop software alone. I seriously doubt that a spec bump and a crappy camera are going to make the iPod all of a sudden worth owning again.
Not everyone in the world likes iPods.
I'm going to wait and see what the new iPod Touch has to offer, then see which one is more convenient for me. This does looks REALLY nice tho.
THOUGH
@information central
im gonna mispel n use poor grammer just to piss u off. makes me laugh.
hey, being logical isn't allowed on this website! you have to be a fanboy of one or the other!
/s, if it wasn't obvious.
Will this show up as an iPod in iTunes?
No.
@ispartan89
Unlike Palm, Microsoft probably isn't dumb enough to try something like that. However, I suspect the chances of it interacting with your iTunes Library at any level above simply moving it into the Zune's own software is zero. Microsoft wants Apple's market, not to simply play nicely with it.
There are many third party methods for non apple devices, but until we see a zune hd we won't know.
My personal favourite: http://www.binaryfortress.com/itunes-sync/
Since I really want one of these i've just given the zune software a try- it's really good! a lot more intuitive than itunes, and actually works without crashing!!
goodbye ipod, hello zune HD
Very competitive pricing, but having to use the Zune software (and the fact that I'm on a mac making that quite a pain) is a complete dealbreaker for me.
Could the engineers at Microsoft get in touch with Palm and ask how they engineered the iTunes sync please? I'd take a Zune HD in a heartbeat if it synced with iTunes
You don't think that Microsoft should talk to Apple about integrating the Zune with iTunes? That's the only way that this all works out, not with trying to fake an iPod to the software. Official support in iTunes for the Zune, or anything else, is what is required and not some silly hack that inevitably starts a game of "cat and mouse" where only the customer suffers.
The Pre basically lies to iTunes.
iTunes is a piece of shit. You shouldn't NEED any music-management app for a music player; you should simply drag and drop your music files onto it.
why do you need to sync with itunes?
if you've purchased songs through itunes, they will be tagged correctly, and will sync with the zune software if you point it at your itunes music folder.
the zune software is much nicer to use - albeit, that's a matter of opinion. :-)
@informationcentral.
You don't NEED databases for managing large amounts of information, you can simply use index cards.
Sorry, but drag-and-drop is simply unmanageable unless you have less than 200 tracks in your whole collection of music. Smart playlists FTW.
@Information Central
Oh really? What makes you think that I want to manually manage my music library, not to mention the rest of the data that goes on a modern PMP? I have no wish to take a trip back to the Stone Age, thanks.
is it coming to New Zealand?
I don't think it's a good idea pre-ordering, at those prices. Who knows what pricing Apple would put the 3G Touch on. I bet that will affect ZuneHD's pricing too. And then there's Creative's Zii.
I wouldn't be surprised if MS cut pricing for the ZuneHD fairly quick to $199 for the 16GB model. $219 is really an odd pricing point, and imo is just a setup to see how Apple would react.
So, still no international release plans? I do not understand why Microsoft doesn't want to sell Zune's outside of the US. Do they not like money now or something?
Well people are saying it's coming out that day in Europe as well.
I think as it stands now, they won't be available internationally at release, but multiple vague statements indicate they will be taking the Zune internationally at some point in the future.
@Jander
With all due respect, I've heard those "vague statements" before and that still hasn't resulted in anything concrete. I'm not holding my breath until there is an official statement on the matter, such as "we will release the Zune HD in Country B on Date Y". Until then it sounds more like this is something they are thinking about, which I would be stunned if they weren't, but still doesn't explain why it hasn't happened yet. How difficult is this? Everyone else seems to manage it and yet this is something that is clearly holding the platform back.
Respect accepted. I hear ya. It's been a long time coming. They've gotten the question for years. It's went from, "we have no current plans" to "We're looking into it" to "It won't happen now, but it will happen"
Grain or salt or no, there is something to what they've been saying over time. It's not a matter of if, but when now.
I boggles the mind as to why they havent released it outside the US, i would DEFINATLY consider one over an ipod, but really in England theres not a great deal of player choice (with software to go with it, yes i like itunes). Come on MS release it over here;)
We have Zunes here in Canada... and we are outside the US.
Can't the Engadget staff ask for a statement about international release? Specifically an European release?
There were actually some quite clear statements from the european xbox/zune team to say that zune was coming to the UK, france and elsewhere this september. It seems though that over the passed year they've retreated that statment just to mean zune video is coming on the xbox this autumn/fall. My guess is because of hardware incompatibility - HD Radio an all.
@SidedPanic:
Would you please explain what does that mean?
"My guess is because of hardware incompatibility - HD Radio an all"
@Malweran:
I hear ya brotha and I stand with ya. Engadget, Would you please ask people in Seattle about Europe release? =D
As I mention in every Zune related article, Zuneinsider had an article a while ago where a Microsoft spokesperson confirms that the Zune HD would indeed be sold outside the USA.
@synn
Did they do anything useful like say when and where? The only reason why I ask is that I am sure that Microsoft announced the same thing for at least the last generation of Zunes and that never actually happened. It is for this reason that I am sceptical of any statements that Microsoft plans to release these devices internationally until they provide concrete dates and places.
Africa needs a Zune too, Microsoft!
@Halix
"My guess is because of hardware incompatibility - HD Radio an all"
Europe have their own formats for audio on radio now that are not compatible with the standards in the US.
The most likely explanation as to why they haven't released it internationally is probably that they're still looking for the big hit. As long as it cannot compete with the iPod in terms of sales and as long as it's probably also sold at loss due to Apple's better economies of scale, they would rather just sell it in their home market where they already have a big existing customer base, mostly through the Xbox. Once they create a hit product that is able to attract new customers, they will release internationally.
The HD receiver isn't compatible with the signals outside of the US.
I doubt Microsoft would release hardware that doesn't even fully work, so to release worldwide, they would have to remove the HD receiver.
@Kelmon
I agree. Apple sells their iPod in all countries and they are very successful so why dont Microsoft do the same for the zune??
I'm in.
@pika2000: I'm ordering from Amazon so if the price does drop before late October they will credit me anyway.
The price-vs-what-you-get ratio looks very good for this device...
...until you see the specs of the Creative Zii.
I need to make my decision between this and a zii
You do realize the $199 price point for the Zii is with no storage built in and only in bulk right?
The Zune HD will probably beat the next ipod touch pricing (even with OLED and Tegra)
It's pretty predictable:
16gb - $229
32gb - $299
64gb - $399
No redesign, but with an iphone type camera.
The Zune HD is like a breath of fresh air. From the looks of it, the hardware and software are beautifully designed, simple, elegant. I will like to get my hands on one to try out when it hits the market.
Does anyone know when the next Apple event is? I'm guessing next month. My iPod Photo conked of a while back and I wanna weigh my options and make an informed decision.
Very nice price on that 32GB.
But will try to wait for Apple's third take on the Touch first.
I really want a 64GB one.
Zune 1.0 - entry to the market
Zune 2.0 - hit on iPod classic
Zune 3.0 - hit on iPod touch
One can hope Zune 4.0/Windows Mobile 7.0 will hit on iPhone.
And one can hope that Apple will have something good to counter this.
iPhone's Icon based UI is getting very dated IMO. And 3GS wasn't much of an 'upgrade' really!
Either way, good time to be a consumer, love capitalism!
So which version is the one that establishes its own direction instead of "hitting on" an Apple innovation? ;) Also, if you don't think the 3GS was an upgrade, you do not own one, or have never used an older one at length. The difference in feel produced by the bump in specs is absolutely huge.
Gotta agree with you completely though... the competition is hot, and it's a great time for us consumers.
Zune 3 was actually a minor hardware refresh with the Zune 120 and 16. This would technically be Zune 4.
DAMN!
They had to start it, didn't they.
The ZHD!!!
at least its better than the iTouch...
"iTouch you, iTouch me, iTouch the whole family."
Boooo!!!
No Love for CANADIANS!!!
M$, you suck!
Move to the better country?
Oh, you mean the one that has its economy in the toilet and unemployment is in the double digits? No thank you, i will stay in the country that is predicted to come out of the recession within the next 2 years with the most stable banking system in the world.
In all honesty, and not intending to be a fanboy, this is not going to replace my Touch.
It looks like a great Media Player and a very nice piece of hardware, but it needs email and Twitter and games (even lame ones) and a scientific calculator and maps and an Ebay app and a Calendar and etc etc.
Being a nice media player is only part of the game. My Touch is more of a pocket computer.
I hope MS takes this gadget a step further eventually, and allows it to run WinMo applications, or they release a nice Silverlight API for it or something. Then I will be there with bells on.
It has a browser, why wouldn't you not be able to tweet from it, ebay from it, most of what you can do from the net, with it? Also, I think that's really one of the core dividing lines between the Zune and the iPod; if you want an iPod, you want to utilize a smorgasbord of different things, most of them remotely well. With the Zune, you get more of a core experience with media playback, where the device is built to play audio/video. Both have batteries that last only so long, what really matters is what you want to be using that space of power for, playing a large amount of music/videos, or a little bit of emailing/running tip apps/music/videos
Speaking of battery life seems the estimates are in, Battery life for the HD: 33 hours of music with wireless off. Up to 8.5 hours of video. The Touch has what, up to 22 of audio?
Yeah, this just about sums it up for me. Still not entirely sold on the looks of the Zune but even leaving that aside it's not competitive with the Touch. Oh, sure, it may be a better media player but quite frankly there have been better media players out for the last few years. The Touch though gives so much more functionality than just the media player and my little first gen device is currently acting as both my main communications tool away from home (I e-mail way more than phone) and my main gaming platform when I'm on the go. Until the Zune can compete with that there's not really much point in me even considering it as a platform.
They have already said there will be games. It's been said a few times now, in a couple different videos/podcasts. They've also mentioned apps, but they're not really going into any details, so I suspect they have something in the works. Perhaps the "OneApp" app store Microsoft filed a trademark for.
Because I find these things more useful in dedicated applications that are built around the screen and user interface of the gadget, rather than doing it through a small web browser.
I find my Touch useful as a small computer, as well as being a quite fine media player. I sit in the toilet and answer my emails while listening to podcasts. Revolting, but strangely relaxing.
The Zune HD seems like an excellent media player. It looks great. If that is what you need, then go for it. But it is not a replacement option for my Touch, and I suspect for many other longtime users of iPod Touches.
It sounds like this is something to evaluate once Microsoft delivers on some of its stated plans. In the meantime I would agree that this device is not an "iPod Touch killer", although the price differential alone makes it an attractive alternative if you are only interested in using the device as a media player.
@Jander >> "With the Zune, you get more of a core experience with media playback, where the device is built to play audio/video"
The iPod Touch started out as just a media player with a web browser... way back in 2007. Now look at what the development community has turned it into.
I have no doubt that there will be lots of apps and things for the Zune. But, developers had one thing going for them when the Apple App Store finally launched... millions of devices already in people's pockets.
It's the chicken & egg syndrome. The developers need assurance that customers will buy the device... but customers need assurance that there will be software to put on their device. Right now, there are no ZuneHDs and no apps. When the Apple App Store first opened, there were very few apps... but tens of millions of customers hungry for apps. iPhone developers had a huge customer base to market to, and a very good chance of their hard work paying off.
People say that some iPhone apps are stupid. But when the developers makes 70 cents from a $1 app... and they sell 50,000 of them... it's worth it to develop them.
There are 40,000,000 iPhone/Touch devices out there right now. If you made the best-selling iPhone app, is it worth the time and effort to port it over to the Zune? Or if you're a new developer... which device do you focus on?
@ Michael "If you made the best-selling iPhone app, is it worth the time and effort to port it over to the Zune? Or if you're a new developer... which device do you focus on?"
I don't fully understand why you can't do both. Granted, I am not a programmer, so I have no idea how much work goes into it... BUT, judging by how many Apps there are on the App Store, and how fast they seem to be put on there, I just don't believe that a developer can't port a successful application from one platform to the other. Maybe they can only develop for one platform first, so they focus on the iPhone/iPod Touch initially (sensible considering the huge install base), but assuming the Zune HD gets even a modest install base, it would seem stupid to not port a wildly successful app over for the added profit.
What about United Kingdom?
Now imagine if it was compatible with iphone apps
Mr.josephlars, that will happen when pigs fly. do u see flying piggies outside?
i thought not.
M$ thinks USA is the center of the universe..
Too bad, M$ also haven't noticed that most of its market share is coming from everywhere else around the world, EXCEPT USA!
The US is one of the worlds largest markets, and also Microsoft's home base. They have also made note that the HD will indeed go international in the near future.
Besides, where would you have them begin their product release other than the US?
Don't be an idiot.
Considering you refer to Microsoft with the ever so lame "M$," I hope the ZuneHD doesn't reach your market.
Why are you biting the hand that holds the food that you so desire?
Does anyone else not think it's completely idiotic and ridiculous that the word "marketplace" is cut off the screen? Just me?
its M$'s trademark.
WOW. You used a dollar sign for the "s" in MS. I guess that's because MS wants to make money. A good company, like Apple, NEVER tries to make money and they sell their products for no more than the cost to manufacture them. You are so cool!
Yes, it's idiotic and amateur-hour.
Microsoft used to make great UIs. They have really, really lost their way. Look at Windows 7 (don't even bother with Vista).
MS is trying to line up a bunch of preorders? Why? Are the afraid that Apple will announce new iPods soon and steal their potential sales?
Why would people rank my comment down? Are they just MS fanboys?
Other companies like Apple and Samsung who make music players don't line up preorders for a month before release. Why is MS doing so?
It really does seem to me like MS just wants to lock people's fall purchase dollars in before they even see what other companies will offer in this and other consumer product spaces. Why would they be so concerned with this?
I'm open to all explanations.
it is to keep the spotlight up they have controlled how much info was released slowly gaining people's attentions. now they know a lot of people want them so they are seeing how popular there device will be.
When they say the 32gb is "beefier" do they just mean the storage capacity or does it have more or better features as well?
They're just talking storage. The only difference between the 16GB and the 32GB is the storage capacity (obviously), and the color. The 16GB model is black, while the 32GB is platinum.
I'm not sure if I'll actually pre-order one, but I definitely plan on getting the 32GB model on launch day. I can't wait!
1. Wish this was a phone.
2. Wish it had Mac support.