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Steve Jobs worried about the Zune? In a word: "No."
Any wild guesses as to which big tech exec isn't a fan of the new Zune? If you guessed Steve Jobs, you'd be completely correct; in a recent interview with Newsweek's Steven Levy, Herr Jobs says that he's not at all worried about the Zune. "I've seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable," argues His Steveness. You make a good point, Steve, but we've heard you sing this tune before, like when the original Mac didn't have networking capabilities and you basically told people to resort to sneakernet -- of course, eventually Macs were able to connect with one another. So, we'll agree with you that the wireless capabilities on the Zune kinda suck out of the box, but we'll also bet that you're already at work on some wireless action for a future iPod, no matter how hard you might deny it now.
Newsweek interviews Steve Jobs
Stephen Levy, Newsweek's top tech guy, recently sat down with his Steveness to ruminate about the iPod's 5th anniversary. The interview covers lots of ground including iTunes Store pricing, the coolness of the iPod, and if Apple is worried about the Zune (I don't want to ruin the interview for you, but the folks in Cupertino aren't shaking in their boots about the Zune).As always Steve has some interesting things to share, like his love for Levis. Sadly, black turtlenecks were not mentioned.
Why the Zune wasn't called Xpod
In an interview with The New York Times, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer discussed the naming of Microsoft's Xbox and Zune products: "When it came time to name Xbox, there was certainly a class of people who wanted to have Microsoft and/or Windows more prominent. They all lost. And it was a wise choice. Not because Microsoft is bad. But it wouldn't have meant what it needed to mean to that audience. And Zune could have been Microsoft music system or Microsoft entertainment system or Xpod, I guess. But again, we thought the experience was different and it was worth giving its own identity." Well of course ya didn't name it the Xpod, ya big silly! We'd expect it to play games if you had named it that, and Zune has no capability in the games department. (Looks like Apple beat you to the whole Xpod thing, anyway.)
Altec Lansing's M602: "made for iPod" and, uh, Zune
While iPod speaker docks are a dime a dozen, third-party Zune docks are still mysterious little vixens with only the HiFi-esque Octavio as yet semi-revealed. Now this from Altec Lansing which is touted as one of them "designed for Zune" accessories, but looks exactly like their "Made for iPod" M602 only in a color scheme designed to swaddle the Zune in earthiness. Well, at least now we know what they meant by a "universal MP3 cradle." So go ahead, ogle this one for a bit, no need to feel ashamed... or jaded. Still, smart move on Altec Lansing's part dontchathink?[Via Zune Insider, Thanks lt.milo]
Michael Robertson calls out Zune as biggest flop of 2007
In our line of work we hear a lot of noise from the talking heads day in and out, but we can't help biting down on this latest hook courtesy of Michael Robertson. The anti-tech-powerexec is known for founding MP3.com, Lindows / Linspire, Skype competitor SIPphone, and DRM-free online music sales biz MP3tunes, not to mention former employer of DRM freedom fighter Jon Johansen -- so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that after the ruckus being raised around the Zune's crippled WiFi and worthless DRM system that he stepped in to take a potshot. We're with him a hundred percent on railing against DRM and the somewhat absurd position Microsoft is taking by scrapping PlaysForSure in their own device efforts (what he calls "Screwed for Sure"), but things get a little bombastic: "At first glance the features seem compelling but my prediction is it will be the biggest flop of 2007 with less than 50,000 units sold worldwide." Also, says Robertson, "I've been looking for a good verb to describe losing all of your music to DRM because it's increasingly common and I think I have one: zune." Only 50,000 units? Doubtful; and maybe it's a little much to repurpose the product name to summarily encompass a near universal embitterment for digital rights management (after all, wouldn't "ipod" work better, especially after the podsuits?), but we're absolutely not going to argue his thesis: DRM is bad market and bad for the consumer.
Contest reminder: design the new Zune, win the current Zune!
Just a reminder, everybody; if you want to win a Zune for this week's relaunch contest, you have to get your designs in on the double! Deadline is tonight at midnight, so peep the contest details here and good luck!
Engadget's relaunch giveaways: third shot at a Zune
Ok everybody, we have the winner for the second Zune on Engadget and we're moving on to this week's Zune contest! So, last week's Zune goes to Nirvan K! If you're not Nirvan, thanks again for entering! You'll have another chance to win again this week, so check it out. First up, the prize: a Zune. As you may or may not have heard (and we do sincerely hope you fall in the first camp), that's Microsoft's new vertically integrated portable media player device (and platform) centered around "connected entertainment." You should know by now where to go for all the specs and details, but it's a 30GB portable media device with built-in WiFi for sharing music with your pals and interacting with media on the go. Engadget's hooking up a few very lucky people with a Zune. Want to be the first among your friends -- hell, among the first ever -- to get one?We're giving away one Zune per week for five weeks; snagging one will get progressively more difficult. This time it's a design contest. Since we're obviously pretty future-looking people here at Engadget (and since we know what the Zune's looked like since July), we're already curious what the next in the Zune lineup is going to look like. We hear they have an iPod nano competitor in the works, we know they're working on a Zune phone, and their flagship model is probably already being revamped and expanded. Your mission: show us what you think the next Zune device is going to look like, and send your entry to zunecontest at engadget dawt com. (JPG under 500KB, please.) You'll have until 11:59PM on Saturday, the 7th (of this month), and then we'll pick our favorite entrant, assuming s/he follows the other rules: You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) This contest is open to the US only -- sorry, Microsoft's rules! You will be shipped your Zune when Microsoft ships you your Zune (and no sooner), so sit tight, it might be some weeks before it comes! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! A Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma! Hows about an Xbox 360 Premium pack? We've got the new Slingbox Tuner! Second shot at a Nikon S7c WiFi cam!
Zune unboxed on camera
We kind of wish Microsoft would stop putting their best foot forward with the marketing peeps on Zune, and instead let the product stand on its own. Having Chris Stephenson get on camera for CBS and say stuff like "brown is the new black is the new white," and "welcome to the social -- that's one of our key lines" smacks a mite bit disingenuous and wanton, but at very least they learned their lesson about package design from that internal video of theirs -- we're going to miss the "excessively human" marketing materials with "shelf presence" that "communicates the richness of the product." Ah well, one less surprise to look forward to when we finally get our hands on a unit.[Thanks, lt.milo]
Zune wireless: worthless (for now)
So throughout this whole Zune launch thing the whole lot of us have been playing cat and mouse with Microsoft on the finer points. Will it or won't it be built on PlaysForSure or some variant? How will it recognize copyrighted vs. creative commons content without opening up piracy loopholes? And perhaps most importantly: how will the wireless work? Well, it turns out that a Zune employee by the name of David Caulton thought it'd be worth putting together a cogent explanation of what the Zune wireless connection can and can't do.You can: Can search for and find other Zunes nearby. Can send songs / albums for the 3 x 3 trial. Songs past the three days / listens are deleted at next sync, but catalogued on your PC for record-keeping should you want to purchase them later. No word on whether Microsoft is going to keep track of which files are traded. You can send and receive image files for "unlimited viewing." (Oh, so copyrighted images aren't worth DRMing?) You can't: Connect to the internet. Download songs directly from the Zune store via WiFi. Sync to your computer via WiFi. Sorry Microsoft, we think you have it backward. The killer app of having wireless in a portable media device isn't sharing DRMed files -- it's downloading music from a near infinitely large library no matter where you're at. That's why the MusicGremlin was and is so freaking cool. All the music, none of the bother with PCs. So to find out the Zune won't even match that device in terms of use for wireless is a little disappointing, to say the least. Granted this above is with regard to the feature list for launch (and Microsoft doesn't claim the Zune is feature-complete), so we can probably assume that we'll be expected to hold out for later Zune firmware releases where actually useful wireless capabilities will be added.
Zune vs. iPod
We're kind of surprised it took this long to get the two of 'em side by side, but here they are. The Zune is, of course larger, but it's kinda weird how much more exaggerated those size differences are when you're really eyeing the extremely-curved corners of the iPod. Ok, we're done, go ahead, get it all out.
World's most expensive Zune accessory
No word yet on pricing in dollars, but expect this one to set you back about 10,270,000 Microsoft points. Dock, A / V cable, and travel pack not included.
BBspot's iPod vs. Zune showdown: "Now that's what I call planning"
Forget all the spec comparisons, VP interviews and rumor mongering that the internets have been obsessively producing since we all first learned about Microsoft's truly groundbreaking foray into the DAP market. BBspot has cut through the red tape and endless speculation, pitting the Zune against the market-leading iPod in an end-all showdown. They compare all the hard-hitting features that everyone else has so far missed, such as Domain Names, Curative Properties and whether it would hurt if Chuck Norris rammed each player through one's spine with his fist of fury. It's a true grudge match the likes we have never seen - and as with all matches of this caliber, only one player can emerge alive.You've seen the rest of the iPod and Zune reviews and comparisons - now go read the best to see which player wins BBspot's Technical Award of Excellence.
Amazon unveils Zune accessory gallery
While Amazon has done a commendable job in (presumably) dispelling the hot air of a Griffin spokesperson, it's not always, um, entirely reliable. However, we'd bet the gallery of Zune accessories gracing its pages now weren't uploaded erroneously. Boasting everything from the premium earphones, travel pack, FM transmitter, and dock to the sync cable, wireless remote, A / V cable, and car charger that we've known were on the way, we're just glad we can finally match a face with a name. Although none of the Microsoft-branded accessories are priced or available for pre-order, the Zunes themselves certainly are (in all three colors, no less) for those who aren't feeling lucky. Say, doesn't that dock connector look awfully familiar?[Thanks, Darryl]
VAF Research's Octavio Speaker Dock: a HiFi for Zune
Unlike some, here's a manufacturer we're pretty certain is making Zune accessories. Meet the "designed for Zune" Octavio Speaker Dock from highly regarded VAF Research out of Australia. Yeah, you might be justifiably tempted to draw similarities to the same, top-loading design of the Apple HiFi or uh, Gamexpert PSP HiFi. No doubt you'd be hard to tell 'em apart in a tactile funhouse. Oh sure, we'd love to break the iPod and Zune speakers down side-by-side for you, but we can't. All we know is that the Octavio can blast up to 105 dB to the HiFi's 108 dB 'cause no matter how many times we slap our digits into their little registration forms, nothing ever comes. Let's just hope that inattention to detail isn't an omen of what's in the pipeline. Octavio is scheduled for release from Chinese manufacturing to US shelves in "late 2006."[Via AustralianIT, Thanks David W]
Zune price and date: $249, November 14th
It's only fair and wise for Microsoft wait until the dust settles before coming to some hard and fast decisions on the release and pricing of a device being posed to take out the iPod. Now that everyone's reacted to the many posts on prospective and vaugely officious prices and theories, it would appear they've settled on $249.99 (not to be undercut by Apple after all), and will be launching the device in the US market on November 14th. Other pricing includes individual tracks for 79 Microsoft points apiece, and your standard $14.99 monthly fee for the Zune Pass service; Microsoft's also released some details on the Zune accessory line, which will run between $19.99 and a hundred bucks for: Zune Home A/V Pack ($100 - dock, remote, AV cables, extra battery, sync cable, adapter) Zune Travel Pack ($100 - Dual Connect remote, premium headphones, bag, cable, and adapter) Zune Car Pack ($80 - FM tuner, car charger) AV cable ($20) AC adapter ($30) sync cable ($20) car charger ($24) dock (with AV output, but no AV cable for $40) wireless remote (for control of zune dock, $30) Dual Connect remote (for inline control and splitting the audio out for two people, $30) Zune FM Transmitter (with autoseek, which finds the optimal station and, at $70, the optimal way to sap your cash), gear bag (which, um, contains all these friggin' expensive accessories, itself $30) ... and premium earphones (sound isolating canalphones for $40) It'll also, as you may have heard, come with a ton of preloaded content from such bands as CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy, not cascading style sheets), Band of Horses, The Rakes, The Thermals, etc., and videos from Serena-Maneesh, The Fruit Bats, and even some film shorts and images of classic rock posters (huh?). We'd kind of hoped the whole pandering to the disenfranchised iPod user might have resulted in more included (or at very least cheaper) accessories, but $20 for a USB cable is indeed low hanging fruit that apparently not even the artful Zuners could pass up.
Griffin is / isn't making Zune accessories
Ah, yet another round of conflicting evidence. This time it's Griffin's word against Amazon's product page, and we're honestly not quite sure who to believe just yet. We knew that Microsoft had solicited help from iPod add-on makers, and we'd been under the impression that Griffin was on the Zune accessory bandwagon since day one of the Zune launch, but now the company might be singing a different tune. iLounge has it that a Griffin spokesperson all but denied its future involvement with Microsoft's media player, and to add insult to injury, claimed the company would rather continue focusing on iPod accessories "due to its close relationship with Apple." Fairly strong words from the "leading PMP accessory maker," but they've certainly lost at least some credibility thanks to Amazon; clearly labeled as Griffin's "Tempo Armband for Zune," the product page is even accompanied by dimensions, a description, and a specific model number (8098-ZNTMPO). So, what's the deal here Griffin? Are you going to ignore all the future Zuneheads out there, or was that spokesperson just blowing smoke?Read - iLounge Read - Amazon[Thanks, chs]
Engadget's relaunch giveaways: second chance at a Zune
Ok everybody, we have the winner for the first Zune, like, ever (not counting the Ellen show, which we so don't) and we're moving on to this week's Zune contest! So, first up: last week's Zune goes to Nick D! To all the Nick Ds who entered -- if you didn't get an email from us, it wasn't you, sorry! But you'll have a chance to win again this week, so check it out. First up, the prize: a Zune. As you may or may not have heard (and we do sincerely hope you fall in the first camp), that's Microsoft's new vertically integrated portable media player device (and platform) centered around "connected entertainment." You should know by now where to go for all the specs and details, but it's a 30GB portable media device with built-in WiFi for sharing music with your pals and interacting with media on the go. Kinda hard to believe Microsoft is giving us some Zunes to give away when they won't even tell anyone when they'll be out in stores ("holidays 2006") -- but make no mistake about it, Engadget's hooking up a few very lucky people with a Zune. Want to be the first among your friends -- hell, the first ever -- to get one?We're giving away one Zune per week for five weeks; snagging one will get progressively more difficult. This time it's a scavenger hunt. We've hidden the names of ten bands we like throughout our posts from the last couple of months. It looks something like this: All you have to do to be entered is find these bands in our posts, put the names of at least five in an email (no, The Band doesn't count!), and send it to zunecontest at engadget dawt com. You'll have until next Monday (the 2nd), then we'll pick the winner at random, assuming s/he follows the other rules: You may enter other Engadget contests, however... You may only enter this contest once; if you enter more than once on this particular contest post you'll be automatically disqualified and barred from all future giveaways. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You may enter future Engadget relaunch giveaway contests though! You can only win once. (If you win and then try to go for a second prize during our relaunch giveaways, you'll be automatically disqualified, etc.) This contest is open to the US only -- sorry, Microsoft's rules! You will be shipped your Zune when Microsoft ships you your Zune (and no sooner), so sit tight, it might be some weeks before it comes! Good luck, and be sure you've entered our other contests, as well! We got two Slingboxes for ya, too! And a Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma! Hows about an Xbox 360 Premium pack? There's a Nikon S7c WiFi digital camera!
Amazon UK mistakingly attributes Zune to Apple
It's always nice to see a retail giant like Amazon ensure they have their Zune facts straight. There's a refreshing feeling when you know that the right thing has been done, and the right company is being appreciated for all their hard, innovative work.However, since I *am* trying to find a decent portable media player, I think I just might have to 'request this item from another seller.' Isn't Amazon handy?[via digg]
Apple, Microsoft secretly in cahoots on Zune?
And in other news, it's a chilly 32 degrees in Hell today, and we just saw a winged pig buzz by our window.[Thanks, Mikami]
Zune to be priced at $249 or less?
Perhaps those rumors of Microsoft re-jiggering their Zune pricetag after catching wind of the iPod price drop are true after all. Zune team member David Caulton has come out with a word on his Zune blog stating that "Zune won't be undercut on price by iPod," in response to a commenter who stated they'd heard the Zune was going to be pricier than the iPod. It's not exactly explicit, but we're not quite sure how much more strongly he could hint at a $249-or-less Zune price without ripping his NDA to shreds. In fact, David's straight-up statement might be its biggest detractor -- we'd be surprised someone with full-on insider info could actually manage to get out a word like this without a few men in black suites taking him down.[Via PVR Wire]
