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fireshot91

macrumors 601
Jul 31, 2008
4,721
1
Northern VA
Except for the App Store, I don't see how it ISN'T better than the iPod Touch (Other than not capable of Mac running).

I mean, What happens if you want to watch a video in HD on your iPod Touch? I think it's just a personal preference on what music player to buy- Zune, iPod, or any other MP3 player
 

OriginalMasta

macrumors member
Mar 18, 2009
98
0

Of course the UI is smooth - however, they are not the first ones to come out with this presentation. Apple showed the world how it's suppose to be done correctly. Only after TWO YEARS do you see devices start to implement this properly. So the point is "big deal". Been there, done that, have it already.

That's the problem with these companies - they play catchup. Now if the first Zune was done this way, I would give them props instead of calling them copy cats.

So all I can say is a big as s YAWN.
 

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,537
9,504
I'll be getting one of these. I have an iPhone, no need for a Touch. I prefer the Zune over the Touch though.
 

clevin

macrumors G3
Aug 6, 2006
9,095
1
its a brief look, and according to the video and pic, I do think its pretty, tight, and elegant. UI is very smooth and dynamic.

How does it run app? whats the browser look like? We will find out later.

But for now, It does looks at least on par with iPod touch, if not better in design and UI.
 

Voidness

macrumors 6502a
Aug 2, 2005
847
65
Null
Where's the IE based browser? MIA I guess.

IE needs to die a painful horrible death.

Edit: I just needed to comment on the OLED screen. It looks terrific, but how well will it hold up under direct sunlight? OLEDs have bad reputation in this regard.
 

student_trap

macrumors 68000
Mar 14, 2005
1,879
0
'Ol Smokey, UK
Really like this, hopefully it will stand up to the ipod touch, competition can only be a good thing.

Thing that will be crucial is the apps and of course the app store.
 

neiltc13

macrumors 68040
May 27, 2006
3,128
28
The best part about it is that the screen is 16:9. Why does Apple sell movies on the iTunes store which are 16:9 but not a player with a display capable of showing them properly?
 

Chundles

macrumors G5
Jul 4, 2005
12,037
493
The best part about it is that the screen is 16:9. Why does Apple sell movies on the iTunes store which are 16:9 but not a player with a display capable of showing them properly?

Actually most movies are not 16:9, they're mainly 1.85 or 2.35:1. It's the TV shows that are 16:9.

The iPod touch and iPhone are not strictly media players (albeit in the Zune HD it's a media player with some web browsing thrown in) but are rather hugely diverse communications products.

Having a wide but thinner screen (the Zune HD has less pixels than a touch\iPhone) makes for good viewing of widescreen content but a less than satisfactory experience with other things.

Chop off 50 pixels from an iPhone's screen and try to imagine howmuch smaller the keys would have to be on portrait mode (a fair bit) so there goes some ease of use in web browsing and email etc. You also lose ground in many other third party apps (if MS go the way of an "app store" style thing) in that they don't have enough room vertically for landscape stuff. Turn the Zune HD sideways and you might have a nice big keyboard but notuch room for anything else above it.

16:9 is fine for TVs and laptops and stuff but of rather a slightly taller ratio that provides a decent compromise between 4:3, 16:9, and wider media but with the ability to do other stuff as well without losing out on the user experience.
 

twoodcc

macrumors P6
Feb 3, 2005
15,307
26
Right side of wrong
Of course the UI is smooth - however, they are not the first ones to come out with this presentation. Apple showed the world how it's suppose to be done correctly. Only after TWO YEARS do you see devices start to implement this properly. So the point is "big deal". Been there, done that, have it already.

That's the problem with these companies - they play catchup. Now if the first Zune was done this way, I would give them props instead of calling them copy cats.

So all I can say is a big as s YAWN.

very good post, and i agree with you.

also, we'll have to see what the next iPod Touch will look like
 

liptonlover

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2008
989
0
It doesn't matter if they're playing catch up. They finally have made a product I'm actually interested in to an extent. I love my Touch and would never replace it with the Zune HD, but it's close.

People mentioned how great the UI is, but personally I don't like it. The video may be playing tricks but it looked like a lot of specific swipes in certain spots and directions to get around. I do like the theme however. It's very stylish.

Microsoft will have to catch up with Apple 3rd party software-wise if they want to get anywhere though. The Touch/iPhone can do practically anything now, not to mention when 3.0 comes out. It's a tough record to surpass.
 

Sesshi

macrumors G3
Jun 3, 2006
8,113
1
One Nation Under Gordon
The App Store is the killer for many, but to be honest, a lot of what the AS offers for me is done on a laptop - seeing as I have much better options under Windows, which offer more practicality for real-life use than Apple offerings.

As a media player the Zune seems very compelling - and unlike those who don't get it, I prefer the subscription model. I'd jump on it if they rolled out the complete service over here.
 

Melrose

Suspended
Dec 12, 2007
7,806
399
Looks sharp, but I think my eyes would hurt after a while.

Just make a button that looks like a button, even if it's not really a button but a touch-screen button.
 
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