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kainjow said:
Well, with them dropping IE support, dropping Windows Media Player support (suggesting you use Flip4Mac instead), bad MSN support (from what I've heard), I would be very surprised if they offered any Mac support.

If the HDD of the Zune will be formatted in NTFS, we won't even be able to read it, let alone sync and such and such
 
Its not an iPod killer...more of an other competition killer i.e Creative. I wouldnt mind getting one to be honest. I'm bored of the iPod already :eek:
 
Macnoviz said:
If the HDD of the Zune will be formatted in NTFS, we won't even be able to read it, let alone sync and such and such

That isn't entirely true. Mac OS can read NTFS just fine, it only can't right to it. You are right that NTFS would make it pretty worthless to Mac users but we would be able to read from it.
 
so microsoft is going to combat apple with near the exact same approach that creative ect took, but aparently it'll work because they are microsoft. well if it doesent steve ballmer can always throw a chair....
 
This file sharing will not be useful for most music. You can only share music that has been bought from the Microsoft store (will require DRM), and I know 3 of the 4 big major labels will not allow this sharing. That's 80% of the market.
 
not even thurrott is convinced

The gimmick appears to be wireless interaction with other Zune users. Since I expect there to be about six of these by the end of the year, this could be sort of a waste of time.
 
It looks like a cheap iPod rip off - not because its microsoft - it just does. Also the two smaller buttons look exactly like the ones from a previous iPod version (3g i think).

Am I right in thinking then, this is a cheap looking, brick of an 'iPod' that doesnt play music from the worlds biggest distributor (iTMS), has the strictest of DRMs and the only thing that differentiates it from an iPod is wireless technology?

Way to go Microsoft, people are just going to flock to this thing. :rolleyes: Do you really think WiFi is that much of a step in front?

If this ever gets released (its Microsoft were talking about here) Apples next revision of the iPod will put Microsoft back to square one. Trying to catch up!

They will never overtake because they can only copy (badly).

Oh well...
 
Microsoft does it again... That is, they copy Apple in every aspect.

The aesthetics of this product makes me want to puke.
 
you people are all useless. Why does MacRumors even post this stuff....the reaction can be predicted to a T.

The fact of the matter, if Apple threw in wifi....every single person here would be drooling over it. It is amazing. Eventually, you will able to access the store on this device and buy on the go. That is friggan amazing. I love my iPod, but this thing rocks. Apple better hurry the hell up and release the "video" ipod with wifi.

And anyone that thinks this think isn't going to take a chunk out of apple is in living in a dream world or suffering from dementia. MS will loose money on it until it does, they dont care. XBOX prooved that the tactic works. Release a product at a major loss until it catches on. When it comes down to it, people buy products based on the wallet, just as they vote.

The only good to come out of this? Hopefully Apple gets in gear and actually upgrades the iPod.

As for the battery issue, that will be the real kicker...it's gotta get horrible battery time on current technology. Luckily, we are on the cusp of progressing past lithium-ion. There is a lot of new battery technology right around the corner. The other thing...I wonder if this thing has a battery case that opens for replacements/backups....if so...thats another major upgrade to the iPod.
 
ChrisA said:
It all depends on the retail price. If Microsoft wanted to they could buy their way into the music player market and sell each unit at a loss. So if these are 30GB and sell for $99 each they will kill the iPod overnight. MS could loose $200M and would never notice.

At 99$ each for a 30GB, they'd lose billions of dollars, I think, not merely a few hundred millions. But you're right, Microsoft could really buy its way into the market.

Personally, I was expecting much worse. I don't really understand the brown either, but overall, it seems like a decent player. I'd even say that it is no coincidence that Apple just lowered its iPod prices. The new kid in town will benefit consumers in a big way, I think.
 
I'm not keen on the dark trim surrounding the screen and circular controls. Is that design element really necessary, as it serves no purpose, other than to look like something Creative would come up with.

Wi-fi sharing sounds good on paper, but unless you run up to someone with a Zune and they're comfortable sharing their tunes, I feel the feature is a waste. I personally would not feel comfortable sharing the contents of my music with a stranger. If they were friends, I'd probably just burn the songs on a DVD without the DRM restrictions of 3 plays for 3 days non-sense.
 
I don't like the design of the thing and personally despise M$.
Still, if it comes at a convenient price (which I'm sure M$ will set) and with solid functionalities in terms of interface and integration with WMP, I bet loads of people will buy into this crap.

I've seen people lugging around much worse looking MP3 players... and feeling proud of them :rolleyes:
 
Synapple said:
I've seen people lugging around much worse looking MP3 players... and feeling proud of them :rolleyes:

Really, what does it matter what people buy as long as it works and they like it? I have a 5G iPod, an older 3G, and an iPod Shuffle. I enjoy them all. I also have an old 30GB Nomad Zen and I enjoy that too, and I still use it. It may not be as elegant as an iPod, but at at the time I bought it, it was certainly cheaper than an iPod, and it had 15GB more storage.

So many people here are condemning something they've not even picked up and tried yet, mostly because it's by MS. Personally, I'm looking forward to trying out a Zune. It may suck. It may be the best thing since sliced bread. I don't know yet, but to me, it looks interesting.

And the brown, yeah it definitely sticks out. It seems like half of the people in here are making note of how ugly it is. But at least you're talking about it, and the old adage "there's no such thing as bad press" might apply a little here. You never know.

Now where's my C2D MBP?! :)
 
zune

I've been an ipod user since the 2g 20GB have had shuffle nano and now first 5g 60GB ipod. I do like the larger screen size (how does this affect battery life?) I do like having customizable backgrounds (is that an option or do you choose from preselected choices?) Interface is nice like the thumbnails idea. the player looks easy to use with it's navigation (where did they get that idea?) Wireless is a good idea but the 3 song thing is the wrong approach. Should just be able to stream a song to other people. say you have a class with 20 kids sharing and discovering each others music or a subway ride or restaurant. discover song and have an option to keep a reminder to check out that artist next time you are at your favoriute music download store. that would be a better idea. or since it has wireless you walk into your favorite free hotspot and download it right there with one click purchasing. instant gratification combined with keeping up with the joneses....

i would consider this if I didn't own ipods and through some miracle it worked with a mac that i own ( no intel for me yet)
 
HecubusPro said:
Really, what does it matter what people buy as long as it works and they like it? I have a 5G iPod, an older 3G, and an iPod Shuffle. I enjoy them all. I also have an old 30GB Nomad Zen and I enjoy that too, and I still use it. It may not be as elegant as an iPod, but at at the time I bought it, it was certainly cheaper than an iPod, and it had 15GB more storage.

I do agree with you in principle.
Nothing wrong with people liking other players but it strikes me nontheless when you could buy a beautiful piece of equipment with superior functions (in terms of integration with iTunes/iTMS) for a similar price or not much more cash.
It's the same that goes with a mac vs a PC. I understand people have different tastes and I wouldn't argue that: you buy what suits you and my post wasn't inteded to be disrespectful.
Still, you'll never see me with a Zen and not only because I don't like the looks but also 'cause the seamless iPod/iTunes/iTMS experience is just not replicable and I'll gladly pay for the price gap.
 
spicyapple said:
I'm not keen on the dark trim surrounding the screen and circular controls. Is that design element really necessary, as it serves no purpose, other than to look like something Creative would come up with.

Wi-fi sharing sounds good on paper, but unless you run up to someone with a Zune and they're comfortable sharing their tunes, I feel the feature is a waste. I personally would not feel comfortable sharing the contents of my music with a stranger. If they were friends, I'd probably just burn the songs on a DVD without the DRM restrictions of 3 plays for 3 days non-sense.
This will be a great way to meet people.
If you're at some book store or something and you're listening to your zune and someone else has a zune I'm sure they will come up to you just to "test" or "use" the new feature.
LOL
this should be cool
 
xenotaku said:
The fact of the matter, if Apple threw in wifi....every single person here would be drooling over it. It is amazing
I for one am not impressed by the wifi, at least in its current incarnation. I can't see the point of sharing a song for three listens. If I want to share a CD with someone, I'll burn them a copy. Accessing a music store wirelessly makes sense, but I think the whole sharing thing is very much niche market.

I personally am dissappointed with the Zune. I expected it to do something new so that maybe the iPod could finally be forced to evolve. As it is, the Zune looks like an iPod from a few years back with a bigger screen and wireless. So what if it has a radio tuner? Isn't the whole point of an MP3 player that you don't have to listen to the clearchannel garbage on the radio?

Not to mention that Microsoft is so late in this game that its not even funny. The future of music players is cell phones. The real danger for Apple until they release their own, are things like Verizon's Chocolate not the Zune. The only way that I can see this taking more of iPods marketshare than Creative's will be if they undersell it to the Walmart crowd. I can see moms and dads buying it because it is so affordable. I can also see Microsoft using their techniques that have gotten them antitust lawsuits year after year of bundling their Zune with Vista. And Microsoft is not against selling their hardware at a loss. Look at the XBox.
 
The biggest problem with the Zune is the terrible syncing that Windows Media Player has...it is utterly terrible. I dont care how many features the Zune has(or hasnt?) as long as it uses WMP, i won't touch it.
 
One thing that people have failed to mention the absolute raping that any sharing would do to a battery. First, you have to power the wifi. Second, the hard drive wil have to run to do the transfer, or at least read and store in a buffer to be transferred. In the one scenario that was suggested, sharing music in a classroom. . . I figure you'd be lucky to get three hours of battery life. MS will fail where others have. A product with all the bells and whistles in the world doesnt make up for one that does it's primary function better.
 
stunna said:
This will be a great way to meet people.
If you're at some book store or something and you're listening to your zune and someone else has a zune I'm sure they will come up to you just to "test" or "use" the new feature.
LOL
this should be cool
Strangers approaching me in book stores and asking if they can share my music I personally find terrifying. We had a fad here in the UK whereby people would plug their headphones into each others iPods. Maybe it's just me but I think it's weird.
 
Endurancevm said:
The biggest problem with the Zune is the terrible syncing that Windows Media Player has...it is utterly terrible. I dont care how many features the Zune has(or hasnt?) as long as it uses WMP, i won't touch it.

It uses a heavily modified version of WMP, but alas, it doesnt use WMP itself.
 
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