More Information On Microsoft's Zune...

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Update x3 - Microsoft Ramps Up Zune Production, expects 3 million sales by 2007

According to Apple Insider, Microsoft is aiming for 3 million Zune players sold by the end of December (about 15% of the market!)

For Microsoft, that means selling at least a million of the players each month beginning in October. That's a little less than one fourth the number of iPods Apple Computer is expected sell during the same time period. Though the majority of the players Apple is expected to sell will feature flash memory-based storage, not hard disk storage like that employed by Zune

Update x2 - New Product Information

According to Apple Insider,

Like the Chocolate phone from LG and other vendors, the Zune includes a fake click-wheel that does not scroll nor is touch pressure sensitive making navigation difficult, particularly for users with large music, video, and photo libraries," he said. "We find it interesting that Microsoft also opted to replicate an iPod-look like most others, but failed in replicating one of the key pieces of the unique iPod experience with its scrolling click-wheel and powerful catalog engine.

Update - New Product Information

According to AP,

The gadget, which will be one of the products marketed under Microsoft's "Zune" brand, will let people share songs, photos, music playlists and other content with others via a wireless connection. One feature will allow a person to act as a DJ, sending music to up to four other devices.

and...

Photos included in the filing show a white rectangular device with a large screen and several buttons. The minimalist feel closely resembles Apple Computer Inc.'s wildly popular iPod.

Seeing as Microsoft as seen as one of the very few companies out there that has the capacity to even compete with the iPod's "all-in-one" integration with iTunes, a Zune update is not totally irrelevant on this site...

Anyway, according to CNET, this is what we're looking at:

-First of all, the first generation of 'Zune' will not have video-playing capabilities. Additionally, while most retailers expect it to debut this fall, Microsoft execs have claimed that 'it will come out sometime within the next 12 months', subtedly hinting at a possible delay...which, of course, would be a major shock.

-It looks like the first unit will cost 299 dollars and will only come in a 30 GB configuration. So, Microsoft won't be undercutting the iPod and won't be competing with the higher-end iPod (60 GB) or the flash market whatsoever (at least not initially).

-The 'Zune' player apparently will come in 3 colors

-And finally, the 'wi-fi' capabilities will NOT allow users to purchase songs over the air (which, in my mind, would be the only real reason to have wi-fi in the first place...) - I guess, maybe, you can have wireless syncing with the computer?

Link - http://reviews.cnet.com/4531-10921_7....html?tag=blog

[BoyBach]

Zune is gonna rock our world!

[sjpetry]

I was hoping MS would come out with something spectacular so Apple would have to counter it. And eventually come out with something much better.

[Timepass]

well the wireless syncing would be pretty nice. not good for the first set up of it but after that it really a nice feature. I hardly ever plug in my palm any more to sync it up with my computer. I just do it wirelessly (even if I am sitting at my computer desk at the time. It is just easier to do that plug stuff in.) that or when I rememeber I need sync on my way out the door. I just start the syncing and start walking off. and it normally ways finished before I get even close to being out of range.

well next 12 months gives them a year on it. You can expect it in the fall but it makes no promise of it happening. Retailers are normally pretty stupid when it comes to release dates and more offen than not they are wrong and cause a lot of harm and miss trust with the public and is direct at the wrong target (should be aim at the retailers and not the manufacters).

As for it only competing with the 30gig model I think that is fine right now and I expect later on for them to move into the flash and larger ones. Just they are doing the 30 gig as their test bed to get the first public take and as time goes on update it and add more. Come on apple does that with the ipod all the time. They update it as time goes on after seeing the public reaction for it. People wanted color screens apple gave them color screens. People wanted video power apple gave them video power.
The one failure of apple listening is not adding FM to the iPod because a lot of people want it. It is a feature I would like them to added. but that an agrument for another day.

Zune first one is a test bed and it take a little time to refine it. It took apple a while to refine the ipod. I dont expect the first generation to be better or as good in the iPod in most respects but give it few generations and I expect them to catch up and be true compition.

[LastBreath]

I was expecting the zune to be something very much like the xbox 360, and yet i wonder if its going to be all that impressive at all.

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Toshiba will be building Microsoft's Zune Player.

According to AP,

The gadget, which will be one of the products marketed under Microsoft's "Zune" brand, will let people share songs, photos, music playlists and other content with others via a wireless connection. One feature will allow a person to act as a DJ, sending music to up to four other devices.

and...

Photos included in the filing show a white rectangular device with a large screen and several buttons. The minimalist feel closely resembles Apple Computer Inc.'s wildly popular iPod.

"Several Buttons" - doesn't sound minimalist to me....

[ChickenSwartz]

"Reached for comment, the iPod said, "I'm feeling distinctly not killed!" "

HA HA HA

You know what would be pretty sweet? Intergrated WiFi that would let you be in a store, say Starbucks or something similar, and you hear a song playing in the store and you trun on your wireless media device and a screen pops up with the song, albumn, etc. and gives you the option to buy.

I could see store integrating WiFi and the iTunes store. Not bad.

[Jasonbot]

Pod Wars: IV The Empire strikes back

Zune: Ah, no I will be not be defeated.
Black 60Gb Video: Zune I am your father!
ZUne: You told me enough Bill told me you killed him!
Black 60Gb Video: No, join me and together we shall become one (infact you'll be discontinued) and rule the mp3 market with an iron fist!
[Zune dies of amazement, confusion and a mild case of diaroea which does still kill millions of people ever year]

lol, yeah the Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 Portable Media Player Device Media Player Media Player Media Player, coded named Argo is so goanna die!

[ChickenSwartz]

Is Zune going to require Anti-spy/spy/ad software?

[Kardashian]

With products like this, I'm going back to Windows.

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Looks like the upcoming MS Zune Player is really just the Toshiba Gigabeat in disguise (which is actually a somewhat decent player - my friend has one and likes it, although he hates WMP).

From Apple Insider,

Like the Chocolate phone from LG and other vendors, the Zune includes a fake click-wheel that does not scroll nor is touch pressure sensitive making navigation difficult, particularly for users with large music, video, and photo libraries," he said. "We find it interesting that Microsoft also opted to replicate an iPod-look like most others, but failed in replicating one of the key pieces of the unique iPod experience with its scrolling click-wheel and powerful catalog engine.

[Project]

Zune doesnt use WMP.

[zap2]

Originally Posted by Project

Zune doesnt use WMP.

What? Link..because MS seems to have put its soul in to WMP

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Originally Posted by Project

Zune doesnt use WMP.

Even if it doesn't (which I'm assuming it will - I'm guessing Microsoft will just add tight integration with WMP), my friend still prefers the click wheel interface over the interface on his Gigabeat (although it arguably has a better interface than most other MP3 players out there....)

[Project]

Originally Posted by zap2

What? Link..because MS seems to have put its soul in to WMP

lol....I cant reveal anything...but trust me on this one.

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

Originally Posted by Project

lol....I cant reveal anything...but trust me on this one.

Hmmmm....

Well it makes sense, anyway, that MS would ditch WMP - that program has become far too bloated, and if they want to recreate the iTunes + iPod, they're clearly going to need a ZuneTunes and ZunePod.

[timswim78]

Originally Posted by Project

lol....I cant reveal anything...but trust me on this one.

I'm going to bookmark this thread and come back and look at it after Zune is released.

In any case, I am pretty excited about Zune. I hope that there will be a new music device that brings some innovation and excitement into the rather stale portable media device scene. Hopefully, the result will be that Apple, Creative, Toshiba, and etc. really step up their efforts to make some great devices that go along with great services.

If MS doesn't use WMP, I am guessing that they will use Media Center with Zune. Having used Windows XP MCE and Windows Vista's MCE features, I can say that MS has really focused their efforts on media and produced a good product.

[Project]

Originally Posted by timswim78

I'm going to bookmark this thread and come back and look at it after Zune is released.

In any case, I am pretty excited about Zune. I hope that there will be a new music device that brings some innovation and excitement into the rather stale portable media device scene. Hopefully, the result will be that Apple, Creative, Toshiba, and etc. really step up their efforts to make some great devices that go along with great services.

If MS doesn't use WMP, I am guessing that they will use Media Center with Zune. Having used Windows XP MCE and Windows Vista's MCE features, I can say that MS has really focused their efforts on media and produced a good product.

I look forward to it!

Your last paragraph wont be the case either.[b][/color]

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

From Apple Insider:

For Microsoft, that means selling at least a million of the players each month beginning in October. That's a little less than one fourth the number of iPods Apple Computer is expected sell during the same time period. Though the majority of the players Apple is expected to sell will feature flash memory-based storage, not hard disk storage like that employed by Zune

The thing I find amazing about this is that the Zune is only competing with the 30 GB iPod - not the 60 GB iPod or the even more popular iPod Nano, and not even the low end iPod Shuffle.

Basically, it appears that Microsoft looks to sell about the same number of Zune Players as Apple does 30 GB iPods - something I'm not sure they'll accomplish...

[Project]

Originally Posted by Project

Zune doesnt use WMP.

Now, give me my check