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iPod I acutally like the ZUNE

R

Rhema

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 11, 2006
83
0
Well, partly.

The Hardware of the zune is not as good as the iPod, and all the PC-Side software is not nearly as good as iTunes, but...


I do like the interface of the zune, and the fact that is has a radio tuner, I know there is a 3rd partly hardware that can give you this ability, but, having it built in is nice.

But yeah, does anyone else out there like the zune interface? I really hope apple re-does the interface when they (hopefully) come out with the touchscreen.
 
i haven't tried the Zune but i think the iPod interface is very simple and easy to use. i can't imagine anything being better, but i suppose it's possible to improve on even the best.

also, no 3rd party hardware is needed to get radio on your iPod; Apple makes a radio remote for iPods.
 
Rhema said:
Well, partly.

The Hardware of the zune is not as good as the iPod, and all the PC-Side software is not nearly as good as iTunes, but...


I do like the interface of the zune, and the fact that is has a radio tuner, I know there is a 3rd partly hardware that can give you this ability, but, having it built in is nice.

But yeah, does anyone else out there like the zune interface? I really hope apple re-does the interface when they (hopefully) come out with the touchscreen.
Click to expand...

I like the zune interface but I do not hope Apple re-does their interface to come close to zune. I like apple, I like zune, I like apple's hardware a lot better. it's slick, the zune is always locked in some brick that seems way too large to even want around in my pocket.
 
jessica. said:
I like the zune interface but I do not hope Apple re-does their interface to come close to zune. I like apple, I like zune, I like apple's hardware a lot better. it's slick, the zune is always locked in some brick that seems way too large to even want around in my pocket.
Click to expand...

I wish the iPod was more like the Zune personally... I think Apple had it right the first two times, and the 3rg gen was sleek, but now this 5th generation is just too... plain. Either make it 100% plain, or jazz it up like the Zune somehow
 
Yes, I hate Microsoft... but I will admit the Zune isn't the worst player out there. Close, but not quite. ;)

My main gripe about the Zune is the size of it. It's huge! I love how my iPod is slim and sexy, of course I'm a stickler about that and won't even put a case on my iPod because it would take away from that. ;)

I hate the radio so it's nice Apple made it an optional add-on.

I've only ever seen screenshots and a few short clips of the Zune interface, and it's not absolutely horrible, but it's definitely not for me. Some folks think the iPod UI is just too plain and simple and needs to be more fancy, but I say simple works best. I wouldn't complain if there was a little more eyecandy if it was done well, but the current interface works just great for me.

The obvious ripoff of the click-wheel chafes me a little too.
 
There is a Zune at our Office Max on display. It's in a case. And it's cracked.

Obviously it has its faults. It's made of plastic, it can run on my mac, it's software blows... But it has some good points to, but it seems like for now for every good point there is an even worse point.
 
honest constructive criticism

thejadedmonkey said:
I wish the iPod was more like the Zune personally... I think Apple had it right the first two times, and the 3rg gen was sleek, but now this 5th generation is just too... plain. Either make it 100% plain, or jazz it up like the Zune somehow
Click to expand...

When I read your post, I immediately thought this guy must be a Star War fan. To my amusement, I look to my left and see your avatar.:D

Honestly, I think the Zune looks like a rush job from some Asian company wanting to make a quick buck.

Cinch
 
Buschmaster said:
There is a Zune at our Office Max on display. It's in a case. And it's cracked.

Obviously it has its faults. It's made of plastic, it can run on my mac, it's software blows... But it has some good points to, but it seems like for now for every good point there is an even worse point.
Click to expand...

There isn't actually any reason to make it run on the Mac. Obviously, Macs are in the minority. MS wouldn't make much, if any money.

Still, Apple made the iPod availbile for the PC. You'd think Microsoft would return the "favor" (Oh wait, it's MS :rolleyes: )
 
I looked at a Zune at Sears (the perfect place to sell Microsoft products, if you ask me -- right next to the Craftsman tools and the polyester dress shirts). The big display is nice, but the "click wheel" is only round because it's meant to imitate the real thing on the iPod, and not because it's functionally similar. On the Zune, it's just a four-direction clicker. The form does not follow the function. Strike One. The entire thing felt cheesy. Strike Two. In the few minutes I spent looking at the device, I could not figure out how to use it. Strike Three.

Some people will buy the Zune because it's from Microsoft, and/or they like the pretty pictures on the display. But if they care about how the product actually works, there's still no comparison. Apple understands the importance of interfaces. Microsoft never has and probably never will.
 
I had a chance a to look at the zune today at Target, and was not impressed to say the least. It looks like a mangled iPod Click Wheel attached to a massive screen. Regardless of my bias towards iPods, there was an interesting article posted on the MotleyFool about the Zune and the iPod. Bob Cringley (an Apple employee) has an interesting hypothesis about the Zune. I'm curious what everyone else thinks about his hypothesis.

http://www.fool.com/ahead-of-the-cu...1.htm?source=eptyholnk303100&logvisit=y&npu=y
 
I finally saw a working Zune in target. I was impressed with the slickness of the page transitions and the overall interface look...until the unit locked up within a few seconds of clicking through menus.

Less impressed at that point.
 
tstoneblues said:
I had a chance a to look at the zune today at Target, and was not impressed to say the least. It looks like a mangled iPod Click Wheel attached to a massive screen. Regardless of my bias towards iPods, there was an interesting article posted on the MotleyFool about the Zune and the iPod. Bob Cringley (an Apple employee) has an interesting hypothesis about the Zune. I'm curious what everyone else thinks about his hypothesis.

http://www.fool.com/ahead-of-the-cu...1.htm?source=eptyholnk303100&logvisit=y&npu=y
Click to expand...

I can't get that link to load, or anything else at fool.com for some reason. But just as point of order, AFAIK there's nobody named "Bob Cringely," but there is a "Robert X. Cringely" who is a journalist (not an Apple employee) named Mark Stephens who has used this as a pen name for many years.
 
MotleyFool link

IJ Reilly said:
I can't get that link to load, or anything else at fool.com for some reason. But just as point of order, AFAIK there's nobody named "Bob Cringely," but there is a "Robert X. Cringely" who is a journalist (not an Apple employee) named Mark Stephens who has used this as a pen name for many years.
Click to expand...

This came up on another posting, I think this is the one tstoneblues was referring to:
http://www.fool.com/ahead-of-the-curve/2006/ahead-of-the-curve-06122001.htm


...an interesting hypothesis about the Zune. I'm curious what everyone else thinks about his hypothesis.
Click to expand...

Finally found where I saw the original commentary:
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=3167746
 
MartyMoe said:
This came up on another posting, I think this is the one tstoneblues was referring to:
http://www.fool.com/ahead-of-the-curve/2006/ahead-of-the-curve-06122001.htm
Click to expand...

The "Bob" thing has to be kind of an in-joke. It is among people who know, anyway. ;)

Anyway, whatever he's calling himself these days, Cringely is probably right about the appeal of the Zune, and Microsoft's reasons for putting the product out. However, I don't think he's got any reason to believe that Apple will begin licensing the iPod anytime soon or even ever, if only because this is a thing Apple has never done before. Steve Jobs has to be extra-wary of any such scheme, since he witnessed what happened to the Mac with licensing, and successful examples of technology product licensing are essentially nil.
 
quote from the article

Mac Greer: The thing I like about the Zune is not the brown color, but the idea of being able to beam a song that I have to someone else, or someone being able to kind of beam a song to me, because it is great for someone who is lazy like me, who has an iPod but hasn't really updated all of their music in ages.

Bob Cringely: That is great for you, but I just don't see people doing it, and Jobs made actually the best point of all, because the way Microsoft is essentially pitching this is it will help you pick up chicks. He said, why would you go to -- it is rather complex, this thing you have to do to send a song to someone across the room. Why not just go over to them and offer them one of your earpods?

:D :D :D
 
I think the average joe (jill) consumer has no clue it is made by Microsoft. Everytime I see the thing advertised it fails to list or show a MS name. I personally think they have done this on purpose- build a brand name upon itself. I have to agree- I played with one at Target as well- it crashed after playing a while. I like the larger screen and switching formats to horizontal to watch movies. I like the integrated FM tuner too. That is about it.
 
The Zune software is pretty bad. Freezes and makes you reformat the zune randomly.

Good ol' microsoft making the buggiest of software...
 
Rhema said:
Well, partly.

The Hardware of the zune is not as good as the iPod, and all the PC-Side software is not nearly as good as iTunes, but...


I do like the interface of the zune, and the fact that is has a radio tuner, I know there is a 3rd partly hardware that can give you this ability, but, having it built in is nice.

But yeah, does anyone else out there like the zune interface? I really hope apple re-does the interface when they (hopefully) come out with the touchscreen.
Click to expand...

It's nice to see an honest review. I would think that Apple is going to add some features of Zune to the next iPod.

Have you used the wifi yet?? How is it?
 
Rhema said:
I do like the interface of the zune, and the fact that is has a radio tuner
Click to expand...
The radio tuner seemed important to me too, but I've found out that I had listened to the radio only 2 times in the last 3 years (with the previous player I had).
I prefer my own selection of audio-books and podcasts.
 
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