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Microsoft Confirms Multi-Touch Zune HD to Compete Against iPod Touch

OK, this is from an iPod Touch owner, who's owned MULTIPLE iPod Touches, so these are not defects from just one unit.

First the iPod Touch has a very weak wifi antenna: weaker than any laptop in my house. It disconnects constantly if the signal isn't uber strong. The apps (particularly though relying on the antenna, such as AIM) fail to perform consistently. That's not to say the Zune Touch will be better, but there's certainly alot of room for improvement. If the ZT wants to suceed, they need to do what the iTouch does best, the amazing touch screen. I've never used a touch screen so easy to use. I really hope they use a similarly good touch screen.

Secondly, it's not all about sexiness, which is relative anyway. I like the unique screws-showing look. It reminds me of Bioshock. I'm a nerd, what can I say.

Third, how can you say MS is copying Apple? Should no other company be allowed to release a touch screen MP3 player, because Apple did it first? Maybe we shoudn't allow GE to make light bulbs, since they're just copying Edison. I would really love a portable radio on my iPod Touch (one that doesn't require wifi like Pandora) and Microsoft is making this significant improvement.

Remember Mac people: we want to keep Apple in the minority. The second they become as popular as MS, they'll stop innovating, just like MS does now. You'll all be forced to switch to PC's.
 
Sweet. Looks promising. I can't wait to get my hands on one.

Why is everybody looking at me like that? What are you doing with that firewire cable. Hey! That doesn't go there! Somebody help!
 
pr5owner said:
the competition? MS has no competition from apple in the corporate market which is where all the money is.

the iphone is 5 years ahead of the competition? no it was more like 3 years behind everyone else. at the iphone's time of release there was already phones with...
Click to expand...

First off, I wasn't saying that the Zune's in competition with the iPhone i was just saying how Microsoft need to prove to people that the zune is good, not by making it equal to its competition (the iPod touch), but by making it far more than its competition.

Also (as a subnote because this post is definitely NOT off topic) , I reckon the iPhone was a good way ahead of its competition sheerly through the way Apple approached the situation. Don't you remember SJ giving the talk about how they spent years researching and developing the UI? and also the chart that compared ease of use against the "smartness"? Also, many many more touchscreen handsets have been introduced since the iPhone and marketed as iphone killers. I repeat, NOT off topic ;)
 
Kyprioth657 said:
Third, how can you say MS is copying Apple? Should no other company be allowed to release a touch screen MP3 player, because Apple did it first? Maybe we shoudn't allow GE to make light bulbs, since they're just copying Edison.
Click to expand...


incorrect

the Cowon D2 came out in 2006 and has a full touch screen, the ipod touch came out in 2007


the D2 has a higher quality audio decoder and supports more formats than the ipod can hope to dream of with an SDHC slot to support 32GB.
it also plays Xvid videos out of the box.

sorry but apple is never a first at anything
 
Chaszmyr said:
Still, the expanded feature set puts this in the running to be a legitimate competitor.
Click to expand...

Bear in mind, the original Zune had an expanded feature set that the original iPod did not. Remember song sharing to anyone anywhere with a zune? That brought in a whole lot of extra business for them...
 
DougB541 said:
Eh i doubt that with the current specs on the iPhone they want to unlock multitasking....if anything it would be a limiited to like 2 programs or something.

Esp. with their excuse of it uses too much battery life. I am still expecting a completely revamped iPhone next year.....Version 3.0 is what is coming this year with maybe more memory and more RAM or faster processor.
Click to expand...

besides, Palm Pre (if I understand it right) is WebKit based os, so all so called applications are just different pages (I could be wrong). if that is true, then safari on iphone can do exact the same thing.

too much battery life (for multi-tasking environment) isn't excuse it's reality.
we should see how Palm Pre will behave
 
deputy_doofy said:
Radio isn't really a big deal (to me, anyway).

Some people also think Cntrl +Click is better then just a right click.
Until Apple has "invented" right click about 2 years ago :rolleyes:

Personally, I like this Zune new look.
Nothing against iPod as I owned a bunch of them from firewire age till present.
Click to expand...
 
I'd love to play with this and see how she is, but I love the iphone OS too much to switch to the Zune.

Also, this comes out in the fall, Apple is deffinatly at work already on the 3rd gen ipod touch so I expect to be blown away yet again (they just keep on doing it to me).

Props on the OLED tho, thats just cool.

Negative on the weird trifold back thing going on there, seriously, WTF is that about?:confused:
 
The flip side of the Zune HD announcement is this:

"Delivering on Microsoft's connected entertainment vision, this news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world."

...

"Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience."

Microsoft may actually accomplish what Apple tried to do with the Apple TV. If Apple wants to dominate the living room, they'd better get serious.
 
dmarkman said:
besides, Palm Pre (if I understand it right) is WebKit based os, so all so called applications are just different pages (I could be wrong). if that is true, then safari on iphone can do exact the same thing.

too much battery life (for multi-tasking environment) isn't excuse it's reality.
we should see how Palm Pre will behave
Click to expand...

Close about webkit....common misconception though is its just "web based apps"....it uses web based langauges but everything runs locally. Could the iPhone do it? Sure they would have to tweak their SDK around a bit I suppose, but they are doing it a different way which def. helps with gaming.


About multi-tasking, far too many phones with full featured multi-tasking have come out prior and continue to come out for the iPhone to use the battery excuse. Why not let the USER determine if they want to sacrifice battery life?
 
o9ski said:
deputy_doofy said:
Until Apple has "invented" right click about 2 years ago :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I get REALLY sick of these comments on this site. You all know them "Apple comes in late and "invents" an already exsistant ___ and the fanboys drool".

Seriously, show me ONE person on the face of the planet that truly and honestly believes that Apple invented the right click. ONE PERSON. Then you can roll your eyes.
:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
 
I would have picked this up last year instead of the ipod touch because of the Xbox Intigration...

Too bad (or good?) that the App Store is so amazing that I can't part with all my awesome apps and games!

Still Looks like a pretty good device, maybe Microsoft will surprise me and I will have to get one.
 
It looks stunning IMO... remember guys, competition is good - it will make apple create better products and drive prices down!
 
Well guys this is what i came up with and made....
I think i might even be exagerating with the windows 95 might be a little to advanced for them:apple::apple:

Gotta Love The IE error report...
 

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NT1440 said:
I get REALLY sick of these comments on this site. You all know them "Apple comes in late and "invents" an already exsistant ___ and the fanboys drool".

Seriously, show me ONE person on the face of the planet that truly and honestly believes that Apple invented the right click. ONE PERSON. Then you can roll your eyes.
:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Well they pioneered the GUI which uses the right-click
*runs away and peeks from the distance*
 
Kyprioth657 said:
OK, this is from an iPod Touch owner, who's owned MULTIPLE iPod Touches, so these are not defects from just one unit.

First the iPod Touch has a very weak wifi antenna: weaker than any laptop in my house. It disconnects constantly if the signal isn't uber strong. The apps (particularly though relying on the antenna, such as AIM) fail to perform consistently. That's not to say the Zune Touch will be better, but there's certainly alot of room for improvement. If the ZT wants to suceed, they need to do what the iTouch does best, the amazing touch screen. I've never used a touch screen so easy to use. I really hope they use a similarly good touch screen.

Secondly, it's not all about sexiness, which is relative anyway. I like the unique screws-showing look. It reminds me of Bioshock. I'm a nerd, what can I say.

Third, how can you say MS is copying Apple? Should no other company be allowed to release a touch screen MP3 player, because Apple did it first? Maybe we shoudn't allow GE to make light bulbs, since they're just copying Edison. I would really love a portable radio on my iPod Touch (one that doesn't require wifi like Pandora) and Microsoft is making this significant improvement.

Remember Mac people: we want to keep Apple in the minority. The second they become as popular as MS, they'll stop innovating, just like MS does now. You'll all be forced to switch to PC's.
Click to expand...
This is absolute nonsense.
 
kdarling said:
Re: App dev.
Click to expand...

It better support third-party apps. (I don't see a 'yes' or 'no' to that anywhere.) If not they're missing a huge selling point of the Touch/Phone. If they do allow third-party apps, I will be all over it. I'll have to join the race to make the first fart app. :D

The HD radio is actually a nice selling point. The original analog radio is easy to forget about because it's crap. If it's been a long time since you've used a portable radio, it's easy to forget that they are all crap. A portable HD radio on the other hand should provide something worth listening to.
 
Kyprioth657 said:
O
First the iPod Touch has a very weak wifi antenna: weaker than any laptop in my house. It disconnects constantly if the signal isn't uber strong. The apps (particularly though relying on the antenna, such as AIM) fail to perform consistently. That's not to say the Zune Touch will be better, but there's certainly alot of room for improvement.
Click to expand...
I agree but this may be ultimately a restriction of the form factor. Getting a decent WiFi device inside such a small package and using very little power is going to have drawbacks. If MS can improve on the touch's WiFi wimpyness then more power to them, but I doubt they can.
 
NT1440 said:
You mean adapted Xerox's GUI OS right?
Click to expand...

Well I tried to squeeze as much out of the word "pioneered" as possible.
However, Apple did alter the GUI that Xerox made quite a bit (window resizing?) so.. I don't know.
 
The HD doesn't come from the screen res. I am assuming this but from what I heard it does play back HD content via this dock and an HDMI cable. That part of it is cool. If you can actually load 720p video on it a play it back that is pretty cool…

Downside? 720p HD feature film is 4 GB. I bet this baby will be a 16 GB and 32 GB model which means if you want to use the HD feature you ca only fit like 3-4 films on your device. That kinda sucks.
 
InTheUnion said:
Well I tried to squeeze as much out of the word "pioneered" as possible.
However, Apple did alter the GUI that Xerox made quite a bit (window resizing?) so.. I don't know.
Click to expand...

Oh of course, I'm one that always gives Apple credit where credit is due. I just don't like when people play fast and loose with the facts. Apple may have perfected the GUI OS so far (;)) but they sure as hell didnt invent it.
 
Beginning = End

Every Zune that has a beginning, has an end.

See those little screws in the back.. when its been in your sweaty pocket a while, over and over again.. they'll fall out..
Even in a protective bag or whatever, synergy, handling of the device or whatever will cause them to unscrew..
By the time they release it it will be passe'.. iPod will have moved on to include a camera, OLED and possible magnetometer to support Google mapping apps.
When you have a neanderthall at the helm, you get stonage products.:rolleyes:

..and there's one more thing... Bringing IE to the mobile world brings a world of trojan and virus hurt. Bravo!
 
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