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Although I am not a big fan of MS - I think ANY competition is good. It will keep Apple on the edge of their seats... which is always a good sign isn't it?
 
Why all this interest for a device that has less than 1% of market share??? :confused:

one could say this about macs with only 10% market share. i think its ignorant to think that no one besides apple has anything to offer consumers. OLED, HD radio reciever, and true HD output is not a bad feature set.
 
Zune sucks as bad as Microsoft's promises...

Before the flaming starts, I began my MP3 journey with a Zune 1.0 back in 2006 as my first-ever MP3 player. As an Apple-Hater(back then), I was mesmerized by the idea of Big Microsoft putting a competing player out there with all the things it will do soon...at some point(Like Movies and Games...which NEVER fully happened). Regretfully, those things "it will do...soon" never happened. Read that part...promised and NEVER happened. Lucky for me, I was able to sell it quickly before it really tanked..the first go around.

So when I read about Zune HD and all the things it will do "soon"-Twitter, Movies, I cringe for those who buy it and will wait...and wait.

With how bad the first 3 versions tanked, M$ has put alot of power and money in the ZuneHD player, so I hope they back it up with some content. If they don't, then the iPod Touch market will continue to grow one unsatisfied Zune owner at a time....
 
Moderately nice hardware, software which is probably improved but almost certainly has those inevitable goofy MS details that make you pound your head, and lonely app store. I'm sure it's not horrible and if the iPod Touch did not exist, this would probably be a decent device, but there's nothing revolutionary here and that's what you will need to knock the iPod off the top. Same old stuff, wake me up when the next iPod killer is released.
 
Wow...

So now we're back to devices and their singular purpose as opposed to extra features? Is that what everyone is arguing with the Zune now? So if the Zune comes out with games I guess we can all just say you should get a PSP or DS if you want to to game? I mean hey, while you're at it if you want to listen to the HD radio you should just get a Coby HDR-700 Portable HD Radio System and while your at it again if you want to watch video, get a TV. Right?
 
whatever it means - it is good for competition and for us consumers.

but - the traditional mp3 player is a dying breed...
 
1% is statistically irrelevant.

I'm sure the device hardware is good, but hardware specs were 2006/2007...... its all about the software now.

the zune will tank.... nothing is more certain.
 
Those photos show nothing. One photo of the screen on when it is inside a store. The article was a pretty poor review (which is understandable since the Zune HD wasn't out at that point). I think the Zune HD looks nice. The competition is good for consumers. The screen looks nice but your posting a link did nothing to refute the comment you were referring to.

The photo was taken at CNET's offices in a brightly lit room.

Can we let this one go now? Please?
 
one could say this about macs with only 10% market share. i think its ignorant to think that no one besides apple has anything to offer consumers. OLED, HD radio reciever, and true HD output is not a bad feature set.
First of all 10% is much more than 1%.
But if Sandisk or Samsung release a new device ... they will receive all this noise?
And OK a lot of tech spech for the Zune ... but what you can do without great apps? What's the benefit of having gorgeous TVs without great content ?
 
see my sig
Who cares if MS is "cool" or not. Does the device do what I need it to do and does it do it well?
That is the question.
Buying something just for the "cool" factor is idiotic.

I bought my iPhone because it does what I need it to, not because it was "cool".
It actually doesn't do much of any one thing very well but there aren't many choices out there right now that do all of the things the iPhone does in one device. As a whole, it is an adequate tool.

So I welcome any competition.

Maybe this will get Apple to focus on what features the consumer wants in a device and not what Steve wants.
 
Ok finally got my Zune HD. It looked great in sunglight, and brightly lit rooms. That Apple Insider article was indeed crap, and funny how they said the screen was terrible in sunlight based on SONY's OLED mp3 player...

The touch screen is extremely responsive and UI is very smooth.

Stop being ignorant fanboys please. Either actually try one out or stop trashing it. Thanks.
 
I agree, it's good for Apple to have competition.

The Zune isn't bad, it's just that's it's going against a very, very strong product. I have very little to complain about with the Touch, so there's not much room for Microsoft to wriggle in by offering features I feel are missing from the Touch.
 
Ok finally got my Zune HD. It looked great in sunglight, and brightly lit rooms. That Apple Insider article was indeed crap, and funny how they said the screen was terrible in sunlight based on SONY's OLED mp3 player...

The touch screen is extremely responsive and UI is very smooth.

Stop being ignorant fanboys please. Either actually try one out or stop trashing it. Thanks.
Does the HD radio pick up HD-AM stations?
 
I agree, it's good for Apple to have competition.

The Zune isn't bad, it's just that's it's going against a very, very strong product. I have very little to complain about with the Touch, so there's not much room for Microsoft to wriggle in by offering features I feel are missing from the Touch.

I think while the Ipod touch is still a great product, they missed a major opportunity to one-up the Zune HD by adding a camera and updating/improving it's UI. The ipod touch 3rd gen is almost identical to the one that was out 3 years ago (with upgraded graphics/processor). The Zune will force Apple to make major updates in the 4th gen.

I think the Zune HD will no doubt increase MS's market share, I'm sure they at least doubled or tripled their tiny share based on pre-orders alone. If they advertise it correctly (or at all for that matter) and sell it in Canada and Europe, they could have a winner.
 
Reviews coming in for the Zune HD for been overwhelming positive, and almost all of them note the Zune HD is on par or exceeds any ipod offering, current or past.

You must be reading different reviews than I am, because the early ones I've read say the Zune HD is no real threat to the iPod, mainly due to the lack of software and an app store.

I find it odd that major tech sites didn't receive review units prior to the official sale time. Is that like a movie studio not letting critics screen a film before release? Hmm....
 
Great looking device. I'd love to give the UI a spin.

The only thing holding it back to me, is an app store. I realize they say it's coming, but talk is cheap.

Actually delivering a good end user experience is quite a challenge, even for the titans of the industry.
 
You must be reading different reviews than I am, because the early ones I've read say the Zune HD is no real threat to the iPod, mainly due to the lack of software and an app store.

I find it odd that major tech sites didn't receive review units prior to the official sale time. Is that like a movie studio not letting critics screen a film before release? Hmm....

Can you please provide links to those reviews?

It's because MS released the Zune software today... Engadget and CNET both praised the Zune HD they were loaned a month ago ("tears of joy").
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-10303243-49.html

How long did it take Apple to get an App Store? I'm sure there will be tons of apps by X-mas.
 
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