Zune HD Hands on Demo and Impressions

[HLdan]

How come PC users say that the UI of OSX is stupid eye candy when all they want is function, only to claim a huge victory over the incredibly functional iphone/touch interface because the Zune UI is, from what I can see, ALL eye candy?

Dude, when PC users say nonsense like that it's because they actually like and prefer the Mac UI way over the their aging Windows technology. They prove it over and over by installing fake Docks like RocketDock the stacks docklets to fake the Mac experience on their Windows desktop. The funny thing is the Mac community doesn't try to make their desktops look like Windows.

 

[Journojulz]

I use Parallels, but it sucks that there's no native OS X client.

Have you tried the zune pc software?

Give it a go - see if its a rival to iTunes.

 

[Daniel0418]

Take a breath, chill. Ok. now go away.
Oh, and I haven't done anything to get people to hate MS. They did it themselves.

Haha! You'd did it again, you made a bad joke out of something stupid. Quit bugging people, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If they look a microsoft product too bad or you man get over it. Grow up huh.

 

[Ansuz]

For my money, the Zune looks like an interesting product. I can't say I personally like the menu system but thats something that could very well be tweeked before the final launch (lest we forget that the UI for the iPhone/Touch has been changed several times).

As far as it being successful, I see two big hurdles for Microsoft:

1) The OLED technology. It looks great when its new, but the degredation is still very quick. If the colors start to fade within 6 months of purchase, there will be a big surge of sales and then a massive backlash because the product doesn't have a long enough life. I personally think the switch to OLED was premature. The technology won't really be viable for consumer products for another year or so.

2) The brand. Like it or not, the Zune brand does not have a great reputation at this point. Not only do they have a massive hurdle to jump with Apples marketshare/branding in the PMP market but they have to get over the very negative opinion of the Zune name (like it or not, the first generation was plagued with problems). The new product looks good, but I just don't know if its good enough to overcome these hurdles.

Still, I am going to hold back judgement until I can actually put on in my hands. I want to see how well touch IE works, the marketplace and the actual real world interactions of the UI before I call it a winner or loser.

 

[Roessnakhan]

Have you tried the zune pc software?

Give it a go - see if its a rival to iTunes.

I have a Zune that I sync via Parallels. I like the Zune marketplace but I don't find it any better or worse than iTunes - just a different way of handling a library.

 

[milo]

Does this actually output to 720p HDMI? That's pretty amazing, but to say that no other mac devices do that is... weird.

Of course there are computers that can do it, the point is that it can do something that no ipods can do yet. I hope we see that functionality in the future - I doubt this will make much of a dent in ipod market share, but it would be nice to see the competition inspire Apple to improve their product.

 

[Red-red]

I don't see what the fuss is about?

It's a media player with a touch screen?

 

[rturnersmac]

Until it hits the UK, who cares.

 

[Eidorian]

Have you tried the zune pc software?

Give it a go - see if its a rival to iTunes.

I've used it. I never bought anything in the Marketplace but it handled library management just fine and had a great track database to pull from.

 

[*LTD*]

Well the best feature of the Zune experience is the Markplace subscription service. My girlfriend has it and it is very cool. Downloand any song you want and fill your device to capacity.

There is NO Mac client software to sync to the service so it will be useless to Mac users.

Oh no!!!

 

[Gyrferret]

I think the main problem is that many of us are finding a hard time viewing this product with neutral eyes. We're either in the:

"Oh man.... ANOTHER M$ product. Jeeze, let's see where they rip off Apple now"

Or the

"OH YEAH! Mircosoft is making something worth paying attention to. Stop being Apple Haters"

In the end, it often comes down to bias on a product, not the product itself. Those that won't buy an iPod are those that have owned at least three of them. The ones that will are hardcore Microsoft fanboys and those that are being optimistic. I have my gripes with my iPod touch. And I'm optimistic that Microsoft has found those gripes has has fixed them in the Zune HD...

If you want a change of pace, go visit a Microsoft dedicated forum.....

 

[liam5150]

You're forgetting one crucial point. The iPhone/iPod touch display has an aspect ratio of 1.5:1. The Zune has a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, meaning its a standard 16x9 screen. On the iPod touch and iPhone you lose that "extra" vertical resolution to black bars because of the improper aspect ratio.
...

That's true when you are playing a 16:9 video, but you can still use the extra resolution for everything else, including of course web browsing. Having less pixels is always a bad thing. You remind me of those guys saying how great were their iPaqs with 320x240 screens, and how they dare to affirm they were better than the Palm's 320x320 at the time... simply ridiculous.

As for Snow Leopard finally catching up with Win 98's video playing capabilities, I just don't get your point. Would you care to elaborate?

 

[jouster]

I love this forum...

I'll judge the Zune when I can manipulate it in my own hands. For now, there's nothing out there that has convinced me to give up my 1st Gen iPhone.

Not the least factor being, I imagine, that the Zune isn't a phone.

I don't want a radio in my iphone/ipod. I can't remember that last time I listened to the radio.

But if one were there, you wouldn't be required to use it. You could just ignore it.

radio? The only time i would really miss a radio is for festivals and events, but then i would think about battery usage and buy an FM radio from the poundshop - amusingly shaped like a shuffle.

Its not something i would use - and would be one less useless feature i had to carry around.

What? The device won't be any physically smaller or lighter if it leaves the radio out.

1) The OLED technology. It looks great when its new, but the degredation is still very quick. If the colors start to fade within 6 months of purchase, there will be a big surge of sales and then a massive backlash because the product doesn't have a long enough life. I personally think the switch to OLED was premature. The technology won't really be viable for consumer products for another year or so.

I have an iRiver with an OLED screen that is substantially older then six months and shows no screen degradation whatsoever. OLED is easily ready for pocketable devices.

 

[notnek]

i just can't see zune hd competing with ipod touch for 2 reasons.

30k+ apps at your fingertips on ipod touch.

zune hd is windows only. so for mac users, we've got to run windows via bootcamp or virtually.

make a mac client and then they could win a lot more people over.

 

[skyehill]

In before a ton of mouth-breathing Apple nerds claim MS has never made a viable product....oh wait I'm late aren't I.

 

[dsnort]

In before a ton of mouth-breathing Apple nerds claim MS has never made a viable product....oh wait I'm late aren't I.

Of course MS has made viable products!

Read my signature and you'll see how they do it!

 

[MrMoore]

Get over yourself and don't read his posts then, or go to some zune site, ok forget that, no one cares enough to post in a zune forum, go to some ms fanboy site and praise the graces of the zune. But you can't have it both ways, both be here, and expect people to praise the zune and be uncritical of MS. Like I said get over yourselves, and it's democracy, just cause someone has an opinion that's different than yours you can't tell them "get a life" and call them noobs, let alone when that opinion is one in favour of apple in an apple forum....

Wow. The irony of that post.

"You can't tell them "get a life"....
"Get over yourself"

Yep. consistancy.

Also, the people who have mentioned him never stated that are ms fanboy, just that his many posts where annonying. The poster has over 40 posts in this thread alone. Majority were snarky comments.

So to paraphrase your words "..just cause someone has an opinion that's different than yours, you can't tell them to get over themselves".

Regarding the topic, the Zune HD looks fine, but it does not have any exclusive benefits to make me switch from my iPhone. Also being a Mac person, I wouldn't be using Windows.

 

[emiserry]

Looks awesome.
Although I am a huge macfan, and quite dislike windows, i don't hate microsoft.
I think im going to sell my ipod touch and get a Zune Hd for it.
But then also change my Lg into an Iphone

 

[jouster]

Good lord it looks nice

Missed taps != good though

ymmv, but my iPhone certainly misses taps too.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Leave it to Microsoft to simply expand on something Apple has already been producing for a year. If they were actually innovating, it would be impressive.

Fanboy much.

Apple's innovations are mostly other companies ideas they have bought and rebranded.

This is good competition to wake up Apple. Apple has been innovating in quite sometime.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Yeah it is. The President had to issue a press release telling everyone that he owns an ipod when someone thought they saw him with a zune.

Thats because our president is a douche who thinks that his image is more important than his country.

 

[Journojulz]

Thats because our president is a douche who thinks that his image is more important than his country.

At least he won't torture you.

And thanks to him - Americans are a lot more welcome in "the rest of the world".

 

[Treq]

Haha! You'd did it again, you made a bad joke out of something stupid. Quit bugging people, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If they look a microsoft product too bad or you man get over it. Grow up huh.

You are kinda defensive there buddy. Do you work for MS or something? Did I insult your mother? Jeesh...

 

[uberamd]

Why do you immediately say that MS has 'gotten' me? I own not a SINGLE PC or MS product - so no, MS does not 'have' me! I think the ZuneHD LOOKS great and seems very fast. My iPhone 3G and 2G are FINE items as is my 1G iTouch - but I like the look and UI of the ZuneHD. Does that mean I have to turn in my Apple fanboy card, or can I get away with a warning, this one time?

D

You can keep it this time, but I will give you a warning.

I'm just saying, the most we have seen of this device is a 1 minute clip that so many people are going ape s*** over saying its the best thing since the toaster. And that video isn't even of features many of us what to see I'm sure (that being the browser, and store). Now, if I got a chance to go hands-on with this item for 60 seconds, that is the FIRST thing I would hop on. I can't possibly be the only person thinking this. Right? I mean who gives a rats if it plays music, or shows pictures, thats a given. Show us the unique features, the ones that would compel people to get it. Those being the app collection (or what the store will look like), and the functional web browser.

 

[Roessnakhan]

You can keep it this time, but I will give you a warning.

I'm just saying, the most we have seen of this device is a 1 minute clip that so many people are going ape s*** over saying its the best thing since the toaster. And that video isn't even of features many of us what to see I'm sure (that being the browser, and store). Now, if I got a chance to go hands-on with this item for 60 seconds, that is the FIRST thing I would hop on. I can't possibly be the only person thinking this. Right? I mean who gives a rats if it plays music, or shows pictures, thats a given. Show us the unique features, the ones that would compel people to get it. Those being the app collection (or what the store will look like), and the functional web browser.

The marketplace probably won't be any different than how it currently is on the Zune. As for the browser, it could not be done yet so why show off unfinished features that would only be bashed in places like this? They have until fall to show you everything, right now part of the device is just being previewed.