No, it's because the zune is so unpopular, having one could actually have lowered the president's approval rating.
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Zune HD Hands on Demo and Impressions
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No question they have made viable products. But have they made a viable hardware product? Maybe the xbox 360 is profitable, but probably only if you ignore all the money lost on the original xbox.
And they have sold plenty of mice, have to give them credit there.
Press release? I call BS. Link please?
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11 Safari/525.20)
E3 hasn't even occurred yet. MS will be demoing the other features including the rumored xbox integration during their keynote.
uberamd said:
E3 hasn't even occurred yet. MS will be demoing the other features including the rumored xbox integration during their keynote.
really the only thing i think that would be better than the current touch is the screen resolution and speed? i would hope apple would simply bump both up in the next offering.
wait i bet it does one other thing mac doesn't... FLASH!! apple does need to let you go to flash sites!!
wait i bet it does one other thing mac doesn't... FLASH!! apple does need to let you go to flash sites!!
Yeah, that makes no mention of a press release. And spokespeople answer all sorts of inane questions, it's how they make those go away and move on to the real stuff. If someone wants to whine about that whole story, your beef is with the bloggers who made such a fuss in the first place.
Wireless syncing? I'd kill for that (and I'd love to see it in regular ipods someday). And the HD video output is pretty cool.
And until then I am not going to tout it as being a "ZOMG AMAZING!!!!1!!ONE!!!" device.
+ 1 for the OLED screen! Can't go wrong with that.
But really, no matter how great of a product MS makes with the Zune, if it does not have the equivalent of the App Store (both in features and success), I don't see how I can leave that behind.
Just knowing that every week there's the possibility for something "new". Aside from the regular day-to-day use of my iPhone, I always go app hunting when I'm bored. The amount of developer support for the iPhone/Touch is tremendous.
I have my issues with the iPhone (mostly in-regards to it's responsiveness) but I've also been very aware of how the iPhone has grown and matured.
Despite being technically impressive at first glance, I suspect the Zune HD has a lot still to learn.
But really, no matter how great of a product MS makes with the Zune, if it does not have the equivalent of the App Store (both in features and success), I don't see how I can leave that behind.
Just knowing that every week there's the possibility for something "new". Aside from the regular day-to-day use of my iPhone, I always go app hunting when I'm bored. The amount of developer support for the iPhone/Touch is tremendous.
I have my issues with the iPhone (mostly in-regards to it's responsiveness) but I've also been very aware of how the iPhone has grown and matured.
Despite being technically impressive at first glance, I suspect the Zune HD has a lot still to learn.
The point is the zune is so unpopular that people don't want to be associated with it. It's a punch-line. This new one has a huge hurdle to overcome.
I don't disagree with that. My point is just that people are imagining that there was some sort of big announcement when it was just one of a multitude of things that are commented on every single day. The inane questions generally get addressed along with the serious ones.
It looks like it may be a very nice device and a worthy competitor to the iPod Touch. Although right now it's impossible not to give the edge to the Touch, being that:
1) It is a known quantity.
2) It has a ~40M unit head start (counting iPhone)
3) It has the app store with a ton of apps already.
Still, I like the idea of a subscription as an option. Odds are I'd pay less with the $15 or $10 a month plan than a la carte wit iTunes and get to have whatever I want. I also like that they include a few free downloads. Now if only those downloads were DRM free. I wish Apple would offer something like that.
Also, I do like the Touch's UI better overall in terms of where things are located. If current rumors prove true, the iPhone will be getting a drastically improved processor that will greatly help with UI responsiveness. I would imagine the iPod Touch will get similar enhancements with it's update that is likely to happen either at the WWDC, or more likely in September like last time. (My bet is right after their college Mac/iPod promo.) So I'm not too worried about it that.
What an exciting time to be into this kinda stuff. Just keeps getting better.
1) It is a known quantity.
2) It has a ~40M unit head start (counting iPhone)
3) It has the app store with a ton of apps already.
Still, I like the idea of a subscription as an option. Odds are I'd pay less with the $15 or $10 a month plan than a la carte wit iTunes and get to have whatever I want. I also like that they include a few free downloads. Now if only those downloads were DRM free. I wish Apple would offer something like that.
Also, I do like the Touch's UI better overall in terms of where things are located. If current rumors prove true, the iPhone will be getting a drastically improved processor that will greatly help with UI responsiveness. I would imagine the iPod Touch will get similar enhancements with it's update that is likely to happen either at the WWDC, or more likely in September like last time. (My bet is right after their college Mac/iPod promo.) So I'm not too worried about it that.
What an exciting time to be into this kinda stuff. Just keeps getting better.
Not to sound like an Apple fanboy (because I'm not) but I count at least 6 times in that video where he taps something and nothing happens or something happens he doesn't seem to have expected. I would write that off at first to unfamiliarity with the product but he seems to know the product well enough to assume otherwise. That kind of "mis-touching" or failed touch happens on the iPhone too but it's pretty rare, certainly doesn't happen as much as what's shown in that video. I'm wondering why we see so much of it on the Zune--if it's a sign of the quality of the product or something else.
Also, hard not to have a little smirk at the way he keeps saying, "You know, just the standard stuff..." to everything the Zune is doing, as if every product on the market does this now.
I'm definitely no expert in the area of displays and screen tech, but I did a lot of reading about OLED several months back and it's far from being a superior technology compared to what's out there now. It's advancing rapidly but, IIRC, there was considerably shorter life-span for OLED screens compared to what's used in most consumer products. There are some other drawbacks too but I don't recall. It was enough to make it pretty much a draw compared to current display tech.
So it's pretty much a solid "meh." Not bad, not good. I think it will get a lot of mileage with the geek crowd, but most consumers aren't going to give a rip.
Also, hard not to have a little smirk at the way he keeps saying, "You know, just the standard stuff..." to everything the Zune is doing, as if every product on the market does this now.
I'm definitely no expert in the area of displays and screen tech, but I did a lot of reading about OLED several months back and it's far from being a superior technology compared to what's out there now. It's advancing rapidly but, IIRC, there was considerably shorter life-span for OLED screens compared to what's used in most consumer products. There are some other drawbacks too but I don't recall. It was enough to make it pretty much a draw compared to current display tech.
So it's pretty much a solid "meh." Not bad, not good. I think it will get a lot of mileage with the geek crowd, but most consumers aren't going to give a rip.
Ahhh! This could explain why the home screen uses white on a black background. Since white is the only "color" that has a decent life span.
I am also wondering what is meant by "lifespan" in the above quote. Does it mean the brightness degrades to some percentage of the original brightness? If so, then, while the Blue is still within it's "lifespan," the overall colors of the photos and videos have begun to noticeably shift...like an old color photograph from the 1960s.
But they did specifically address question and corrected it. They didn't want the bad press. Might also be why the President gave the Queen of England an iPod as a gift.
Is it cheaper than an iTouch? If so, then MS can do a commercial where they send a mother and her son to Best Buy to find the cheapest touchscreen portable media device with all the features they want for the lowest price.
They should charge $50 for it and gain marketshare.
And MS should change the name. XBox Touch. Or XBox Portable. Or XBP.
That's my 2 cents.
They should charge $50 for it and gain marketshare.
And MS should change the name. XBox Touch. Or XBox Portable. Or XBP.
That's my 2 cents.
Except that people don't shop around PMP's for the specs. Its the experience that they look for. If this has a good functioning UI (which it looks like it does) I think they will finally have a good selling Zune device. To do a commercial like that with it tho, would just perpetuate the idea that MS still just doesn't get it.
I think they are finally trying hard to move away from that image and are making headway, but that commercial would just be 2 steps back.
I can see it now.
"Here is the Apple section. Look at that iPod Touch. Wow does that look cool. But I can't get one because the guy who is going to hand me the stack of cash said no. *walks* Here is the generic section. Oh, a Zune. Wtf does Zune mean? But I guess I have no choice."
iPod is the new name for "MP3 Player" for most people. Thus, when they go out to get an MP3 player, or a parent goes to buy a kid one, they look for the iPod. It has name recognition, and popularity. I have never, never ever ever ever ever seen a Zune in person that was not in a display at Target. Never. And I have been going to college for 3 years now. Not once though. Nor do most people I talk to even know what one is.
The only time I hear them mentioned is when it is being used as a punch line for a joke. I admit it looks alright, and I do want to see the final product. But in the end, MS is not trying to appeal to me (highly technical), they want the college students and the high school students. Apple has almost 100% of them. Good luck MS.
For that matter, what is with the 'i' before Apple products? I'm being serious. My girlfriend asked and I had no idea.
I just always equated 'i'=Probably Apple product.Well when I hear iPod I think of a container (pod) containing my stuff (i). When I hear Zune, I think of a rash you might get after being drunk and hanging out with the hot girl at a party. Thats just me though. Most things that start with the letter Z just don't roll off the tongue nicely.