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iPod Zune Pricing and Shipping Announced.

ChrisA said:
Live sports broadcasts maybe,

Ipods only play recordings, radio is live.
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Sports are on FM dial. The Zune does not solve this problem. I live in a large market and only the hockey team broadcasts on the FM dial....AM has way more juice and range and is naturally the better medium of broadcast then then higher quality but range limited FM dial range.
 
DubbaJ said:
And of the people who plan on buying one, does anyone WANT the brown one?!
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I might pick up one. It matches my 13 month old daughters poo.


Although she'll probably be in college by the time it actually gets released.
 
(L) said:
Not to back up Dell, but the thing is that it really isn't about resolution. You can have 1280 by 1024 resolution on a postage stamp, but nobody can read anything. It makes sense to go for a larger screen if you are uncomfortable on a smaller screen, for any reason, and it's not necessarily the resolution that is at the crux of this.
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it's a valid point, but there's a big difference between a 15" display with the same res as a postage stamp and a 15" display with the same res as a 13" display. and while some people may want a bigger screen just for the sake of comfort for poor eyesight, that was not the case in my example, nor would it be for the vast majority of people (i.e: younger people) who would want an mp3/video player.

Silencio said:
But why do some people think built-in FM radio is such a killer feature? I think the market has spoken out pretty strongly about the fact that only a tiny minority care about it really care about it. And if you want it that bad, you can add it. But why should the rest of us have to pay for a feature we're not going to use?
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agreed. I can't remember the last time I listened to radio. I suppose I can vaguely understand the draw of satellite radio; but I just can't see anyone in the market for an mp3 player truly caring about radio.
 
plinkoman said:
...I just can't see anyone in the market for an mp3 player truly caring about radio.
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Radio is alive and well in other parts of the world than the US where it sounds like corporate payola, profiling and automated rotational play have sapped the life out the medium.

I love my iPod and I love my radio. :)
 
MS Execs: Now, we just need a name for our iTunes rip-off, something that snares users, grab their attention and really gets their juices flowing. Someone wake up the marketing guy...

Marketing guy: Oh... um... uh... how about... um... Zune Marketplace? Yeah?

MS Execs: @#$%&* that gets us stiff! Let's roll with that baby.



I can't imagine a less inspired name than that.

Zune, of course, provides no Mac compatibility.

Darn. I will be deprived of the Zune Marketpla... zzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzz...
 
I think you guys are totally underestimating how powerful this wireless functionality could be. At schools/colleges/universities, it's going to be huge if it catches on. Perhaps in the US it's different, but nearly everyone these days has a bluetooth enabled mobile phone and kids love swapping songs on them, the amount of piracy that must go on through the phones is massive.

Anyway, imagine sitting in a lesson or lecture and copying 10 albums from random people. It's going to be utterly massive. 2.4GHz will never be quiet again ;). And wifi has decent range - so it could be from the other side of school.

I think it's very interesting concept. I think Apple may get outflanked on this one, badly, unless they put wireless functionality in the iPod.
 
But the wireless sharing is neutered with a "three plays or three days" implementation. All DRM'd. That will loose it's shine quiclkly being that it is not a medium for piracy after all.
 
aldo said:
I think you guys are totally underestimating how powerful this wireless functionality could be. At schools/colleges/universities, it's going to be huge if it catches on. Perhaps in the US it's different, but nearly everyone these days has a bluetooth enabled mobile phone and kids love swapping songs on them, the amount of piracy that must go on through the phones is massive.
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How useful is the wireless functionality in the Zune going to be if 1) M$ prohibits transmission of un-DRM'ed music (why on earth would the major labels let them do otherwise?), and 2) you're the only person to actually own a Zune in your postal code?
 
mcdermd said:
But the wireless sharing is neutered with a "three plays or three days" implementation. All DRM'd. That will loose it's shine quiclkly being that it is not a medium for piracy after all.
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I don't think that's true. Only on songs you buy (off the zune marketplace) have that problem. Any of your own songs (ie: 99% which are downloaded or ripped from CDs) are totally DRM free and you can swap as much as you like.
 
Silencio said:
How useful is the wireless functionality in the Zune going to be if 1) M$ prohibits transmission of un-DRM'ed music (why on earth would the major labels let them do otherwise?), and 2) you're the only person to actually own a Zune in your postal code?
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1) The labels need Zune more than Microsoft needs labels. Microsoft is way, way bigger and the labels are getting done over if Apple continues to be the dominant player - they simply can't reneg on contracts without Microsoft being big. Plus it's none of their business what people do with un-drm'd stuff, much like Apple let's you rip 'protected' CDs and put them on your iPod (surely the RIAA et al would not allow you to do that if they had the clout?).

2) Obviously this is a problem, but if it does take off -- something I think it will much more outside of the US because I bet Microsoft don't massively overcharge the European market as bad as Apple does, at least if the Xbox 360 is any guidance.
 
aldo said:
I think you guys are totally underestimating how powerful this wireless functionality could be. At schools/colleges/universities, it's going to be huge if it catches on. Perhaps in the US it's different, but nearly everyone these days has a bluetooth enabled mobile phone and kids love swapping songs on them, the amount of piracy that must go on through the phones is massive.

Anyway, imagine sitting in a lesson or lecture and copying 10 albums from random people. It's going to be utterly massive. 2.4GHz will never be quiet again ;). And wifi has decent range - so it could be from the other side of school.

I think it's very interesting concept. I think Apple may get outflanked on this one, badly, unless they put wireless functionality in the iPod.
Click to expand...

It won't happen like that. It's the chicken and the egg. (assuming the wireless would have the effect you describe). In order for the zune to take off, people will need to use the wireless sharing; in order to use the wirless sharing, the zune will have needed to already take off in order for other people to have a zune to share with.

someone may read about the wirless feature, think it's cool, see if anyone else he knows has a zune, finds out the answer is no, and says "oh well, I'll get an iPod then".

and of course, thats all operating under your assumption of people loving the wireless function; which remains to be seen. (though I doubt anyone really will care)
 
I use the radio to find new songs for purchase. I would appreciate an iPod with built in FM tuner, especially if it included the feature to mark for download the current song playing (using the Radio Data System information, the same data the current iPod radio remote displays on your screen, for radio stations that use it).

How awesome would that be? Next time I plug in my iPod, it asks me to confirm the purchase (wouldn't want to get the wrong version of the song) and I don't have to go to the trouble of even remembering the song info. I know this isn't a problem for everyone, but a lot of times I'll hear a song on the radio in my car and decide I want to download it, but then the radio station doesn't mention who the Artist/ what the title is, and I'm left searching for the lyrics I remember on the internet.

I think this would be a huge improvement/innovation for the iPod, and it might even have a significant impact on iTS sales (I sure miss iTMS). How? Well for one it just makes the whole process easier, but also, as long as I'm searcing for the lyrics, it's frequently just as easy to search for a free version of the song while I'm at it.
 
I could care less about sharing music, I could definately care less about crappy FM radio. What DOES sound cool in a huge way is being able to transfer songs to the Zune wirelessly. You could put the dock next to the door to the garage for when you leave, hell you could leave it in the car, put it on a shelf, leave it in your pocket, literally anywhere. Its 2006, I think its about damn time we have a wireless mp3 player. I doubt anyone here could say that isnt a cool feature, bluetooth ipods have been sought after for a long long time.

Apple has been getting lazy with ipod features thanks to lack of real competition. I hope the Zune makes Apple get its act together so we can have a real race.
 
Macnoviz said:
Yeah, on Endgadget they have the pricing story+pictures

Official pictures of the Zune have been around for some time now
zune-colors.jpg
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Am i the only one here who actually likes the design:confused:

I love the ipods a million times more, but i like the Zune's design for its actually quite good....for Microsoft that is;)
 
oldnavy1918 said:
Am i the only one here who actually likes the design:confused:

I love the ipods a million times more, but i like the Zune's design for its actually quite good....for Microsoft that is;)
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again. for Toshiba. not MicroSoft.
 
Oh boy, when will Microsoft get an idea of its own?

They saw the success of the Macintosh GUI [Yes, Apple got it from Xerox but Xerox had done nothing with it for years -- it was a useless technology as far as Xerox was concerned]; they purchased DOS for a song (relatively speaking); they didn't create the spreadsheet, word processor, or presentation application... What they're good at is copying other people's and companies' ideas and using their market power to steal the business -- of Netscaping the competition. It always gets me angry when I see that TV ad about how Microsoft fosters the imagination of young students, allowing them to be whatever they want to be. Perhaps they should create an ad explaining to students the virtues of theft: without other people's ideas to steal, there would be no Microsoft. It is Apple who has always been the innovator, who invents new technologies, who understands the importance of design, who changes and challenges the way people perceive computers, who makes high-quality products that (though more expensive than those in the PC world) work they way they're supposed to...

I read something a while back that said Microsoft's philosophy about new products and ideas is to "deprecate, investigate, then imitate." It's a philosophy that has obviously served them well, to the detriment of innovation and fair competition. If Bill Gates didn't have to worry about antitrust issues, I'm sure he would have been much more "aggressive" about putting Apple out of business.

I bought an iPod because I love Apple and its products, because radio--even satellite radio--lost its appeal for me, and because it allows me to take my music--an important part of my life--with me wherever I go. The Zune is simply another example of Microsoft attempting to capitalize on another company's success by throwing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars at a product. Regarding the Zune, I will never buy hardware made by Microsoft.

Whew, felt good to get all that off my chest.

mashny
 
I want to see some honest reviews and comparisons. It looks like a decent device and I am really curious to see why some claim the user interface is superior. Just because it is from Microsoft doesn't mean it sucks.
 
it's rush product. Ms actually didn't have any plan to jump into digital music market. but they don't like ipod to be number one, and swap over the market. so they borrowed toshiba gigabit 30GB, change UI, control little bit, create marketplace (music store). video playback even doesn't support HD like recent ipod. it can't also play 640x480 neither. most important fact I just pass this crap is no compatibility with mac. it's huge mistake. if MS wants to compete with ipod, they should make compatible device.

MS now offers $0.99 per song, $14.99(?) for monthly subscription. what about album? won't it be $9.99?

MS also copied ipod hifi, too. the name is 'octavio'. it's very same product. they copied mac os, now follows exactly the same way to copy ipod, and accessories, too. hate this company. where is creation?
 
Why do we even care about the Zune?

It doesn't even work on a Mac so why are we even bothering. No one here will even buy it for the one big reason IT WONT WORK ON ANYONE'S EQUIPMENT, we are all pretty much Mac are all hense the "Macrumors Forum" :confused:

Zune = Too Little Too Late.
 
inkswamp said:
MS Execs: Now, we just need a name for our iTunes rip-off, something that snares users, grab their attention and really gets their juices flowing. Someone wake up the marketing guy...

Marketing guy: Oh... um... uh... how about... um... Zune Marketplace? Yeah?

MS Execs: @#$%&* that gets us stiff! Let's roll with that baby.
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That's gold. :D

I was actually visualising that meeting in my head and it was brilliant.
 
heres a video of the Zune in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4sZNqD_YWI

I must say the GUI outclasses the outdated one Apple has been sticking with. I hope Apple comes up with something new soon since theres really no way to beat the click wheel for scrolling through songs, something like the new album flip thing in itunes would be cool on an ipod.
 
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