iPod Zune Pricing and Shipping Announced.

[Machead III]

The price confirms it - the Zune is very likely an iPod killer.

Of course, all Apple need to do is release their next-gen iPod, air a couple of ads, and they've automatically won. But, as usual, they're pointlessly biding their time.

 

[dbally]

Not having Mac compatibility ruins the Zune for me, but I think it actually looks like a decent player otherwise (not counting DRM issues). Though, like others have said, the ipod's GUI needs some modernization. Maybe the GUI is one of those 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' cases, but a few superfluous graphics never hurt.

Ah, and the brown Zune is fugly.

 

[iMikeT]

I hope that the brown one finds its proper home in the toilets of anyone who actually buys one of these.


Again.... When will Microsoft stop copying Apple and everyone else? Did they really have to copy the iPod's price point as well?

Well, I hope the Apple and Google alliance kills Microsoft for good and drives Ballmer even farther down the "Crazy Trail".

 

[Macnoviz]

If the past M$ products are any indication, I think the Zune will be hacked hard and fast.

As most of us think, it is likely that the WiFi feature will be very restricted, but I think people will figure out a way to transfer whatever they wish, including non-DRM songs.

The next step, of course, is to hack the DRM itself. It was mentioned that the Zune and its Marketplace would not use the Plays-For-Sure DRM, but instead another new proprietary M$ DRM.

It is pretty clear to me that M$ non-officially supports and eases the piracy of its software to spread them further. Someone will eventually find a work-around to the M$/Zune DRM.

These hacks would add functionality to the Zune and make it more attractive, but perhaps also more vulnerable to malicious exploits...

It will be interesting to see how everything plays out!

indeed, I hope this will affect it negatively (Zune hacked over WiFi in 60 seconds, anyone?)
But of course, if a DRM hack software becomes popular, and it is easy to hack the Zune, it might become a selling point. Linux for Zune?

 

[Gasu E.]

It looks to me like the Zune "Click wheel" is nothing of the sort. Did anyone else notice that the user is pressing on the wheel to navigate through the media list, not moving the thumb around in a circular motion?

I think that's the Start button. You pump it three times and then pull the cord.

 

[Gasu E.]

<double post removed by author>

 

[lewchenko]

Ive been a mac owner for years, and have still got a 20Gb ipod hanging around, but I like this new zune player.

Its got more features than the ipod at the same price, and probably is more compatible with other music services, unlike Apple's lock you in itunes model AAC with patchy (75 disney movies-pah) video service.

For example - Amazon's video store and others will work on zune. I love apple products (especially my macbook) , but its bad for a company to have all the pie because they stop innovating.

Im welcoming Zune into the world because if nothing else, it will make apple try a damn sight harder than they currently are. Also, my girlfriend wants one simply because it plugs right into media player - where all her music lives. Ive tried many times to convert her to iTunes and iPods, but as her music is WMA etc, she's going for zune too.

 

[obirah]

Battery life?

I think it comes preloaded with this CD

DMB is pretty cool but this Zune player aint at all!

I really want to know how long does the battery last... with this sophisticated full color blah blah interface... no Mac support... No way I am getting this thing. Have an iPod for three years now - it still rocks!

 

[Jarbo]

Its just a d-pad like on cell phones, its not pretending to be a click wheel. Its round because that looks better design wise than to have an ugly cross. Obviously Apple wont let any other company use that "crank" like method of scrolling, which is the best possible way of scrolling through songs.

Of course the problem with that is it will confuse anyone who has ever used an ipod scroll wheel.

While it may "look better" it's an inferior UI. I have nothing against a D-pad in principle but a D-pad should look like a D-pad, and a scroll-wheel like a scroll-wheel. And I know putting a D pad on a circle is not without precedent (game controllers etc) but in this particular case it makes no sense.

My computer keyboard might look better design-wise if it was round but it would be a bitch type.

 

[OllyW]

Its got more features than the ipod at the same price, and probably is more compatible with other music services, unlike Apple's lock you in itunes model AAC with patchy (75 disney movies-pah) video service.

Quite the opposite, you can only download DRM protected tracks from the Zune Marketplace so it is equally as restrictive as iTunes and doesn't even work with the download services of Microsoft's Plays for Sure partners.

 

[50548]

Its got more features than the ipod at the same price, and probably is more compatible with other music services, unlike Apple's lock you in itunes model AAC with patchy (75 disney movies-pah) video service.

For example - Amazon's video store and others will work on zune. I love apple products (especially my macbook) , but its bad for a company to have all the pie because they stop innovating.

1 - Sorry, which features? Radio? A misleading "wireless" feature? Or the brown color option?

2 - The iTMS is currently THE best choice for music and video...no others come close. Besides, it's an old myth that the iPod only accepts protected AAC.

3 - Amazon's "video store"...did you see the review today on Fortune? Please do...the expression "horror show" is there.

4 - Apple has not stopped innovating, and the others still have nothing that compares with the iPod integrated framework and ease of use. Besides, the "Zune" doesn't exist yet...it's vaporware.

 

[gauriemma]

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.

Being able to switch over to NPR during my morning commute would be nice. And there's an afternoon drive time program I like to listen to. I suppose FM would be a decent feature to have, but it's not "essential."

 

[chabig]

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.

No. It's definitely true. ALL songs (no matter their source) transferred acquire DRM limiting them to 3 plays or 3 days. This is true even if you compose and record your own song.

Microsoft spells this out in their own Zune blog.

"There currently isn't a way to sniff out what you are sending, so we wrap it all up in DRM. We can’t tell if you are sending a song from a known band or your own home recording so we default to the safety of encoding."

You heard it right...the "safety" of encoding...

Chris

 

[gkarris]

New iPod Ads

Oh dear God, I cannot wait for the ad-wars to begin! Haha!

iPod: "Hi, I'm an iPod" (older guy in casual clothing)
Zune: "And, I'm a Zune" (YUPPIE in brown tweed suite)

iPod: "I've been around for a while, I do music, photos, and video"
Zune: "I can do all those, and I work with XBoxes and Microsoft Media Centers, and I come in Brown..."

iPod: "Oh, really?"
Zune: "Yea, and my screen is larger and customizable, and I...."

iPod: "Zune? Zune? Zune? Looks like you need a restart... I'm going to download last night's TV shows now..."

 

[50548]

One-upmanship on this scale where screensize matters is imbecillic. Conceptually, Zune is not a case of one aesthetic product vs. another; it's the beginning of a small eco-culture of home-based services that MS want to push out.

There is a bigger picture here and it's not on the front of the MP3 players.

Yes, it's the beginning of a small "eco-culture" of home-based services that shall remain small as long as Zune is a poor brown music player that doesn't "play for sure"...

XBox - lossmaker
Zune - lossmaker
Windows Media Centers - lossmakers

Beam me up, Steve, this "eco-system" is making me ill...

 

[APPLENEWBIE]

What were they thinking?

For the life of me, I cannot imagine how the brown zune player got past even the most basic marketing people. Now, if it were a metallic bronze, with real metal, that might have been cool. But a muddy brown tending toward green? Argh. I also think that the strange raised accent line around the front will probably tend to "weather" faster than the rest of the unit, probably eroding the paint on the line, making the machine look beat up in short order. Having seen a couple of videos of a zune in action, it appears to me that it will be quite a handfull, and operating the fake wheel push buttons will make it much worse. A real scroll wheel is intuitive and also requires much less accuracy in placement of the fingers. Just get your finger on the wheel somewhere and you are good to go. Buttons, on the other hand, require specific finger placement in a rather confined space. I also wonder if hiding the button positions under the fake "wheel" will make it even harder to hit the button you want. It also appears, based on the videos, that this player's screen is not terribly bright, but maybe that is just a consequence of low quality video. Other than the above.... No I don't like it otherwise either...

 

[notjustjay]

Anyone want to wager Apple announces an across-the-board iPod price drop the day before Zune is released?

 

[princealfie]

Of course the problem with that is it will confuse anyone who has ever used an ipod scroll wheel.

While it may "look better" it's an inferior UI. I have nothing against a D-pad in principle but a D-pad should look like a D-pad, and a scroll-wheel like a scroll-wheel. And I know putting a D pad on a circle is not without precedent (game controllers etc) but in this particular case it makes no sense.

My computer keyboard might look better design-wise if it was round but it would be a bitch type.

I prefer the D pad on my Nintendo DS!

 

[aldo]

No. It's definitely true. ALL songs (no matter their source) transferred acquire DRM limiting them to 3 plays or 3 days. This is true even if you compose and record your own song.

Microsoft spells this out in their own Zune blog.

"There currently isn't a way to sniff out what you are sending, so we wrap it all up in DRM. We can’t tell if you are sending a song from a known band or your own home recording so we default to the safety of encoding."

You heard it right...the "safety" of encoding...

Chris

Tschh. Oh well, would of been very interesting if they didn't do that. Perhaps there is an easy way to turn the DRM off in the settings or they rethink this. I was sure that it was only the Zune DRMed stuff that had this protection on it.

 

[50548]

By the way, why are we discussing about a product that DOESN'T exist yet, looks fugly and which is NOT compatible with the Mac at all?

 

[sushi]

Interesting article:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20060929/zune-ipod-microsoft-apple-price.htm

 

[FelixGV]

Interesting article:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20060929/zune-ipod-microsoft-apple-price.htm

I'm not sure if this article makes sense...

I agree that the Zune will probably hurt M$'s partners, but not because of its price. The Creative Zen 30 GB that plays video is also priced at 250$. I didn't look at the rest of the competition, but I suspect it's probably all around that price tag.

I think what will really hurt the other players is the DRM issue, which the article merely mentions without really going into depth about it. We know that the Zune and its marketplace will have a new DRM of their own. This new Zune DRM will not work with the rest of the PlaysForSure compliant devices, but will the Zune be compatible with PlaysForSure? If it isn't, it will hurt the PlaysForSure online music stores, but if the Zune IS compatible with PlaysForSure, it would hurt the other PlaysForSure devices pretty bad too...

What a sweet choice M$ has... choosing which partner/competitor to stab the most! The online music stores or the devices?

 

[Doenertier]

have you been reading anything in this thread?

30GB iPod = $249.00
30GB Zune = $249.99

that would be a $.99 difference, which IS essentially the same price.

What is that difference in MS points again? THAT IS ONE SONG, MAN.

 

[archurban]

I don't understand what MS are thinking. Zune will work only with Zune marketplace. why? this is stupid. they made their own DRM protection which is not totally compatible with the rest of stores or devices by 'play for sure'. what do they think 'marketplace' will be succeeded as much as iTunes? that's why they created another stupid DRM?

 

[janstett]

Interesting article... so in summary, Microsoft is basically trying to dethrone Apple by doing what everyone else in the industry is already doing. Well done, folks....

You have to remember Microsoft takes many generations to get it right. Sometimes they give up (phones, Bob, OS/2), sometimes they keep at it (Windows, X-Box, Pocket PC). If you dismiss them too easily, well, just remember how dominant the Palm Pilot was a few short years ago, and now Windows CE (Pocket PC) dominates.

This market is Apple's to lose. But MS is finally putting something on the table that belongs in the same league as the iPod.