Microsoft unveils Zune digital media player (images) - Page 3

"The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning," said J Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is leading the charge for building the family of Zune products. "With Zune, we are not simply delivering a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring artists closer to their audiences and helps people find new music and develop new social connections."

Are they kidding? iPod is 5 years old, and apple has sold 1.5 billion songs.
This is a lame attempt at "me too!"

The only thing MS got right was brown, the color of crap.
This will fail.

Oh man, that made me laugh!

On the face of it, it looks like the Zune is going to eat the lunch of all the other non-iPod players, and that's about it.

What details are known about the software that drives this thing? How does their online music store work? Will any of the music bought or rented online from Napster or WalMart or whoever play on this thing? Software and integration are the real keys to Apple's success with the iPod, and WMP hasn't been able to come close. I'm curious to see if Microsoft has actually been able to make any progress on this front.

If it's brown, flush it down.

Honestly i like it, its decent and slick even for microsoft. its no iPod killer but it can hold its own. I can see myself getting as i am bored of the iPod anyways.

How ironic. Microsoft is actually releasing a product that looks like a piece of crap.

ahem.. *cough, cough* Sarcasm! *cough, cough*

Oh look, I just made a poo joke!

How old are you people?

I agree with this. Something was definitely SUBDUED...like they were waiting for something. The iTV was okay, the 80GB wasn't that bad and the new nanos will definitely sell well this holiday season, but something was dramatically missing.

That is utter garbage. Man, Microsoft just tries so hard with everything and just keeps getting it all wrong. I mean, that ad is total nonsense compared to the new iPod nano ad. Bloody hell.

I don't know if this is some guerilla marketing campaign, but WTF or WhoTF is the "RiverCaster"???!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__yrj...elated&search=

haha lmao, the last thing anyone wants to see is a video of that guy on the beach.

Don't underestimate M$ (XBOX Vs. PS) just because they are late to enter a market. I personally believe Apple will retain it's lead in this segment. It is good for the consumer to have competition in the marketplace.

Yeah, let's all listen to "Ira".

We've been discussing that lately.

But do we really know if this is from MS, and not some prankster?

Are we supposed to know this guy? I've never heard of him.

Pick's self up off the floor, dust's self off, ROTFLMAO after reading your post!

But to answer your question, physically 52, mentally #2!

People, keep on shoveling browNi effluent!

The second Zune video is just plain stupid.

Here's a link to both apparent Zune TV commercials. Good Lord the bunny one is just stupid, although if you wait a few minutes the two videos interact. The stick man walks over to the little flaming birdy, ect...

https://www.comingzune.com/


edit: The original Zune in use videos were taken down. The "Zune in use" video is in this forum, remastered with "You can't touch this", yuck:

http://zuneboards.com/showthread.php?tid=203

I think this will mostly appeal to the people who refuse to buy an iPod for whatever reason. Which means that all Microsoft are doing is eating away at the market share of their "partners". If I was Creative, Sandisk or any of those other media player companies, I would not be happy about the Zune at all.

I'm sure they've been seething for a while now. And now that it's been made public that Zune won't play "Plays for Sure", the fuming has gotten worse from those committed to selling them, and from those making compatible players.

It seems so. I could've sworn it looked widescreen but even measuring the screen dimensions, it's 4:3.

In that case, I don't think a widescreen portable device will be possible unless it's the full length of the machine with virtual buttons. Otherwise it would be too narrow.

I still like the bigger display though. It makes the machine narrower so its easier to hold and having the higher resolution vertical is better for lists. Since it's the same resolution as the ipod, that's the only thing in its favour IMO. Here's the two side by side.



The only trouble is that I don't think Apple will ever do that now because people will just say they copied Microsoft. The only way to get ahead I think would be to do an ipod with a touch display and a resolution of maybe 425x240 to get widescreen.

Before purchasing a Zune you have to ask yourself, Do you really want a music player that Steve Ballmer uses? Scary thought.

Can Creative be any more dead? It's dead. Bloody hell. Die, damnnit, die already!!!!!! Hopefully Zune will finally put it out of its misery.

Yes. Actually, intellectually we're all past 100 years in brain knowledge type stuff.
Emotional intelligence and age, yeah, 2-5 years old.

MS Sells Poo-Pod, nah nah nah nah nah nah

HAH! I came up with the Microsoft PooPod. !!!!! YEEEEAAHHHHH

"Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers,
PooPod, PooPod, PooPod, PooPod, PooPod, PooPod, PooPod..!!! "

PooPod 1.0 aka "Zune"
Now comes with extra SWEAT from Steve Ballmer.

I think it's pretty tragic if you know this guy. Damn, you're at 5500+ posts...!!

Poo. OK I'll shut up now.

Just like those new Sony Vaios...
What's up with this obession for brown all of a sudden?

Yeah this is the real question. Btw, isn't Steve Ballmer the MS guy, who
prohibit specifically his children to use an iPod? I just can't find the
link to back up.

Ballmer the Microsoft CEO This is a quote from Fortune Magazine when asked if he used an iPod "No, I do not. Nor do my children.... I've got my kids brainwashed: You don't use Google, and you don't use an iPod."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer

Er... yeah, thank you so far, this is the MS Steve, the jumper guy. I remember.
I am wondering if the brown zune is the inevitable result of some deep
nested guilt complex. Ballmer is constantly unconsciously working off is
guilt of not changing the diapers of his children. Hence he produced
an object, that reminds him of his failure as a parent, in order
to get some deeply satisfying redemption.

The zune is Ballmers secret work of a lifetime. Unfurtunately it looks like brown shi*.

omg you just came out of your closet...
lol

Thanks for the clarification. It's hard to tell when people actually make comments like that and are serious about it.


Nah, we're shooting them down because their implemenation looks like, well, crap. Literally.

And with the xbox, they were able to buy a couple killer game developers to give them exclusives. Halo pretty much singlehandedly saved the platfom. I don't see a way they can do that with a media player, it's not like they can buy up record companies and movie studios and make their content only released on the Zune.


It's on the official zune website.

Personally, I like it's features (though it's design may be questionable).

*You're always one click away from ANY menu from ANYPLACE. (A big plus that I am suprised Apple hasn't included yet.)
*Magnetic headphones to keep them from getting tangled.
*The ability for artists I like to give their entire albums (or part of) for three full days to listen and decide if I want to buy - instead of sitting at AOL Full CD Listening Party or my favorite music blog all day.
*Nice sized screen with fullscreen album art - instead of the tiled iPod ones.
*The thought that they decided NOT to copy Apple's clickwheel (and most people who reviewd it, like it). I'll have to check this one out, though, since I am all about the wheel!
*The ability to buy songs loaned to you WITHOUT opening up the Music Store. You just click a button in the jukebox and it downloads it for you.

I dunno.... you have to say that MS has done some really good things with this one. (Again... the design is questionable.) Will Apple follow? And will we call them out on it when they do?

(Oh... and they are working on a phone, too.)

Really? Wow.

The Zune can't play video files from Amazon's Unbox? Amazing.

I just read the wiki on Zune for kicks and I found this.

"On September 11th 2006 over 200 podcasts had "Microsoft Zune(firmware 0.9 beta)" listed as a client for subcribing and downloading. This near enough proves that the Zune will feature podcasts and hints that it is enabled with in the device through Wi-Fi ."

Podcasts on Zune?? , so god help us if Microsoft wants to try to shove its crap (literally) into the Podcast market.

Jinkies its on the Wiki

Brown Shoes Don't Make It Lyrics
by Frank Zappa


Brown shoes don't make it
Brown Shoes don't make it
Quit school, why fake it
Brown shoes don't make it

TV dinner by the pool
Watch your brother grow a beard
Got another year of school
You're okay, he's too weird
Be a plummer
He's a bummer
He's a bummer every summer
Be a loyal plastic robot
For a world that doesn't care
That's right

Smile at every ugly
Shine on your shoes and cut your hair

Be a jerk-go to work
Be a jerk-go to work
Be a jerk-go to work
Be a jerk-go to work
Do your job, and do it right
Life's a ball
TV tonight
Do you love it
Do you hate it
There it is
The way you made it

A world of secret hungers
Perverting the men who make your laws
Every desire is hidden away
In a drawer in a desk by a Naugahyde chair
On a rug where they walk and drool
Past the girls in the office

We see in the back
Of the City Hall mind
The dream of a girl about thirteen
Off with her clothes and into a bed
Where she tickles his fancy
All night long

His wile's attending an orchid show
She squealed for a week to get him to go
But back in the bed his teen-age queen
Is rocking and rolling and acting obscene
Baby, baby. ..
Baby, baby. . .
Cimmie then cakes, uh!
If I do I'm gonna lose my...

And he loves it, he loves it
It curls up his toes
She wipes his fat neck
And it lights up his nose
But he cannot be fooled
Old City Hall Fred
She's nasty, she's nasty
She digs it in bed
That's right

Do it again, ha
And do it some more
Hey, that does it, by golly
And she's nasty for sure
Nasty nasty nasty
Nasty nasty nasty
Only thirteen, and she knows how to nasty

She's a dirty young mind, corrupted
Corroded
Well she's thirteen today
And I hear she gets loaded

If she were my daughter, I'd...
What would you do, Frankie?
If she were my daughter, I'd ...
What would you do, Frankie?
Check this out
Smother my daughter in chocolate syrup
And strap her on again, oh baby
Smother that girl in chocolate syrup
And strap her on again, oh baby
She's my teen-age baby
She turns me on
I'd like to make her do a nasty
On the White House lawn
Smother my daughter in chocolate syrup
And boogie 'till the cows come home

Time to go home
Madge is on the phone
Got to meet the Gurney's and a dozen gray attorneys
TV dinner by the pool
I'm so glad I finished school
Life is such a ball
I run the world from City Hall

Well we can all laugh and poke fun at the PooPod, but never underestimate the power of throwing money at something until it sticks. It seems to be working for the X360 so far.

Yhat's their biggest weapon, if the decide to use it.

Is this going to mean all the Microsoft employees are going to have to give up their iPods?

I bet you could make a killing making Zune skins to go over iPods to keep Balmer off the employees' asses.