I was at a Best Buy on Sunday........This salesman did everything he could to steer her away from the iPod, .......The salesguy was not pleased. I am surprised that there is so much anti-Apple among the salesfolk still. Is it just that other brands commission higher for the salesman?
Best Buy has always seemed to be Anti apple. I have no idea why. Every one that I have see, the sales people push you towards pc computers and away from the apple section.
It must be the commission. ????? Either that or the average PC buyer has NO idea what they are doing so they are easier to sell all the "JUNK" to, and there by upping the commission. ???
Best Buy has always seemed to be Anti apple. I have no idea why. Every one that I have see, the sales people push you towards pc computers and away from the apple section.
It must be the commission. ????? Either that or the average PC buyer has NO idea what they are doing so they are easier to sell all the "JUNK" to, and there by upping the commission. ???
en
This is quite the old post, however Best Buy employees are all non-commission. It's nothing so cynical, it's simply that it's usually computer geeks and IT students that work for Best Buy, and most geeks are on windows. That's simply a result of the enormous market share of Windows, and it's the system that normal geeks prefer.
You have to give the Zune a chance! Admittedly it's had a quiet launch but the iPod wasn't the success it is now straight away. I don't see the Zune gaining the kind of market share Microsoft are hoping for but I'm sure they'll do reasonably well.
I remember only last year asking about MP3 players in my local electronics store, Dixons, and the salesperson trying to mention anything other than the iPod. Apple is still a dirty word in lots of places.
A chance????
you are talking big bucks for junk, that's why you read reviews (hey iphone brick people) to find out about the product before you "invest" in it. does anyone here take a best buy's employee's opinion on anything without first doing your own investigation. the reason they are reaching that demographic it's because anyone else just wants it to work and be simple.....zune+simple oxymoron. well with that "geek" demographic is a small minority of the market.
I actually got to play with a Zune a little tonight and I gotta say, its a lot sexier in person than it is in pictures. Even the Brown one looked pretty nice, plus the screan is better than on my 80 Gig. I'm not ready to jump ship, I'm just saying it is nicer than I thought it would be. I can see MS selling alot of these with better marketing.
Aaron
You're not allowed to say anything nice about the Zune, you'll be eviscerated. The Kool-Aid here is far too strong.
You're not allowed to say anything nice about the Zune, you'll be eviscerated. The Kool-Aid here is far too strong.
Yes, it's true. The only possible reason for the majority of the people on an Apple enthusiast site to prefer an MP3 player that works seamlessly with their platform of choice, as opposed to one that, you know, doesn't, is teh Kool-Aid.
Mac users are incapable of informed choice, acting in their own self-interest, or making any rational judgments, as the commentary on almost any tech site you care to mention will aggressively confirm.
Also, when people react negatively on an Apple enthusiast site to having their many and manifest delusions and crippling emotional problems patiently explained to them, it is proof that it's all true.
You're not allowed to say anything nice about the Zune, you'll be eviscerated. The Kool-Aid here is far too strong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by addabox
Yes, it's true. The only possible reason for the majority of the people on an Apple enthusiast site to prefer an MP3 player that works seamlessly with their platform of choice, as opposed to one that, you know, doesn't, is teh Kool-Aid.
Mac users are incapable of informed choice, acting in their own self-interest, or making any rational judgments, as the commentary on almost any tech site you care to mention will aggressively confirm.
Also, when people react negatively on an Apple enthusiast site to having their many and manifest delusions and crippling emotional problems patiently explained to them, it is proof that it's all true.
Thanks for the heads up.
That is such bull. Most of the posters here on AI want the best possible product. If that happens to be MS or Creative or Sandisk or Moto then so be it.
It just so happens that Apple is the only one that offers a complete package with the iPod, iTunes syncing, iTunes Store cataloging and iTunes' ability to easily burn Mp3 or Audio CDs with a single click. As much as I wish these other companies would invest in a complimentary software solution not one seems to be giving it a serious go except for MS who want you to buy credits that don't equal the amount the you pay for so they can maintain some wonky accounting method and would prefer you to purchase a subscription model that has proven to be non-interesting all but the most brain dead users.
I'm not comparing the 30GB Zune since Apple no longer has this model available but the 80GB version of both devices have some pros and cons against the 80GB iPod Classic. The Zune has a larger screen: 3.0" vs. 2.5". But the resolution is the same. Can you see the difference in a .5" vertical screen size in a 240x320 resolution? I'm not sure if I could but it's something one should consider when purchasing the device. The iPod has an overall smaller footprint and slight weight advantage and does have a significantly better battery life despite having a better processor and better resolution per PPI. This is especially true for playing video where the iPod picks up an extra 2.5 hours of playback over the 80GB Zune. Something that I would very important when comparative shopping.
Software-wise we'll have to see which has a better interface. The iPod Classic has reported some issues with speed but I suspect that it will be resolved with an update, though I feel that this shouldn't have occurred at all. But we'll see.
If the Zune makes a bigger impact than its 1st iteration I think that Apple will take MS' cue and make the iPod Classic portrait oriented with a high PP and 3.0"+ displayI. Something akin to the iPhone's PPI, while still keeping the clickwhel and HDD. This ssume the iPod Classic sells well and the price of NAND doesn't come down enough to make and all Flash, high capacity Classic viable (which it won't).
Good luck to MS and Amazon. Apple needs to the competition.
Yes, it's true. The only possible reason for the majority of the people on an Apple enthusiast site to prefer an MP3 player that works seamlessly with their platform of choice, as opposed to one that, you know, doesn't, is teh Kool-Aid.
Mac users are incapable of informed choice, acting in their own self-interest, or making any rational judgments, as the commentary on almost any tech site you care to mention will aggressively confirm.
Also, when people react negatively on an Apple enthusiast site to having their many and manifest delusions and crippling emotional problems patiently explained to them, it is proof that it's all true.
Thanks for the heads up.
I'd like to know how many of the people who readily bash the Zune as a player have actually dealt with one longer than a couple of minutes.
The ecosystem sucks. The software sucks. But the player is really quite good, and only getting better with the upcoming firmware updates. If Microsoft can continue to improve the product and the experience (as they did with, say, the Xbox to the Xbox360) it may one day be a legitimate competitor.
And I'm saying this as someone who owns a Zune, a PC, a Macbook, an iPod, and an iPod touch.
I'd like to know how many of the people who readily bash the Zune as a player have actually dealt with one longer than a couple of minutes.
The ecosystem sucks. The software sucks. But the player is really quite good, and only getting better with the upcoming firmware updates. If Microsoft can continue to improve the product and the experience (as they did with, say, the Xbox to the Xbox360) it may one day be a legitimate competitor.
And I'm saying this as someone who owns a Zune, a PC, a Macbook, an iPod, and an iPod touch.
It's more that the just the OS for the Zune. It's also the accompanying app for WIndows and its inability to seemlessly sync with the Zune. Their Marketplace is another story. I do not own a Zune but a friend of mine bought one and decided to ask me for assistance because he had trouble with it. Being the resident technical expert among my friends I helped him and after the third time in one week of assisting him with various issues I told I would no longer help him. I informed to return it--which he did--and get an iPod (he bought a Zune because he didn't realize his WMA could be converted to MP3 or AAC, which I had to school him on). I have yet to hear any complaints, stupid questions, or functionality issues with his iPod and iTunes. Truth be told, I did setup his iTunes preferences to limit my lack of future effort in assisting him.
It just seems like MS doesn't have a clue what other departments are doing. Take the XBox360 and Windows--especially Vista--for example. These are Windows devices that should network and sync to each other seamlessly yet I have had more than my share of aggravation trying to get these devices to work with other.
It's more that the just the OS for the Zune. It's also the accompanying app for WIndows and its inability to seemlessly sync with the Zune. Their Marketplace is another story. I do not own a Zune but a friend of mine bought one and decided to ask me for assistance because he had trouble with it. Being the resident technical expert among my friends I helped him and after the third time in one week of assisting him with various issues I told I would no longer help him. I informed to return it--which he did--and get an iPod (he bought a Zune because he didn't realize his WMA could be converted to MP3 or AAC, which I had to school him on). I have yet to hear any complaints, stupid questions, or functionality issues with his iPod and iTunes. Truth be told, I did setup his iTunes preferences to limit my lack of future effort in assisting him.
It just seems like MS doesn't have a clue what other departments are doing. Take the XBox360 and Windows--especially Vista--for example. These are Windows devices that should network and sync to each other seamlessly yet I have had more than my share of aggravation trying to get these devices to work with other.
The "It just works" motto is quite accurate.
Oh, I totally agree. The Zune app is just horrendous. God-awful. Slow, kludgy, 10x worse than iTunes on Windows. But the player is actually quite good. And from what I can tell, they're completely remaking the PC-side software with this impending update, hopefully improving responsiveness, etc. I'll wait until I can see any improvements they make for myself, but it does look promising.
The Zune is a really rough, 1st gen ecosystem, but given the amount of money and effort M$ is known to pump into these things, I wouldn't be surprised if it became a very legitimate contender after a few more permutations.
They just need to add Mac support, decent PC-side software, and broader format support and they could be well on their way.
MS is being real, they are NOTmaking the zune to compete with ipod, in a real sense yet, its to be number #2 and displace the sansa et al. so that's their market target.....so leave it to the "other" manufacturer formums for the real discussion. when we say zune we need to put it up against it's intended target....non ipod world so how does it compare with them???? i'm stuck on ipod.
MS is being real, they are NOTmaking the zune to compete with ipod, in a real sense yet, its to be number #2 and displace the sansa et al. so that's their market target.....so leave it to the "other" manufacturer formums for the real discussion. when we say zune we need to put it up against it's intended target....non ipod world so how does it compare with them???? i'm stuck on ipod.
I doubt that removing the other player makers to be #2 is the goal here, unless you mean a short term goal. I don't think they are hoping to stay #2 for the indefinite future. I can see them holding on to wait for Apple to make a stupid mistake. That's the kind of thing that MS seems to have done in the past, they stuck with it long enough and the bigger players in a given market make fatal mistakes and fall away.
Comments
I was at a Best Buy on Sunday........This salesman did everything he could to steer her away from the iPod, .......The salesguy was not pleased. I am surprised that there is so much anti-Apple among the salesfolk still. Is it just that other brands commission higher for the salesman?
Best Buy has always seemed to be Anti apple. I have no idea why. Every one that I have see, the sales people push you towards pc computers and away from the apple section.
It must be the commission. ????? Either that or the average PC buyer has NO idea what they are doing so they are easier to sell all the "JUNK" to, and there by upping the commission. ???
en
Best Buy has always seemed to be Anti apple. I have no idea why. Every one that I have see, the sales people push you towards pc computers and away from the apple section.
It must be the commission. ????? Either that or the average PC buyer has NO idea what they are doing so they are easier to sell all the "JUNK" to, and there by upping the commission. ???
en
This is quite the old post, however Best Buy employees are all non-commission. It's nothing so cynical, it's simply that it's usually computer geeks and IT students that work for Best Buy, and most geeks are on windows. That's simply a result of the enormous market share of Windows, and it's the system that normal geeks prefer.
You have to give the Zune a chance! Admittedly it's had a quiet launch but the iPod wasn't the success it is now straight away. I don't see the Zune gaining the kind of market share Microsoft are hoping for but I'm sure they'll do reasonably well.
I remember only last year asking about MP3 players in my local electronics store, Dixons, and the salesperson trying to mention anything other than the iPod. Apple is still a dirty word in lots of places.
A chance????
you are talking big bucks for junk, that's why you read reviews (hey iphone brick people) to find out about the product before you "invest" in it. does anyone here take a best buy's employee's opinion on anything without first doing your own investigation. the reason they are reaching that demographic it's because anyone else just wants it to work and be simple.....zune+simple oxymoron. well with that "geek" demographic is a small minority of the market.
I actually got to play with a Zune a little tonight and I gotta say, its a lot sexier in person than it is in pictures. Even the Brown one looked pretty nice, plus the screan is better than on my 80 Gig. I'm not ready to jump ship, I'm just saying it is nicer than I thought it would be. I can see MS selling alot of these with better marketing.
Aaron
You're not allowed to say anything nice about the Zune, you'll be eviscerated. The Kool-Aid here is far too strong.
You're not allowed to say anything nice about the Zune, you'll be eviscerated. The Kool-Aid here is far too strong.
Yes, it's true. The only possible reason for the majority of the people on an Apple enthusiast site to prefer an MP3 player that works seamlessly with their platform of choice, as opposed to one that, you know, doesn't, is teh Kool-Aid.
Mac users are incapable of informed choice, acting in their own self-interest, or making any rational judgments, as the commentary on almost any tech site you care to mention will aggressively confirm.
Also, when people react negatively on an Apple enthusiast site to having their many and manifest delusions and crippling emotional problems patiently explained to them, it is proof that it's all true.
Thanks for the heads up.
You're not allowed to say anything nice about the Zune, you'll be eviscerated. The Kool-Aid here is far too strong.
Yes, it's true. The only possible reason for the majority of the people on an Apple enthusiast site to prefer an MP3 player that works seamlessly with their platform of choice, as opposed to one that, you know, doesn't, is teh Kool-Aid.
Mac users are incapable of informed choice, acting in their own self-interest, or making any rational judgments, as the commentary on almost any tech site you care to mention will aggressively confirm.
Also, when people react negatively on an Apple enthusiast site to having their many and manifest delusions and crippling emotional problems patiently explained to them, it is proof that it's all true.
Thanks for the heads up.
That is such bull. Most of the posters here on AI want the best possible product. If that happens to be MS or Creative or Sandisk or Moto then so be it.
It just so happens that Apple is the only one that offers a complete package with the iPod, iTunes syncing, iTunes Store cataloging and iTunes' ability to easily burn Mp3 or Audio CDs with a single click. As much as I wish these other companies would invest in a complimentary software solution not one seems to be giving it a serious go except for MS who want you to buy credits that don't equal the amount the you pay for so they can maintain some wonky accounting method and would prefer you to purchase a subscription model that has proven to be non-interesting all but the most brain dead users.
I'm not comparing the 30GB Zune since Apple no longer has this model available but the 80GB version of both devices have some pros and cons against the 80GB iPod Classic. The Zune has a larger screen: 3.0" vs. 2.5". But the resolution is the same. Can you see the difference in a .5" vertical screen size in a 240x320 resolution? I'm not sure if I could but it's something one should consider when purchasing the device. The iPod has an overall smaller footprint and slight weight advantage and does have a significantly better battery life despite having a better processor and better resolution per PPI. This is especially true for playing video where the iPod picks up an extra 2.5 hours of playback over the 80GB Zune. Something that I would very important when comparative shopping.
Software-wise we'll have to see which has a better interface. The iPod Classic has reported some issues with speed but I suspect that it will be resolved with an update, though I feel that this shouldn't have occurred at all. But we'll see.
If the Zune makes a bigger impact than its 1st iteration I think that Apple will take MS' cue and make the iPod Classic portrait oriented with a high PP and 3.0"+ displayI. Something akin to the iPhone's PPI, while still keeping the clickwhel and HDD. This ssume the iPod Classic sells well and the price of NAND doesn't come down enough to make and all Flash, high capacity Classic viable (which it won't).
Good luck to MS and Amazon. Apple needs to the competition.
Yes, it's true. The only possible reason for the majority of the people on an Apple enthusiast site to prefer an MP3 player that works seamlessly with their platform of choice, as opposed to one that, you know, doesn't, is teh Kool-Aid.
Mac users are incapable of informed choice, acting in their own self-interest, or making any rational judgments, as the commentary on almost any tech site you care to mention will aggressively confirm.
Also, when people react negatively on an Apple enthusiast site to having their many and manifest delusions and crippling emotional problems patiently explained to them, it is proof that it's all true.
Thanks for the heads up.
I'd like to know how many of the people who readily bash the Zune as a player have actually dealt with one longer than a couple of minutes.
The ecosystem sucks. The software sucks. But the player is really quite good, and only getting better with the upcoming firmware updates. If Microsoft can continue to improve the product and the experience (as they did with, say, the Xbox to the Xbox360) it may one day be a legitimate competitor.
And I'm saying this as someone who owns a Zune, a PC, a Macbook, an iPod, and an iPod touch.
I'd like to know how many of the people who readily bash the Zune as a player have actually dealt with one longer than a couple of minutes.
The ecosystem sucks. The software sucks. But the player is really quite good, and only getting better with the upcoming firmware updates. If Microsoft can continue to improve the product and the experience (as they did with, say, the Xbox to the Xbox360) it may one day be a legitimate competitor.
And I'm saying this as someone who owns a Zune, a PC, a Macbook, an iPod, and an iPod touch.
It's more that the just the OS for the Zune. It's also the accompanying app for WIndows and its inability to seemlessly sync with the Zune. Their Marketplace is another story. I do not own a Zune but a friend of mine bought one and decided to ask me for assistance because he had trouble with it. Being the resident technical expert among my friends I helped him and after the third time in one week of assisting him with various issues I told I would no longer help him. I informed to return it--which he did--and get an iPod (he bought a Zune because he didn't realize his WMA could be converted to MP3 or AAC, which I had to school him on). I have yet to hear any complaints, stupid questions, or functionality issues with his iPod and iTunes. Truth be told, I did setup his iTunes preferences to limit my lack of future effort in assisting him.
It just seems like MS doesn't have a clue what other departments are doing. Take the XBox360 and Windows--especially Vista--for example. These are Windows devices that should network and sync to each other seamlessly yet I have had more than my share of aggravation trying to get these devices to work with other.
The "It just works" motto is quite accurate.
It's more that the just the OS for the Zune. It's also the accompanying app for WIndows and its inability to seemlessly sync with the Zune. Their Marketplace is another story. I do not own a Zune but a friend of mine bought one and decided to ask me for assistance because he had trouble with it. Being the resident technical expert among my friends I helped him and after the third time in one week of assisting him with various issues I told I would no longer help him. I informed to return it--which he did--and get an iPod (he bought a Zune because he didn't realize his WMA could be converted to MP3 or AAC, which I had to school him on). I have yet to hear any complaints, stupid questions, or functionality issues with his iPod and iTunes. Truth be told, I did setup his iTunes preferences to limit my lack of future effort in assisting him.
It just seems like MS doesn't have a clue what other departments are doing. Take the XBox360 and Windows--especially Vista--for example. These are Windows devices that should network and sync to each other seamlessly yet I have had more than my share of aggravation trying to get these devices to work with other.
The "It just works" motto is quite accurate.
Oh, I totally agree. The Zune app is just horrendous. God-awful. Slow, kludgy, 10x worse than iTunes on Windows. But the player is actually quite good. And from what I can tell, they're completely remaking the PC-side software with this impending update, hopefully improving responsiveness, etc. I'll wait until I can see any improvements they make for myself, but it does look promising.
The Zune is a really rough, 1st gen ecosystem, but given the amount of money and effort M$ is known to pump into these things, I wouldn't be surprised if it became a very legitimate contender after a few more permutations.
They just need to add Mac support, decent PC-side software, and broader format support and they could be well on their way.
MS is being real, they are NOTmaking the zune to compete with ipod, in a real sense yet, its to be number #2 and displace the sansa et al. so that's their market target.....so leave it to the "other" manufacturer formums for the real discussion. when we say zune we need to put it up against it's intended target....non ipod world so how does it compare with them???? i'm stuck on ipod.
I doubt that removing the other player makers to be #2 is the goal here, unless you mean a short term goal. I don't think they are hoping to stay #2 for the indefinite future. I can see them holding on to wait for Apple to make a stupid mistake. That's the kind of thing that MS seems to have done in the past, they stuck with it long enough and the bigger players in a given market make fatal mistakes and fall away.