no matter how one tries to spin it, the 2009 Zune HD is obsolete before it even goes on sale. old tech inside a new OLED shell. or, if you want to be nice, a half step, now with touch screen UI, to the much more serious 2010 product to come. but to buy one, that is sucker bait.
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
I've read the reports too, and they are nice. We'll see how the product actually does.
I don't understand why some think the screen is so great though. It's smaller, and has much less resolution. It's only 480 x 272. The Apple products are 480 x 320 on a bigger screen.
That's a step back, not forwards. I have to assume that a bigger screen would have been too expensive, and gobbled too much power. Watching anything in SD, and there's an awful lot of that around, will be bad. It will be a small image, limited by both the horizontal resolution, and the much narrower screen.
There are other nits to pick, but that's enough for now.
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
Kinda funny to hear someone start a post by calling someone else a fanboy and then go on to talk about the Zune like they were writing ad copy.
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
I agree with addabox that your post is pretty ironic, how about ratcheting down the full on PR mode?
Also I wouldn't put any stock into gadget blogs (who's sole purpose IMO is to jerk off various gadget fanboys each day then jerk off the opposing set of fanboys the next to rake in the hits)
Gadget blogs are also the ones who tend to call every POS PMP and Smart phone the next [insert apple product here] killer.
The Zune HD MIGHT have the best screen ever, it it could end up sucking if it's useless in the sun.
Also IMO the Zune interface is pretty crap. Once you get past the flash in the pan animations the actual UI is bare and ugly and downright stupid in places.
When the Zune HD goes head to head against the 3rd Gen. iPod Touch it's not going to look all that impressive .
I don't understand why some think the screen is so great though. It's smaller, and has much less resolution. It's only 480 x 272. The Apple products are 480 x 320 on a bigger screen.
Movies are only 16:9 though so it means that you always get black bars on the ipod/iphone or you have to crop the movie. I generally find the ipod/iphone to be too wide. The Zune HD looks like a much better size IMO.
I think the Tegra platform will be incredible performance-wise. We'll have to see if pushing it will drain the battery considerably though. For video and audio, it may significantly outlast an ipod. The UI is very smooth but I wouldn't say any smoother than the ipod/iphone.
I don't like the interface design and navigation at all. It's unique but it looks awkward to use.
If Apple put the same camera from the 3GS on the ipod touch with video, it will be a very competitive feature, no reason why they can't put HD radio on too. I do see the Zune HD being a competitor to the touch and I think it's quite a formidable one.
I like the case design, the colors are better this time round, it has the touch interface, a browser and it's very powerful with the Tegra chipset and is cheaper so has a lot of potential.
If they get some great games on it and a marketplace with integration on the XBox - they might even get games that you buy a 360 version and a Zune HD version together - it will be a bonus for gamers beyond what the ipod has. Apple has no firm grounding in gaming and never tried.
Microsoft's weight in that industry could draw significantly away from one of the ipod/iphone's biggest selling points.
On the plus side, that could bring game developers to both sides but I feel Microsoft will get the good exclusives. Take for example Splinter Cell Conviction - a game you'd think would be on both the 360 and PS3 but it's 360 only.
the current Zune apps, like the current "thousands" of WinMobile 6.x apps, are just too primitive to be compared with iPhone/Touch apps. they are designed for the current WinMo/CE OS generation that is several years old now, and plainly out of date. the app industry is waiting for WinMo 7.
no matter how one tries to spin it, the 2009 Zune HD is obsolete before it even goes on sale. old tech inside a new OLED shell. or, if you want to be nice, a half step, now with touch screen UI, to the much more serious 2010 product to come. but to buy one, that is sucker bait.
It's true. I feel the first iPod Nano is still cooler than the Zune. ( Talk about fanboisism )..
Movies are only 16:9 though so it means that you always get black bars on the ipod/iphone or you have to crop the movie. I generally find the ipod/iphone to be too wide. The Zune HD looks like a much better size IMO.
I think the Tegra platform will be incredible performance-wise. We'll have to see if pushing it will drain the battery considerably though. For video and audio, it may significantly outlast an ipod. The UI is very smooth but I wouldn't say any smoother than the ipod/iphone.
I don't like the interface design and navigation at all. It's unique but it looks awkward to use.
If Apple put the same camera from the 3GS on the ipod touch with video, it will be a very competitive feature, no reason why they can't put HD radio on too. I do see the Zune HD being a competitor to the touch and I think it's quite a formidable one.
I like the case design, the colors are better this time round, it has the touch interface, a browser and it's very powerful with the Tegra chipset and is cheaper so has a lot of potential.
If they get some great games on it and a marketplace with integration on the XBox - they might even get games that you buy a 360 version and a Zune HD version together - it will be a bonus for gamers beyond what the ipod has. Apple has no firm grounding in gaming and never tried.
Microsoft's weight in that industry could draw significantly away from one of the ipod/iphone's biggest selling points.
On the plus side, that could bring game developers to both sides but I feel Microsoft will get the good exclusives. Take for example Splinter Cell Conviction - a game you'd think would be on both the 360 and PS3 but it's 360 only.
If all you want to do is watch 16:9 formatted movies on that, then I would agree that the extra screen wouldn't be required.
But most uses will do much better with the 480 x 320 screen.
Comments
no matter how one tries to spin it, the 2009 Zune HD is obsolete before it even goes on sale. old tech inside a new OLED shell. or, if you want to be nice, a half step, now with touch screen UI, to the much more serious 2010 product to come. but to buy one, that is sucker bait.
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
I've read the reports too, and they are nice. We'll see how the product actually does.
I don't understand why some think the screen is so great though. It's smaller, and has much less resolution. It's only 480 x 272. The Apple products are 480 x 320 on a bigger screen.
That's a step back, not forwards. I have to assume that a bigger screen would have been too expensive, and gobbled too much power. Watching anything in SD, and there's an awful lot of that around, will be bad. It will be a small image, limited by both the horizontal resolution, and the much narrower screen.
There are other nits to pick, but that's enough for now.
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
Kinda funny to hear someone start a post by calling someone else a fanboy and then go on to talk about the Zune like they were writing ad copy.
Amazing to hear a die hard Apple fanboy in full hate mode. The Zune HD has the kind of buzz around it only an Apple product could generate, it is the no.1 wanted product in GDGT.com, and aside from places like here the opinions expressed so far have been nothing but glowing.
The Zune HD is, in the opinion of the majority, a beautiful device with a screen so outstanding it easily surpasses anything Apple offers. For a media playback device, I'd say having the best screen out there is quite an important feature. The interface has also been pretty much universally praised, and again, in the opinion of most, is better than anything Apple offer.
MS have said apps and games will come. We shall see if they do, but until then, MS may well have produced the best small form factor media player ever. And don't forget Zune Pass, which again is a huge selling point and something Apple do not offer. Oh and I'd personally love my iPhone to accept 720p video. Having to convert stuff twice, once for Apple TV at 720p, and again for iPhone at 320p is a pointless waste of time. Why can't I just feed my iPhone the same 720p video? (I am talking here of video I convert myself, not download from the store)
I agree with addabox that your post is pretty ironic, how about ratcheting down the full on PR mode?
Also I wouldn't put any stock into gadget blogs (who's sole purpose IMO is to jerk off various gadget fanboys each day then jerk off the opposing set of fanboys the next to rake in the hits)
Gadget blogs are also the ones who tend to call every POS PMP and Smart phone the next [insert apple product here] killer.
The Zune HD MIGHT have the best screen ever, it it could end up sucking if it's useless in the sun.
Also IMO the Zune interface is pretty crap. Once you get past the flash in the pan animations the actual UI is bare and ugly and downright stupid in places.
When the Zune HD goes head to head against the 3rd Gen. iPod Touch it's not going to look all that impressive .
I don't know why they didn't do it this time.
I guess they are gonna use it for the next iPhone iteration..
I guess they are gonna use it for the next iPhone iteration..
It seems to be capable enough to do it. It would be nice if they unlocked it in another software release.
I don't understand why some think the screen is so great though. It's smaller, and has much less resolution. It's only 480 x 272. The Apple products are 480 x 320 on a bigger screen.
Movies are only 16:9 though so it means that you always get black bars on the ipod/iphone or you have to crop the movie. I generally find the ipod/iphone to be too wide. The Zune HD looks like a much better size IMO.
I think the Tegra platform will be incredible performance-wise. We'll have to see if pushing it will drain the battery considerably though. For video and audio, it may significantly outlast an ipod. The UI is very smooth but I wouldn't say any smoother than the ipod/iphone.
I don't like the interface design and navigation at all. It's unique but it looks awkward to use.
If Apple put the same camera from the 3GS on the ipod touch with video, it will be a very competitive feature, no reason why they can't put HD radio on too. I do see the Zune HD being a competitor to the touch and I think it's quite a formidable one.
I like the case design, the colors are better this time round, it has the touch interface, a browser and it's very powerful with the Tegra chipset and is cheaper so has a lot of potential.
If they get some great games on it and a marketplace with integration on the XBox - they might even get games that you buy a 360 version and a Zune HD version together - it will be a bonus for gamers beyond what the ipod has. Apple has no firm grounding in gaming and never tried.
Microsoft's weight in that industry could draw significantly away from one of the ipod/iphone's biggest selling points.
On the plus side, that could bring game developers to both sides but I feel Microsoft will get the good exclusives. Take for example Splinter Cell Conviction - a game you'd think would be on both the 360 and PS3 but it's 360 only.
it seems to be capable enough to do it. It would be nice if they unlocked it in another software release.
3.2.0 !
Kinda funny to hear someone start a post by calling someone else a fanboy and then go on to talk about the Zune like they were writing ad copy.
LOL! Spot on!
the current Zune apps, like the current "thousands" of WinMobile 6.x apps, are just too primitive to be compared with iPhone/Touch apps. they are designed for the current WinMo/CE OS generation that is several years old now, and plainly out of date. the app industry is waiting for WinMo 7.
no matter how one tries to spin it, the 2009 Zune HD is obsolete before it even goes on sale. old tech inside a new OLED shell. or, if you want to be nice, a half step, now with touch screen UI, to the much more serious 2010 product to come. but to buy one, that is sucker bait.
It's true. I feel the first iPod Nano is still cooler than the Zune.
Movies are only 16:9 though so it means that you always get black bars on the ipod/iphone or you have to crop the movie. I generally find the ipod/iphone to be too wide. The Zune HD looks like a much better size IMO.
I think the Tegra platform will be incredible performance-wise. We'll have to see if pushing it will drain the battery considerably though. For video and audio, it may significantly outlast an ipod. The UI is very smooth but I wouldn't say any smoother than the ipod/iphone.
I don't like the interface design and navigation at all. It's unique but it looks awkward to use.
If Apple put the same camera from the 3GS on the ipod touch with video, it will be a very competitive feature, no reason why they can't put HD radio on too. I do see the Zune HD being a competitor to the touch and I think it's quite a formidable one.
I like the case design, the colors are better this time round, it has the touch interface, a browser and it's very powerful with the Tegra chipset and is cheaper so has a lot of potential.
If they get some great games on it and a marketplace with integration on the XBox - they might even get games that you buy a 360 version and a Zune HD version together - it will be a bonus for gamers beyond what the ipod has. Apple has no firm grounding in gaming and never tried.
Microsoft's weight in that industry could draw significantly away from one of the ipod/iphone's biggest selling points.
On the plus side, that could bring game developers to both sides but I feel Microsoft will get the good exclusives. Take for example Splinter Cell Conviction - a game you'd think would be on both the 360 and PS3 but it's 360 only.
If all you want to do is watch 16:9 formatted movies on that, then I would agree that the extra screen wouldn't be required.
But most uses will do much better with the 480 x 320 screen.