“Microsoft Corp. on Thursday unveiled Zune, a 30-gigabyte music and video player that marks the software giant’s entry into a digital-media player market dominated by Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod,” Rex Crum and Michael Paige report MarketWatch.
“Microsoft said Zune will come with a three-inch screen, which is larger than the iPod’s two-inch video screen, as well as built-in wireless and FM-radio tuning technology, features that also aren’t available on the iPod,” Crum and Paige report.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s iPod features a 2.5-inch screen, not a “two-inch” screen, and offers the exact same 320×240 pixel resolution as Zune. Apple’s iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
“Additionally, Microsoft launched what it calls the Zune Marketplace [available this holiday season in the United States], an online music site where customers can purchase individual songs or buy a subscription that allows the purchase of unlimited songs for a flat fee,” Crum and Michael Paige report. “Microsoft said the Zune would be available in time for the holiday shopping season, but didn’t immediately disclose prices for the product, or for songs bought through the Zune Marketplace.”
Full article here.
According to the press release, Microsoft plans to offer Zune, manufactured by Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp., in black, white and brown, according to a company news release.
“The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning,” said J Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is heading its Zune project. “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.”
Apple’s iPod holds more than half of the worldwide digital media player market, according to research company NPD, while iTunes accounts for over 70 percent of U.S. digital music sales. In the United States, the iPod has more than 75 percent of the digital music player market, according to NPD.
Is this a joke? Zune Marketpace? Great name. As for the Zune player, rarely has a product been so appropriately hued as Microsoft’s repackaged Toshiba Gigabeat in brown. It’s appropriately dressed for its inevitable date to circle the bowl.
We can see the ads now: Zune pitchman, South Park’s Mr. Hankey, singing, “PlaysForShit and looks like it, too!”
One thing’s for sure, the Microsoft marketing person who scheduled this “news” release for a Thursday, two days after Apple’s special event no less, is no genius.
If this was from any other company than Microsoft, we’d feel sorry for them – like we did for Toshiba when they first debuted this thing.
Related articles:
PC Mag Editor’s Pick: Apple’s new iPod nano – ‘’an excellent product, slim, attractive, easy to use’ – September 14, 2006
CNET Editor’s Pick: Apple’s new 2G iPod nano – ‘sure to be top choice among wide range of users’ – September 14, 2006
Three markets that are different today after Apple’s ‘It’s Showtime’ event – September 13, 2006
Cramer: Apple’s ‘iTV’ all about ease-of-use; Apple shares are going higher – September 13, 2006
Apple + Living Room = Logical Marriage + Boon for Stockholders – September 13, 2006
The Register: Apple event more like ‘No Show’ than ‘Showtime’ – September 13, 2006
The Telegraph: Steve Jobs’ genius making people desire gadgets for which they have absolutely no use – September 13, 2006
The Guardian: Steve Jobs needs ‘a charisma download, Apple risks being left behind’ – September 13, 2006
Mark Cuban: Things that are special about Apple’s announcements – September 13, 2006
Apple’s ‘iTV’ strategy – September 13, 2006
How will Apple’s ‘iTV’ work? – September 13, 2006
The Observer’s iPod FUD: Apple iPod is ‘wilting away before our eyes’ – September 10, 2006
Apple eyes living room market with device codenamed ‘iTV’ – September 12, 2006
Analyst: Apple ‘s iTunes+iPod+iTV model ‘the gold standard for the digital home of the future’ – September 12, 2006
Analyst: Apple ‘s iTunes+iPod+iTV ‘will be hard for other players to match’ – September 12, 2006
Apple gives sneak peek of ‘iTV’ set-top box to debut Q1 2007 (with images) – September 12, 2006
Apple’s QuickTime stream of Steve Jobs special event now live – September 12, 2006
NFL and Apple team up to offer 2006 NFL game highlights via iTunes Store – September 12, 2006
Microsoft sees room in music player market for ‘Zune’ to challenge Apple’s dominant iPod – September 06, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft’s Zune an ‘underwhelming’ repackaged Toshiba Gigabeat; no threat to Apple iPod – August 30, 2006
Microsoft confirms brick-like Zune to be made by Toshiba – August 25, 2006
Microsoft Zune is chunky brick made by Toshiba – August 25, 2006
RUMOR: Microsoft Zune’s user interface revealed in images – August 23, 2006
Details of Microsoft’s Zune interface, features exposed – August 17, 2006
Microsoft to sell single Zune model this fall, rumors of Wi-Fi capability were greatly exaggerated – August 10, 2006
Zune already shedding features? ‘iPod killer’ won’t offer video at launch – August 04, 2006
RealNetworks CEO Glaser a little miffed with Microsoft over Zune – July 28, 2006
Microsoft to spend hundreds of millions, several years on Zune trying to catch Apple iPod+iTunes – July 27, 2006
In wake of Zune announcement, should ex-Microsoft ‘partners’ join iPod ecosystem? – July 27, 2006
Zune: Apple cannot lose. Microsoft cannot win. – July 26, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft partners zune to be the biggest losers – July 25, 2006
In wake of Zune, Microsoft ‘partners’ consider abandoning PlaysForSure – July 25, 2006
Wi-Fi seen limiting battery life on Microsoft’s Zune – July 24, 2006
Why Microsoft’s Zune is doomed to fail – July 24, 2006
Bear Stearns analyst expects Apple to respond to Microsoft’s ‘challenge’ with new iPod innovations – July 24, 2006
Microsoft Zune? They should’ve called it the Microsoft ‘iClod’ – July 24, 2006
Enderle: Microsoft’s ‘iPod killer’ Zune is ‘brilliant strategy’ – July 24, 2006
Microsoft’s so-called ‘iPod killer’ Zune won’t zoom up the charts – July 23, 2006
Microsoft confirms ‘iPod Killer’ plans – July 21, 2006
Microsoft’s rumored ‘iPod killer’ poses little threat to Apple’s domination – July 18, 2006
Microsoft plans Super Bowl ad for ‘iPod killer’ – July 17, 2006
Sounds serious: Microsoft approaches iPod accessory makers for Zune would-be ‘iPod killer’ – July 12, 2006
Microsoft preps complete line of Xbox-branded digital-media products – July 11, 2006
Photo of Microsoft’s ‘iPod killer?’ – July 11, 2006
10 reasons why Microsoft’s ‘iPod killer’ will fail – July 11, 2006
Enderle on what it would take for Microsoft to kill Apple’s iPod – July 10, 2006
Microsoft: ‘iPod killer’ reports based on ‘speculation and rumors’ – July 07, 2006
Can Microsoft hit a fast moving target? Apple likely to debut wireless iPod this year – July 07, 2006
Analysts: Microsoft faces uphill fight to supplant Apple’s iPod+iTunes market dominance – July 07, 2006
Microsoft plans to convert iPod users by replacing iTMS songs with free WMA format songs – July 06, 2006
Microsoft to release wireless ‘iPod killer’ by Christmas to challenge Apple – July 05, 2006
Analyst Wu: Microsoft unlikely to dethrone Apple iPod+iTunes – June 21, 2006
Microsoft preps iPod+iTunes killer – June 19, 2006
Report: Microsoft readying Apple iPod+iTunes rival – June 16, 2006
Microsoft: No iPod killer planned – June 05, 2006
Microsoft, Toshiba, DoCoMo, Victor to develop Japan iPod+iTunes killer – June 02, 2006
MTV-Microsoft URGE music service not targeting iPod, iTunes users; Real CEO PlayedForSure? – December 13, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell’s ‘DJ Ditty’ flash-based MP3 player is dead – August 22, 2006
More blood on Apple iTunes Music Store’s play button: MyCokeMusic is dead – June 20, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver gives up on digital media player market – May 23, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Sony’s Walkman Bean is cooked – February 13, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Dell dumps ‘DJ’ hard-drive MP3 player line – February 04, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: iRiver pulling out of Europe? – February 01, 2006
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Thomson gives up on MP3 player, CE markets – December 12, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: BenQ withdraws from MP3 player markets – November 28, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Olympus halts production of portable digital music players – November 09, 2005
More blood on Apple iPod’s Click Wheel: Rio is dead – August 26, 2005
Apple’s iPod has blood on its Click Wheel: Virgin Electronics is dead – March 08, 2005
Apple’s iTunes Music Store has blood on its play button: BuyMusic.com is dead – March 28, 2004
Zune=turd. Now available in the popular brown!
hey, shit is brown too, what are you trying to say?
What a joke! Keep the laughs coming Microsucks!
dude, I’m gett’n a zune
How are you going to unveil without giving a price? You unveil with prices so people can buy immediately. Ugh.
One day Microsoft will look back fondly at the Dell DJ.
I give Zune six months. A year at the outside, whatever Ballmer says now.
If I was Creative Labs or SanDisk or even Napster…. I’d be pissed like a mutha at MS
I was right. No product, just announcement. Typical M$.
And no proice either. LOL
Isn’t the iPod’s screen two and a half inches, not two?
M.W. = “too” – alright, now you’re just f—in’ with me!
the 80GB iPod threw them for a loop, they dunno wtf to do
MDN magic word = served LOL
Zune is going to hurt the whole MS music eco system by diluting it further. Now there’s an even smaller piece of pie for other PC partners.
::YAWN::
Did something just happen?
Gotta love how Mafia$oft is just eating into their “Plays For Shit” partners. How long do you think they are going to like being Mafia$oft’s little bitches before they give them the middle finger? I’d say Christmas 2007 at the latest. It will soon be just Apple and Mafia$oft, again.
Brown is the new brown.
I really think that MS will have a hard time building a brand before Christmas. After the holidays, Apple should be well ahead of the game with iTV and a new true video iPod.
Yeah, the iPod’s screen is 2.5″, not 2″ as Microsoft says.
What’s with their insistence on “social connections”? It’s been in every Zune press release recently. They are really buying into the whole MySpace idea. That’s fine, but I don’t think that is the bandwagon to be on – ease of use, quality, and GUI aesthetics is the bandwagon to be on. Once again, Micropenis picks wrong.
OK. So MS actually did something right, here!!!??? That’s a surprise!
They invited mp3 bloggers to review their device, which is awesome. MP3 bloggers have way more of a following (read: community) than the cronies people usually invite to press releases.
I’ve read the reviews and (for a first-gen product), everyone says it’s really cool.
The magnetic headphones is great, because I get so tired of my iPod earbuds tangling.
Wallpapers are nice as a background. I love customizability. (Is that a word?)
The price isn’t revealed? Well, Nintendo didn’t reveal their price until today (after months of speculation), so I guess that’s OK.
No battery life revealed? Did I miss that, because that IS important.
But, alas, it won’t work on my iMac.
Is that a mono speaker on the front?
Wait a second. MDN just added an extra “take” in the middle there echoing my two and a half inches comment. Uhhhhh, no that’s not what I’m talking about.
And they added a picture of a shit brown Zune. Eeeewwww!
WTF is that? Someone please tell it’s a joke. Let me check to see if it’s April 1. Ummm… Nope.
Damn that’s ugly. Looks like a… turd.
Zune, zune, zune, Who-oo-oo-oa.
Hey, do you see any product tie-in’s here?
MW york… ah… I got nothin’. If only it had been Yuk, or Yak, or even Bjork.
That is the ugliest mp3 player i have ever seen!!!
they have the Ipod wanna be, but where is the iTunes wanna be? Let’s see the zusic marketplace.
Yea that’s what we’re calling it, Zusic.
YUK
YUK
and
Y…
…I’m going to puke..!
How horrible is that? It should have brown paper bag over it.
Oh… and the “breadcrumbs-style (TWIST) navigation is pretty darn cool because now you only have to click once to get to any menu from anyplace.
The colors are OK… though not great at all. I hope they replace some of those. IMO, the best-looking is black. Not even the standard iPod-white is that nice-looking here.
Read Stereogum’s review. It lists the strengths and weaknesses pretty clearly without much (seemingly) bias.
http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003387.html#more
They probably have to re-print all the packaging since their original price target was $299. Now I guess they’d have to lower it to maybe $199 for anyone to consider it.
MDN word = pay…. how appropriate.
PS: Zune isn’t even on MS homepage. How’s that for confidence in their newest product?
Scheming Best Buy guy: “You don’t want an iPod. Your son/daughter wants a Zune. They work on PCs. iPod’s only work on macs.”
Uneducated parent: “My son/daughter wanted an iPod, but we have a PC. I guess I’ll take a Zune.”
Christmas Day….
son/daughter: “What is this?”
Uneducated parent: “A Zune. iPods won’t work on our PC.”
son/daughter: “Yes, they do. Who told you what? I want an iPod.”
Day after Christmas…
Uneducated parent: “I want to return this Zune.”
Best Buy: “Sorry, no refunds. We don’t even sell them any more.”
> It should have brown paper bag over it.
@Macaday:
yup, put it in a brown paper bag, light it on fire and put it on some old lady’s porch.
I use my iPod to ignore people and drown out the annoying cell phone screamers, to exercise and on the plane. I don’t want a social connection; I’d leave my iPod at home for that.
Where do they expect all this social interaction and sharing of music to take place? I’m curious, does anyone know of a poll about iPod usage?
Or, where do you use your iPod that would lend itself to a social connection?
How could MS marketing not predict the obvious brown=turd/p-o-s comparison? Maybe the marketing folks are ex-Vista programmers that were given a second chance (and screwed up again). I can’t believe anyone but the toughest of the diehard MS zealots would ever buy this ugly thing! I wonder if you can download a blue-screen-of-death video for it? Does it comes with trojans and viruses preinstalled or do you have to turn it on first?
Oops it luchtime – no more MS bashing for now…
As one review said, “Thinking of Microsoft as an underdog blows my mind.”
But now they are in this arena. And it’s blowing my mind, too.
Good, that’s all right then. Microsoft DOES have a product for this holiday season.
That means it has a failure for the 2006 season as well as for 2007 ( any bets on a ‘working’ copy of Vista for Q4 2007 anyone?!).
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Microsoft turd polishing time!
…how long it takes someone to spread a virus via the “social connections”.
Garbage in-
Garbage out!
Ron?… Where are you Ron?? Funny how quiet he is on these kind of news… … Brown… It comes with a paper bag to wear on da head… Soldering iron engraved… ¨To Darling Ronnie for eating my Pudding¨ Hey, Ron this one is for you!
Don’t underestimate Microsoft.
It has just enough interesting new features to get by until generation 2.
So MS kills off the weak players like Napster and Sony… who cares? They all die off and MS ends up with 20% market share in the US and much bigger overseas where Apple is weaker.
MS will tie it tightly to the XBox and Vista. And, oh, by the way don’t be surprised if iPods have mysterious problems with Vista. MS will leverage the hell out of the PC and Xbox platforms, they don’t have any other choice.
I gotta take a zune. After, I gotta remember to wipe my Ballmer.
Smaller devices will soon follow:
The Zune Peanut
The Zune Corn
The best things to come out from this piece of crap.
Good grief, that thing is hideous.
They are scrambling to recompute its price point. Think another Xbox. I won’t be surprised if they will price it equivalent to iPod, and lose money on each unit hoping to dethrone the King. They want to win; their egos demand it.
Without the chess moves Windows and Office turned out to be, the only other thing this company is good at is losing money.
The new Zune player is as sexy as Ernest Borgnine.
And their choice of having the CSS graphic – shades of the Gestapo, anyone ? Probably a subconcious decision that relates Micro$oft and the Nazis…
“I gotta take a zune. After, I gotta remember to wipe my Ballmer.” That is the funniest thing yet!
You much anti-MS bias to actually see that this is a decent product with a pretty good marketing scheme. I just read the article :http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003387.html#more
And this is the stuff that MS EXCELS (no pun intended) at. MS can nail the deficiencies of any product and pour in vast resources to come up with something that can legitimately compete with the dominant product. They have recognized a serious weakness with iPod: limited iPod to iPod interaction. As well I love the fact that wallpaper can shown full screen. I can’t wait for the iPod fullscreen to do a comparison of the two. Brown? Sure it invites jokes, but it is so geeky and ugly that it work imho. iPods are real slick but not really low-brow cool.
Anyway, flame away, but remember Playstation used to dominant too, until MS changed the way the game was played.
Yeah, never underestimate Microsoft… but never overestimate the average PC owner. They’re so used to cruddy Windows products, they probably won’t notice the differences between this crude knockoff and the real thing.
These are the same people that will line up like cattle to buy Vista and think its the greatest thing since sliced bread.
hahaha….nice one MDN.
let’s just hope that’s what it actually looks like
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Playlist for the Zune:
Thick as a Brick, Jethro Tull
Turd on the Run, the Rolling Stones
I Can’t Stand It, Eric Clapton
It’s Too Late, Carly Simon
Loser, Beck
Mr. Pitiful, Otis Redding
Sometimes a Fantasy, Billy Joel
Only the Lonely, Frank Sinatra
I’ve Got a Right to Sing the Blues, Frank Sinatra
Fooling Yourself, Styx
Where Did It All Go Wrong?, Oasis
Don’t Believe the Hype, Public Enemy
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, the Smiths
What Have I Done to Deserve This?, Pet Shop Boys
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out, Derek and the Dominos
You much anti-MS bias to actually see that this is a decent product with a pretty good marketing scheme. I just read the article :http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003387.html#more
And this is the stuff that MS EXCELS (no pun intended) at. MS can nail the deficiencies of any product and pour in vast resources to come up with something that can legitimately compete with the dominant product. They have recognized a serious weakness with iPod: limited iPod to iPod interaction. As well I love the fact that wallpaper can shown full screen. I can’t wait for the iPod fullscreen to do a comparison of the two. Brown? Sure it invites jokes, but it is so geeky and ugly that it work imho. iPods are real slick but not really low-brow cool.
Anyway, flame away, but remember Playstation used to dominant too, until MS changed the way the game was played.
——————————-
PowerMac G5 2.0GHz DP
Lombard G3 Powerbook
holy shit…that’s the real thing?? HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
The time has passed for Microsoft and now they’re playing catch up; this is just one of many wars in which they will be struggling to overcome Apple’s hipness, Apple’s better design, and Apple’s mindshare. Think about it. What company produces an Mp3 player that refuses to work with other computers now? I’m not even talking just OSX, but Linux, too.
Zune is the beginning of the end for Microsoft.
With this monstrosity even I think Microsoft need to stay with spreadsheets.
With this monstrosity even I think Microsoft need to stay with spreadsheets.
zune is the new turd
“an online music site where customers can purchase individual songs or buy a subscription that allows the purchase of unlimited songs for a flat fee”
This is more likely to be a subscription plan, where you have to actually pay an extra fee to buy the song beyond the subscription.
AAAaaarrGGH! My EYEs!! They”rE bURNing!! ArrGGHH! must… get… zune… off… screen… help…… soooo… uGLY…… must…. find… nano….
I can’t believe it. With all of their resources, Microsoft makes THIS? My mind is truly boggled. It pretty much does look like a turd.
Sure Microsoft dominates over Sony… yet it doesn’t make a cent. What a great business idea.
And just wait until Wii hits. It will put 360’s numbers to shame… PLUS Nintendo will actually make a profit! Go figure…
I’m not so sure how iPod to iPod interaction (lack of) is a weakness. I can see these Zunes sharing viruses that then go to their PCs during Sync.
And boy… full screen wallpaper! WOW! Amazing. I still use my 3G iPod and you know, I really don’t care it can’t show anything but a menu. It doesn’t affect how I play MUSIC.
Oo! Oo! It has a 3″ screen! Half-again as big as the puny 2.4″ in the latest iPod! And brown’s my favorite color … uh, not that shade, though.
Strange, though, that they’d introduce it so close to the introduction of the latest iPod rev intro – but neglect to mention a price. Hmm, ya think they are maybe reconsidering that detail?
Oh, and ‘Zune Marketplace’ … does that sound like the place to get tunes for your Rio (or whatever)? Or maybe just for the Zune … and … Vista?
OK, there might be the vaguest hint of competition here if Apple hadn’t boosted the iPod screen size a bunch, but the anticipated Zune price of $299 would have flushed that hope. With a more modest screen advantage and little or no price advantage it’s going to have tough going.
I agree: bjh. It is a Nazi/Gestapo screen they have there.
Black, white and brown? Why didn’t they push the boat out and offer one in grey too? Goes pretty well with this GetAMac ad though:
http://movies.apple.com/movies/us/apple/getamac_ads2/work_480x376.mov
MarkerWatch reports that Microsoft shares rose 34 cents after this announcement. (LOL! I can’t think why.) Better still, Apple shares rose 12 cents, ALSO after the Zune announcement.
So, Microsoft announces rubbish, and Apple’s shares go up!
From the stereogum review, here’s a quote from Zune marketing guy Chris Stephenson:
“We think of Zune as a link to the world, where Apple sees it as closed,” says Chris. “With all due respect, Apple is a very controlled brand. They don’t really have any direct interaction with the consumer or artists. We’re into Web 2.0. The YouTubes, the MySpaces, the user generated content, the creators. We want to facilitate that.”
Right, Apple “doesn’t have any interaction with the consumer or artists.” Unless you count podcasts, celebrity playlists, iMixes, customer reviews, and the “Just For You” Mini-store.
To the few pro-Zune posts:
Yes, I’m sure the Zune has a few good ideas. Many, many of iPod’s competitors have had a few good ideas. But “a few good ideas” will not knock off the iPod. You need something far and away better.
I’m sure that the “feature geeks” that inhabit MP3 blog sites and Slashdot will find much to love here. They’re the same people who buy iRiver and SanDisk players, and won’t shut up about them. But the mainstream market wants nothing more than a stylish, reasonably-priced, easy-to-use player that “just works” with its software. Zune offers no advantages in any of those categories, minor innovations notwithstanding.
(And I will be stunned if Zune works as seamlessly with the “Marketplace” software as the iPod does with iTunes. That’s just not Microsoft’s strong suit.)
Nobody’s gonna read this down here, but what the hell.
Assuming a similar price point, the Zune will offer standard what Apple offers as accessories: FM transmit (for the car) and receieve (for the news).
The interface samples we’ve seen are great; the new iPod interface features (alpha search) seem to be chasing after them for a change.
So iTunes will really be the difference. I expect Zune to fail, but not becaue it’s not a good product.
Um. Brown?
This sounds pretty half-a** to me.
They are clearly still trying to negotiate pricing on either hardware or content, so they don’t name prices.
There is ONE okay idea here, “try it” music sharing… but wait, didn’t Apple come up with that in iTunes?
News of Jan 2008: Microsoft quietly retires the failed Zune music players.
Charlie
http://www.TierraGPS.com
You have got to be kidding me! Is that a real picture of the product? This is the fabled “iPod killer”? No way in the world – c’mon, Allard knows better than that! Someone screwed the pooch on this one.
Meanwhile Apple lowered the price, tweaked the iPod displays and battery life again, made the software even easier to use… what a way to keep Microsoft off balance!
too funny
is this SHIT for real ?
😀
M$’s industrial design SUCKS!!! Fugry!!! Brown? you kidding me?
Wil? You seeing the same thing I’m seeing? And since when did you, while listening to your iPod, go “Dang, I need some iPod-to-iPod action here”? I can’t think of a time that I would be interested in that – but maybe I’m just an old, uncool geezer.
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Gotta love this from Reuters:
“The company said it was not ready to provide any exact timing or price for the product’s release.”
What else is new?
Ron! Ron?? Where are you? Get out of the closet at once!
Well, Brown is a pretty hip color right now…
Interesting – Apple has a release, and there website is immediately updated for purchase. Funny how M$ website mentions nothing about the Zune after they release theirs…
I can’t wait for this piece of crap to hit the market. That will deter all the whiney little trolls who do nothing but bitch about iPod and Apple on this board.
I plan to post a comment about this, but first I gotta go take a Zune!
U-G-L-Y!
More pictures of the Zune here: http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/09/14/microsoft_zune_announced/ (Click on the Image Gallery)
What is a neat feature is the device can play videos horizontally. This feature would not help Apple however due to the iPod’s screen ratio.
The only thing disappointing about Tuesday’s iPod update is that not all colors are offered at all capacities.
Would love to get a White 80G iPod. To each his / her own.
Peace.
Brown, black & grey on one item. If ever Steve Jobs’ line about Microsoft’s lack of taste applied, it’s today.
Remember the articles about people in cities sharing their iPod headphones to discover each other’s music? Bingo! Msoft has a strategy. Lame. Now that the iPod is culturally entrenched, people aren’t sharing, they’re privatizing. Group gaming doesn’t correlate to listening to music.
I can’t believe that no one uttered the obligatory fugly
OK! I’m a cheerleader now!
U.G.L.Y.
You ain’t got no alibi you ugly
Eh! Hey! You ugly
I saw you walking down the street just the other day
I didn’t see your damage from that far away
I should have got a clue when the kids started screaming
You walked up to me with your buck teethe a gleaming
Your hair was all frizzy and your face was a mess
I thought it was a sack but it’s your favourite dress
You hurt the trees feelings and the birds all flew
I don’t mean to insult you
Oh wait! Yes I do.
Your teeth are yellow, they’re covered in mould
You’re only fourteen you look a hundred years old
When looks were handed out you were last in line
Your face looks like where the sun don’t shine
Did you fall off a building and land on your head
Or did a truch run over your face instead
There ain’t no pill cos you ain’t ill
You’re ugly!
U.G.L.Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly
What you really need is to wear a mask
And book that plastic surgeon fast – (Girl)
You’re scary – You’re hairy I heard about you
You’re the main attraction at the city zoo
You’re so fat and ugly with a belly full of flab
When you wear a yellow coat people shout out cabH
(So funny)
You got eyes like a pig and your nose is big
And with hair like that you should be wearing a wig
Uncle Fester remember him? I never knew that you had a twin
You can’t disguise your googly eyes
In the Miss Ugly pageant you win first prize
Yo mama says you ugly –
You ugly!
U.G.L.Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly
Get busy
Yo mama says your ugly
Get busy
Yo mama says your ugly
Get busy
Yo mama says your ugly
Get busy
Your ugly!
U.U.U.U.
Now I feel like blondie
U.G.L.Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly
Quasimodo
Camel breath
Squarehead
Ugly!
Chicken legs
Pig face
Chin like bubba
Ugly!
Fish lips
Toad licker
Poindexter
Ugly!
Spaghetti arms
Limp butt
Freak shown -ugly!
U.G.L.Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly
U.G.L.Y – You could make an onion cry
U.G.L.Y – Like an alien chased by the F.B.I.
U.G.L.Y
U.G.L.Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly!
I wonder how Microsoft refers to the Zune color variants…
iPod White?
MacBook Black?
Turd Brown?
Mr. Hankey wouldn’t stoop to the level of advertising for Microsoft.
Here is where MS is purported to have dond their marketing research
Zune has one big advantage:
if someone accidentally drops it into an aeroplane toilet and the steward finds it, they wont panic, but keep on flushing until its gone.
So when will we see the “ipod death knell” post for the Zune?
I wonder how much MS is willing to lose per unit?
they are probably trying to figure it out – so no price till they do, they will have to be like $150 less than an equivlent size ipod to compete…
$149 for the 30GB get em before they go bankrupt folks
I love how everyone thinks the Wallpaper feature is so cool. Apple could add this to the iPod in less than a day. And now with the improved iPod updater built right into iTunes, this would be on every iPod with a color screen in a week. Big deal.
wifi: DOA before it’s even released.
clickwheel: It’s not a clickwheel, it’s a d-pad, but eveyone on the net thinks it’s a clickwheel like the iPod. Won’t they be disappointed when they get home with their turd brown Zune and realize they can’t scroll thru their library very easily.
30GB is the largest capacity? Apple has been making 30GB (or close to it) iPods for years now. Not to mention the 30GB is THICKER than the 5G 60GB. HAHAHA!!!
When Microsoft started coping the iPod the screen was 2 inches – they just cant keep up..
You can stick it up your a*s and nobody will be any wiser…
Dubya & Co should order a sh&tload;, in brown of course, delivered by UPS.
As RR says:
Come out, come out, wherever you are
What can Brown do for you?—–Nothing.
PC apologist says Zune will offer standard what Apple offers as accessories: FM transmit (for the car)
Isn’t that a feature of the Car Pack, i.e. Zune SP 1? The Home and Travel accessory packs include synch cables and AC adapters. The Car Pack doesn’t. Only the Home Pack includes a dock and AV cables. Sounds like you’d have to buy a Zune and a Car and a Home Pack to get the FM transmitter and a synch cable.
Also: from the photos I’ve seen, Zune White looks more like Toilet Paper White. Could the third color be Uranus Black?
MW: passed. Hmmm. Will we ever leave the toilet humour behind?
That is so fugly. It looks like the paddle teachers used to slap unruly students with.
Zune spokesman Gob: “I’ve made a huge mistake.”
That brown Zune has almost made me forget Flower Power.
OK…everyone has taken this shot…but mine is creative too…
Poised for #2, M$ takes brown as their pet color for Zune.
YAY!!!
They’re gonna sell a shit-load!
Brown might be the “in” color, but that shade is way too light. It should look almost black. The brown they chose is b*tt f***ing ugly
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The Zune looks incredibly thick too. As thick as the original iPod. I wonder how much more it weighs compared to the current iPod? I also haven’t heard anything about battery life. The last I heard it was something like 5 hours.
As for being able to share a song for 3 days, I’ve never thought “gee I wish I could listen to that stranger’s playlist”. Whatever. To make matters worse, MS isn’t going to have movies available for download when they launch the Zune. Isn’t that the point of having the EXTRA large screen that you can view sideways? Again, whatever.
“I’ve never thought “gee I wish I could listen to that stranger’s playlist”.”
The difference is that Zunes will be brought by people who have friends.
Those people may wish to listen to their friend’s playlists.
Ah, I get it. Those 60 million iPods have been sold to the friendless demographic in America (and around the world) who just so happen to be hip (and friendless), are well off (and have no friends) and happen to excel at arts, music, and other nifty things (but have no friends).
Do you see how silly that reasoning is?
I said it once and I said it again:
“ZUNE IS MY POOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I TOLD you all that it is COMING OUT!!!
And now it has.
Straight from my wet zunehole.
Remember that word, I coined it first: ZUNEHOLE.
Used as in:
I got a 3 pounder coming out my Zunehole.
or
What a zunehole he’s become, I’d like to flush his nuts.
or
Daddy likes to lick mommy’s zunehole.
ZZUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNE
IS
MY
POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Excrement.
I resent that.
“Do you see how silly that reasoning is?”
In your case, no.
But seriously I’m just poking fun at this guy with whom the only people he can think of sharing music with are STRANGERS. That kind of implies that he’s never shared music with friends. Which frankly growing up any time in the last few decades implies that he doesn’t have any.
Next stop for Dirk, a college in Montreal.
Can’t wait for that first ZuneCast.
‘And this is the stuff that MS EXCELS (no pun intended) at. MS can nail the deficiencies of any product and pour in vast resources to come up with something that can legitimately compete with the dominant product. They have recognized a serious weakness with iPod: limited iPod to iPod interaction. As well I love the fact that wallpaper can shown full screen. I can’t wait for the iPod fullscreen to do a comparison of the two. Brown? Sure it invites jokes, but it is so geeky and ugly that it work imho. iPods are real slick but not really low-brow cool.
‘
Name me 1 product that MS has successfully applied this bs to.
I prefar a Black Zune to that bullshit Ipod Video.
Mac’s are good, but try play games on them or modify them.
Ipod video? Just *.ipod or *.mp4? gimme a break.. Creatives Vision M is much nicer..
But to say the truth i dont need this DAP trash .. I got a smartphone ..with Windows media player 10 .. no problems .. and only $150 from Ebay.
I ate at taco bell last night
and did zunes all morning
It’s a Play for Sure device that also has it’s own seperate music store. Hmmm… interesting idea.
I dunno if it’ll fly, but I can say that I personally know a few people who are disappointed by the scratchy iPod nanos from last year/non-functioning iPod Shuffles who have already said that they are waiting for Zune…
Personally, I am waiting for the iPod Shuffle to have a friggin’ screen! But that seems unlikely since it is now the size of a pillbox!
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