“When it comes to the hardware, we’re pretty much set; we all now know the Zune inside and out. But how it interacts with the software, the marketplace, etc. — that’s where the magic happens. Or doesn’t. We really wanted to give the Zune the benefit of the doubt. We hoped installing the Zune software and getting our player running would be as seamless and painless as getting iTunes and an iPod running on your machine, since that is, after all, what it’s up against. (Granted, not even iTunes is bereft of major problems on major releases.) Unfortunately, the reality of our experience with the first version of the Zune software this afternoon is much like that of many version 1 software experiences. It sucks. Read on to see what happened,” Ryan Block reports for Engadget.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RadDoc” for the heads up.]
We didn’t have any problems with iTunes 7. But, of course, we don’t bother trying to use Windows PCs, we use Macs.
Related articles:
Apple releases iTunes 7.0.2 – October 31, 2006
Mossberg: Apple’s new iPod+iTunes are ‘better products at better prices’ – October 04, 2006
Apple releases iTunes 7.0.1 – September 27, 2006
Fortune’s Lewis reviews Apple iTunes 7.0: ‘thumbs up’ – September 26, 2006
Thurrott reviews Apple’s iTunes 7: ‘the best software-based media jukebox I’ve ever used’ – September 22, 2006
USA Today reviews new Apple iPod nanos, updated iPods, iTunes 7 (each earns 4 stars out of 4) – September 21, 2006
PC Magazine review: iTunes 7 ‘Apple’s best effort yet’ (4 stars out of 5) – September 15, 2006
What’s new in Apple’s iTunes 7 – September 12, 2006
Apple debuts iTunes 7 – September 12, 2006
Early Microsoft Zune customer greeted with Zune ‘Installation Error’ – November 13, 2006
Zuned: What’s the ‘deal’ with Microsoft Points? – November 12, 2006
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Apple has no need to worry about Microsoft’s cumbersome, chunkier Zune – November 11, 2006
BusinessWeek: ‘By this time next year, Microsoft’s Zune will be considered a dismal failure’ – November 10, 2006
USA Today’s Baig: Microsoft Zune is no Apple iPod – November 09, 2006
Forbes: Microsoft’s Zune stinks; like ‘Microsoft Bob,’ only more embarrassing – November 09, 2006
NY Times’ Pogue: Zune should come in green to match Microsoft’s iPod envy – November 09, 2006
Mossberg: MS Zune has ‘too many compromises, missing features’ vs. ‘thin, sleek, elegant’ Apple iPod – November 09, 2006
Microsoft to pay Universal for every Zune sold – November 09, 2006
Analysts: Microsoft Zune may end up being a flop – November 08, 2006
Are 58% of iPod owners really thinking of a Zune switch? – November 08, 2006
Survey: 58% of iPod owners planning another MP3 player purchase will consider Microsoft’s Zune – November 01, 2006
Zune is from Microsoft, but Microsoft doesn’t want anybody to know about it – November 07, 2006
Microsoft Zune to be US-only, no firm plans to launch anywhere else globally – November 03, 2006
Five Microsoft Zune TV commercials – November 02, 2006
JupiterResearch: Apple’s iPod will dominate for foreseeable future; Microsoft’s Zune insignificant – October 25, 2006
Ellen DeGeneres Show gives away Microsoft Zunes, studio audience goes berserk – October 23, 2006
More Microsoft Zune myths explored – October 20, 2006
Five more Microsoft Zune myths – October 18, 2006
Microsoft Zune intensifies chaos in Apple iPod+iTunes also-ran market – October 16, 2006
Newsweek Q&A: Apple CEO Steve Jobs discusses iPod’s impact, Microsoft’s Zune, and more – October 15, 2006
Microsoft’s Ballmer: Zune device not money loser, wishes Apple’s 30GB iPod was $299 instead of $249 – October 11, 2006
Microsoft’s consumer electronics track record: long string of failures – October 11, 2006
MP3.com founder: ‘Zune will be an expensive failure for Microsoft because consumers aren’t stupid’ – October 06, 2006
Microsoft fails to secure key Zune domains – October 04, 2006
Microsoft rigs Zune with tricky pricing and proprietary money schemes – October 03, 2006
Why Microsoft’s Zune won’t kill Apple’s iPod – October 03, 2006
10 Apple iPod vs. Microsoft Zune myths – October 02, 2006
Analyst: Zune could lead to ‘civil war’ between Microsoft and Windows Media partners – September 29, 2006
Thurrott on Microsoft’s Zune: ‘The makings of a disaster, what the heck are these people thinking?’ – September 29, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft Zune’s as good as dead on arrival – September 28, 2006
Microsoft sets 30GB Zune price at $249.99 – September 28, 2006
How Microsoft’s Zune can kill Apple’s iPod – September 21, 2006
Microsoft’s Zune insanity – September 21, 2006
The Microsoft Zune 1.0 dud – September 20, 2006
Microsoft’s underwhelming Zune a ‘viral DRM’ device – September 18, 2006
SanDisk teams with RealNetworks against new common foe: Microsoft Zune – September 18, 2006
Creative does Apple’s dirty work by immediately attacking Microsoft’s Zune – September 17, 2006
Motley Fool’s Jayson: Microsoft’s ‘just plain ugly’ Zune a meager offering, not an iPod killer – September 15, 2006
What’s in a name? ‘Zune’ a French-Canadian euphemism for penis or vagina – September 15, 2006
Crave at CNET: ‘Microsoft Zune, all the excitement that brown can bring’ – September 15, 2006
Microsoft’s Zune underwhelms – September 15, 2006
Enderle: Microsoft Zune ‘a design mistake’ – September 15, 2006
Microsoft hypocrisy exposed with Zune: What ever happened to ‘choice?’ – September 14, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft Zune with fake scroll wheel ‘hardly an Apple iPod killer’ – September 14, 2006
Analyst: Microsoft Zune won’t spoil Apple’s biggest iPod Christmas ever – September 14, 2006
Microsoft unveils Zune 30GB player, Zune Marketplace; declines to disclose prices – September 14, 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
Microsoft to sell single Zune model this fall, rumors of Wi-Fi capability were greatly exaggerated – August 10, 2006
Microsoft to spend hundreds of millions, several years on Zune trying to catch Apple iPod+iTunes – July 27, 2006
Zune: Apple cannot lose. Microsoft cannot win. – July 26, 2006
Oh.
Hell.
Yeah.
-c
MW: ‘place’ (in the live where you stand)
OMG FIRST POST….um zune sux next story…hehe
omg story is my magic word
ok 3rd post and omg you killed kenny
And this is surprising because…?
Bozos
LOL! Weren’t Engadget the only ones who’ve given Zune a positive review so far? It seems MS have just screwed up their only fans! What a surprize!
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After reading all those steps, I realize there is something I haven’t said lately or near enough.
I love you, Mac.
How is anyone supposed to buy any music? Where is this “so-called” Zune Marketplace? I can’t find it. Kenny, can you find it anywhere? Oh wait….you’re dead.
Has anybody seen the ZUNE commercials yet? I saw one during the football game yesterday night (American Football, for those of you foreigners who don’t understand that .com websites are for those of us in the USA and would get confused about the football reference), and it was disguisting. For serious. Other than a really short clip of a brown one at the beginning, it didn’t even show a zune. It just showed some idiot playing music at a concert.
The Zune is going to flop worse than anything.
word
Microsoft’s Zune Hardware: ‘it sucks‘
It’s really sad that the best the largest software company in the world can come up with to attempt to compete with the iPod/iTunes Store/iTunes is a stinking POS.
As a consumer, I like when Apple gets good competition. That’s when we really see The Steve and co. rock hard!
As a shareholder of AAPL, I will have to satisfy myself with more growth.
Rock on Steve!
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Wow! Glad Engadget ate some crow. I browse that site often and it has been all Zune there lately.
And like MDN said, I use Macs and iTunes has been flawless for me.
As a PC user, there were tons of problems with iTunes 7… and i have been using itunes forever. it seems apple fixed most of the problems and it works alot better after 2 upgrades…
WAIT A MINUTE!!! Isn’t MS a SOFTWARE COMPANY? Shouldn’t the BEST PART of the Zune be the SOFTWARE? Afterall the Zune is just a rebadged Toshiba.
I read the linked article, and THAT is incredible. The release of Zune tomorrow is going to be a “comedy of errors” indeed.
I thought Microsoft was the “software” company and Apple was the “hardware” company. The truth is, Apple relies on great sofware to sell its hardware, so it is compelled to create amazing software. On the other hand, Microsoft relies on its Windows monopoly to sell its software, so it has no compelling reason to do anything great.
I thought Apple would have trouble dealing with countless Windows PC configurations, after it released the Windows version of iTunes (not to mention QuickTime) a few years ago. Amazingly, Apple appears to do a significantly better job of writing Windows software than Microsoft.
It’s 12:48 EST. I wonder how long the lines were at NYC electronics stores. Anyone know how many thousands were lined up patiently to be among the first Zune buyer?
Engadget’s Zune will work tomorrow when the Zune Marketplace goes live.
Wow. That is both sad and hilarious at the same time.
All of those screenshots remind me why I hate installing Windows – lots of unnecessary dialog boxes to click though. And requiring your phone number to register your Zune is just over the top.
The usual 50 Engadget Microsoft fanboys are defending this sh*t brick to the death.
Can we get some Mac news please?
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> Engadget’s Zune will work tomorrow when the Zune Marketplace goes live.
The software and Zune crashed the whole PC (numerous times). And these reviewers are so-called technology experts. Imagine relative computer novices with barely adequate malware-impaired PCs and dialup connections trying to install their Zune software. I think Tuesday November 14th 2006 is going down as the most embarrassing day in Microsoft’s history.
Funny, Engadget has been having a love fest with the Zune. Now they say the software sucks. Hello guys, didn’t you TRY THE SOFTWARE when you got those Zunes like 4 weeks ago??
Idiots
I could say the same thing about OS X. Slow, limited, and well..it sucks. Kinda like a restricted Linux, which sucks too.
iTunes 7 is giving me a lot of troubles on my Mac. Shucks!
For comparison, I Googled “iTunes installation” and found the following page/screrenshots:
http://www.umbc.edu/oit/sans/helpdesk/howto/HOWTO_install_iTunes.html
I count seven screenshots and six clicks. Are there any others?
ds. =)
Los Angeles, CA
I can see “zuned” getting into people’s vocabulary, but in a very negative way – ie. in the same sense as “ripped-off”, “screwed” etc. etc.
Man that bastard zuned me …
He saw you coming. You were zuned.
I can’t believe I got zuned even once by that prick – I won’t be zuned again.
We all knew Zune sucks BIG, but beware !!! Microsoft Windows 1.0 was a sucker too!
Microsoft can start manipulating the market now, as they have an own (?Toshiba?) Russian-tank-MP3-player now….