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at least now, when they try to sell this in France, they'll have to make a mac compatible version

July 29th interview? Seeing into the future are they?

Even when you spell "shit" with a Z, it still smells the same.

another one.

how many more can they release?

There are PLENTY of people I know who would buy anything just because it has the MS name. Just like some people are for Apple. But some people HATE Apple and would never even TRY anything that says Apple. They wouldn't even give it a thought. So MS can easily sell to those people. And they don't have to compete with any one part of Apple's stuff. They people they will sell to don't even know about Apple's stuff anyway, they just know it's Apple and so they hate it.

That's right Apple has NEGATIVE cachet too. That leaves the door open for MS.

<sarcasm>Apple is DOOOOOOMED!
We all know that Apple doesn't sell any computers anymore,
and those computers that they do sell are nothing but pricey toys
for which no software is written
and what software is written for Apple is all stupid anyway
because it doesn't work on Windows
And Apple computers aren't safe on the internet
and need security to protect them
and the only reason Macs are not being attacked is because nobody uses Macs and nobody wants to write viruses for it.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah
</sarcasm>

is it just me or does Zune sound like a bunch of unhip, desperate, has-beens trying to create what they think young people will think is a cool name?

I will crucify myself later for saying this, but I hope MS does succeed just to see what MDN has to say then.

Going Down Like a Lead BaZune.

Microsoft does have cachet,

Some people are afraid of apple, and sometimes that fear turns to hate. why? because they know they relate to the tasteless mediocrity of windows and this reflection is hard to take.

in my opinion anyone that buys something just because it has microsoft on it, is a bloody idiot and deserves every second of suffering they endure.

Gee... talk about coming late to the party. I barely use my iPod anymore. Maybe if they came out with an Ipod with WiMax. One that could pull audio and video streams off the web even while out on the road, I'd be interested. Anything short of that... ho-hum.

Dr, I have an itch...um...you know. Down there.

Yes, you've got a case of the Zunes. With a smear of ointment and dab of reality, it'll clear up. I think.

The magnitude of this non-event cannot be over emphasized.

If Microsoft has shown the world anything since the anti-trust trial, it is that they have zero innovation DNA.

Jimbo:

"Even when you spell "shit" with a Z, it still smells the same."

And if you spell "Zune" with an S, you get, ah... "Sune." As in, "We'll see this device Real Sune."

They're making threatening noises like they're gonna ship it in time for the holidays. Any takers that they don't make that deadline either?

Saying it's too late for MS is like saying it's too late for the Mac market. Competition is always good. On a side note, I'm one block from the new South Beach Store on Lincoln road. Hoping to go but it's raining like crazy here. Hope to get some picts to send in.

...have plans to ready a portable device that will unseat Apple!

I don't have the corporate largess that Microsoft does? Well, true. But I don't have the reputation for bloated, difficult to use, software that does a lot of things except what I want to do linked to a virus and spyware-ridden OS.

I may have the lead here.

I love the way the author craps on the idea right off the bat, just to let you know where she stands: "Microsoft refused to provide more details beyond the statement, such as whether anyone in the music industry has expressed serious interest."

Also, Michael Gartenberg of Jupter must read MacDailyNews, because he voices a lot of concerns in this article that we've been raising for several weeks.

Interesting read.

Well it's like this.

The average iTunes user only buys under 200 songs via iTMS.

So lets say all the billions of songs sold via iTMS that Microsoft has worked a deal with the Labels that they can replace those Fairplay DRMed songs with WMA DRMed songs for no charge.

Then given the fact that M$ DRM has always been cracked.

Also the fact that M$ will bundle their new service directly into Vista, hijacking any iTMS song it can find.

Combined with the fact that music labels want music buisnesses based upon their content TO FAIL, because that's how they remain in control.

So in conclusion Apple will still kick @$$ because they are coming out with ne wproducts to maintain their dominance and M$ can't keep up.

Amen Praise Jobs.

One thing is sure, it won't just be a music player with inbuilt radio/microphone like most of Apples current competiton. It will have lots of whistles and bells. 'Features', I think they call them. It will also have lots of buttons and/or options to use those features. It will of course be proprietary… this is Microsoft. And like Apple does with iPod & iTunes, Microsoft can control both the hardware and software.

However, they have loadsa cash and are more than willing to lose a lot of it to gain market share. Xbox anyone?

Despite MDN's rhetoric, Apple will sleep a little less sound with 'Zune' around the corner.

I heard on TWIT that the songs MS would 'purchase' for you would only be for the subscription version, not a fully purchased song. Not really much of an offer except for convenience and not worth anything if you don't want a subscription.

MW: 'tax' as in: avoid the MS tax on IT, buy a Mac. Microsoft - Just say NO!

Zune? ZUNE? They are so frigging tacky. God I hate them.

Z as in "Zzzzzzzzzzzz..."

I saw one. It had a dinosaur head on it. Slick.

Although we all know how poorly Microsoft will do at making a successful end-user experience, I'll recap one of my last arguement on the matter:

Microsoft will use the Vista launch (as they do with every OS release) to leverage themselves into a new market. They will do whatever they can to make the iPod experience poor, and the MS "Zune" experience as smooth and fluid as possible.

And, not only the hardware vendors that should be worried. If I was Real Networks, or any other music download service, I'd be very worried too. It never pays to partner with Microsoft.

at least we know what the Zune Box will look like...

Now all Apple has to do is license fairplay to Creative et. al.

OK Now I'm not kidding ...
I'm getting scared guys...
I think something's happened to MacRealist!

Haven't heard from him all day!

The 6G iPod, along with the iPhone, will in fact release by xmas and will blow this Zune away. Apple is just throwing out conflicting rumors to keep everyone guessing.

MS, as usual, is about three years behind the game in everything they do, including this.

Apple will not license Fairplay. That is simply not an option.

What should Sony, iRiver and Creative types do?

They should have seen this coming, and as soon as they discovered M$'s new move, they should have baneded together to bring a cohesive standard to the table.

The power of Samsung, Sony, Creative and others building an iTunes software, and having a "universal" DRM for those all playing in the party - which would be everyone except Microsoft and Apple of course.

What would this do?

It would not immediately effect Apple, however, it would sting MicroSoft and WMA immediately.

But these companies are too arrogant and self seeking to see the larger picture and to mobilize. Thus, the music and video livingroom space is over for these companies...


For years M$ has been stumbling around the living-room, wasting effort and delivering sub-par solutions.

Meanwhile, Apple is so well poised to dominate this territory its remarkable.

LASTLY:
Don't count on any Apple rumors to be remotely accurate - by "Analysts or otherwise" Apple knows the game is afoot and mis-information is often a key to the game.

If Creative, Real and Napster were smart, they'd team with Novell, Google and Mozilla and start pushing the desktop Linux envelope to challenge Microsoft and its Windows monopoly.

does anyone know the statistics of Mac users vs. windows users who buy on iTunes? I would think that more mac users (and new mac users) buy from iTMS. Also I truly doubt that MS entertainment can bring out anything that can even touch Apples upcoming iPods. Especially if Apple is actually going to have a scaled down version of OSX for the iPod and touch screen capability. Lest no one forget Apples Inkwell technology, Apple has the capability of making a very powerful mobile media device. About the only thing that Apple has been weak in is its choice of batteries. All good things to those who wait. No matter what MS comes out, they have to know that Apple is going to hand them their lungs.

Steven and DudeMac:

Close. They should team with Real - they have an installed base, Mac version, the technical know-how to create both audio and video DRM, an existing music store, plus they would be desperate enough for survival. Plus it would be real (no pun intended) competition for MS and Apple.

Microsoft's "partnering" is based on the date rape model. They have always had vile business practices.

Anger Monkey,

Apple was/is not weak in battery choice. It's a design tradeoff. Apple's iPods are markedly smaller and thinner than the big, fat, and therefore longer-lifed battery players.

Apple chose to go small and have acceptable battery life, not thick and fat with overkill battery life.

As always, Apple thought long and hard about the average user of the product and concluded they'd want small and light with 14-20 hours of music playback time, instead of thick bricks with stupid amounts of battery life.

iPods are routinely charged daily by the heaviest users. For it to last longer than necessary is a waste and adds weight and bulk to the unit.

Apple obviously made the right choice and none of the others have figured it out all these years later..

iZunes ???

July 29th interview? Seeing into the future are they?

Always in motion is the future

Which is a bigger market: portable gaming or portable music?

I think MS is going after the portable gaming market and adding music as a feature.

Zunes = The New Coke

check out slashdot, hilarious

Microsoft Confirms New Music Player

by 0xABADC0DA:
In keeping with each system's naming conventions:
Apple: iTunes
Microsoft: My Zunes
In other words, Microsoft is even ripping off the name, but making it crappier.

Kenshin:
It goes even further than that:
Creative: Zen
Microsoft: Zune
Apple must be somewhat pleased, as I imagine this will take Creative's army of lawyer's focus off them.

Rob, I dare say portable music is a bigger market. It appeals to a wider age range, and both genders.

So Microsoft lied when it said the reports of its so-called iPod killer were mere speculation. And where does this leave URGE etc?

All this vapor hardware announced by Microsoft has to have an ulterior motive.

Is it designed to keep the Microsoft fanboys from buying into the next big thing from Apple? Is Microsoft making promises it cant keep in order to keep the faithful from bolting to an iPod solution? Does Microsoft know more about Apple's next move than we do?

Have those bastards at the Labels spilled the beans in an effort to weaken Apple's position? Will the Labels force Microsoft into spending billions to help them in their fight to weaken Apple?

Apple's iPod solution will win out in this scenario, but it would be nice to see some entity manipulating Microsoft for a change.

http://comingzune.com/

comingzune

Down load Regina Spektor's "Us" from iTunes now!

I love competition!
We will be getting some great new iPods in the near future.
Get Steve off the "we got a monopoly, why bring out anything new" mindset he is apparently in.

Here's their website ala origami-mysterioso

http://www.comingzune.com/

Bad business move for Microsoft. Once again copying Apple. I'm sure Windows users would rather have a modern OS then have Microsoft make another me too product.
What a terrible move on MS's part. They are already suffering a bad image with development. I've heard a lot of Windows die hards and IT people say - what's wrong with MS, can't they even copy the MAC OS anymore?
Now they are going to copy another one of Apple's products.
MS - Encourages partners to support and help develop Windows PC's as the best platform for gaming. First chance they get they release xbox.
MS- Encourages partners to create mp3 players and services using their software. Then turns around and releases their own mp3 player/service combination.
How long before MS tells it's computer hardware partners that they will start making their own computers - claiming that it is the only way they can survive.
Even more stupid is announcing it with no product ready to ship. they have upset a lot of partners with no real product yet. Some of those partners are still waiting for that new OS tp be delivered.
But I don't feel sorry for them. They choose to dance with the devil.

You can add Zune to the list of also-rans such as MS Bob and Origami. Any others?

"Get Steve off the "we got a monopoly, why bring out anything new" mindset he is apparently in."

What are you talking about? Apple decides to put more market presence behind the Mac (after tons of complaining of "ignoring it" by loyal Mac users) and all of a sudden they have a '"we got a monopoly, why bring out anything new" mindset'?

Puh-lease!!

zu-ne (zün)
n. Extremely Vulgar Slang.
A terribly deformed anus.
An extremely contemptible, detestable person. Someone with vulgar taste and shocking manners.
........................

I predict that within 6 months of release (sometimes in 2008, no doubt), "zune" will quickly become one of the most offensive insult aming the teens...

"Man I hate this guy! What a complete zune!"

"Hey pal! Go zune yourself, you moron!"

Thank you Bill, for contributing, once again, to our great American culture.

lol

". . . such as MS Bob and Origami. Any others?

Clippy? Wizards? Start?

Let's not forget Product Activation?