“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:
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Apple + Living Room = Logical Marriage + Boon for Stockholders – September 13, 2006
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The Observer’s iPod FUD: Apple iPod is ‘wilting away before our eyes’ – September 10, 2006
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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?