Apple’s new iPod Nano resembles “a shrunken version of the beloved [iPod mini], which was once my favorite iPod; it had rounded metal edges that made it a delight to hold. You rolled it around in your hand like Captain Queeg’s steel spheres. So to speak. It also has the old Mini colors. The iPod haters insist that the appeal is shallow — you’re just paying money for fancy colors! Well, welcome to America, Karl Marx Jr. Here’s something to annoy you even more: I got a new Nano because it matched the color of my car. Deal with it,” James Lileks writes for The Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Lileks writes, “There’s also a pink version to match the popular pink RAZR, because Apple is not stupid. Pink moves the merch. Microsoft, however, is ready to strike back. Pictures of the new Zune Mp3 player have been released. There’s a white model and a black model, just like the iPod, but the Zune has a third color to complete with the Nano’s bright metallic hues.”
“Brown,” Lileks writes. “They say the Zune’s an iPod killer. It’s all clear now: It’s going to bore it to death.”
Full article here.
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Expect the brown Zune to make a big splash when it is released into the market. While I’m sure some retailers are flushed with anticipation and cannot contain their excitement, others know this crap will just sit there until MS pushes down the price.
But enough of this sh–t.
LeftHandApple: Unless the Zune has a setting allowing you to flip the picture 180 degrees, which would put the controls on the left-hand side. Naaah… I don’t give them that much credit.
James Lileks has a terrific website dedicated to Americana that you could get lost in for hours. I highly recommend the tour of the Gobbler Motel and Supper Club. Class with a capital K.
Disclaimer: I don’t know Lileks and have nothing to do with his site.
The only way to kill an iPod with a Zune, would be to use the thing as a hammer.
“Nothing wrong with the brown Zune…it’s just the wrong shape. It should be roughly cylindrical with tapered ends and it’s surface randomly studded with undigestible pieces of organic material.”
You mean like Ho-Ho’s?
I would hate to see a Zune “accidentially” fall in the crowded swimming pool on a hot summer afternoon, there would be so much confusion.
But pink does sell — I remember a show where a house was tricked out with the latest technology, and they got one of the old dome-based iMacs colored pink for the girl’s bedroom (she was totally into Barbie-pink stuff).
Brown may be the “new black” — but it’s easier (and cheaper) to just pick up a new case for your iPod…there’s plenty out there…
Guys, don’t forget that the Zune is technically going to be $70 cheaper than an equivalently stocked iPod since the Zune includes an FM tuner (assuming the Zune does sell for $230).
That said, probably no one will really care. My guess is that Zune will appeal to the non-iPod crowd (that’s still 25% of the market).
Also, one thing absolutely no one has mentioned (because they can’t) is: what will the sound quality be like? How much will it skip? How hard will it be to load new songs?
My guess (again) is that it won’t hold a candle to iTunes, but these ares BIG variables which remains to be clarified.
What Vacuous Couch Potato said.
Lileks is the funniest unknown columnist there is, and his web site will sop up great portions of your life. And he’s a Mac person. http://www.lileks.com
Foaming Solvent — thanks for nothing; clicked on the story of when his mom died, now I’ve gotta get out a new box of Kleenex…
(actually looks like a good site overall…thanks for sharing)
What Steve Jobs said still holds true:” MicroS@#t has absolutely NO taste”! There is no industrial design in M$ products what so ever!!
Re: Winchester Biggins
LOL!! That one was so good, I just added it to my signature collection in Mail! Thanks, I needed that…
“I released a fat Brown Zune this morning.” Oh, that was rich…
http://www.lileks.com
http://www.lileks.com/bleats/index.html
Good humor midwestern style, drily delivered. Served daily.
It’s a lovely shade of Fecal Brown, I must admit
I do have admit that I do like the brown….it does have that old-school look to it. Of course, I am not going to buy one, that 80 gig ipod is going to take a nice chunk out of my Christmas bonus.
Now please excuse me while I go and flog myself for complementing Microsoft. I just threw up a little in my mouth, but I swallowed it.
MW is “working” as in my mom was the best “working” girl on the block.
Is Zune pronouced like it rhymes with June or like it rhymes with gooney?
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Have any of you hit Amazon’s servers during the day? Whoa! They’re taking a whack! I wonder if returning defective product has a punative hit?
Eat prunes, get the Zunes.
iTurd, by M$
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The link with the $229.99 price story says this:
“One of our moles on the inside told us Microsoft just had a meeting to determine the price of the 30GB Zune. The final tally: $229.99. Microsoft was going to go $289.99 to undercut the iPod by $10, but since Apple dropped the bombshell that they were lowering prices to $249, Microsoft had to scramble to undercut the lower price as well.”
If true, it’s obvious Microsoft can’t even do their math right. The previous Apple price was $299 (with no .99). $289.99 is undercutting Apple by $9 (and .01), not $10. And if the goal was to undercut Apple by $10, why is the Zune price $19 (and .01) now less than iPod.
I’ll bet Apple will offer a $20 credit at the iTunes Store for any iPod or 8GB iPod nano ($10 credit for the lesser nano’s) purchased between now and end of the year. That’ll undercut Zune by $1 and encourage customers to sign up for an iTunes account.
Checkmate…
..Or just bring back the education discount and price the iPod at $229 for students only…
“How Microsoft’s Zune can kill Apple’s iPod”
Lying on top of it and squashing it with its superior weight.