“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
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Microsoft Users: BIG NEWS, ZUNE INSTALLATION EVEN MORE BLOATED THAN EVER BEFORE.
Mac Users: Deja puke.
Great article, ooooo lookie at all the screen shots.
Someone who knows needs to get that CNN video up to YouTube and linked here
Anybody that wants one will be able to get it for 75% off by the week before Christmas. For the five people who will buy one, I’d wait a few weeks.
Zune is the start of something big. You’ll see. Points instead of actual money, generous and flexible WiFi sharing, and Microsoft’s legendary focus on customer needs will push this thing through the roof.
Continued excellence from Redmond. Thank you Microsoft!
Welcome to the Social Disease!
Hmmm, after reading the Zune install process efforts, I just have to say that these MS lovers are just crazy.
Restart,
reload,
reboot
reboot
re-set up
reboot
reconfigure
Hey, they seem to like it.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Maybe brown is a good color for them. Just like a dog eating shit, it likes it Mikie!! LOL
But for me, I just can’t figure it out. 🙁
N.
I for one am shocked. Who would have thunk it?
WTH is with all the pictures throughout the installation process? it’s like some lengthy M$ handjob, only to find out at the end it’s been a build up to a swift kick in the junk.
@chuck U Farley: you got it.
MW: “love,” as in, “i’d LOVE to see this latest M$ abomination tank.”
Always Right & CNN PANs…
Just watched the CNN news video about the zune…wow. Did Apple pay for that?
CNN Anchor: after the tech reporter describes the only cool feature, (other than the Radio), wifi, and getting negative responses to what the wifi is capable of, the anchor sums it up: “Alot of fine print, there then”
Other comments by the Anchors: “who do they [MS] think is going to buy this?”
and “why would I buy that?” by the female anchor when she pulls out and attaches, her “oh my god” iPod shuffle to her lapel, with adjectives like gorgeous.
The piece end with: “why dont they [MS] get some decent design people?”
Apple can’t buy this kind of marketing and advertising.
Maybe they’re being contrarian….
Or maybe it’s just hubris. Blinding hubris.
A little sad, really.
ACZ
“Apple can’t buy this kind of marketing and advertising.”
Yeah, really on the mark, there. ANCHOR DEMOs THE IPOD!
Can you imaging MS this morning?
“Zune Privacy statement online” … uh huh … right there I’d have a problem. “Zune account creation” … what’s it doing? “it looks like you can use your Zune Tag as your Xbox Live tag, and vice versa” … uh huh?
Then after all of that…
“But now we need a Windows Live ID too. Thankfully we had that in the form of a Hotmail account. Seriously though, how long is this going to go on?”
Until you put in “Account Information,” including your phone number so Ballmer can scare you at night!
And all the while crashing, crashing, crashing … until …
“the icing on the cake is the crash our computer took after we hit this, causing our RAID 5 array to crap out and spend a few hours rebuilding.”
Welcome to Hell!
Just watched the CNN piece. Actually, it seemed pretty honest and realistic for a ‘news’ show trying to inform its viewers, rather than be mindless mouthpieces for MS crap. Sure, Apple couldn’t have paid for better PR, but you can’t really fault the basic facts as delivered. For Apple, the truth is the best advertising.
There are still plenty of morons out there who will buy one of these (Funny one…) and then proceed to appoint themselves the resident Zune apologist.
Happens with every crappy product.
There are always those handful of clueless fools who buy anything made by MS, and actually believe that Windows is the superior OS.
Something just struck me.
MS could be engaging in a set up.
What if the Zune’s biggest feature (sharing… squirting?) has been incredibly hobbled with the intention of setting it free with a firmware update? What if this is part of the device fee deal MS has with Universal.
MS pays a device fee in exchange for allowing Zune owners to freely and without any encumberence, share Zune store purchased Universal music.
If this same arrangement were offered to other labels, Apple mught find itself in serious trouble, or at least in that part of the markey composed of people purchasing their first digital music player.
Of course, Apple could then just offer to license FairPlay DRM to all the other music stores.
MDN word: seemed. As in: Offering Universal a device fee seemed like a good idea.
i find it kinda funny when i realized today that i come to MDN for the latest zune news.
When my 13 year-old daughter saw the Zune on the Today show this morning, she visibly shuddered at how ugly it is.
I can’t believe MS was stupid enough to allow NBC to use a brown one on the air. It looked like a turd.
MW = “state” as in “state of revusion”
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
I’m hoping that Zunes don’t catch on fire, severely burning a kid’s face, or possibly burning down a retirement home, killing all of the Microsoft lovers who live there. I hope they don’t use the same batteries that Dell uses on their laptops. This would be a very poor start for such a product. Wouldn’t it?
“Engadget’s Zune will work tomorrow when the Zune Marketplace goes live.”
It already did on a different PC. A 50% rate of installation success is amazing, though.
“What if the Zune’s biggest feature (sharing… squirting?) has been incredibly hobbled with the intention of setting it free with a firmware update? What if this is part of the device fee deal MS has with Universal.
MS pays a device fee in exchange for allowing Zune owners to freely and without any encumberence, share Zune store purchased Universal music. “
They already say that they MIGHT, but the fine print says no guarantee. In other words, you’ll have to buy the 2G.
While I’m sure that some WiFi features might be enabled in the future, Universal and Microsoft getting rid of DRM?!?!?! Are you mad? 3 plays over 3 days probably has the bean counters at Universal wringing their hands already.
Ok Folks, do this …
If you url – http://www.ipod.com – you’ll get:
Apple’s iPod/iTunes web site
If you – http://www.zune.com – you’ll get (or least I got):
Listado de directorio denegado
Este directorio virtual no permite listar contenidos
Sorry Microsoft, el zune-o es stupido
I just came back from the future with a snippet from Engadget’s review of the upcoming Zune car connection kit:
“…with all of the proper wires and hardware now connected, let’s plug in our Zune and head down the road…”
“…okay, we only got halfway down the block and turned on our Zune when the car suddenly crapped out on us. Let’s try and safely pull over and restart the car…”
“…okay, car started, let’s pull back out onto the road. Turn signal on…mother f-ing S#!T…okay, coast to a stop and try to restart car again…”
Alright apple whores, keep on pretending that everything MS is broken and everything Apple is perfect…but after your done pretending go update your EFI firmwares and get those broken Macbooks fixed!
Zune is sweet.
“keep on pretending that everything MS is broken and everything Apple is perfect…”
You’re half right.
-c
MW: ‘leaders’ (must ever suffer the snide insecurities of ‘followers’)
The day Microsoft introduces something that doesn’t suck will be the day the enter the vacuum market.
amyhre,
Yours is the post of the day! Spot-on (so to speak).