“With the Zune HD, Microsoft has dusted off its failed brand and applied it to a new device aimed at the iPod touch. To distinguish it, the company has added several new features. Unfortunately, as was the case with previous models, what Microsoft has added is all sizzle and no steak,” Prince McLean reports for AppleInsider.
For example, “today’s OLED panels are much dimmer than standard issue LCDs: a typical maximum output of 200cd/m^2 compared to around 4-500 for mid-range LCDs. OLED also performs considerably worse in bright light because OLED is 100% emissive rather than being partially transflective… Microsoft knows this, which is why it only demonstrates the Zune HD in dark rooms… Microsoft sets up its demos in the dark because the Zune HD looks terrible outside, where its contrast ratio advantage observed in ideal conditions completely falls apart.. Microsoft is desperately looking for a marketable feature, whether or not that feature makes any sense for consumers,” McLean reports.
The the full article, McLean looks at the Zune’s over-hyped processor, what’s not “HD” about the device, its major app-lack problem, and more while explaining why the Zune HD appears to have failed before even hitting the market, here.
Engadget has a Zune HD, but reports that “Microsoft decided to hold on loading up any usable software until the new Zunes were out to market. What that means is that we have yet to do any serious testing with the new device.”
Engadget promises a “proper review coming soon” in their article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft, the Norman Bates of digital media players. Bury that thing already, it stinks.
Ugh, what filth it is. Glad we probably won’t see any in the UK.
Hey Zune Tang… come on out of your cave and play!! Oh wait, then you won’t be able to see your Zune HD screen…
And the crowd goes wild.
Question is, what will ZT change his/her name to when the Zune is long gone………..
Death Star gets Death Wish…
Great article – thaqt’ll get the Softy Fanboys all in a froth…
If looks could kill, this would be one hell of a weapon.
Amusing tidbit at the end of the Engadget article:
Update: As a commenter points out below, these devices are being sold to end users in the same condition our unit is in — namely, without any real functioning software. It’s a pretty unusual move for a company like Microsoft to put devices into the hands of consumers with no functionality at all, but it seems the Zune team was cranking till the last minute. Let’s hope all the hard work pays off!
Microsoft selling an essentially nonfunctional device that looks pretty? Gosh, that’s something new for them, isn’t it? And here I was wondering why the Zune’s general marketing manager jumped ship two weeks ago…
The comments are awesome. It’s hilarious to see the panicky, childish whining of MS fanboys getting “voted up” while sensible rebuttals from people who know Both MS and Apple and prefer Apple get “voted down” until you can’t even read them :p You can literally use the color-coding to tell what the trolls think: dark text means Apple-bashing, faint text means reasonable rebuttal of Apple-bashing. Cracks me up.
Gabriel, you are correct. Microsoft usually sells an essentially nonfunctional device that is ugly as hell.
Another thing I just realized – isn’t Microsoft a *software* company? Why the heck are they shipping hardware without any functioning software?
Imagine if AT&T or Verizon started manufacturing and selling their own internet tablet devices before the internet/telephony part was actually ready. That’s what this move by Microsoft is like – their core competency (software) apparently wasn’t important enough to hold back the product launch. Amazing.
I submitted this article to MDN with this comment:
Apparently Microsoft decided that their software is too crappy to ship.
Or maybe they don’t want to subject their customers to their hardware and software at the same time–Easing people into the crappiness with baby steps!!! LOL
They probably haven’t released the software yet because they couldn’t make the deadline. So what do they do? Ship a paperweight!
Phail!
Steve Ballmer – give the stockholders back their money.
Now go play with MIkey Dell in the sandbox of failures…
What’s a Zune??
Does anybody really think that Mr. Z Tang doesn’t have his tongue firmly in his mouth, or all you all a bit slow?
I am as big an Apple fan as anyone here, but I think Microsoft actually did something decent for once…..I am also glad about it, forces Apple to further innovate to stay ahead.
The Zune HD doesn’t look half bad, i’d never buy one, but it’s not the crap the prior versions were by any means.
I do find it funny that the whole huge idea behind the Zune was “welcome to the social” (hah! /points /laughs at Zune Tang) and they totally dropped that function lol
@Gabriel: Yes, it is, they usually sell an essentially non-functioning device that doesn’t look pretty!
@Jimbo von Winskinheimer: Damn, beat me to it. I should really read all the comments before posting.
And here was me thinking I was being witty and original…
You buy a Zune brick or a Zune log. Have to take it home connect it up to Zune covered Windows and hope that Microsoft will push it a proper OS so it’s semi useable. You in their right mind is going to buy a product that is a brick out of that box and is unusable until it talks with the Microsoft mothership?
The all new Zune HD the HD stands for extra Hemorrhoid Douche
Clean the Zune out of your colon with the all new Zune HD how with more hemorrhoid douche power. Guaranteed to strip all the lead paint from your colon.
* Box contains an empty bottle must have internet access to request bottle content delivery. Extra fees may apply for the Zune HD bottle’s contents.
Remember a Ballmer and a bears Zune in the Woods. Do you know the difference between bear Zune and Ballmer Zune?
You can smell the Ballmer Zune from 10 miles away, but, you can only smell bear Zune from 10 feet away.
How many Ballmer’s does it take to create a Zune HD OS?
Can’t be done as it’s an engineering issue and not a sales Issue
What a pity they dropped SquirtsForSure. It was such a success.
Since there’s no software, perhaps they should change their name to MicroHard.
“It’s a pretty unusual move for a company like Microsoft to put devices into the hands of consumers with no functionality <u>at all</u>.” ~ Engadget
Screwing up doesn’t seem so unusual to me… for MSFT.
You can indirectly blame Microsoft for the iPod touch 2009 NOT having a video camera. If Zune HD was a more worthy competitor to iPod touch (even the iPod touch from two years ago), Apple would probably have felt compelled to give the new iPod touch a video camera (at least on the high end model), instead of deciding to wait until next year.
“That’s Mickey Mouse”: Disney’s goof in licensing the Mickey Mouse likeness for use in cheap goods proves a merchandizing failure so bad, that the term “Mickey Mouse” is in the dictionary.
“I got a McJob”: McDonalds becomes an icon for low-pay, dead-end jobs.
“McFood”: Self-explanatory. McDonalds is trying to change their image now.
“It’s destined to be another Zune” (see article, above). Another colossal marketing failure. Except, unlike Disney, which didn’t keep track of the crud others were making, Microsucks actually churns this crap out on on their own (you know… on purpose).
Microsoft we’re working hard to make our products suck less.
Hey its not like we could make them suck more.
ken1w — I don’t think the lack of a camera in the touch has anything to do with marketing. I think some newly unemployed Apple person made a dumb decision while Jobs was away to put the same camera in the Touch as the nano. You know how Apple pushes for consistent user experience on the iPhone platform. Now imaging what Jobs did when someone told him the camera going into the touch couldn’t take stills and was too low end to work with many of the third party apps in the app store. Now imagine the guy who approved this trying to explain to the emergency room doctor how that touch prototype ended up in his ass.