Friday Poll: How will Apple take on Zune HD?

CNET News Poll

Zune HD envy
How will Apple respond to Microsoft's Zune HD?

Shiny new iOLED screen
Subscription service via iTunes
Insanely long battery life
WiMax for everybody
New Touch will twitter "I play games" every 15 minutes

View results

(Credit: Microsoft)

This week, the gadget world has been all a-flutter over the Zune HD that Microsoft plans to ship this fall, and rightly so. It's a leap in the right direction for the software maker and shows what a future "Zune phone" might be like.

The upcoming touch-screen device also has capabilities lacking from the iPod Touch, the Zune HD's nearest rival. The Touch is due for an upgrade this fall, so the question must be asked: what features will Apple build into the new Touch to respond to the Zune HD?

As always, if we missed any ideas, let us know in the TalkBack section below.

[myles taylor]

Well, I don't think that Apple will "take on" anything. This isn't out yet and any plans for the 3G iPod Touch are probably already set in stone. Apple isn't the type to wait until the competition comes out with something before introducing new features. Apple likes to do what they're going to do regardless of the competition. This has hurt them at times (basic missing features on the iPhone anyone?).

I'm guessing we'll see an iPod Touch with a camera and GPS at best. Possibly a better screen with a better battery life. I really don't have any solid clues...just random guesses.

Apple won't put a camera nor a GPS in its Touch because they don't want people to buy an iPod Touch along with a cheap cell phone instead of the iPhone. They don't want to concur the iPhone with the Touch.

If they put a camera in it, it would be one with less quality than iPhone's cam.

We saw that Apple already once changed its direction because of a Zune announcement. (Remeber the "limited edition" 4GB iPod nano's and the comming soon iPod nano 16GB after Microsoft announced they would release a 8GB and a 16GB player?) I wonder if they would do something like that again...

[prince.siraj]

Apple usually deliberately keeps certain functionalities out of their products while keeping you hanging with their other features so that when they make a product with those previously missing features you'll be tripping head over heels to get it. And their profits increase immensely

[sharmajunior]

I believe a 3G iPod touch is called an iPhone.

Apple will upgrade the Touch slightly and people everywhere will rejoice. They are the leader and don't need to accomplish that much in order to get huge amounts of praise. Zune will need a homerun and even still, it might not be enough. A shame really as this HD device looks promising.

[battlemanr]

everyone missed the I in iOLED since there is no such thing as an iOLED just OLED, LED, BIOLED and Superconductive LED.

[antuan.goodwin]

I guess that joke just sailed right over you head...

[AlanVin]

Seems to me that the Touch's gaming capabilities put it in a somewhat different category. Enough so perhaps to make Touch vs. Zune HD comparison more nuanced than juxtaposing feature lists. After all, markeing for the Touch seems to call it more of a gaming (or at least, application) platform than just a media device.

[mhaven98]

The only way that the Zune will give the Touch a run for its money is if the price is 50% that of the Touch. iPod is what everyone thinks about when it comes to portable media players. Zune has to sway buyers over and using features is not enough.

[Paodi]

I have always been sorely disappointed that the entire line of iPods is missing any type of FM tuner. I regularly listen to FM radio, and recently purchased an HD radio w/iPod dock for my 1G Touch. I would love to see the Touch have HD radio for all of the places where I am nowhere near WiFi.

[myles taylor]

I think you're in the minority though. iPods are not a niche market and why should they go to all the trouble of cramming something into a device to have only a few people use it. It's like the WiFi in the original Zune. Big waste.

[dk jones]

considering all i've read lately about students(high school to med school) using Touches & iPhones, as well as school districts, colleges & universities requiring an i-Device, Apple doesn't have to do much, if anything at all.

[phuongnwade]

They'll do nothing - they're apple - their policy is - take it or leave it this is what you need, so here it is...

[Waxman_4_Big_Music]

You stated the question backward.

[robertorosco]

:-D Haha love it!

[tek-ed]

Apple with introduce a more restrictive usage policy that will require that users of the Touch agree to a force download that will brick your Touch if you make any modifications to the Touch in any way to match the Zune's capabilities. People everywhere will complain loudly to which Apple will retract their requirement and send the download anyway, secretly so that you never know it's happening...
Ed

[NervClaX]

I would have been more excited about the Zune HD if it had been built with portable gaming in mind. Instead, gaming is an afterthought just as it is with the iPhone and iPod Touch. I just can't wrap my head around gaming on a touchscreen. Could it be any more entertaining than the Mega Touch 5000 at my favorite bar?

[Slipstream85]

Apple has the App Store how can Zune HD compare with that

[revengeofthecow]

If the Zune HD interacts with the XBox Live Marketplace, it has a huge library of applications to access. Granted, it's not the same as the App Store, but it's far more focused on gaming than the iPhone or iTouch are, and there's a significant market for that.

[Walrusaurus]

@revengeofthecow

While it is true that the Zune HD will be integrated with the Xbox Live Marketplace, I don't think it is quite a full integration. From what I've heard, it will only be video integration (not that this is a bad thing), which means not applications, which means it is not (as of the current news) focused at all on gaming (although it will most likely have to be to be able to compete strongly against the iTouch and iPhone) . And the iPhone and iTouch are very much focused on gaming. Just watch Apple's recent adds for the Touch, almost all gaming related. I have an iPhone, and the main thing I use it for is games. The library and quality of the games is huge.

[Flash728]

If Microsoft comes out with an App Store of their own and they have an XNA SDK then all of the developers on apple will FLOOD to the zune, when has Microsoft ever arbitrarily denied apps? when has Microsoft ever taken a cut from the sales of said apps? when has Microsoft ever hindered the capabilities of any of its own gagets? And if there are any of you developers out there that are looking to make games for the new Zune HD... the SDK is already available from microsoft... heres the link... have at it! <http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=7D70D6ED-1EDD-4852-9883-9A33C0AD8FEE&displaylang=en>

Soon enough will the days of the evil Apple empire be over and the reign of the noble Microsoft will come again!

[gosmith7590]

Oh, I get this article - is this a ploy to promote HD Radio in Apple products? The Zune and HD Radio - two loser products. 160 million iPods have sold, while 2.5 million crappy Zunes. The power-hungry HD chipset, with horrible reception, with eat the Zune alive. But, what does it matter, as this is probably Zune's last-stand. Oh, but the HD Radio Alliance will be promotng the Zune for free:

http://hdradiofarce.blogspot.com

I'de be surprised to see the Zune HD materialize, because the HD Radio chipset is still a power-hog.

[Constable Odo]

Agreed that the next iPod Touch is probably prototyped already. It would be nice to see the iPod Touch get an OLED screen, but I just think it's better because it uses less power so it would give the battery a longer life. Even though I have a dock and composite cables for my iPod Video to hook up to my HD TVs, I never use them and just watch videos on the small screen. So, I'm not sure if HD out would be something I would use. The three things I want most from the new Touch would be to double the memory, better battery life and a kicking graphics processor. A better camera and maybe even two cameras would be nice. Finally if it comes with 802.11n, that would be more than enough.

I'm not asking for Apple to compete with Microsoft on hardware. Apple's App Store is just about more than anyone can ask for when it comes to low cost mobile gaming and I want to use it for learning Japanese kanji and word definitions and store all my J-language study mp3s. No way the Zune can compete against the App Store in my opinion. Not a snowball's chance in hell.

[JScottK]

Only Apple knows how Apple will respond. But this is all good, because it gives the Touch some competition. Personally, if they go to around 60GB of storage on the Touch I'm sold (well, after selling some stuff on ebay, that is). Apple can no longer afford to consider the Touch as an begrudging after-thought for those to refuse to buy the iPhone (sorry Apple, AT&T is a non-starter for me).

Win-win. It's good for Zune fans (both of them), and good for iPod Touch fans (13 million and counting).

[taylors412]

Haha never heard that one before...

Quality > Quantity

[junkyardheart]

Whatever Apple does in the near future, it won't be as a response to anything Microsoft has done. I doubt Apple gives the Zune any thought whatsoever, except when some laughs are needed to lighten the mood during a long day of r&d. I can't imagine this new Zune doing much better than any of its predecessors. Hilarious poll...created to generate click traffic...a success in that regard.

[revengeofthecow]

I think the Zune needs to take some time to differentiate itself from Apple's products. Specifically, gaming. With the XBox AND PC gaming markets, Microsoft has a fair amount of the gamers out there using their products; Apple does not, it focuses on other things. If Microsoft uses the Zune HD to carve out its own niche and tries to appeal to gamers, perhaps by interaction with the XBox Live Marketplace or something else, it will do something Apple really can't respond to very well.

[skatemusiclife64]

As nice as the Zune HD is, with it's OLED screen, HD capabilities, and more, it doesn't come close to the iPod Touch in terms of functionality. It plays music. Has radio. Even has an OK web browser. iPod Touch has Mail (yes you can technically access your mail account on the Zune but the iPod's separate app makes it so much easier), Calender, Alarm Clock, Youtube, Notes, etc. It is a mobile computer. Safari displays web pages exactly as you see it on your computer screen. No I'm not an Apple fanboy, but I'm just looking at the facts. (I haven't done all my research, so if I'm wrong, correct me). Also, the iPod Touch also has it's biggest selling point- apps. They may be fart apps, but they're apps. And if the ability to make fart sounds sells the iPod, so be it.

(BTW, IMHO, The touch screen on the Zune HD didn't seem, what's the word I'm looking for... responsive? When you scroll up and down on the iPod touch, it moves with your finger perfectly, like it is real. On the Zune HD (In the video), he moved his finger and the screen moved at it's own speed. Weirdly.)

[tipoo_]

With more marketing.

[sharmajunior]

What the haell is C O N D O M ad doing on this page??

I thought it was a tech website, i guess I could be wrong...

[The Frederick]

iPod doesn't need to take on Zune at all; they've got the portable music player market cornered in the same way that McDonald's has the restaurant marketed pinned down. Both companies show us that you don't need a good product in order to sell well.