Zune HD review: Music wants you back
OK, so my official CNET review of the Zune HD is up and running over at CNET Reviews. It's worth checking out, but if you don't feel like taking 10 minutes out of your day to soak it all in, then I'll make it real clear to you with just two sentences:
Buy the Zune HD if you love music.
Buy an
iPod for everything else.
That's it. And I don't mean for that to sound dramatic, condescending, or pro-Apple or pro-Microsoft. If we met on the street and you asked me "iPod or Zune?", then that's the answer you'd hear from me. The Zune HD does a phenomenal job showcasing and organizing music in a way that invites exploration and interaction. And if you have the extra $14.99 per month to throw at a Zune Pass music subscription, then welcome to the music orgy.
The problem is, I'm not sure how many people really love music. Sure, before iPods had e-mail, 3D games, and over-the-air movie rentals, we were a nation content with whiling away our downtime listening to music and crafting the ultimate playlist for our morning commute. But things have changed, and as more people pick up their iPhones and iPods to check their e-mail, tweet their friends, and play Scrabble, I fear that music's reign as our No. 1 portable distraction may have come to a close. Personally, it bums me out, but I understand that not everyone has a sustained fascination with music.
We should be so lucky to live in a time where an entire record store's worth of music can fit in your pocket and compete for your attention with Madden NFL 10. It's a miracle of technology, frankly, and Apple deserves to walk away with wheelbarrows full of cash for making it happen. Choice is good. A device with more options is generally better than one with fewer options, so it makes sense.
But if you're the kind of person who would trade all the iPhone apps in the world just to have a portable media player that puts the music experience first and invites you to explore and gorge on all the music downloads your heart desires, then the Zune HD is the right way to go. Maybe I'm a romantic for thinking this person exists, but if they do, they should give Microsoft a big high-five for making a product for them. An iPhone running Rhapsody or Spotify just isn't going to match the thoughtfully integrated subscription music experience of the Zune HD. Plus, I'll say it again--the OLED screen on the Zune HD is gorgeous.
Beg to disagree? Convinced that a lack of gapless playback and FLAC support makes the Zune HD worthless to music fans? Well, I weep for you, but go ahead and give me hell in the comments section.
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Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs. 
Failing to write some code to "look ahead" and skim off the header info that I believe stop most players from being gapless says more about the device programmers and companies who write the specs for them to code.
Sony should be ashamed they release players that skip on even simple MP3 files. They have years of releasing music and know live albums and even some studio albums sometimes flow from track to track. It's so music fundamental. And it can't be that hard to implement. Honestly. You have more than enough processing power in these little players to perform "useless" visualisations and dynamic environment simulations but they can't use a little of that power to "look ahead" to keep the music flowing?
It's about time a few people realised it is about the music and they listener...
Even my car's 2001 default CD player seems to go from track to track fairly seamlessly.
I'm a music lover, what can I say? Sure, I'll probably never subscribe to any music subscription, but that's because I choose not to.
Plus I always get a kick when I'm sitting on a flight and every other person has an ipod while I've gone the route of going against the grain and not joining the masses of clone types and overtly hyped up products.
I'll take the underdog anytime.
This coming from someone who by definition of being a Zune user runs Wndows......That's like old people on Medicare saying that they are against government run healthcare.
I actually own an iPhone, too, but the Zune HD experience is so much better where enjoying music is concerned. I love the new features like the Pins and I love the integration with having a ZunePass. I don't think I've ever enjoyed music so much or learned about all the music I should have liked before. They really did a great job. Also, the sleek design made the iPhone feel like I was carrying around a brick. I also have a myTouch and that, too, felt huge. If someone turns this into a phone, I'll so drop Apple and Android for it!
My only real gripe is the browser limitations. In all its speed and accelerometer glory, it doesn't cut it. No YouTube = FAIL. I don't even use YouTube that often, but it's good for when you need it. I hope they update that feature soon.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-10354314-27.html
September 16, 2009 6:02 AM PDT
iPod Touch excels in sound quality
For the record, just because something sounds warmer, doesn't mean its more accurate.
Sorry guys.
D:
Not very portable though and the apps are crap.
If Apple offered a subscription option I would probably own an ipod instead of a Zune HD. I don't really care about games or apps, I am just a music lover.
It's funny that people complain about the cost of the Zune Pass at $15 a month, and don't really mention how much they spend on apps or games per month. And how much extra is that iphone costing them per month as opposed to a scaled down phone?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9452004&st=Zune_20090816&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218106991222
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-Video-MP3-Player-Platinum/dp/B002JPITY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1253320349&sr=8-1
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12029445
Oh, and isn't it likely Microsoft will address some of these issues (like the lack of audio controls)in a future downloadable update for the device? I'm not really a tech person so I don't know if it's possible.
The OLED screen doesn't suck OUTSIDE particularly, just in direct (I mean, very direct) sunlight. So, if you like to watch movies while you sunbath, that's not the best option- however, LCD screens don't do a much better job; look at youtube videos of the PSP and ipod touch outside, it never seems to turn out well.
And yes, Microsoft can update the software through a patch (or firmware update) which is applied when you plug it into your computer. So yes, in theory it can be updated. It's a great device, and I highly reccomnend it over the ipod
Hooray!!!
Good luck with your choice. Personally, I have a Zune 80, planning on getting a Zune HD, but I won't fault the iPod Touch for its rich feature set.
Back in 01' Steve Balmer chided Apple for bringing out the ipod and said no one was going to buy an expensive mp3 player when they could just burn their music onto cheap cds. Fast forward 8 years and look at what we have here.
And as for that zune pass many of you swear by, it is a cheap marketing gimmick to undercut Apple business model. But Apple is better for the artist. The artist gets paid. And why the hell would you pay to get music streamed when you can get a damn radio? And for what I understand you don't get every song the artist has to offer for your listening convenience.
I first saw the original zune early last year in office depot. What a freaking brick! horrible navigation and just plain ugly. And at the time Apple already had players that were svelte. And don't tell me MS is growing up the zune. The tech to create a thin zune was already available like chicken wings at the corner grocery store. Apple knows how to focus on a product and work it to death in the r&d department and get it right;while the rest of the tech industry just waits for a knock off to become available so they can get in on the bandwagon. Oh and don't you dare get on about Apple's advertising. It is good stuff but it is nothing compared to the fact that MS's OS is in like 97% of the world's pcs. So when the zune hd fails to conquer the ipod, talk with MS's management.
The issue has WiFi and HD Radio so I dont know what is your problem with streaming.
yeah, Apple knows how to focus in product with their amazing R&D that didn't bring a camera to the iPod Touch.
In the first instance, Artist are paid from music downloads, streaming consumption and a variety of other online monetization activities, sometime via compulsory rates and through agreements with either the sites of distribution label. There is nothing that separates Apple from MS in this regard. They both pay through to the same companies a percentage of their receipts to determine the Artist share.
Secondly, streaming content from a digital distribution service, such as Zune and their ZunePass (or Rhapsody for that matter) allows the listener to determine what type of music or the specific music that will be streamed. Radio styled stations are also offered from a single platform that encourage music discovery. You should know by now that in most cases, radio, as a format, has been and continues to be a hit driven music distribution platform (there are, of course, notable exceptions), meaning that fewer and fewer artists get exposure, especially from the mass market stations (again, exceptions exist). Radio, with the arrival of HD, coupled with Satellite services, likely will continue to expand their repertoire to reach wider audiences, however, the audience is the point for radio as the stations/properties are audience networks, for which advertisers by time to reach.
Thirdly, song availability has more to do with the willingness of all involved in the creation of music to agree on terms for download pricing, rates for streaming music consumption (including to Artists) and other property rights issues that benefit all involved in bringing the music to market. Apple's ability to reach agreements with all parties has been and is a great start toward ensuring that all are fairly compensated for the costs to create music. It is likely that MS, Apple, Real and others, will continue to improve upon this over time.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/07/technical_issues_could_delay_ipod_camera_upgrade.html
If only Microsoft had done this with Vista... and Zune (remember the daylight savings time debacle?).
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=4876
As for your argument that MS should have waited and tested their Vista and Zune, Vista problems existed mostly through third-party development and Zune's problems was simply an undetected bug. EVERY developer eventually discovers bugs and problems; look at Snow Leopard's problems with third party apps:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10322624-250.html
This is not a fanboy argument, but more of a "everyone has their blunders" argument.
I have much admiration for Apple's products too (several of which we have in our house too, including the iPod Touch), but when it comes to finding, listening to, and anjoying music the Zunes just work better for me. Zune Pass is great fun, the sound quality is a notch above IMO, and I am loving my new Zune HD so far!
The interface of the Iphone and Touch is designed FOR music lovers, making it easier, faster, and more fun to find music than the old scroll-wheel way of the original Ipod design. I'm not saying the Zune isn't easy, fast, or fun to use, I just find it ridiculous to claim that music lovers would prefer the Zune over the Iphone/Touch interface. You don't HAVE to buy apps for the Touch or use it online, you know.
That said, I like the new Zune and think it was pretty dumb of Microsoft not to release a 64gb version, knowing as everyone else did that Apple was going to double the capacity of the old version. It just makes MS look behind the ball, as usual. They could have at least equalled Apple and given people who were looking for larger players something to seriously thinking about. As it is, the 64gb Touch is the only serious flash-based solution for large capacity players. Who knows, had MS made a Zune HD 64, I might have considered it for myself instead of the Touch 64.
Apple finally announced a 64GB unit and MS completely missed the boat on this. My music collection (over 3100 CDs) consumes almost 230GB in 192 mp3 and I really don't like to pick and choose what I load on the device and instead keep it all loaded. I have an older hard drive based device that can carry the lion's share, but it would be nice to see higher capacity flash based systems.
And don't get me started on a universally supported Lossless format.
- by passingthrough September 19, 2009 9:01 AM PDT
- Mr. HDTV, why the anger? Artists do get paid via subscription services- my friend is in a band with about ten albums on subscription services- he gets paid when songs are played. A radio does not play what I want when I want it. The anger with people on this mp3 thing is something I don't understand. To each their own, right? I don't get the app thing, however, I don't get mad at people because they do. It makes no sense that people get so worked up about this. There will never be a device that pleases each and every one of us. Subscription service makes sense for me. Personally, I think my husband shelling out 120 for cable tv is ridiculous, but it's his money. Compared to cable prices, 15 dollars a month for music is fabulous.
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- by pezmachine September 19, 2009 2:52 PM PDT
- You are wise, I am glad i read all the way down here, through so much anger, to read your post.
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