Comments on: Zune moving at slow tempo

In downtown San Francisco, anyway, Microsoft's just-launched music player certainly wasn't flying off the shelf--if it was even on the shelf.

[gwats1957]

I bought that 1st gen iPod the moment they hit the shelf!

I was an early adopter of the iPod. ( 2001) I'm on My 7th unit now,
a 30gb black 5g video. I'm hoping for a bigger screen on the next
generation of this incredible device.

[dyuhrea]

1st gen ipod bought

I find it funny that you're on your 7th ipod in 5 years. Shows you their durability, I'm guessing. You're looking for a bigger screen next time, Zune has it now! I find it funny that people have been saying the Zune has the same pixel count as the ipod video. Sure, but you'd only notice the difference when viewing a 32in TV and a 60in TV with the same pixel counts, please. The difference between the Zune and ipod is moot, (as far as pixels are considered). The difference, however, in picture clarity is easily won by the Zune. It's much more crisp. I'll keep my custom backgrounds, while any ipod consumer will enjoy black, white, and teal (maybe a 3 other colors for highlighted files). Also, NO MORE CLICK WHEEL! Intuitive, customizeable, easy to navigate, that's what the Zune offers.

[johnqh]

Zune vs iPod vs Zen Vision vs Archos vs PMC vs Cell Phone...

I have a lot of those portable video players because my company make video conversion software. I have a 4G iPod, a Creative Zen PMC, Zen Vision/M, Archos AV500. I have a Zune on order and plan to get a Sansa soon.

This is my take.

Zune is a glorified PMC. It is manufactured by Toshiba, who makes a pretty good PMC, the Gigabit. Actually, Zune's design is very close to Gigabit (do a Google and you will see). The difference is the price. Zune is $249 to compete against iPod. Gigabit is over $500.

After testing all those video players, I only see two usage model for them.

1. Long travel, especially long flight. In this case, the portability is the number one consideration.
2. Watching video on TV. Keep in mind, iPod, Archos have this option, and so does Zune (extra cost).

iPod has the advantage of having video content in iTunes store. It is strange that Microsoft doesn't have this lined up. Without the content, it is just a tech toy - how often do you hook up your DV camcorder to TV and watch a tape? That's how often you will watch something from your portable video player.

For watching video on TV, Archos is my favorite player because it can record TV shows, and it is a pretty potent and very slick player.

For the long travel, my pick will surprise both Apple and Microsoft fans - I use my cell phone, a TMobile SDA. Its screen (2.2 inch) is almost as big as an iPod, and I can fit 8 hours of video on a 2GB memory card. Its battery can easily last that long....probably can last 12 hours watching video. It means I have one less item to bring.

To summarize:
1. iPod has the advantage of video content in iTunes store.
2. Archos has the advantage of able to record TV shows.
3. Cell phone has the advantage of being the real portable device with LONG battery life and you will bring it with you anyway.
4. I don't see the point of Zune (although I am getting one anyway).

[Ryo Hazuki]

You must be blind, then.

Maybe the point of Zune is something called Wi-Fi and a watchable screen?

[dotmike]

Wider screen?

Is it really a wider screen?

If the resolution is 320x240 then the aspect ratio should be 4:3.

It does kinda look like a 16:9 widescreen in the photos, but this
would in fact stretch the video, giving people on the screen
broad shoulders, etc.

I know a lot of people don't seem to know the difference (a lot of
clueless widescreen TV owners fill a 16:9 screen with a 4:3
signal) but I wouldn't have thought even Microsoft would be this
tasteless.

Maybe it's an optical illusion, or maybe the people are saying
"wider" when they really mean bigger.

[starmonkey1]

4:3

It's 4:3, I have one in front of me.

One nice thing about the display vs. the iPod is that in most modes you use it in portrait orientation. So you can get reasonable number of lines of text per page, while also keeping the font reasonably large. It only flips to landscape when looking at pictures or watching videos.

[Ryo Hazuki]

Yes, wider screen.

Wider screen doesn't mean wide-screen or 16:9, genious. It means it's wider. And the fact is that the Zune screen is bigger/wider than the one in the iPod.

[Ryo Hazuki]

Interesting title for this story

Title: Zune moving at slow tempo...
Text: ...because some stores didn't get it yet.

Nice one, Cnet, another great prove of professionalism regarding Microsoft-related stories.

It's interesting too that people, specially ignorant Apple fanboys, highlight the fact that Zune is supposedly not selling very well, when the iPod only really started selling well when Steve Jobs made it Windows compatible. Just like the Macs only started selling something when they released Boot Camp and led people install and use Windows XP on a Mac. Start to see a trend here...? Interesting how such a supposedly great company depends so much on another supposedly terrible company to have success and sell its products.
Anyway, I still think the iPod Video 30 GB is better than the Zune, mostly because of all the content in the iTunes store and for its simplicity.

P.S.: I own a 4 GB silver iPod Nano.

[Penguinisto]

One dynamic you missed...

...according to the logic you presented, Zune should be flying off the shelves. If Apple needed Windows to sell iPods, then Zune (which already has Windows) should be selling like hotcakes, yes?

Zune is going to have an uphill battle for other reasons than compatibility w/ Windows, IMHO:

* WMP9 and FairPlay (I believe?) files won't play on it - so much for all those iTMS/Napster/etc songs you purchased.

* iPod dominates the space... MSFT won't have so easy a time as it did in other arenas... even when it launched the x-box (which it is still losing money on to this day, and had the advantage of a Nintendo-Sony dogfight to help its entry).


PS: You missed something - iPods sold very well even before "PC Compatibility" was added by way of an iTunes port to Win32, and as a second aspect, I can (and do) use Linux to load up an iPod (vi gtkpod on Fedora), so that doesn't exactly fly, eh?

/P

[Thomas, David]

It Sold well Before Windows iTunes

It just took off like a banshee from hell when iTunes was made
available for windows.


Get it straight. Next thing you know, schills like you will try to
convince us that the lines in front of the Apple stores, across the
globe, were a mocked up and people were paid to show up.

[DeusExMachina]

Wrong on any number of levels

Interesting that you keep saying this. I seriously doubt you have
any data to back up this ludicrous claim. Check out the sales
figures. You do have access to google before you start making
stuff up out of thin air, right? As already pointed out, the IPod
was selling well prior to the "official" Windows version, and was
already the number 1 DMP far before the Windows release.
The same can be said of the mac. Your research is a bit lacking.
Mac sales were already on the rise well before the
announcement of the processor switch (which was a mistake,
BTW, since the Power family of chips is inherently superior to the
x86 line) and certainly were well on their way prior to Boot
Camp.
You really have no idea what you are talking about.

[mgreere]

Zune is uglier in person than in the photos

The interface is actually top-notch. Is it based on the original
Toshiba interface or the Zune group's internal work?

The case, however, is thicker, more boxy, and more cheap-
looking than the photos suggest. And the brown is horrid. But
then, who has ever thought MS has any taste?

And the screen is dimmer and no-higher res han the iPod. It's
quite literally (and somewhat pathetically) a stretched iPod
screen. How difficult would it have been too simply add more
pixels?

Sorry. I had my hopes up.

[kriskkalu]

To those defending the Zune

Please where can i apply for a job to be the "Zune defender". I'm sure you guys make cool cash defending Microsoft products on forums. Though i'm not into Zune, i'll be willing to post nice stuffs about it on all forums i come across.

Get back at me soon so i can start my new found job!

[CentrOS]

Please send your application form to the Devil

He takes care of all our paid liars.

[System Tyrant]

You want or already have a Zune.

Good for you. I hope you enjoy the service your going to get from Microsoft (and I'm not talking about the music service).

Enjoy your Zune. :)

[rapier1]

Good Lord You People are Deranged

ITS A MUSIC PLAYER!

The iPod, the Zune, the Archos, all of them... THEY JUST PLAY
MUSIC! Yes, they play video as well BUT SO WHAT!?!?!!?!

None of them are worth getting as violently angrily deranged as
many of you have become. I mean seriously, what is wrong with
you that you have to start calling each other losers and idiots
over a what is really nothing but a walkman? How is this
technology, in *any* way so crucial and important that its worth
getting this worked up over?

Do people get as worked up over New York versus Chicago style
pizza? Do you have religious wars over relative merits of
different hammers? Do you resort to name calling when
discussing the merits of ballpoint versus rollerbal pens?

Seriously, take a look at yourself. What the heck is going on to
make you so *angry* over something so *trivial*?

[Kashmiriiiiiiii]

X-Box all over again ..

For those who doubt Zune's success, just think back when XBox entered the market - critics were harsh, no one thought Microsoft could convince the gaming community that Microsoft could build a viable product. Microsoft proved them wrong -

Microsoft is a company which gets it (well eventually in V2 or V3), but end of the day they produce products for the masses- I expect Zune to be no different - Like or not in the next few years Apple will loose a good chunk of its market share -

[daveworld]

Funny, yes XBox Gen1

XBox gen 1 was big and not very attractive. When 360 came out it was slimmer and offered more, and the games was not backward compatible with XBox gen one. Leaving the customers of gen One out out of luck.

[Sumatra-Bosch]

A Coma Does Not Equal 'Slow Tempo'

There is a difference between flat on your back on the sidewalk and an easy pace.

[Llib Setag]

Zune Bigger Screen : Lower Rez than iPod

Bigger screen on Zune? barely...

SAME resolution but stretched across bigger screen...NO MORE PIXELS OR HIGHER RESOULTION, JUST A LITTLE BIGGER.

Who cares!

ZunieTunes does not have any cool videos to download. (iPod / iTunes YES!)

ZunieTunes does not have any TV or Movies to download. (iPod / iTunes YES!)

YOU CANNOT MAKE YOUR OWN VIDEOS & PUT THEM ON THE ZUNIETURD. ( Mac OSX iLife with iMovie & GarageBand for creating videos & Podcasts that work on the iPod-Video YES! )

Brown ZunieTurd MP3 wannabe...Losers.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Wow. Not even close to right.

Can you download videos and play them on the Zune? Well, you can if you want to synch and then play any WMV file out there. It's no different than iPod's limited video playback as well. I expect content will start becoming available once it starts gaining in exposure.

I'm rather surprised that you would expect content providers to immediately put up material that is Zune-specific on the first day of release. That's just immature thinking.

Can you make your own videos and put them on the Zune? Sure, just create your video, save it in the correct format and synch. It's not rocket science. I'm sure even you can do it if you tried.

I think the only loser here is the one that has some serious jealousy like Llib Setag. (great name- too afraid to use your own?)

[rapier1]

wow

i can't imagine why you are so invested in this ipod versus zune
thing. They just play music and maybe videos right? They don't
solve world hunger, or give you a hand job, or kill your parents
if you use the wrong one, do they?

So its just a music player. thats it. thats all. nothing more.
That *anyone* can get so deranged about something so trivial
(and really, if you think it isn't trivial please tell me what crucial
and life changing impact an iPod actually has) is really
unfathomable.

Its kind of funny though.