Comments on: Microsoft confirms Zune HD coming this fall

The new device will feature an HD Radio tuner and OLED screen, but will it be enough to take on the iPod Touch? Also, Microsoft is rebranding Xbox video service with Zune name.

[Rolker]

slapppy

What is wrong with this? I think it is OK for any company to try to "take the thunder" out of its competitors.
What about Palm PRE which is supposed to come out a few days prior to the new iPhone?
Building hype is very important, which is sad because people tend to judge products before they even try them.

[onehorn]

Intriguing? Most definitely. Too little too late? Probably. Props for HD Radio (a feature that my iPod touch STILL lacks)...but if there is a lack of 3rd-party app. support, then Microsoft will face yet another missed opportunity. Flash harddrive, though? Really? I'm wondering about the capacity--also pricing. If they can offer at least 80gb for under $300, sign me up. I'm still kicking myself for paying over $200 for my 8gb iPod touch...which is not enough space for even a quarter of the music and videos on my harddrive.

[mikehill33]

if it is anything like the original Zune, MSFT had better invest some serious cycles making it actually work!

Zune software was an EPIC FAILURE and I can't expect this to be too much better.

Sticking with iPod.

[Kwasiowusu]

Stop talking nonsense will ya?
The original Zune DID work, and worked very well, plus it had wifi long before Apple copied the Zune and put wifi in their iPods too.
Zune software IS better than iPod software in plenty of ways, and the Zune offers you "all you can eat" plans while the iPod still makes you pay for it's expensive pay per download scheme.
The Apple fanatics are running scared, which can only be a good thing for consumers everywhere.

[chimera13]

As is my usual rant, what about us Canadians that are STILL wailing to get access to the 'marketplace!! Not one word from MS, this is really a slap in the face to their customers!

[gertruded]

The new Zune will be filled with draconian DRM if it is like
other MS products. Will it have a remote kill switch if the
DRM is violated? Will it have WGA like other MS products?
Will it have a back door so that authorities can examine the
contents easily? Has it been approved by the RIAA and
MPAA?

[monkeyfun14]

Actually MS was offered drm free downloads before Apple did.

[EcuadorHomesOnline]

I have one of the original 30GB Zune players and I love it - great sound quality, easy to use, excellent battery life (three things that kill the ipod). The "killer feature" that it has is the built in bluetooth but I've never used it. Not sure I'd use the HD radio tuner either, but this new model looks great.

[zgreenwell]

If you can play XBLA games on it, than it is an instant buy even if it launches at $400. I have a ton of XBLA game I would love to take with me everywhere.

[Kwasiowusu]

@ zgreenwell :"If you can play XBLA games on it, than it is an instant buy even if it launches at $400"

To me, if this Zune HD can't play XBLA games, and it's still not launched in Europe either, then it's an instant fail. Microsoft has had a very long time since the Zune was luanched 3 years ago, to be able to bring out a proper gaming device.
if Apple,m with a much smaller staff head count, has been able to luanch the iPhone worldwide( a much more difficult proposition that merely luanching a PMP), since the Zune was launched, I don't see why Microsoft cannot still be able to luanch the Zune HD outside the US.

[davesmall1]

Wherever Apple goes Microsoft is sure to follow. It's seems as if their corporate mantra is to copy whatever Apple has invented and try to add a few twists of their own. That's certainly been the case with their Windows operating systems and now with Zune and their online music store.

At least they do make credible knock-offs. It will be an uphill slog for them though. They won't be able to offer anything remotely close to the applications available for downloading from the iTunes App Store. How many iPod Touch owners would want to give up the App Store in exchange for HD Radio (with commercials)? I thnk the answer would be 'zero.'

[Kwasiowusu]

@ davesmall1 :"Wherever Apple goes Microsoft is sure to follow"

You mean like how Microsoft put wifi in the Zune before Apple copied Microsoft?
or where Apple stole the GUI of the original Macs from XEROX PARC?
Or how Apple copied Creative Labs ZEN withy their iPod?

FACT: Apple has never invented anything in their lives.
Apple is the biggest copier of other people's ideas on the planet.
Only thing is, Apple keeps trying to pass off other people's inventions as their own.

[Vegaman_Dan]

@davesmall1:

"Wherever Apple goes Microsoft is sure to follow."

Let's see now... Let's look at a few MSFT products, shall we?

Xbox
Surface
MSFT keyboards and mice
Communicator
Sharepoint
Vehicle On Board Systems
Embedded systems

That's just off the top of my head. Apple doesn't have an answer to any of these things. And you know what, that's fine- Apple has been and will continue to be a niche company. There's money to be made there if you work it right and Apple certainly does that quite well. That's not a bad thing.

Thankfully MSFT has *not* followed Apple into having a proprietary synching interface with iTunes, the much despised synching requirement for iPods/Phone. I really do prefer to have open choice in how to manage my music. I get tired of telling Apple's Genius bar that Def Leppard is not 'classical', or that NiN is a 'children's polka'. ***?

[jlaz20]

@ Kwasiowusu & Vegaman_Dan

I agree with you both. Apple has never really invented anything they just popularize it and slap an apple on the back and call it theirs.

@ davesmall1

Have you tried the new Win 7 operating system??? It is awsome and I would like to see apple try to beat it. I haven't seen any apple with the stuff the win 7 can do.

All MS has to do is actually allow Flash to run in the browser. That alone will open development and allow for unlimited app's from day 1.

[Kwasiowusu]

Why would Microsoft use Flash, when they have their own Sliverlight?
And why would Zude HD have an expensive Nvidia Tegra GPU if they are only going to run low grade flash games? Wouldn't make too much economic sense to me.We'll see what happens at E3 i guess.

@Kwasiowusu - After using a Touch for 6 months. I find one of the most annoying issues - is it doesn't support Flash. Flash is much more pervasive then Silverlight, at this time. Obvioulsy MS will support Silverlight. Flash also gets you a abundance of games without any rewrites. There are a heck of a lot more people with Flash programmimg skills at this point.
If MS intent is to take a chunk of this market they need to open development up.My 2 cents is allowing Flash accomplishes that rather easily.

[cyclonica1980]

Hmm ive heard rumors about this for months now ranging from a 120 gig hd to 50 battery +. At this point we can only wait and see.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Let's see now, before I even start reading the comments, I predict the entire thread will be derailed by Apple fanboys spouting off about how the iPod is better, everything Microsoft does is trash, etc, etc, etc. You know, things that are easy to spout without being able to actually prove any of it.

I supsect we'll have AppleRocks1963 leading the charge of ignorance about a product that hasn't launched yet. I do not expect any of the comments to actually be useful or even objective, but there has to be a first time.

Let's find out. Starting to read the comments now.

[The_happy_switcher]

See my previous 800+ comments re Microsoft.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Turns out I was wrong- AppleRocks1963 wasn't present at the time, but CDubber took his place quite nicely as a stand-in.

I was right about it turning into a typical fanboy flamewar though.

[The_happy_switcher]

Our numbers are strong and growing stronger, Danny boy.

[Vegaman_Dan]

@AppleRocks1963:

"Vega, I'm actually a chick and a friend of yours knows who I am. "

Excellent! Please have them introduce us so I can show you exactly in person how much CNET readers appreciate your wit and whimsy. :) You're not allergic to rotten tomatoes, are you?

But seriously, you could have avoided the topic entirely. Instead you dropped in with your usual trollish behavior and derailed any chance of credibility on your part. :/

[The_happy_switcher]

That's because I'm like Beetlejuice. You invoke my name in a thread I will come--guaranteed.

[Spimby]

What's up with the 'e' in Marketplace getting cut off? Either the font needs to be smaller or the screen needs to be bigger. Can't believe that photo made it out of QA.

Is that gold? (Not real gold of course, but the color) I would find that gold color extremely annoying while watching videos or looking at pictures. Grey is a better color for a non-distracting video experience. Maybe it's just the lighting, but please, NO GOLD!

[Air2ground]

Well, they call it platinum. If you don't like that color, it also comes in black.

[webdev511]

If they can capitalize on the 360 install base, they might just have something here. We'll see what they show at E3 and go from there.

[joeltom]

Sounds pretty nice, and I look forward to a full review this fall. My one pet peeve with these devices though is they ignore AM radio. I suppose because of the size of the antenna needed and who listens to AM anyway, right? Well, in my market the sports events are still broadcast on AM! It would be great to be able to take this to a game or even to have when you can't make the game and get the broadcast. I still keep a couple of old 9Volt transister radios around just because there's absolutely nothing out there to take their place!

[tipoo_]

This is exiting, i dont know of any other HD Radio capable PMP's out there. Plus the ability to output HD video is a huge plus.

I just hope the new tech required for the HD radio wont lessen the battery life over previous generations, but moving from a hard drive to flash will probably be more than enough to counter that.

[tipoo_]

Oh yea, and i hope they go back to the premium earphones.

[a_flores]

Seems that this one is much better look than the previous one. Somehow, I have no plan whatsoever to buy such as iPod or Zune or any mp3-mp4 device since my Nokia 5800 can serve me so well as a radio, music player and video player as well.

[Jayemmbee]

time to upgrade my Zune 4GB, but please come to Canada =)

[iceman721]

Ok I think I can be more objective than most since I own both Apple & Microsoft Products. I actually have a 120gb Zune and a 30gb Ipod Classic. I just returned home from Vegas yesterday. Walking through the airport and flying cross country my Zune was the player that I used. My list of wants in this new HD Zune would be longer battery life, applications, beat Apple on price and HD size. Zune currently makes better players than Apple to me. They are more durable and in the case of my current Zune I paid less for it and got more capacity.

Where Apple clearly trumps Microsoft is in the software and the available content for the device. You can make the greatest device in the world but if their is no content for it then people are not going to buy it. Getting the stuff off of Xbox live onto a Zune would be a huge step in the right direction. There is a ton more available video on Itunes than their is on Zune marketplace. Lack of content & a bulky (although durable) player are the drawbacks to a Zune that have adversely affected its sales. I love my Zune and listen to it all the time but another more updated, feature laden device would definitely be welcomed.

[Earl Benzar]

Haha, gotta love all the Microsoft Astroturf in these comments. Amazing what money can buy these days.

Anyway, as for the article, at the end of the day, it's still a freaking Zune. How do you guys write this stuff without laughing?

[Vegaman_Dan]

I suspect the same way you write your own comments? Oh wait, you DID laugh during your own comments. :)

[R. U. Sirius]

@Vegaman_Dan

Witty repartee. Perhaps Mr. Benzar is correct, the paid artificial turf in these comments is high.