Zune 2.0 Details Leaked
Apr 11, 2007 at 2:18 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 25

rockin_amigo14

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http://www.zunescene.com/zune-2.0-details/


Quote:

April 10 2007 - The chances of a Zune Scene editor running into a Microsoft Zune employee in the wild are pretty slim, but recently the stars were aligned and I got the inside scoop on the Zune 2.0 and also the flash based Zune coming out in 2007. I will attempt to preserve the identity of the Microsoft employee, he had no idea I write for Zune Scene, no idea at all. The whole conversation occurred on a business trip, you see, we Zune Scene editors have day jobs and are hard to spot in the wild also.

When I asked the guy where he worked he said Microsoft. That got my attention so I asked what he did, the answer was: "Zune". He gave his name and title which I will withhold. So I gave him a barrage of questions and here's what I found out:

Zune 2.0 and a smaller flash based Zune will be sold this year. He would not tell me the marketing names but referred to them as the big one and little one. The hard drive version looks like the generation 1 Zune, but is thinner. It has a larger hard drive and still uses the doubleshot. The flash based player he said is about "3 by 1 1/4 by 1/4 inches" in size. It is video capable and he said the screen covers about 75% of the front, similar to the hard drive Zune. The flash player has Wi-Fi and also uses a double shot. We discussed colors, he said there were several but did not disclose them. He had some interesting points about the clamshells saying that they can't be opened easily like the current Zune. Both devices have completed the design phase, although some last minute minor tweaks to the hardware will occur. When I asked about memory capacity he said "you have to beat the competition you know" he also said the flash memory fills the smaller device from top to bottom. Surprisingly he gave some hard numbers: 2.4 million next gen Zunes will be fabricated prior the 2007 holiday season. About 2/3 of them are the smaller flash units. " A new building is currently under construction in Dao Min China, next to the one that makes the XBOX 360" he said. In Zune Scene's opinion, based on that statement, it appears the Zune 2.0 will not be another Toshiba Gigabeat based device.

I also asked about the Zune Phone and he changed the subject and that pretty much ended the conversation unfortunately. So there you have it, the first details of the Zune 2.0 and flash device.



i don't know about you, but I'm rather intrigued by this. One of the main reasons I didn't buy the Zune is because it is a rather shapely player (thick). However, a thin one is rather appealing. If the flash Zune keeps the sound quality of it's big brother, I may be investing in that, especially if it tops 8gb.

There are some features I'd love to see added to the Zune 2.0, such more video and audio codec support. UMS would be nice, and definitely a longer battery and the ability to use it to transfer files ie: external HD. If those happen, I could be owning a Zune family.


Thoughts?
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 2:47 AM Post #2 of 25
a UMS mode would be sweet, along with flac and/or wav support
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 3:01 AM Post #3 of 25
Assuming that this is true (what are the chances that a Microsoft employee that works on the Zune would just randomly blurt out facts about the 2G Zune?), I'm assuming that they're going to release a 100 GB Zune. But if that's true, I don't see how they're going to get any smaller, considering the current Zune can hold a 60 GB HD only after removing the metal back plate reinforcer, unless they shrink the other components. I'd definitely look into getting a 2G Zune if:
1)They were as thin or thinner than the 5/5.5G iPod
2)Compatible with Mac OS X
3)Could be synced with other software
4)Able to be used as an external HD w/o hacking
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 3:38 AM Post #4 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by rockin_amigo14 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
http://www.zunescene.com/zune-2.0-details/





i don't know about you, but I'm rather intrigued by this. One of the main reasons I didn't buy the Zune is because it is a rather shapely player (thick). However, a thin one is rather appealing. If the flash Zune keeps the sound quality of it's big brother, I may be investing in that, especially if it tops 8gb.



So should i be the one to point out that the D2 you have is .05 thicker than the zune?
blink.gif
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 1:59 PM Post #6 of 25
^^ And the Zune has a 0.5 inch bigger screen + 30GB HDD space
wink.gif
.

(I'm NOT bashing your D2?
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 2:39 PM Post #8 of 25
I just got a zune. Not bad at all! I may get the flash, hope it tops 15-20gigs.
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 3:00 PM Post #9 of 25
I just bought a Zune and usually in a situation like this I might be feeling some remorse because the new thing is now supposedly right around the corner. Of course with DAP's that's always true, but in this particular situation I see no reason yet to regret. Given the info in the alleged "leak" it doesn't appear likely that the new Zune is gonna be built by Toshiba anymore, or at least won't be based on the Gigabeat-S. That's not necessarily gonna result in a lesser player, but let's just say I'm not gonna be an early adopter.

I think the current Zune is a seriously underrated player, plagued by assumptions and predispositions against it because its marketed by Microsoft. For instance the idea that it is "thick." Quick, get out the calipers and see how many hundredths this one is thicker than an ipod .... ohooo! what a piece of junk!
rolleyes.gif
Seriously the thickness of an ipod should only be measured once its wrapped in a rubber cocoon. Zune doesn't really need a case unless youre anal retentive about such things, just a screen protector maybe. So I think in practical use the thickness probably about evens out.

Anyway, I sincerely hope M$ improves the Zune, but history has shown us that most products like this (including the ipod) take a different path .. more features and more mass appeal, but lesser build quality and lesser performance of core functions - especially for those who care about the details.
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 3:34 PM Post #10 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If it doesn't depend on that awful, Windows-only software suite, I'll snap one up.


The software is fine if you don't ask it to do your laundry.
lambda.gif
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 3:58 PM Post #11 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricardo Dawkins /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The software is fine if you don't ask it to do your laundry.
lambda.gif



haha. touche. yeah I've had an easier time with Zune by far than my kid's 8G Nano.

He got his Nano for Christmas and everything with it was cake until it got up to near 2G or so on the player, then I started getting "delayed write failed" errors. Sent it back to Apple and they said it was fine and it must be a problem with my PC. Well the PC was 5.5 years old and starting to have random reboots so the wife and I had already decided to replace it when the tax return came. So, waited until new PC was set up - 3Gbps SATA hdd, Athlon X2 3800, 1GB DDR2-800, GeF 7900GS. There's nothing cutting edge about it, but its adequate. Result - delayed write failed. This is a known issue with 2G Nano's and there are tech support pages at Apple if you dig deep enough addressing, but not fixing, the problem. I'm gonna try invoking my warranty again now that I know its not my PC, but needless to say its been a nightmare. Have needed to restore, reset, reinstall, reformat, and rethink.

Zune .. software loaded, Zune connected, Zune synched. I don't use the software to convert everything on the fly though, I use manual synch, and just like iTunes you have to be very careful about settings. I think a lot of ipod fans are just used to that iTunes's complexity and get pissed when they encounter a different system. And I think a lot of ipod fans also just like bashing the zune and its software whether they've ever used it or not.

i think my problems with the Nano are due to some bad ram and Apple just hasn't acknowledged it, and I'm sure my ipod experience has been an anomaly and all that, but the hogpile of people dissing the Zune's software app is undeserved really. It works.
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 4:26 PM Post #13 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizzel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Not for Linux users.


If I were a Linux user I'd probably also let compatibility with my OS of choice dictate what peripheral products I could buy, but I'd rather not choose peripheral gadgets on that basis alone.
 
Apr 11, 2007 at 4:35 PM Post #14 of 25
My point is that almost any mp3 player can be used with Linux, there's nothing particularly special about linux compatibility. It's just that MS has deliberately chosen not to provide compatibility with anything other than Windows. That's not surprising at all, but until the protocol is reverse-engineered I won't be getting a Zune.
 

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