[3X0]

1, 3, 9, and 10 are easily disproveable.

Don't tell me you can't smell the bias?

 

[pds6]

3X0says:
Quote:

1, 3, 9, and 10 are easily disproveable. Don't tell me you can't smell the bias?

Totally bias, but tell me how.

 

[zip22]

1. it is unclear now, as no one here has seen the unit, but just because the screens have the same resolution does not mean the quality on the larger will be degraded. you can compare tvs or computer monitors with the same resolution but different sizes and only see a bigger picture on the larger one. the screen on the zune is roughly 40% larger, and that is significant. if the resolution hinders its quality, i'm sure we'll hear about it.

3. the zune will play movies. that was an early rumor that has been pretty much squashed to the best of my knowledge. it supports wmv. the only update to that rumor is that the zune store won't sell movies when it starts. again, just another rumor, but it sounds more feasable.

9. there are numerous blogs devoted to the zune and i think it already has a healthier following than any of the ipod's other competitors. its unclear whether those blogs are all normal people, or really just microsoft employees, but either way, the zune has a lot of press online.

10. it was never true to begin with.

 

[FaBoLoUsRmX]

Zune=Owned

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

I won't say anything until I see/read reviews of the final production unit. Alot can happen in two months, and even more after it's release with F/W. I'll stay out of it until christmas and the dust has settled.

 

[pds6]

The_Duke_Of_Eli say:
Quote:

I won't say anything until I see/read reviews . . .

I agree.

One thing, I totally agree with the notion that the Zune is going to kill the PlayForSure group of daps before the iPod.

 

[threEchelon]

Where's the ALO Dock?

 

[atx]

I was interested in the "wireless" zune (streaming music/video wirelessly from a nas), but it turns out to be worthless:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/02/z...thless-for-now

long live ipod.

 

[maverick777]

First let me say that I'm not an iPod fanboy of any kind. I only recently got a gen 5.5 80gb iPod video. My favorite portable audio device (in terms of sound quality) is still my Sony MZ-N1 MD player or Creative Zen Micro.

The reasons I don't think the Zune will be successful are as follows:
1. The Zune costs the same as the 30gb iPod equivalent.
You can't be the underdog and price your product the same and expect to pose a real challenge.
2. The Zune is bulkier
Hard to win market share from Apple when most iPod fans buy it for aesthetics as much as the features
3. The Zune doesn't support Podcasts, movies, games, TV shows, organizer features etc.
As a multimedia device the Zune is mediocre at best. The Zen Vision:M does a much better job in terms of video support (than both the Zune AND the iPod) and is also priced at $249. These extra features (especially Podcasts) greatly effected my decision to finally get an iPod.
4. Wifi feature is a gimmick.
Once real reviews begin to hit the massess, people will be very disappointed at how MS greatly under utilized this feature.
5. The Zune is only ONE device.
It will be difficult for the Zune to compete against the iPod's complete line up.
There's not Zune equivalent of the 80gb iPod. There's not flash based Zune (Nano, Shuffle). Although this is an inherent disadvantages as a first time player. No one can expect M$ to launch a full lineup of devices from the get go, but it's still a disadvantage none-the-less.
6. A brown device!
You've got to be kidding with this one. I would've preferred to see a gunmetal version or a bright color like Red, Green, Yellow, Purple or whatever. Black and White versions don't really standout compared to the iPod.

In the end, I think the Zune is just an average device. I'd prefer the older Zen Vision:M to the Zune. I don't think M$ will be making a dent the iPod's market share anytime soon. I also agree that M$ will probably end up canabalizing it's partners before they even begin to challenge iPods.

If they were going to partner with someone on a device, they should've done it with Creative instead of Toshiba.

 

[philodox]

I'm more interested in the 4th generation Archos video units personally.

The 404 looks incredible for a small 30GB video DAP at $299USD. The 504, though rather large by comparison, can be had in 40GB, 80GB or 160GB versions [but it doesn't come cheap, with the 160GB costing $599USD]. I don't see the point of the 604 personally, though they will aparently be releasing a WiFi version of it with a touch screen.

Sorry to bring one of the little guys into this MS vs. Apple thread.

 

[zip22]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverick777 3. The Zune doesn't support Podcasts, movies, games, TV shows, organizer features etc. As a multimedia device the Zune is mediocre at best. The Zen Vision:M does a much better job in terms of video support (than both the Zune AND the iPod) and is also priced at $249. These extra features (especially Podcasts) greatly effected my decision to finally get an iPod.

if i'm not mistaken, podcasts are generally available in mp3. there are other programs you can use to sync podcasts, and for all we know, the zune software could include some sort of podcast support.

to clarify, the zune does support movies and tv shows. according to rumors, there won't be any in their online store when they start, but that does not mean you can't rip your own.

 

[maverick777]

I meant to say video podcasts. I have a couple of news podcasts that I watch/listen to on a fairly regular basis. Also, I have Strongbad episodes on my iPod now! I love Strongbad. That alone made the podcast feature worth it for me

(Especially the Japanese Cartoon episode)

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pds6 For most of the iPod detractors, any difference is in your head and not your ears.

Do you know something? That's the best way it's been put so far.


Saves a lot of that arguing to and fro. There are too many people who hate on the iPod for the sake of it. As for me, I haven't merely listened to them all... I've almost owned them all and compared them with a wide variety of totally overkill headgear that most of you will probably only encounter in a meet, as well as sticking them on test rigs. And the 5G iPod is what I use on a daily basis. To me it's the ideal balance (out of what's out there) of usability and unamped sound with a variety of phones.


Any competition is good for me as it gives me a good excuse to buy yet another DAP... and the HDD area has been relatively slim pickings as of late. With Toshiba engineering and M$'s resources, I'm presuming more thought has gone into it than your average Creative for example and they've probably thrown a lot more usability / reliability testing into it than iRiver or iAudio (aka "dire faults no problem, we can firmware them away!... er... like, eventually, sorta... Hey look, Rockbox!")


I'm kind of psyched for the Zune, I hope it turns out to be good. I'll be buying one.


As for opinions, now that I've sold everything I wanted to sell I'm going back into 'extreme lurk mode' on Head-Fi.