Cesar Menendez, a Microsoft employee working on Zune, had some interesting things to note when Channel 10 interviewed him. It turns out that the newly released Zune 4 ($150), Zune 8 ($200) and Zune 80 ($250), the names of which you may have guessed correspond to the device capacity in GB, aren’t the only part of the Zune experience that received a revamp. The Zune software and the Zune Marketplace have been recoded from the ground up. Cesar also throws out a statistic: the Zune Marketplace now has 3 million tracks available, 1 million of which are DRM-free.
He goes on to saying how Microsoft has taken off the limit of 3 days to play a song received from a friend's Zune. It used to be 3 days or 3 plays, now it’s just 3 plays before the song is gone. The new Zunes are smaller and come in more colours. The Zunepad, Microsoft’s answer to the clickwheel, allows for “flicking” as well as clicking through the menus. Why no touch-screen? Well Mr. Menendez believes that the Zunepad is the answer as it gets the same result without smudges on the screen.
Is there a clock? No, it wasn’t a big priority. What about the Zune 30 and the firmware update? The Zune 30 ($200) will have the same firmware as the new Zunes. “That’s the same menu, same features, the Zune 30, if you bought it last year, you’ll get wireless sync, you’ll get the updated wireless send, you’ll get connection into the Zune community, you’ll get the new store. So basically we really value our early adopter customers.”
Oh yeah, and still no plans for Europe.
Link: Forum Discussion
Video: iPod | MP3 | PSP | WMA | WMV | WMV (High) | Zune
News source: Channel 10
Microsoft has always been at least a few steps behind Apple. For some reason, Microsoft was able to fool the majority of the world when it came to operating systems (too complex for Joe Six Pack to grasp until recently, perhaps), but the gulf is plainly obvious to most people when it comes to portable media devices, media management apps, and online media stores.
Don't like it? Move to North Korea.
Microsoft has always been at least a few steps behind Apple. For some reason, Microsoft was able to fool the majority of the world when it came to operating systems (too complex for Joe Six Pack to grasp until recently, perhaps), but the gulf is plainly obvious to most people when it comes to portable media devices, media management apps, and online media stores.
No actually it was because for some reason Apple wanted to tie in their software with their hardware! Its a good thing Microsoft came along, because if Jobs had his way, we would all be locked into the Apple operating system, and mortgaging our homes to pay for it...
I must applaud MS for releasing updates to the 30GB firmware to support early adopters of the Zune. Its a brilliant move to increase brand loyalty in those who did buy Zunes, and certainly is something you don't usually expect from "evil" Microsoft. Then again in this case they are the underdog fighting against the monopolists in this arena. The Ipod is still out of reach, but if MS can at least compete with Sandisk with the flash players then imho Zune2.0 will be a success.
Microsoft has always been at least a few steps behind Apple. For some reason, Microsoft was able to fool the majority of the world when it came to operating systems (too complex for Joe Six Pack to grasp until recently, perhaps), but the gulf is plainly obvious to most people when it comes to portable media devices, media management apps, and online media stores.
I love how so many people consider Apple the sole creater of all things MP3 Player. Ever heard of Archos? Their 7-inch touchscreen MP3 player with Wifi came out when? February 16, 2007. You all accuse Microsoft of copying Apple, but you could just as well say that Apple was copying everybody else.
I'm not saying I like the Zune all that much, only that you are a tool.
Plus why compare the price of a wifi equiped 3" screen 30gb mp3 player [I presume you were comparing it to the original] to a 20mb [+up to 2gb card] 1.9" screen (that may have been subsidised. I can't find it for half the cost of a zune - a quick net search brings it up @ around £100 without contract, which would be roughly $200)?
there is absolutely nothing preventing you from ordering the thing online. i got mine from PC Mall, and there are oggles of e-tailers selling the thing.
i live in the caribbean (Trinidad to be exact) and i own a Zune 30. i purchase "hard to find stuff" (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) from the Zune Marketplace with points cards you can get pretty much anywhere, in various point quantities. the only thing separating me from the North American market is geography... and that is easily bridged by a credit card or even a money order if you really need to get your hands on one.
i plan to upgrade to the Zune 80 and pass my Zune 30 to my bro, just like i did with my Gigabeat S.
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