Microsoft Zune MP3 Player Interface Revealed

bain writes to tell us that iLounge has put up details on the Zune, Microsoft's MP3 player. According to the article, "Zune is a bit bigger than a standard 30GB iPod, and apparently made entirely of plastic." Interestingly, Microsoft forgoes a touch-sensitive scrollwheel in favor of wheel-shaped buttons. Included are WiFi capabilities, an FM tuner, and (in stark contrast to the iPod) a white-on-black color scheme. The 30GB model is expected to sell for $300. This story selected and edited by LinuxWorld editor for the day Saied Pinto.

Comments

The one thing missing

[ackthpt]

The one thing missing for Microsoft, is panache. There's nothing hip or cool aboug having some music device from a giant corporation. Without that certain cachet of having something from a company which makes very stylish computers and operating systems and got U2 on board.

It could say Ronco on it for all the Microsoft connection will be good for. It'll sell to some who want to experiment beyond the bounds of iPodness, but with that plastic case and wheel-like buttons it says WalMart-chic all over it.

Of course, we can't discount the notion that Microsoft might further piss-off the EU and risk a severe look from US trustbusters, by bundling some shit into Windows Vista which only works with the Zune and means you have to have one to get those Zune-casts...

Smells like another waste of money from a company that just doesn't understand that they are only profitable at a few things and should stop this kind of nonsense. FFS, who are they trying to be, the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation?

Good to go

[SuperKendall]

* Wireless
* More space than a Nomad

Raging success I'd say!

Microsoft PR

[Anonymous Coward]

Just announced, Zune will only be available for corporate customers in November. Consumers can get it early in 2007.

I don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

Will someone PLEASE explain why a *software* company feels its necessary to enter markets in which it has a competitive disadvantage years after the competition? If I were a MS shareholder, I'd want the company to focus on improving its OS and other software products - ya know, the stuff that made all the money in the first place.

I think Apple should develop a random product, say an iToaster Oven, just to see if MS will follow suit...

Re:I don't get it

[kfg]

Will someone PLEASE explain why a *software* company feels its necessary to enter markets in which it has a competitive disadvantage years after the competition?

To sell DRM technology. ACC is the target, not the silly iPod thingy, but they've done ok with mice, keyboards, joysticks, etc.

KFG

Re:I don't get it

[Headcase88]

"I think Apple should develop a random product, say an iToaster Oven, just to see if MS will follow suit"

An MS Toaster Oven is the last thing the world needs. God knows how convoluted the process would be to toast a simple piece of bread.

1. Welcome to the Microsoft (TM) Toasting Wizard. What are you toasting today?

• Bread
  
• Bagel
  
• English Muffin
  
• Other
  

2. What type of bread?

• Microsoft (TM) White Bread
  
• Microsoft (TM) Whole Wheat HealthyChoice (TM) bread
  
• Other [text field]
  

3. Microsoft (TM) Toasting Wizard is searching for "Dempster's white bread"...

(little animated magnifying glass on globe icon)

4. Toasting Wizard could not find your bread. Please make sure you've typed the type of bread correctly and try again.

5. Wizard Completed!

Toasting Wizard was quit by user before toasting was complete.

Now all they need is music

[pico303]

iPod isn't just popular 'cause it's cool. It's popular because it's really easy to get music onto the thing. Buy it, install iTunes, plug in the iPod, and start ripping or downloading music. I just don't see Windows Media Player as competing in that space, especially not without blowing Microsoft's whole market strategy of giving users choices when it comes to Windows audio players.

I have a feeling they'll get thousands of people buying these things. They'll get them home, try to install them, not be able to get music to upload, or the thing will crash all the time, or their PCs won't be able to see it when it's plugged in. Pack it up, take it back, and just go spend the $300 on something that actually works.

Nice thing about this is Apple will probably lower the price of the 30GB iPod to $250 just to stick it to MS. Then I'll dump my mini and finally get a video iPod.

Re:Now all they need is music

[Firehed]

Not only does my iPod show up as a mass storage device when I plug it in, it automatically copies over all of my music too. And as 99% of my music is in MP3 (the other 1% being Apple lossless, which is admittedly a minor niggle, though less so since there's no harm in transcoding between lossless formats), I'd say the latter is covered too. Sorry, but your argument flatly sucks. I can put a CD in the drive, iTunes automatically rips to MP3 and tags it, then ejects the CD (or at least I can configure it as such in about three seconds), then I plug in my iPod and the new music is automatically transferred to it. Without a single click. I tried the mass storage device approach - it's nothing short of abysmal compared to automatic syncing. Not to mention ripping CDs was usually a many-step process, and half the time required me to type in all the track listings. With iTunes, I put or plug it in, wait a few minutes, and remove or disconnect it. No work on my part, no thinking, and it even organizes the local files in a standard and logical manner.

I don't quite know how you define 'easy', but it's certainly not how I do, and I'd imagine not very close to Webster, either. I hated iTunes for the longest time, too, but at least I was never in denial about how my old process sucked. I'm not meaning to flame you here, but iTunes has been the best thing to happen to my music library since the MP3 format. Videos are another story, but I can deal with that (or, rather, just avoid it)

Re:No Marketing versus Established Product Line

[ackthpt]

There's no buzz about Zune. Microsoft will need a significant and unique advertising campaign to make this thing sell.

So .. Rolling Stones again?

you make a grown man cryyyy...

They'll get 100% of the market, all right.

[Kadin2048]

Well, this has further cemented my opinion that while the Zune certainly would make me very, very afraid if I were the CEO of Creative, I'm not sure that it would have me shaking in my boots if I was in Steve Jobs' position.

I think it stands a chance of being clearly superior to all the other iPod wannabes, and basically wipe up their market-share and send them into some other line of work, particularly because of the WiFi feature, but there's just nothing compelling about it that would displace the iPod.

I have no doubt that Microsoft will capture close to 100% of the market: but the "market" for this device is "MP3 players other than iPods."

Re:They'll get 100% of the market, all right.

[ackthpt]

I have no doubt that Microsoft will capture close to 100% of the market: but the "market" for this device is "MP3 players other than iPods."

Actually, they won't have the cellphone-mp3 player, PSP/other portable video game-mp3 player or cheep mp3 player market, either. They aren't simply a late entry into THE market, they're a late entry into a NICHE

Re:They'll get 100% of the market, all right.

[kfg]

I have no doubt that Microsoft will capture close to 100% of the market: but the "market" for this device is "MP3 players other than iPods."

In ten years that will be virtually the entire market. There will be a few hundred makers and they'll be so cheap they'll be selling them in drug stores at the counter for pocket change.

Whoever controls the codec wins.

KFG

Re:The other Scroll Wheel

[fbjon]

The problem is that a scroll-wheel takes up a lot of space

No it doesn't. See, a scroll-wheel doesn't have to be a flat, round rubber disc, it can be a cylinder! I'm really, really dissappointed that so few are using this type, because it was positively awesome on a Sony-Ericsson I used to have in Japan.

To be precise: the wheel was a cylinder right where the 4-way keys usually are (clamshell phone), about 1,5cm wide and maybe 8mm in diameter, in a horizontal direction. You could roll it and click it just like a mouse wheel, and had two extra buttons on either side for left-right clicking. It also had just the right feel, not too tight, but not too loose either, so you wouldn't accidentally misclick like you do with some cheap mice. Scrolling along lists was never easier.