Obama's "ZuneGate"

theodp writes "Barack Obama supporters were left shaking their heads after a report surfaced that the president-elect was using a Zune at the gym instead of an iPod. So why would Mac-user Obama be Zune-ing out? Could be one of those special-edition preloaded Zunes that Microsoft bestowed on Democratic National Convention attendees, suggests TechFlash, nixing the idea that the soon-to-be Leader of the Free World would waste time loading Parallels or Boot Camp in OS X just to use a Zune."

Comments

so?

[n3tcat]

Here in Germany I see more no-name mp3 players than ipod and zune COMBINED. What does it matter if he's an apple or windows guy? It's not linux, so why does it matter?

Re:so?

[theaveng]

You took the words right out of my mouth.

An MP3 player is an MP3 player - you don't have to use an Ipod. Me, I use an Insignia that I got for free from Best Buy and it works just fine.

Re:so?

[bobmarleypeople]

I can see CNN now
Our top story tonight... Obama: To Apple or not to Apple, that is the question posed to our team as rumours surface about major Mac user President Obama using a Microsoft Zune to listen to his music. We bring you the detailed analysis after this commercial for iPods.
.........actually, I can't see that happening. Give us some real news please!

Re:so?

[BobReturns]

Exactly, this hardly seems like an issue that matters to the electorate - or more accurately that should matter to the electorate. Maybe we should be more interested in policy?

Re:so?

[BrentH]

Apart from the fact that iPod bought after summer 2007 can't load Rockbox, there's a bazzilion players out there that play Ogg Vorbis and FLAC right out of the box. If these free codecs are so important to you, why not buy the device that actually already does what you want (and support the kind of manufacturer that actually builds these players)? BTW, the Zune works fine with Songbird, so the Zune can be used natively on any platform.

Re:so?

[McFadden]

That doesn't take anything away from the fact that the vast majority of people probably use them to play mp3s and frankly couldn't give a stuff about anything you've just mentioned.

Re:so?

[Chrisje]

Which is such bullshit.

I had an iAudio, iRiver, no name and iPod, and the audio quality of ogg vs mp3 isn't particularly important if you rip at high bit rates. It's the ear-phones that matter most, followed by the players DA converter, followed by the bit-rate, followed by the format.

Having said that, the music first needs to be good.

Re:so?

[Chrisje]

Hm. Sure. And an iPod does all those.

Now I bought an iPod because it builds a very good IDv3 tag database in the device, allowing me to search my music in customizable ways. So I ripped almost 800 albums, which resulted in 11.000 songs on my 80 GB Classic. If I had my iAudio still, I would not be enjoying my music like I do today.

Because the iAudio didn't do Genres, Compilations, Search, Artist or Album select. The iAudio could only walk through directory structures or randomly play songs. Furthermore, the interface of it was way more clunky. So the iPod actually allows me to *FIND* and *MANAGE* my music. I have one, in spite of the piece of garbage that is iTunes, because of that reason.

But then again... I rip at VBR 224-320 bps, then I only rip *whole albums* that I bought in a store myself. Then I put the album art in there too. In all songs. So I really care about the look, feel and immaculateness of my collection. :-D Others might not.

Re:so?

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

Sometimes you just want to listen to some music while you're working out.

I thought this was /. not TMZ.

Re:so?

[erroneus]

I would only care about this if... nope. Can't think of a reason to care about this at all.

If Obama were to use all F/OSS, I might sit up and take notice. If we could somehow convince this incoming administration to concern himself with what he does rather than what brands he endorses while doing it, we might be able to see some interesting things happen in government IT.

I have submitted multiple messages to that change.gov site to that end... perhaps we could get a few more people to submit their opinions in favor of open source, copyright and patent reform.

After all, in my view, as long as the job gets done to specification or to my satisfaction (whichever is the more specific or appropriate) it does not matter which [brand of] tools I use to accomplish it... unless of course budgets are of concern.

Re:so?

[hedwards]

Which is precisely why iPods need to be sent directly to the dump. Seriously, I'll get flamed and modded troll for saying it, but iPods have severely damaged an already damaged industry. They ship with poor quality ear phones that are definitely causing hearing damage, they come out of a music store which only sells for their players in single packs. And the typical iPod user just does not care about anything other than being cool.

The fact of the matter is that the sooner iPods die a horrible death the sooner we have a chance at decent mainstream music. The willingness to shell out that sort of money for a device which is known to cause hearing damage is absurd. One's just paid several hundred for an iPod, just go the rest of the distance and buy a good set of ear phones. Reality is that those make far more difference than the player anyways. Nothing is going to sound decent with any of the ones that are packaged with most players.

Re:so?

[Uberbah]

Yes, since muggers in areas heavy with gun nuts announce their intentions 500 yards in advance, so the gun nut has enough time to get out his weapon, cock it, and take the safety off.

In other news...

[dreamchaser]

Obama is said to have been wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear instead of his usual Hanes...

WTF...*this* is news for nerds? I could care less what any politician uses to listen to his or her music.

Re:In other news...

[thesolo]

Thank you. Not only is this not "News For Nerds", it's not news, period.

If the presidential choice of MP3 player seriously matters to you, kill yourself. With all of the problems facing the US and indeed the entire planet, this is the most trivial of matters, and people reporting on it should be ashamed of themselves.

Next we'll be hearing about Obama getting a hangnail. Just shut up.

Old

[Anonymous Coward]

Old news is old. Obama already says he uses an iPod not a Zune. It also appears he is rather devoted to Apple.

But in the end this isn't really new and shouldn't be used to fill a slow news Sunday.

God help us.

[msgmonkey]

Maybe he cares more about the music he's listening to rather than the make/model of the player.

If I did n't have an mp3 player and got a zune for free, as long as it played my mp3s correctly I'd use it. Sometimes I wonder if Apple is a religion or just some company that makes tech products.

Re:God help us.

[Threni]

Maybe he's found out about how Apple make it impossible to use third party hardware with the iPod classic, or maybe he got one of the crippled EU ones with a volume limiter which precludes the use of a lot of high end headphones. Or maybe he doesn't like the fact many iPods have problems with batteries, or the effort Apple goes to to thwart people's attempts to use their own software or firmware in the Apple so you can't play ogg/flac etc format files. Apple's successes with the iPod are chiefly marketing related, not technological. They're like Microsoft - they adopt other people's work and stick it inside fancy cases. There's no reason why Obama should use Apple instead of Microsoft stuff - it means nothing.

Re:God help us.

[Anonymous Coward]

Shut. The. Fuck. Up. No one cares.

Reality Check Needed

[Macthorpe]

I can't believe that some people care more about which MP3 player he uses than what policies he's going to implement.

Can I get a reality check to aisle S, please?

Jesus...

[skam240]

Holy Christ! Our president to be is using "such and such" as his mp3 player!? Holy Christ! Some one please tell me what popular Hollywood celebrity is dating what Hollywood celebrity right now as well because this is all totally fucking relevant to my life!

Great

[Anonymous Coward]

As MAC user with a Zune, he will be able to experience the true value of DRM. I hope he'll remember that the next time some DRM lobbyist asks for a favor...

Re:Great

[je ne sais quoi]

Mod parent up! Except for the MAC part instead of Mac (a MAC is a serial number for an internet card, a Mac is a computer), this post is spot on. I have no idea what the DRM on Windows and Zune is, but I hope that he has tried moving some of his files from his iPod to his Zune and discovered iTunes won't let you do it, or he has run afoul of the "this computer is not authorized" crap. Let's also hope that he's the kind of guy who can spot when there something wrong and actually gives a shit.

I'm pretty sure our current president has had these issues, he's an ipod listener, but I also guess he probably has his staff do everything for him and doesn't really care if his staff have to infringe on copyright while they are working on his behalf or violate the terms of the license to listen to the songs by moving them amongst un-authorized computers.

Watergate is a God Damned Hotel You Turds

[Spasmodeus]

I have this fantasy in which I am kind of superhero who travels the country tracking down hack reporters who slap the "gate" suffix on anything vaguely resembling a scandal, then jabbing them with a cattle prod until I'm satisfied justice has been served.

Doesn't matter

[tsotha]

I seriously doubt Obama loads his own mp3 player, and that's a good thing. He's got lots to do before his first day on the job, and screwing with computers isn't on the list.

This is classic

[JamesRose]

It's one of those "what a product represents" things. The Zune is immediately uncool at slashdot because Microsoft, newsflash- Microsoft make some decent products. Rated Excellent at cnet- http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/microsoft-zune-120gb-third/4505-6490_7-33259222.html?tag=mncol;lst . Reality check, this is a good mp3 player that he got free, I'd be concerned if he went out and spent $250 just for a different make.

Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World"

[Chrisje]

As a Dutch citizen I have the perfect freedom to:
- get abortions
- do soft drugs of various kinds
- drink alcohol from the age of 16
- get serviced by a hooker
- get euthanasia
- get married whether I'm gay, bi or straight
- get divorced
- speak my mind
- drink on a sunday
- have sex in public places so long as it's not visible from the street
- go where I please (we don't need visa for 99% of the planet)

None of which are freedoms I've seen Americans enjoy.

So I second that motion. Obama will be president of the USA. Calling him "Leader of the Free World" pisses me off too since he sure as shit don't rule my country.

Re:Why not use a phone

[trenien]

Off the top of my head:

- Because I'd like to avoid shooting my mobile's battery to hell through constant use for music.

- Because despite the propaganda from various cell phones makers, there's more and more evidence coming out that tends to show it's not very healthy to carry one over you for long stretches of time.

- Because I'll never again bind myself with another 12/24/36 months contract to have the latest 'ooh, shiny' and I much prefer buying a cheap phone with no strings attached which will last me at least a couple of years. That way I can change provider whenever I feel like it.

That's thinking about it for a couple of minutes. I'm pretty sure different people could find other reasons easily enough.

Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World"

[Weh]

dutch freedom of speech is a joke compared to american freedom of speech. Dutch freedom of speech basically means you're allowed to say what the left-wing elite thinks is right. In the usa freedom of speech is absolute as long as you're not inciting violence. For example in holland, try saying that you don't like black people, homosexuals, muslems, etc*. Try starting a racist movement*. Try saying that you think homosexuals are sick*. You will get into problems with the law, even if it is your honest to god opinion.

and where do you get the idea that you cannot get an abortion in the usa? or drink on a sunday? or get divorced? Or pay for sex?

*disclaimer; i'm not a bigot by any means, i just used those things as examples.

for the record

[Dolphinzilla]

I dont care to know any of the following about Obama's preferences:

1. Ipod or Zune
2. Apple or PC
3. Charmin or Scott
4. Missionary or Doggy
5. Chevy or Ford

Folks get over it - Obama is not the second coming and he's not the Antichrist -

the majority of Americans...

[markdowling]

who bothered voting, at any rate. The other 37% - well he'll represent all of them because that's what happens when you're too damn lazy to vote.

Re:Or... (was: Re:so?)

[msuarezalvarez]

A MS Zune to make him loop hip?! That advisor should be promptly fired...

More pop culture

[p51d007]

Here we go...more pop culture BS! Who gives a rats ass?

Re:"soon-to-be Leader of the Free World"

[DrFalkyn]

As a Dutch citizen I have the perfect freedom to: - get abortions

Legal in the US

- get serviced by a hooker

Well you can do that in Nevada. Its not like the Dutch have NO restrictions on prostitution, (no street hookers)

- get divorced

You can't get divorced in the US?

- speak my mind

We can't do this in the US?

- drink on a sunday

WTF? Have you been to the US since 1950? Their are some states that have prohibitions on where/when alcohol can be sold, I don't know of of any state that prohibits consumption in a private residence.

- go where I please (we don't need visa for 99% of the planet)

Getting a visa is going to largely depend on the *other* country, not your own.

For the Radio Tuner?

[hoovanator13]

Not sure about the latest ipods, but when I bought my Zune a year ago it was because it had a built in radio tuner (and ipods did not) and I wanted to be able to listen to sports games while working outside on the weekends. I think some gyms broadcast audio from the TV's in the gym over radio, so maybe that's why he was using a Zune.

Re:Maybe because Zune Pass is a great deal?

[Anonymous Coward]

Really? $15/month for 10 permanent songs, which works out to $1.50 per song, plus a 10 song per month cap. Even if the 10 "permanent" songs became completely DRM free, it still sounds like a gip.

And three zunes and three computers? Wha? Who knows anyone who has three zunes (or two friend with zunes)? This also means I can't send songs to friends for them to listen, and see if they want more. Sorry, Zune Pass sounds like a gip, even if they had market saturation, and everyone had zunes to share, and extra zunes got to keep their copies if the subscription was deactivated.

I would take the DRM-free apple model any day.

Disclaimer: I have never bought a song from i-Tunes or any other online store. Currently seeding ~100gb+ of music, plus Limewire and eMule. Yar-harrr!

I'm not afraid to say it

[blue l0g1c]

I want to know what kind of mp3 player Obama uses. I also would like to know why he chose the Zune in this instance.

This isn't Paris Hilton. I actually give a shit about the personal life of our president-to-be. Any insight into what kind of "person" he is that could be extrapolated to what kind of president he'll be...is interesting.

One of the reasons I didn't vote for McCain was because he demonstrated that he didn't know jack-shit about computers. The subject of Net-Neutrality is looming on the horizon (and frequently discussed here) and I want my president to have an interest. Obama's Facebook and MySpace campaigns impressed me. I hardly think this story is irrelevant.

I mean, 400+ people commented on the story. Even discounting the whiners, it obviously sparked discussion which is why I come to Slashdot.

Rich, delicious irony

[Valdrax]

What does it matter if he's an apple or windows guy? It's not linux, so why does it matter?

The irony of these two sentences back to back is so deliciously rich.
Stupid Apple fanboys -- why won't people praise Linux more!?

Re:Preaching to the Choir?

[Uberbah]

Here's where I call you a fanboy to cover up my lame inadequacies and ignore reality...

Fixed that for you.

No, the clickwheel is still annoying to operate inside a pocket, especially in tight pockets, even when both thumbs are fully functional.

Uh, no. The screen is on the top of the device, with the clickwheel at the bottom. Once know which side is up (a .0002 second operation for a non-putz), you have up (menu), down (pause), left (back), right (next) and center (select). If that's too hard for you, you should give up any hope of using an mp3 player, driving a car, or getting laid.

Or how do I start a second playlist again?

Uh, you go to your on-the-go playlist and make a new one. Does mental retardation run in your family?

And about structure: I'll take my personal directory structure over tag soup any day, thanks.

A distinction without a difference. The aforementioned playlist, artist, genre, podcast already covers every possible way to organize your music, the only problem is you wouldn't have an excuse to engage in rhetorical masturbation over it. And given how disable your hands are, that could take a very long time.