Upcoming Microsoft Zune Revision May be Interesting After All

Make fun of it, they will…

And here’s to another slanted Boy Genius article. If I wouldn’t know it, you guys MUST be on Apple and AT&T’s payroll.

The fact is that mostly anyone who is an audiophile and truly knows about MP3 players doesn’t follow the lemmings and use an iPod Classic. They either use a Creative Zen or, gasp, a ZUNE. The only thing the iPod has going for it is iTunes.

Let’s see, the godly iPod Classic has: less video formats (including no Divx support), less audio formats (no WMA support!?!), no additional memory card slot, no FM Radio, no FM Radio recording, no built in speaker, inferior screen quality, no voice recording, no drag and drop MTP support, etc.. etc.. All this AND they’re cheaper.

Why would anyone actually pick an iPod Classic once they actually know the facts?

Ipod classic is cheaper?

I saw a Zune for the first time yesterday in the Wild and it was an interesting device. I didn’t realize this device was still around.

Ryan, thanks for your insightful comment. Do me a favor though and re-read the post. Show me where the article states any positive opinion of the iPod Classic. Mmm. Ok then, show me where the article states any negative opinion with regards to the Zune. What, “People will make fun of it”? Beyond the fact that was a joke, would you argue that statement is untrue?

Cry “slanted” all you want, but at least pick your posts a little better.

No, the Creative Zen ($239) and the Zune are both the same price or cheaper than the iPod Classic and provide more features.

Check out PCWorld’s brand new review of the Creative Zen X-Fi:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,149977/creative_zen_xfi.html

Read the first line.

The majority of the people who buy the iPod don’t know/care about half the things you just said.

The iPod was pretty much the first of its kind, and it did what it did pretty damn well, and that’s all it needed. It gave Apple a huge fan base that grew almost exponentially. So most competitors had already lost before they completed R&D.

And it’s just a natural fact that most people don’t do research on what they’re about to drop cash on. All they know is whatever the sales rep pitches to them, and what they see from marketing.

Why yes Zach, that statement, although in jest, still seems to imply a personal OPINION, not a fact. Will UNINFORMED people make fun of the new Zune? Perhaps… but only for the simple reason that its NOT an iPod. If people actually used a Zune or Zen, they’d realize that they’re better MP3 players than the iPod Classic.

If you could have held yourself together and not mentioned the iPod Classic in your post, then maybe I would have given you the benefit of the doubt. But this certainly isn’t the first time nor will it be the last that we see biased articles on BoyGenius.

Now THAT is the truth.

I’m an audiophile, Bought a Zune, Love it never any problems. I just like the Zune better, I have owned iPods I dont say theyre bad players but the Zune is just nicer with the screen and the sound it produces is much cleaner. Whens the software revision supposed to happen.

Call me LAME but I love my Zune. Listening to it right now.

I own a zune, 3 sansa devices, 3 ipod nanos, and an 80 gb ipod video. I would say I am the average consumer and price difference isn’t that big a deal. What drives the masses is accessories. Who wants to hook up their mp3 player to a bose sounddock when the ipod slips right in. “Made for ipod” is the 3 words the public sees more than anything else. And FWIW, itunes doesn’t do a bad job. You plug ipod in and – bam. Syncs away. People like easy – not audiophile quality or video codecs. Its not like the ipod sounds like a tin can.

Ryan,

Indeed. Mentioning the most popular portable audio / video player in the world (iPod) in a post about a competitive offering (Zune) is outlandish. Furthermore, statements like “Software can make or break a device and Apple’s iPod Classic line is hardly feature-rich in that department” also show clear bias and favoritism towards Apple.

Stating that people will make fun of the Zune does not “imply a personal OPINION”. It is a valid and friendly poke taking history and probability into account. Had I stated or implied that the Zune SHOULD be made fun of (or SHOULDN’T be made fun of for that matter), then I would have been stating my opinion. But alas, that is not the case.

Typically I ignore such comments but it just seemed odd that you would pick this post to cry “Apple slant” under. I mean, clearly you wouldn’t choose one of the many posts where I speak negatively about Apple. Wouldn’t it make more sense to at least make that claim under a post that speaks well of an Apple product though?

Come back next week – I’m sure I’ll be singing iTunes 8.0 some praise. Not because I enjoy the software of course, but because I must be on “Apple’s payroll”. (That, by the way, was a joke that DOES imply my opinion)

I think “Ryan” needs his diaper changed; I can almost hear him crying when he writes these ridiculous posts. Beyond that, some tech truths: 1- Features only matter to tech geeks (if you’re reading this, or you are at all familiar with “Creative” products, you’re one). 2 – Apple has never tried to win on the sheer number of features, focusing instead on something that matters to everyone: execution.and it’s working. 3 – The Zune just sucks. This is why in the nearly two years the thing has been available I’ve seen a total of four, despite commuting to Los Angeles everyday by rail. I’ll tell you though, it’s good to know that MS has upped the storage while retaining maximum suckiness.

@ Perspective
I really hate siding with Ryan because I typically enjoy articles on this site but he makes some good points and you do not. I got “the Zune just sucks” from yours. Features matter to everyone but unfortunately they don’t realize this till then start using it and then figure out they can’t upload WMA’s. True music fans don’t want limitations on what files they can use or what applications they have to install. You and the “in” crowd of America just want what all the kids at school have.

Perspective,

To answer your points:

1) Are you seriously listening to yourself? So when you go buy a new TV, you don’t care about its features other than its looks and the fact that everyone else is buying it?

2) Exactly. Apple has great marketing. No denying that. That and its simplicity are its two biggest selling points. That still doesn’t make it a better MP3 player (which of course was my point to begin with).

3) Any personal experience to base this opinion on? Anyone who has used a Zune (or a Zen, for that matter) extensively, can without a doubt dismiss your “Zune just sucks” theory. It is an overall better player than the iPod.

So since YOU haven’t seen any Zune’s, it MUST suck, right? Are you in 1st grade?

My original point was that Zach shouldn’t penalize or turn people off of the Zune by stating that “People will make fun of it”. Yes, novices to the MP3 player market might make fun of it because its not an iPod. With that comment, Zach is promoting the Apple fanboyism in all its glory. How about sticking to reporting the facts? What a concept.

This is sort of like in the mid to late 90′s when AOL was at its zenith and people would ask me what my AOL account was. I would say, “I don’t have an AOL account”. Then they would say, “Well, then you don’t have Internet”. Then I would carefully explain that there are cheaper and better options for Internet access besides AOL. Then they’d look at me confused and just continue to say that my Internet ISP “sucks” because it wasn’t AOL.

Get it? Point is, give other players out there a shot before you shoot them down or claim that “People will make fun of it”.

Way to dodge each and every one of the authors responses ryan. Keep on complaining that bgr is slanted and ignore the fact that your arguments were screwed from the get go.

People are already making fun of the new Zune, so I’m not sure how you can argue that statement is opinion and not fact. Even if it was his opinion, this is a blog not the WSJ. Who says bloggers can’t state opinions?

The only shit talking I see in this post is about the iPod’s lack of features, as the author points out. Anyway, here you are defending the zune so you MUST be on Microsoft’s payroll. Therefore we should all discount everything you say. Ass.

Wow, this sure is a heated debate. I would like to add my view of the apple/zune war:

Unfortunately, popularity is very import to the majority of Americans. When I first used an iPod, I was impressed at the storage capacity, easy navigation, and screen size and resolution. When it came time to ditch my small mp3 player and buy a large capacity player, I chose the Zune. I don’t buy something just because everyone has it. Ryan made a great comment about AOL.

A lot of people will ask a tech geek what to buy because they know that we do the research and analysis (at least most geeks do). I recommend my friends, coworkers, and family members to buy a Zune. The proceeding question is “What is a Zune?”. When I show them the rich features and the screen resolution, they are always amazed. However, I do tell them that accessories are limited in comparison to the iPod. I tell the truth so they won’t be disappointed in their purchases, and these people appreciate it and come back to me many times.

Apple has a great marketing department, and people buy the products thinking that Apple yields innovation and simplicity. I believe Apple stands in the way of innovation in many aspects. Most people don’t want to hear this opinion, and I am mocked by my fellow college students.

If someone touted a Zune in sheep’s clothing and announced it as the next generation iPod, I know people would love it. It would be similar to the Mojave experiment by Microsoft. Before anyone accuses me of working for them, I want to say that I don’t care much for Vista. It was great in theory but poor in execution.

I don’t think this article was particularly degrading to the Zune or any other mp3 competitor, but there have been some articles which showed bias towards the iPod. Because this is a blog, the owner can freely express his beliefs. I feel that BGR is a renowned blog, and I will continue to read every post with an open mind.

wow zooone, now where is the zoooneguy?

A friend recently got an 80GB zune and I’m jealous. It’s really a much nicer player and much more lowkey than iPod. Carrying an iPod is like carrying a Moto Razr: everybody got one and it’s showing it’s age (ipod touch need not apply. It’s a fresh device, but just doesn’t have the capacity I want).
My next player will most likely be a Zune.

normally i don’t post reply’s on such touchy subjects as this one seems to be, but as a retail employee who sells iPods and Zunes five days a week, i wanted to share my perspective.
i am a supervisor at a Best Buy store and mp3′s are one of the products in my jurisdiction. when customers regularly come in asking “what’s the difference between an iPod and an mp3 player?” – you know apple has the corner on the mainstream market.
that being said, to any customer who doesn’t know much about mp3 players in general, here are a few things i, as a non-biased salesperson, am always sure to tell them…
1. Other devices have more features than the iPod.
this is not bias – it’s fact. the Zune has wireless sharing, most other players (Sansa, Samsung, Zune – even Best Buy’s house brand Insignia) have an FM tuner. Many also have voice recorders and the Insignia and Samsung models that we carry have built-in Bluetooth for pairing with wireless headphones. iPod has none of these features. the fact is, you get more for your money on the core product with any other device over the iPod.
2. You will get more compatibility with iPods.
also nothing but a fact. walk into your local Best Buy – or any retailer for that matter, and take a look at the ratio of iPod cases, dock systems, etc. to Zune, Sansa, etc. combined – and if accessories are even remotely important to you, you may perfer an iPod. honestly, if you’re the type of person who doesn’t just want an mp3 player for popping in some earbuds and being done with it, the availability of designed-for-iPod devices can be an influential argument.
as someone who helps people make the right purchase every day, i honestly give the customer all the information i have on the pro’s and con’s of all the devices i have to offer, and let the customer make the choice. numbers don’t lie – i sell at least 10 iPods for every one of a different brand (Zune or otherwise). whether it’s because iPods are what the “in-crowd” all own or that customers are genuinely buying it because they like it, iPod moves more units, and other brands have more features. there is no arguing that fact.
personally, i own an iPod. i wanted one for the reason i mentioned – it was what everyone else had. now that i work in retail and have more information, i want a Zune for christmas.

@Tiffany

Thanks for putting this to bed.

I use my Zune Pass with my Nokia N95-4 NAM…

My wife uses the Zune 80GB on her person…

We have the iPod (not sure which one) on the Bose wireless dock. I wish the Zune had a Bose wireless dock.

I wish Apple had subscription based music.

Can’t wait for the details on the Zune…