# M$ releases new Zunes



## mdnky (Oct 3, 2007)

Wow...this is not another example of Microsoft copying other products at all...not at all (can you fell the sarcasm in that statement?).

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/6784


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## Natobasso (Oct 3, 2007)

I saw that on ARS Technica...yeah, the Zune is a good concept, but poor execution and not enough to differentiate it from iPods. No one likes a copycat.


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## bbloke (Oct 3, 2007)

The closest thing to a Zune that I'd ever buy is the Hide-a-Pod...


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## Giaguara (Oct 3, 2007)

Oh wait, brown is not Teh Social any more?


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## lbj (Oct 3, 2007)

bbloke said:


> The closest thing to a Zune that I'd ever buy is the Hide-a-Pod...



"Will all iPod models (and iPhone) fit?

Of course! The Zune is so incredibly huge that theres plenty of room for any iPod or iPhone along with your choice of accessories, a sack lunch, and maybe a small cat."


: )


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## Natobasso (Oct 3, 2007)

Catpod...


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## Lt Major Burns (Oct 3, 2007)

the shape of the click wheel reminds me of the quadratic steering wheel.








on the hateful austin allegro from the 70's...


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## mw84 (Oct 6, 2007)

Read somewhere on the BBC news website that they compare 'well' with the _last_ generation of iPods. Wonder how it feels to always be one step behind.


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## nixgeek (Oct 6, 2007)

On the flip side of the coin, you can't dismiss that MS is trying to make up for its mistakes, especially with the features going back down to the original Zune.    I'm sure that all those iPod owners with 1G nanos and older color iPods would love to be able to view video on them.  I'm still enjoying my iPod nano and don't feel that I need to upgrade to a new nano in order to get that feature.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/zune/fir...is-is-how-you-treat-your-customers-306422.php

Lately, Apple has been doing some questionable things in my opinion, and I am starting to lose my faith in them.  I hope this doesn't continue, because they do make some wonderful products.  But to exploit them in such a way that does not benefit the consumer is just wrong.  MS saw that with their Zune 1 and is trying to rectify it with their Zune 2.  Apple needs to come to its senses in my opinion.  They sat on their laurels during the 90s thinking that the Mac OS was invincible, giving MS enough time to make Windows "good enough", and we know how that turned out.  I'm hoping history does NOT repeat itself due to Apple's smugness during good times.


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## hawki18 (Oct 6, 2007)

mw84 said:


> Read somewhere on the BBC news website that they compare 'well' with the _last_ generation of iPods. Wonder how it feels to always be one step behind.



Well speaking of being behind what about Apple TV what a piece crap that is!  Tevo is so far head of it I can't believe people would waste money on one.  Once again always complain about MS and everything Steve does it great give me a break.


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## bbloke (Oct 8, 2007)

nixgeek said:


> http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/zune/fir...is-is-how-you-treat-your-customers-306422.php
> 
> Lately, Apple has been doing some questionable things in my opinion, and I am starting to lose my faith in them.


Interesting...  The free software update sounds like a great idea and will keep customers very happy.  It would be nice to see Apple do that too...  (Mind you, I wouldn't be too bothered about watching videos on a first or second generation iPod nano, though!)  Is there any hardware-related reason why Apple could not do this (i.e. a good reason, other than forcing people to upgrade)?

What sort of issues have been annoying you, nixgeek?  The recent iPhone and iPod Touch problems?  Or is there a long list?




hawki18 said:


> Well speaking of being behind what about Apple TV what a piece crap that is!  Tevo is so far head of it I can't believe people would waste money on one.


I had thought Tivo was only limited to recording of TV transmissions, but, after reading your post, I had a look at their web site and saw that they are used in conjunction with movie downloads and music libraries too.  It will be interesting to see how the Apple TV and Tivo compete, then...



hawki18 said:


> Once again always complain about MS and everything Steve does it great give me a break.


To be fair, that is not the way it necessarily goes here.  You can see nixgeek's post above, for example.  There may be a preference here, overall, for Apple's products over others' offerings, but there are still threads where people write posts and criticize Apple or Steve Jobs too; the forums aren't sycophantic.


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## ergo proxy (Oct 8, 2007)

I didn't know ms also made these music/media players. when did this happen?


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## nixgeek (Oct 8, 2007)

bbloke said:


> Interesting...  The free software update sounds like a great idea and will keep customers very happy.  It would be nice to see Apple do that too...  (Mind you, I wouldn't be too bothered about watching videos on a first or second generation iPod nano, though!)  Is there any hardware-related reason why Apple could not do this (i.e. a good reason, other than forcing people to upgrade)?
> 
> What sort of issues have been annoying you, nixgeek?  The recent iPhone and iPod Touch problems?  Or is there a long list?



Not just the iPod touch and iPhone issues.  Not just the QA issues that they've had with their Intel Macs and even before then with the G5 Macs (and I'm referring to genuine, well-known issues that have been in the press lately).  It's just the way that they treat their customers.  This is not the same Apple that I've known for years....it was made evident when they decided to change their name and cross into other areas, leaving the "computer" IMO as an afterthought.

Maybe it's just my perception of the grand scheme of things with Apple lately, but here you have Apple cutting off a LOT of Mac users with Leopard for a measly 67 Mhz.  I understand that Apple has brought a lot of stuff to the table, but so did Tiger and even G3 users were still supported (albeit slowly).  It seems that we're going down a Vista-like path with more focus on the eye candy than actual functionality.  Heck, even Vista can perform decently on my Athlon XP 2400+ from 3 years ago (and that was with the RC), and here I find myself with a two year old iMac G5 (that cost me SIGNIFICANTLY more than a PC would have, despite all the crap that it comes with) coming close to the edge when it comes to processor support.

It was always the understanding that when you bought an Apple, it was a computer that was more of an investment and that would last a good while longer than a PC.  That's one of the testaments to owning an Apple-branded computer that separated it from the rest of the PC world.  However, it seems that Jobs would have us replacing our Macs (and iPods since that's the topic of discussion) at a shorter rate but at the same premium cost while we end up with mediocre quality.  I consider myself lucky that I ended up with the May 2005 model iMac G5 and not the one before it (and this was before I knew about the hardware issues with the first revision).  Of course, I can't say the same for my father who just purchased one of the new iMacs for his work, only for me to find out that even THESE models are having hardware issues.

The last thing I would want to do is recommend a PC to anyone that would be willing to use a Mac, but if the long-term benefits aren't there anymore to put the Mac ahead of the pack, I might as well point them to the dark side of the moon.

It took Apple a LONG time to get build up the reputation that it has now, and I'm glad that Apple is now the darling of the tech industry.  However, it's making some big mistakes, and the iPhone/iPod touch issues are the ones that stand out the most right now.  It's much easier to lose that reputation if you're going to focus more on your revenue than on your customers that provide you that revenue in such brash ways.


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## Lt Major Burns (Oct 8, 2007)

I'm not sure you remember how fast your G5 is, or how slow 800 mhz is... even a 1.6ghz G5 is a hell of a lot faster than an 800mhz G4.  anything under 1ghz is difficult for many things these days, whereas my 1.8ghz G5 is still pretty damn fast.  to the point where i couldn't justify replacing it (nothing at the moment is _that_ much faster to warrant going out and replacing the damn thing.

i also have a 700mhz ibook, and that thing is very much usuable, but totally crippled by the processor. (web, email, music is all fine, but video is hopeless)


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## nixgeek (Oct 8, 2007)

Lt Major Burns said:


> I'm not sure you remember how fast your G5 is, or how slow 800 mhz is... even a 1.6ghz G5 is a hell of a lot faster than an 800mhz G4.  anything under 1ghz is difficult for many things these days, whereas my 1.8ghz G5 is still pretty damn fast.  to the point where i couldn't justify replacing it (nothing at the moment is _that_ much faster to warrant going out and replacing the damn thing.
> 
> i also have a 700mhz ibook, and that thing is very much usuable, but totally crippled by the processor. (web, email, music is all fine, but video is hopeless)



I'll have to see once Leopard comes out.  But that's besides the point.

My issue is the path that Apple is heading when it comes to its customers.  I hope that I'm wrong, but so far I'm not too fond of the current face of Apple.


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## Lt Major Burns (Oct 8, 2007)

i'm also in that boat, but it's not so much customer care, more just the growing arrogance of apple/steve jobs.  5 years of near constant praise is not good for the ego.

they reportedly demanded 40% of the revenue from iPhone monthly contracts, and 02 were the only company in britain not to bail out...


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## eric2006 (Oct 8, 2007)

ergo proxy said:


> I didn't know ms also made these music/media players. when did this happen?



exactly


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