iPOD Killer???

[Sal]

What do people think of the Microsoft Zune?

Could this be the biggest competitor to the iPOD?

Personally, I don't think so. MS has not been the best at "integration" or useability. Those are the hallmarks of the success of the iPOD.

Well, time will tell, but I just wanted to get people's opinions

-Sal

[citivolus]

With WiFi..!?! and the battery life is what? two songs? A wire is cheaper, easier to configure, faster and more secure. I'm not sure all the gee-wiz is going anywhere. If they want wireless try bluetooth headphones. I think the iPod is in little danger of being pushed aside by this one.

[macgeek]

2 words..

Micro Soft

'nuff said

Jonathan

[citivolus]

Perhaps a little viagra could help...

[gbrandwood]

Originally Posted by Sal

What do people think of the Microsoft Zune?

Could this be the biggest competitor to the iPOD?

Personally, I don't think so. MS has not been the best at "integration" or useability. Those are the hallmarks of the success of the iPOD.

Well, time will tell, but I just wanted to get people's opinions

-Sal

I think it is too early to tell. We need some firm information about the units before we can really judge.

I'm not really a fan of the iPOD - I'm an even smaller fan of iTunes - at least iTunes running on Windows.

At this stage, I'd guess all I can say is I think it will be good. Microsoft don't churn out too much crap. Hopefully it will be great. Apple need a bit of competition in this area by someone with the clout to advertise and promote as much as Apple have done.

For now, I'm sticking with my Rio Karma and library of FLAC files.

[florin]

I think they are too late. Nowadays you can already buy an ipod at almost every corner of the street, your next car will probably already have an ipod cradle, etc. The IPod is already everywhere. Adding WIFI to a machine that for the rest is almost the same as an ipod video wont make people change their MP3 player.

But hey, what else could we expect from microsoft, they see something good, they want to copy it. It's not without a reason that Apple uses the following phrase: Redmond start your photocopiers

[gbrandwood]

Very funny, Florin! Cheeky monkies those people at Apple

I don't think it is too late. If the products are good enough, and priced well, with the right marketing, they will catch on.

I don't agree with your views on Microsoft's approach to R&D. They spend, and I'm only guessing, !LOTS! of money on R&D. Sure they'll see ideas from other companies - just like other companies see what Microsoft are up to. It happens. Where a company goes too far, they normally get taken to court! Microsoft will often buy-in the expertise for a product they like, like Virtual PC. They then make it better. And with this example, they give it away free! So it's not all bad. Anyway, wi-fi music players will be great if you can use them for headphones without wires. Just like you can on some mobiles with bluetooth. I'm looking forward to it.

[florin]

I would be surprised if they want to charge for an application like virtual PC, specially because it's goal is to keep people using Microsoft Windows.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still having an windows computer at home and I also have to use a Windows computer at my work. But since some time I also have an Apple Macbook Pro at home, after one week of using it, you wished you had it bought a lot earlier. So user-friendly, it's unbelievable. And guess what, it hasn't crashed a single time. That's probably also the reason why I can't find a "del" button on the keyboard (you don't need the magic ctrl-alt-del key combination to get your computer stable again).

If the price is ok, I'm sure they will have a chance. WIFI doesn't seem to usefull to me, all the music on my iPod are MP3s that I have created from CDs that I have, WIFI headphones are not really likely, because it consumes too much electricity, Bluetooth is much better in that perspective.

Buying an song via WIFI on your Zune, I wouldn't do that while you're on the move. Your credit card is charged and then suddenly you loose connection because you drive through a tunnel, too bad. Then I rather do it via a normal computer and a cable.

But if you want to have a MP3/Video player that supports WIFI, then I would suggest to wait for the Sony Ericsson P990, then you also have a UMTS smartphone with camera. They say it will be released early september.

[gbrandwood]

Originally Posted by florin

I would be surprised if they want to charge for an application like virtual PC, specially because it's goal is to keep people using Microsoft Windows.

Virtual PC sold alone for ages - before Microsoft bought it and after. VMWare, a better alternative to VPC, has been selling for just as long, and is still for sale. It might have to go free now - which, contrary to my earlier point, might be a bad thing in terms of its long term development, in case revenue from some of their server offerings is not sufficient to continue development.

Originally Posted by florin

Don't get me wrong, I'm still having an windows computer at home and I also have to use a Windows computer at my work. But since some time I also have an Apple Macbook Pro at home, after one week of using it, you wished you had it bought a lot earlier. So user-friendly, it's unbelievable. And guess what, it hasn't crashed a single time. That's probably also the reason why I can't find a "del" button on the keyboard (you don't need the magic ctrl-alt-del key combination to get your computer stable again).

I'm glad you really like Macbook Pro - and I'm glad it hasn't crashed. I've not had too many crashes on XP. I find it very stable. Because of my job (and my hobbies) I try a lot new software, some well written, some not so well written. The occasionaly crash is acceptable when you consider how much stuff I get through. And when there is a crash, the OS stays up. So, really, your point to me is that some of the apps you use are more stable than some of the apps I use. This isn't necessarily down to the O/S, more the programmers of the apps.

Originally Posted by florin

If the price is ok, I'm sure they will have a chance. WIFI doesn't seem to usefull to me, all the music on my iPod are MP3s that I have created from CDs that I have, WIFI headphones are not really likely, because it consumes too much electricity, Bluetooth is much better in that perspective.

I agree. Bluetooth would be better, but wi-fi might have some potential, and what that might be, we may need to wait and see. I like the idea of being in an airport, for example, in a wi-fi spot, and being able to buy tunes while I'm waiting. We'll see. Communicating between devices would be easier too. Very much like Nintendo DS's do. There are possibilities. I want to hear more and see what's out there. Microsoft's WMA and WMV formats are really good, with excellent quality to sound ratio. Much better than MP3. AAC, well, That's pretty good too. But, Windows won't play AAC out of the box, I think, whereas it will play WMx. But it won't play FLAC either, so I can't talk too much about that.

A digital radio would be cool on it too, with a line out and options like a quality dock - maybe one compatible with the iPod so it can integrate with all those cars that are having iPod stuff as an option. To be honeset though, the auto industry should adopt a standard format that is open to all MP3 players and then the consumer can pick and choose.

Originally Posted by florin

Buying an song via WIFI on your Zune, I wouldn't do that while you're on the move. Your credit card is charged and then suddenly you loose connection because you drive through a tunnel, too bad. Then I rather do it via a normal computer and a cable.

I don't think that's the intention of the wi-fi feature. Not so much when you're on the move, more when you are out and about and have a connection. In a cafe, airport or railway or somewhere like a mall.

Originally Posted by florin

But if you want to have a MP3/Video player that supports WIFI, then I would suggest to wait for the Sony Ericsson P990, then you also have a UMTS smartphone with camera. They say it will be released early september.

If it is much better than its predecessor, then it will be worth a look. I thought the 910i (I think that was the model I've looked at) was a brick! One day all this tech might be converged but size and weight is a real factor. Combining a phone, camera and MP3 player to match the expecations of the digital youth of today is going to be difficult if we want it, as we do, to fit in our pocket and not weight too much.

Gareth