Here’s what critics are missing about Zune |
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Like some (most?) of you, I’ve been reading how much the Zune sucks everywhere (Infoworld). Note the first reader and Zune customer comment following that Infoworld story which makes the absurd comparison to the collosal Microsoft BOB failure that begins with: “I bought the Zune and I love it.”
How many Microsoft products generate these type of comments? A lot of love has been felt from the Tablet PC community while critics have mocked the device and dismissed as little more than an expensive laptop.
It’s a good thing critics aren’t always right. The negativity doesn’t end with mainstream media, bloggers have picked up on it too.
Om Malik was put off being one of the last media guys to receive a Zune review copy and can’t make up his mind whether to review it or not. Worse, he wants readers to help him. Lame. No matter what anybody else says or writes, you still have your own opinion, Om, right? Maybe there are gigabytes worth of reviews out there, but until there is a Gigaom review your readers won’t know what you think. As a reader and somebody who goes out and pays for the gadgets with my hard earned money, I’m put off by this kind of reader polling.
Engadget’s Ryan Block put together a series of screenshots of how awful his installation experience was and it was front page dugg and linked up like crazy, but you know what happened when I installed my Zune after unboxing it?
It worked flawlessly. No error messages. No lockups. No hangups. No problems.
And then there is the grandfather of trolling, John Dvorak, who has arguably been wrong more than right about technology adding his complaints about the Zune review criteria (why should PC Magazine readers care, John, really?) and without actually reviewing the unit coming to the following realization: Microsoft’s music player has no future. After Dvorak admitted to Dave Winer intentionally trolling my admiration and respect for him as a writer vaporized. Who knows or can trust what Dvorak really thinks these days? This is kind of sad because at one time I used to enjoy reading his perpetually snarky columns. Keep in mind Dvorak is also the same guy who called blogging a “niche market and called us conformists.
I don’t know about you, friendly readers, but I’d like to see more of these reviewers actually buy more of these gadgets with their own money thus putting some of their own wallets in the game, and then hear what their perspective is from a customer, instead of somebody just paid to review a free loaner copy of the gadget. And in some cases bitch and moan about the review process (big yawn).
Also, some of the reviews involve the Zune before the marketplace was available thus crippling a major function of the device. The Zune marketplace is a vital part of the device just as iTunes is to the iPod.
I’ve been extremely critical of Microsoft in the past on a number of fronts and have absolutely zero problem criticizing them, but instead of being just another lemming rolling out the Microsoft sucks line, I actually went to the store and bought the Zune on launch day and kept an open mind about the device. Sure, I couldn’t help thinking I was going to take it home and be tortured by how poorly the device and software worked, but to summarize in three words what I found?
I liked it.
I’ll give several reasons why I like it and point to something that I’ve yet to read a Zune critic speak about (I can’t be the first mention it). Now let’s get the comparison stuff out of the way first.
No, it’s not the iPod
I never expected the Zune to be an iPod and don’t want it to be. Ever. No more than I expect the PS3 to be the Xbox 360 or Wii. Can we listen to (most) complete songs in the iTunes Music Store database? No. You get a lousy 30 second preview. I’ve written extensively about how the unlimited rental plans help our family decide what music we’d like to buy on CD so that we can rip into a format (MP3) that we can use on many different devices (DVD players, car stereo, portable devices, etc). Apple would rather give me a 30 second clip to decide if I should then drop a buck on a song that can only be played on their system and devices. What do I do when I want to take that music to listen in the car? I need to bring along the iPod and hook into the car with other accessories.
And then there’s the Xbox 360
Our family owns two Xbox 360 that are used almost constantly when the kids are home. They enjoy playing and as parents we like that we can juice the accounts with Microsoft Points. It’s a responsibility lesson leaving them with points. Now they could go in and buy points and hit our credit cards (something I don’t like about the Microsoft marketplace, they need to force some sort of password check on that) but fortunately are children are responsible and ask first.
Now we can buy music with the same points that are used to buy games and Xbox Live content. Can I do that with iPod/iTunes? No. They have games, but the games only play in the 5g iPod (which we have) and they don’t come anywhere close to comparing to Xbox 360 games (nor are they intended to compete).
And while playing games on the Xbox 360 I can stream music from Zune. How cool is that? I can’t do that with the music on my wife’s iPod. That gives me a library of well over a million songs to peruse through at my convenience, picking and choosing the music I like and ultimately whittle down and buy my most favorite. I’m not interested in quantity when buying CDs, music and movies, I’m interested in something I enjoy.
For those who think managing a huge music collection with tens of thousands of songs ripped in MP3 format is practical, read what Davis Freeberg has to say who is considering Napster and the Sonos music system with a rental vs. MP3 music strategy:
In retrospect, had I been able to think forward five years, I would have been better off putting off innovation and using Rhapsody (or more likely Yahoo! music because Real Network sucks), then to try and assemble a collection on my own.
Interestingly, Davis is so disappointed in the WiFi capabilities of the Zune and DRM strategy that he won’t be buying one. Davis, like many others, must wrongly see the Zune as nothing more than a glorified portable music player trying to compete against the iPod.
Microsoft Points: pain or pleasure?
There is an old saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some think Microsoft Points are an unnecessary hassle, but for those already actively using the Live Marketplace Microsoft Points are convenient. Did I have any trouble getting Zune to see how many Microsoft Points we had on our family Xbox Live account?
No problem.
Do I have problems figuring out what the Linden dollar converts to in the MMO Second Life? No. Somebody should remind the Microsoft Points detractors to harken back to their middle school math classes. Despite being a programmer, I didn’t get good math grades and yet I can still figure out that 1.25 Microsoft Points = 1 penny. Why didn’t Microsoft make it easier and just use pennies? Perhaps so they can sell stuff through the Marketplace for less than one penny.
The lack of uncrippled WiFi complaint
The Zune has WiFi, which has been another source of early ridicule. Sure, I’d like to be able to surf the music store from within the Zune but can I do that with the iPod? No. I believe someday Zune with the built-in WiFi is better positioned to give me that experience. Why should I need to sync through the PC? Somebody will give me the store in the device directly and I hope that’s on the Zune feature road map.
I’m not trying to diminish how cool a device the iPod is but it’s wrong to make blanket comparisons to the Zune at this point. Sure the iPod is the hot device that most people are buying, but on Windows, I’ve never cared for iTunes. I like it much better on the Mac. Maybe it’s because iTunes on Windows feels like something they had to do, not something they wanted to do for the Mac. I realize the software is meant to be similar to the Mac version and maybe it’s just me, but the Windows version of iTunes feels wrong.
The Zune and iPod can live together
We are a platform agnostic family. We own and use in either business, home or both the following OS: Tablet PC (700+ days now), Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Media Center 2005 and Mac OS X Tiger. Recently my wife wanted an iPod, so we went out and bought her the fifth generation iPod (black) 80GB. Our oldest son has the Sirius Stiletto 100 and yesterday Tuesday as mentioned above, I bought the Zune.
I could have gone out and bought an iPod for me like my wife has (maybe a different color) but I’ve already seen what the iPod has to offer. I was curious what the Zune was like and how having a Zune on Windows and iPod with Mac sharing the same MP3 directory would work. It works great and I shared the details earlier today so other platform agnostic families can use.
Zune video looks sharp
The Zune player comes with a few demo videos to watch. I like being able to watch them like UMDs on a PSP in wide format and prefer video on the Zune screen to the 5g iPod video. In fact, we’ve been using an iPod clock radio with TV out to watch the video for the iPod.
Adcenter, Zune, and micropayments
Here’s the part to put aside Zune as merely a music/video player. Microsoft has quietly been building the biggest and best micropayment processor in the world. For non Xbox Live gamers, this might be surprising, but Microsoft continue to embrace and build a platform which could allow cutting in affiliates (think Adcenter) for very small payments. Imagine being paid to promote TV, music, videos, games and indie content with a single affiliate account? One place Google won’t be able to slap its ads.
Though I’m merely speculating on this part, I see within five years Microsoft being able to take a shot at iTunes, Skype, PayPal, Google Checkout and possibly even eBay all with a single product: Live Marketplace. The Zune is an intregal part of the portable puzzle that other portable devices they’ve had to date didn’t quite fit. This explains why they have turned their back on some past technologies. Yeah, that will hack off partners and customers but they had to make a decision to flounder with less than 10% of the market or do something that could make them a serious competitor in the future. I don’t believe they will turn their back on the zune Zune, despite the significant amount of negativity already swirling around the device.
It’s worth remembering that the Zune is still a first generation device. I remember what people thought about the Xbox when it first came out a little over five years ago. It wasn’t hailed as a success and yet five years later it’s in a strong second position and is a serious contender to Sony’s PlayStation. Time and effort can enact a change in perception and value.
It’s all too easy to dismiss the Zune as another failed Microsoft portable device, which is the trap I’m reading from too many critics who don’t see this underlying, prosperous growing micropayment network. Almost every Wednesday Xbox Live enjoys a nice healthy hit for classic games that take hundreds of thousands or less to build versus the millions it takes to produce full fledged commercial games. Our kids look forward to these games every Wednesday and the comradarie with their friends as they explore these games. Meanwhile, the cash register rings.
Apple might posture in public, but what is their response to the gaming side? One would be to buy Nintendo, which I think would be a smart counter for them, but I’m not sure they will give gaming enough credit. Apple can be blinded by arrogance like Sony has sometimes and that might be their undoing. Microsoft certainly isn’t without arrogance of their own, but it seems more subdued than Apple.
Where does the UMPC fit?
I don’t see the UMPC being the right device because:
1) not readily available in retail stores
2) too expensive
Sound similar to the Tablet PC?
We still haven’t seen the lower end promised $500 UMPC. People aren’t going to drop over $1,000 for a portable PC en masse. Microsoft has another nice portable device on their hands if they can’t get the price at and below $500.
The Zune is enterting at about the right price point ($250) and it’s only first generation. Sure, they should eventually make a cheaper, smaller Zune, but not if it doesn’t provide all/most the features of the bigger model. The iPod Shuffle didn’t work for me because I missed having the screen.
History has proven that next generation devices don’t become less expensive unless they have more widespread market penetration (good) or are being dumped in a fire sale (bad). This has been the problem plaguing the Tablet PC. Not enough people buy them to get the prices down. Hopefully with Vista including the Tablet PC OS we’ll see a tablet form factor resurgence. I hope so because the tablet experience has played the underdog role — just like the Xbox — for several years.
Respect takes time with Microsoft because people resent some of their less than stellar business moves. Especially those who bought into former DRM-laden strategies. I can understand people being hesitant to get behind the Zune. I’m not sure we’ll be doing much purchasing of DRM-laden tracks or albums, but will I be using their unlimited music system to rent music and decide what to buy? Yes, I’m planning on renewing the free 14 day trial. For how long I’ll keep renewing, time will tell. Admittedly with two Sirius Satelllite subscriptions, podcasts, videos, movies, terrestrial radio and now the Zune there’s too much content for me to absorb. Something will have to give eventually.
“You can’t win, Rock!”
Microsoft has learned something valuable with the Xbox. Reminds me of the Rocky story, which Stallone is heading up for sixth sequel next month. Who would have thought following the abomination that was Rocky 5 Stallone would try another sequel? I wouldn’t be shocked if it is successful either (Hollywood can be more unpredictable than technology). Though the Xbox division still isn’t profitable — and I’m sure somebody will remind me of that after reading this — the future is very bright for them and I see where Zune fits a strong future strategy. Right now it’s taking a beating like Mr. T gave the Rock in Rocky III, but Rocky came back swinging.
Bill Gates, despite his pending retirement status, continues to look ahead:
[Gates told] Charlie Rose and Stanford University audience at TechNet conference that ‘we’re at the beginning of something important again’ in development of technology — just as in the 1980s with the advent of the PC.
I think Gates is right.
This commentary caused Read/Write Web to ponder:
If all goes well for Microsoft (a big ‘if’), in 10 years time they will be the software that powers a lot of connected entertainment - just as in the 80’s and 90’s they provided the OS for the majority of PCs. The multi-billion dollar question is: can they get the same kind of dominance in connected entertainment as in the PC?
Sure they can. They already are, but they are going in the backdoor with something people love to do: play games. They’ve had less success with their efforts on the TV with Media Center but things keep improving on that front. A different kind of TV is the future, a more interactive and involving one that isn’t just a static tube that people sit and watch passively. The television of the future could still be several years away but just as VoIP is eating into the cell phone business, watch what happens with TV and the internet.
The Zune plan looks like swiss cheese at the moment, thanks mostly to folks judging Microsoft more on their business strategy and past success than their ability to stay with something where they are losing money (Xbox). This is one time where I think Microsoft’s wait and see approach actually makes very good business sense. If you can look at the Zune as something to watch, rather than something to dismiss, I think you’ll see this plan shaping in the distance as I’m seeing.
Waiting before exhaling: the grade
I held off a couple days before writing this review because I wanted to spend time playing with the Zune and marketplace in depth as well as enjoying listening to the wide selection of music. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Zune team comes up with future generations. While there are clearly a number of things I’d like to see added — let developers create Zune apps for one (API, API, API) — I see a much brighter future 4-5 years down the road than many critics and those heralding slow Zune launch sales see. Zune first generation is merely the beginning and part of a much grander scale. I’m not taking the Zune back and paying the restocking fee. Grade: B-
- How to share an MP3 directory with Microsoft Zune and Apple iPod / iTunes on Mac
- Seeing first TB external drive for under $400, how long for inexpensive petabyte drives?
- Halo 3 Zune from Gamestop
- Comparison shopping for DRM-free music online a must these days
- iPod turns five years old, looking back, looking forward
- 1.2 TB Lacie external USB 2.0 and Firewire drive for $899 USD
10’s of thousands of mp3’s, puhlease, I’ve wasted so much money on buying CDs that I’m almost embarassed to admit how many songs I now hoard. I think I did the math once and it’d take me close to 10 years to listen to everything from start to finish.
Great review, this is why I love blogging so much. There are so many different perspectives out there. There really is never one right answer. It’s good to see you bring a bit of a balance to the conversation. In all fairness, my comments on the Zune have been without ever testing the design or functionality of the device and have stemmed more from a philosophical difference with the direction that the company is taking, then from a features or functionality standpoint.
My personal mp3 storage decision has been to go with the Audiovox SMT 5600 which allows me to combine my music with my cell phone, so I’m probably not the target demographic on this one, but I do worry though, that Microsoft has moved too far in supporting the studios then their customers. You’re right that having some WiFi is better then none, but why is my Nokia 770 (which suffers from 1st gen problems too btw) able to get unrestricted wifi and mp3s on it, but then the studios force Zune to disable certain aspects of their wifi? Also why is Microsoft paying UMG money for selling hardware, when no one else is? While these decisions, don’t really diminish any of the positive capabilities of the Zune, it is a troubling direction to see Microsoft head and I worry that more of the industry will make these sorts of compromises in the future.
If we looked back to the late 90’s, I wonder if the Microsoft of today would have ever allowed us to rip our mp3s from our CDs given how cozy they’ve gotten with the studios.
I understand the necessities of the compromises that Microsoft made and I think that a lot of this is being driven more by their IPTV goals, then even their Zune goals, but I still see it as a case of technology gone bad. I do think you’re absolutely right about the Zune marketplace being the real killer app for this device though. Micropayments will be huge and Microsoft is building something much bigger then an mp3 player with their site. It will be neat to see where this ends up going.
Comment by Davis Freeberg — November 17, 2006 @ 11:56 am PST
Talking with a friend this morning, Davis, and he pointed to micropayments in Asia being huge. We can’t forget about Asia, which covers a huge portion of the world in terms of population. It’s easy to get caught up being US-centric sometimes. Thanks for taking time to comment back.
Comment by TDavid — November 17, 2006 @ 12:47 pm PST
I think micropayments are a huge part of what’s made Google so successful. If Microsoft can tap into it, I’m sure it will be very lucrative. Of course at the same time, history is littered with microfailures too. I think Sprite had their own system once and I remember a couple of services where you could buy universal gift certificates or something that left a lot of people out in the cold when they went under. Microsoft if better equiped to take it on, but it won’t be a slam dunk either.
Thinking about Asia makes my head hurt. There are so many people it’s ridiculous that we even think about the US at all. I think part of the problem is the difficulty in understanding the culture. While I know China, India and Indonesia have an enormous number of people, it’s hard to know what sorts of things would interest them because I’m so out of touch with their cultures. Trying to sort out the hype from the real opportunity is tough, but Microsoft has a good team in Asia and they clearly understand these things better then I ever could.
Comment by davis freeberg — November 17, 2006 @ 7:28 pm PST
Me being that friend, I’m going to pipe in here. I was going to write a post about it, and perhaps I will still.
Microsoft is learning about micropayments. I don’t own a 360 or Xbox, so I’m just basing this off what I read. From what I’ve heard, it’s good (Marketplace). Could be better though. If there is a subscription fee, there shouldn’t be one. One of the biggest reasons micropayments are so successful in Asia? Who the heck is going to watch the pennies spent here and there? But they add up VERY quickly.
It’s the one thing that the American gaming/multimedia markets have not understood properly. iTunes Store is actually not terrible with the ideas, but they’re still missing a few of the key ingredients just as Marketplace is.
I personally think that while advertising is a huge thing, I’m not hot on the whole Adcenter integration. From a user interface perspective, it can really hurt your interface if it’s not well thought out on placement and well integrated into the design.
If anyone is curious about micropayments, take a look at the games of Gunbound, Silkroad, Warrock, and a multitude of others. Free to play, and you can play all you wish, but there have been many times I’ve been tempted to purchase that $2-8 item. Some of the games even set a cap that you can’t spend more than $1k a week. I don’t know if this is to protect them from lawsuit or what, but it’s interesting.
I think a lot of corporations need to re-think their strategy at attacking the markets. Micropayments can be seen as the Walmart of Internet marketplace now. Cheap is good, because people are more likely to spend more times.
Well, heck. I think I wrote pretty much my post in the comment. haha. I love Asian stuff. Of course, it helps to be Asian, which I am! w00t w00t! lol.
Comment by darkmoon — November 18, 2006 @ 2:47 am PST
Hi darkmoon - thanks for weighing in. I suspect at some point the subscription fee will go away. So far it’s like 50 bones a year which is like just another game purchase to gamers. The removal of the subscription fee will be part of the give and take of an ad-supported platform. Perhaps after Sony has their marketplace rocking and rolling (I’ve seen very little mentioned about this yet, but it’s only day #1 after launch), it would be a good counter move by Microsoft. If Microsoft keeps charging and Sony — and Nintendo if they deliver their own marketplace — doesn’t, then it leaves a door open for the competition.
Next, what I mean by Adcenter integration isn’t necessarily like Adsense in Gmail as you might be thinking. I mean the ability for you, I and others to put contextual ads for Live Marketplace ads on our websites being able to upsell content from the Marketplace and possibly a third stage of offering micropayment processing using Microsoft Points. For example, if I wanted to sell an eBook on the Live Marketplace and on my own website too using Microsoft Points. Also, I suspect the ability to run and/or share in the ads revenue inside the games themselves (think Google Adwords, but inside games) — which is already happening with developers and Microsoft — will continue to prosper. At first it will be more subtle like ads like billboard signs in racing games and in store fronts. This is an area with many expansive possibilities if done carefully.
I’ve written before about the dangers of bringing ads into the games themselves and as a gamer if it’s done carelessly I’m extremely opposed. My thinking however is that if it is going to be done — and it is being done — then the developers and Microsoft should allow you and I to profit from this as well. I don’t want to see game screens violated by ads. We’re in total agreement there that this is something gamers won’t — and don’t — want. However, since it is happening already on a subtle level, why shouldn’t you or I as website owners be able to share in these profits with developers (and Microsoft)?
There already is advertising inside the Live Marketplace including the equivalent of banner ads. In a future post I’ll take some screenshots and point out the many different marketing of existing content inside Live Marketplace. They started Live with these ads and it’s integrated very well. As a gamer you don’t even think about these as ads. That’s how the system would have to continue to work I think to be effective.
Also, I could see providing an Adcenter bonus system for gamers with higher gamerscore, thus incentifying gamers who upsell games from their own sites that they had proven skill in the game. The fact that some companies are starting to sell gamerscore adds another dimension and revenue possibility to the equation.
I have a lot of conceptual ideas about how this system could and would work and while at this moment in time this might be something purely imaginary in my head — and my head alone — I seriously doubt that Microsoft hasn’t already pondered this stuff and that it’s a part of their Adcenter roadmap. Carefully executed and implemented this can be a huge cash register ringing event for multiple parties and something that would catch Google off guard and unable to immediately counter (unless they jumped in and bought Sony or Nintendo or created their own gaming system).
Comment by TDavid — November 18, 2006 @ 5:16 am PST
I like that idea of using gamer score as part of the algorithm. Unfortunately, I know exactly how to ruin it also having seen similar types. What happens is that someone pays a gamer to boost the scores so they can make a buck quick. Or you’ll see the underground scene of gamer accounts traded to sell more. It depends on how profitable the actual scene is.
In this case, I think that Microsoft has to really dig in and take a hard look at what they have going. I would probably pull the yearly fee. That’s a terribly stupid thing to do.
They have the advantage here on both Sony and Nintendo, but if they fail to play this advantageously to themselves, then they’re the only ones to blame for not seeing it.
Comment by darkmoon — November 18, 2006 @ 11:11 am PST
The money in micropayments
I have contemplated this exact issue while playing Gunbound when it first came out. Then recently, I’ve thought about this quite a bit as of late due to some conversations on IM with my friend, Tdavid over on how Microsoft…
Trackback by LUX.ET.UMBRA — November 21, 2006 @ 10:10 am PST
Here is another competition for the iPod and the Zune… the Wizby. I forgot which company in Japan made it. I have not tried it, but it looks cool.
Comment by Sean Hattaway — November 24, 2006 @ 11:12 am PST
[…] We are happy with our Zune experience thus far. As with any other critical writing out there, there are always more than one side to the story. Related PostsHere today, Zune tomorrow?Napster calls out iTunes / iPodZune, PS3 and Wii all go on sale week of Nov 13-19, what will availability be like? […]
Pingback by Coming Zune defense again » Make You Go Hmm — November 26, 2006 @ 3:34 pm PST
[…] What’s odder still is that Gizmodo, an arguably respected gadget blog, tested the Zune and thought it was “pretty promising.” TDavid, a person whom I trust when it comes to honest reviews, twice has defended the Zune. Once at release and again today. When two very respectable reviews like Gizmodo’s and TDavid’s basically say that the Zune is fine and that the problems that people like Andy had aren’t universal, I have to stop and wonder if the Zune is suffering from anything more than the reputation of it’s manufacturer. Or rather if it is suffering from the reputation of it’s competitor. The thing is that Apple marketed the iPod about as perfectly as possible. And Apple and the iPod are seen as the “cool” toys. The social elite gadgets. And when a item enjoys a perception like that, sometimes reality gets a little skewed. […]
Pingback by Thatedeguy: » iPod Perception vs. Zune Reality — November 26, 2006 @ 6:36 pm PST
[…] I wrote much more about where I think this all is going and why in: Here’s what critics are missing about the Zune. […]
Pingback by Customers vs. users and being accused of astroturfing » Make You Go Hmm — November 27, 2006 @ 5:54 pm PST
Hi, great article…..I to own a Zune….(my son an Ipod and daughter a Zen).
I love the Zune…had no problems with installation and set up (contrary to many many posts).
Video is sharp and sound incredible, my son is also envies the way (and how well) it integrates with our xbox 360.
I think MS did a great job and the Zune has a great future!
P.S….my son wants a Zune too!
Comment by Zakkie — December 5, 2006 @ 1:42 am PST
On Zuneinsider you said this review was fair and balanced. Even after getting through your first few paragraphs of complaining about reviewers, I still didn’t find that.
1. And while playing games on the Xbox 360 I can stream music from Zune. How cool is that? I can’t do that with the music on my wife’s iPod.
— Great a feature for 24 million people worldwide (total XBox and XBox 360 as of May 2006.) Wait, how many of those are upgrades from XBox to XBox 360, so let’s reduce that number by a couple of million. Then Zune isn’t available worldwide, so let’s reduce that by a few million more. How many people actually benefit from this feature? In contrast, Apple had sold twice that many iPods by May 2006. Point is the XBox 360 feature will be insignificant to a very large majority of the MP3 player audience.
2. Somebody should remind the Microsoft Points detractors to harken back to their middle school math classes.
—Quick what’s 1,185 MS credits? Is it a better deal than iTunes $9.99. Did you need a calculator? (Tenacious D - Pick of Destiny) Oh yeah, and Zune Marketplace songs cost $1+ each until you buy 80 of them. That’s because of the left over pennies.
3. I’d like to be able to surf the music store from within the Zune but can I do that with the iPod? No.
—You really avoid the whole issue, but I’ll bite. Apple posted job openings for bluetooth and WiFi experienced engineers for the iPod in 2004 - long before Microsoft started Zune. So not only has Apple been looking into wireless, perhaps they realize the technology and the music industry support wasn’t there to make it worth introducing, yet. Had they gone the route of Microsoft, they would have been ridiculed for the crippled WiFi - I dare say, Apple knew better. Adding something, does not always make it better.
4. I like being able to watch them like UMDs on a PSP in wide format and prefer video on the Zune screen to the 5g iPod video.
—Are you saying the Zune is widescreen? It’s not. The screens are directly proportional to each other. One is just on its side. The screens are the same amount of pixels too, 320×240. Zune is a larger screen with a higher dot pitch meaning less sharpness - that’s indisputable.
5. In fact, we’ve been using an iPod clock radio with TV out to watch the video for the iPod.
—Good, then you know the iPod handles and outputs 640×480 video, 4 times the resolution of the Zune and much better on your TV. At least you didn’t talk about how the Zune holds more hours of video than the iPod - cause then I’d have to explain that Zune’s numbers are based of that 320×240 resolution while iPod’s are based of the 640×480 resolution the iTunes Store sales. In short, you load your own videos on there at 320×240 and they capacities are relatively close, although we can’t tell for sure because Zune only supports WMV and iPod supports .MOV, .M4V, .MP4, and h.264 codecs.
6. I see within five years Microsoft being able to take a shot at iTunes, Skype, PayPal, Google Checkout and possibly even eBay all with a single product: Live Marketplace.
—What was that thing called MSN ATM, Microsoft Wallet? Oh well, didn’t really catch on like paypal anyway. Wait, what does this really have to do with Zune?
So a fair and balanced review looks at the features of the Zune and ignores the features of the iPod, nice. I’ll list a few for you, the rest you can get off mindsplice.com. Lossless quality music, gapless playback, variable speed navigation, AIFF, WAV and Audible (audiobook) support, volume normalization, multiple on-the-go playlists, syncing of on-the-go playlists, external hard-drive enabled, alarm and sleep timers…
-Palmer @ MindSplice.com
Comment by MindSplice — December 8, 2006 @ 2:36 am PST
Palmer, thanks for taking time to comment (and subtly pitch your site).
You wrote: “So a fair and balanced review looks at the features of the Zune and ignores the features of the iPod, nice”
No, a review of the Zune looks at the Zune, it doesn’t ignore the iPod. And neither did I above.
The reason this piece starts out by reviewing the reviewers is because many of them get hung up on this as some sort of ‘iPod killer’ and if that’s the basis for the comparison, I suggest you go back to the first generation iPod. Was that a market killer? It had problems which Apple fanboys seem to be ignoring or conveniently forgot.
I think you are misunderstanding here. I wasn’t reviewing the iPod, I was reviewing the Zune. Most of your comments miss the point by trying to minimize the strengths like the Xbox Live tie-in (and you are wrong above, the Zune works with Xbox live for both the 360 and the Xbox, not only the 360). If you aren’t a gamer stop trying to piss all over those of us who are. The iPod doesn’t do anything for us if we are Xbox gamers, that is the point.
I’m not saying the iPod is a bad device — heck, we have one of those too — I am saying the Zune has strengths that make it unique. A fair and balanced review should look at the Zune for what it is, not only what it isn’t. Everybody is writing about what it isn’t but they don’t look at it from the perspective of somebody who already has bought an iPod
Comment by TDavid — December 8, 2006 @ 9:52 am PST
I should have said “ignored the features the Zune lacks”… A balanced review would cover the good and bad, balanced.
I think we miscommunicated on the XBox issue. I used “XBox 360″ because it was your section title and in the quote I used. In fact, in every reference you use XBox 360 not XBox. We both know Zune works with both. I’m simply saying, of 24mil sold, there’s some significant overlap in the user base. I worked for Electronics Boutique (now EBGames) part-time for 9 years while serving in the military as an intelligence analyst - I’m a gamer. My point is, when you compare the XBox installed user base to the MP3 player user base, a very small percentage benefit from the XBox tie-in. It’s a great feature, for a small crowd.
It seems many Zune reviewers look at the Zune and lose sight of the surroundings. For example, Microsoft points.
“Now we can buy music with the same points that are used to buy games and Xbox Live content. Can I do that with iPod/iTunes?”
No you can’t. But not because Zune provides a benefit, because Zune introduces a limitation. What if Microsoft created an account with actual local currency instead of points - There would be no limitations and it would have every benefit you mention, except the less than a penny possibility which only applies if something is 1 point. I haven’t seen this yet. At the least, allow local currency purchases.
Also, I didn’t subtly pitch my site, I pitched it. I’m not a fan of trackbacks; I came to read your website not bounce around the internet to follow a conversation/debate. However, I did read your comment policy and have had a link to your site from mine since I submitted my comment last night - It’s under “Zune User Reviews” in the right-hand column.
Comment by MindSplice — December 8, 2006 @ 12:24 pm PST
Palmer wrote: “A balanced review would cover the good and bad, balanced.”
I totally agree.
Please show me exactly where I didn’t cover the bad things involving the Zune above? (rhetorical) Looks to me like I’m pointing out what everybody else is saying is bad about the Zune and offering a different perspective. Just because you and other reviewers think something is bad doesn’t mean everybody else thinks that is so. I’m not some lemming that follows everybody off a bridge. I actually reached into my own wallet — on launch day last month — and bought a Zune. I’m still using the Zune and have been every day since launch. I think I have a pretty good idea of how good or bad it is fitting into my every day life, thank you very much.
I’m not going to debate what I’ve already spent thousands of words writing about, just do a search for Zune here if you are really curious on the subject and you’ll see everything I’ve written on the subject. At the end of the day if you still think I’m not balanced and fair about the Zune then there is nothing else I can say in the comments here to change your mind.
I will say this, number and focus wise, I’ve written a lot more about the iPod and even have a separate Mac blog, so if anything the numbers would point to a bias toward the iPod, I would think. At least at this point. Maybe by the time the Zune reaches five generations, the numbers will change.
And good, you see by making a second comment that it showed up right away. That’s how it works here, welcome
Comment by TDavid — December 8, 2006 @ 1:28 pm PST
Watching the Zune get reviewed has been an amazing experience. No other player out there, post-Pod, has generated so much turbulance. Everyone *except* Microsoft trys to label it as an iPod-killer just so they can debunk it yet, like a select few, I don’t think Microsoft wants to really go up against the iPod at all, there is a future goal.
The Zune came out the gate with a handicap, mostly the Microsoft name. Just that alone has people being negative as well as hyper-critical. I haven’t seen many people mention the fact that it wasn’t until *seven* versions later do people really consider the iTunes interface all that great, even in the Mac camp. People love to harp on how there is no Mac version yet didn’t it take something like a year or two for there to be a first Windows version of iTunes? Reviewers use the phrase “crippled wireless DRM-sharing” to describe a feature that doesn’t exist on any other device. How can they even describe it as crippled when there isn’t anything to compare it to? My favorite was a reviewer saying that the Zune was broken because it didn’t work with other online stores *YET* in the same article praised the iPod/iTunes model. Seriously? Where exactly does the iPod work with other online stores?
It’s a testiment to how well the iPod has been marketed that people can’t help *but* compare the Zune to the iPod, without any room for a device that is slightly different. I feel like most Zune reviews are like this conversation:
“Dude, check it out, I got this thing called a ’snowboard’ to go down the mountain on.”
“Yeah, it looks sorta weird, where are your poles? It’s pretty wide too.”
“You don’t need poles and it’s supposed to be wide, so your feet fit.”
“Seriously? That’s messed up, see how my skis are skinny, that’s how it’s supposed to be. How do you even stop on that thing if you can’t do a snow plow or hockey stop? You are going to seriously kill yourself on that. You wasted your money.”
“No, it’s different, you can do different things on it, different tricks. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Whatever, it’s meant to go down the mountain right? Like skis?”
“Yeah, but getting down the mountain in a different way.”
“Well, without poles and with it being so fat it looks like it’s gonna suck. Just get some skis if you want to go down the mountain.”
“No, you see, you don’t get it, you can…”
“Wait, who makes it?”
“Burton”
“Ohhhhh, dude, that’s why it sucks. It’s totally going to fail.”
Comment by Shawn Oster — December 8, 2006 @ 6:44 pm PST
This is a global economy, micropayments/points make sense as there is no need to fuss with exchange rates
MS has quietly installed the software that runs most IPTV provider in Europe and now in the U.S. - interactive/connected entertainment is already at our doorsteps - Combine this with the global availability of this content on windows mobile devices/smartphones…
2007 is gonna be a really exciting year!!!!
Comment by Sam — December 10, 2006 @ 1:36 pm PST
I agree. About time someone got it right. Amen brother!
Comment by Brandon — December 11, 2006 @ 10:41 am PST
Great review. I really like your comment about reviewers putting out some money. I have to wonder just how many of those who have written about the Zune have actually spent time using it apart from pushing buttons on one locked to the counter in Target or Best Buy. I bought one the day it came out because I wanted to try something different than an iPod. I really like the Zune and have not regretted my purchase. I’ve started using the Zune Pass and am loving that too. I have to say that comment number 17 is an awesome comparison.
Comment by jasonspix — December 11, 2006 @ 10:55 am PST
“And while playing games on the Xbox 360 I can stream music from Zune.”
—– Do you mean wirelessly? How do you do that?
Comment by Jatin — December 11, 2006 @ 12:37 pm PST
The two options are:
1. Plug the Zune into the 360 directly, via USB. You can actually do this with any external USB device, even an iPod, as long as the music on the device is in a format the 360 supports. This obviously means that you *CAN NOT* play any DRM’d iTunes songs.
2. Stream from the PC with the Zune software. This works similiar to how Media Connect and WMP11 can stream their library content to a 360. You go to the media blade, select Music, then Computer, then the PC that has the Zune software will show up with a little Zune icon and all your library is available for streaming.
Comment by Shawn Oster — December 11, 2006 @ 3:43 pm PST
That’s what I thought of the options available. So, the review needs to say “And while playing games on the Xbox 360 I can stream music from Zune Software.”
I would love if Zune can stream music to Xbox!!! I think there will be plenty of people lined up to get Zune then!
Did anyone notice that Zune cycles through menu? In other words, if you are browsing songs starting with letter “Z”, you don’t have press the “up” button to get to a “A” song. Just press the “down” button. It is a nice little feature but I love it because I use Zune while running.
Comment by Jatin — December 11, 2006 @ 4:19 pm PST
[…] - Do You Have An iPod? Which is Better iPod or Zune? He owns an iPod and describes himself as a “miniman”, but may move to the Zune if the social networking actually works. […]
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[…] Long time readers already know I’m not among the Zune bashing crowd. On launch day I bought the brown Zune and was willing to give it a chance. I liked it and while I don’t have an active Zune pass any more (just canceled last month), I still like it. Still don’t listen to it very much though, but I didn’t listen to my wife’s iPod either. Most of the time I listen to music I’m either in the car listening to MP3 (our car plays CDs with mp3 on them) or in front of my computer listening to iTunes or Zune through the Windows. I don’t care for earbuds or headphones from a comfort standpoint and also convenience because I need to use the phone here and there. So a portable device — any portable device — isn’t going to get much usage from me. As a portable device goes the Zune does most things I’d like it to do. […]
Pingback by Halo 3 Zune from Gamestop » Make You Go Hmm — May 16, 2007 @ 10:00 am PST
[…] I still believe Microsoft’s golden goose advertising opportunity is micropayments. That’s been laughed off by non-believers when brought up in the past, but I won’t be dissuaded. When they can get people to pay upwards of $10 for HDTV movie rentals there is a big slice in that pie that webmasters could share in revenue-wise. AdCenter could start strong with webmasters in a niche that Google and Yahoo can’t touch. Where are they? Why don’t they pull the trigger? […]
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We all know the Zune isn’t as good as the iPod YET! The Zune has a lot of potential. When they make the next Zune it’ll be a lot better, and will hopefully be able to combat the iPod, or at least pose a threat.
Besides, iPod is too popular. I’d rather do something against the crowd than with it. So I can’t wait to (probably) get a Zune (still doing research).
Comment by Quinlan — July 27, 2007 @ 1:05 pm PST