Coming Zune defense again |
Andy Ihnatko is the newest in the growing line of Zune bashers. I read his biting piece on the Zune entitled Avoid the loony Zune in the Chicago Sun-Times and although I found numerous bones of contention, I was entertained. I notice Mr. Ihnatko never mentions how he came into the Zune. Did he buy it? Was it a review loaner copy from Microsoft? My guess is that he didn’t buy one. I wish more reviewers would provide readers with this information so we could determine if this was the view from a customer or not.
Was his review useful and/or accurate to everyone who purchases a Zune? Nope. Not only has the Zune first generation been getting a good amount of use in our family, we are strongly considering buying a second one. And yes, we have an iPod fifth generation (black) too and like it. We’re a platform agnostic family. I think sometimes people get tied up in brands when most families don’t care. They look for solutions and convenience and to some degree every platform has its pros and cons. Mr. Ihnatko can’t seem to find anything good to say about the Zune which in some products and services might be justified, but isn’t here.
I’m going to look at every negative point made in Mr. Ihnatko’s piece and show you the other side of the story that was conveniently left out.
The setup process stands among the very worst experiences I’ve ever had with digital music players. The installer app failed, and an hour into the ordeal,
Two installs we’ve done have been flawless. One on Windows Media Center 2005 and another on Windows XP Pro. Zero problems. Nadda. Zilch. Neither my son nor I were asked to manually install any dll file. Even if we had, that’s not a complicated or time consuming undertaking.
Only the Zune software can sync music, video and pictures onto the device; Zune is incompatible with Windows Media Player
This is only partially correct. Zune, like Windows Media Player, is compatible with MP3 files so if you do like our family does and buy CDs and rip them down to MP3, then use a shared folder, you can share these same files with multiple music programs including the Apple iTunes (on a Mac even if you use a FAT32 partition), Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc.
What Mr. Ihnatko should have written in his article is the DRM-protected files that play on Windows Media Player will not currently play on the Zune. He doesn’t mention that neither will the DRM-protected files that play on the iPod, or the iRiver, or any non-Zune device.
The Zune app doesn’t even have as many features as WMP
Firstly, the Zune is a first generation device and player. Secondly did Mr. Ihanatko do a feature by feature comparison? I don’t care how many features an application has, I care how many useful features an app has. Also, too many features can negatively impact resources and experience. Lean and mean is better for me than fat and feature-ridden. Let’s compare the features in a music player that really matter:
play, stop, rewind or fast forward in the track (move a slider) - check both
replay the same track, shuffle (randomize) - check both
rip CD to MP3 in multiple bitrates - check both
ability to share music directory with other players - check both
create an unlimited number of playlists - check both
play DRM and MP3 files on Xbox 360 while playing a game (can’t do this on iPod) - check both
Additionally, Mr. Ihanatko adds pedantically:
And why (for the love of God) doesn’t it support podcasts? That’s pure insanity.
At this point I laughed out loud.
Podcasts are primarily MP3 files and thus fully supported by Zune. They can be moved into a directory shared with another player which manages podcasts without any conflict. In our case, we use iTunes on the Mac for podcast organization. When iTunes detects a new podcast it is moved into the shared MP3 directory and the next time Zune launches it sees the new podcasts and adds to the library automatically. Furthermore, there is a third party plugin — Windows Media Player has these too — called FeedYourZune which provides integrated podcast support for Zune. None of this is mentioned in Mr. Ihanatko’s piece.
It’s incompatible with Microsoft’s own PlaysForSure standard, too.
The apparent abandoning of PlayForSure initiative is a mistake. Ihanatko is right to criticize this one. Why Microsoft couldn’t make Zune work with its existing DRM was a bad move on their part. This is one of only two criticisms Ihanatko uses in the piece where I agree. That’s a major negative for those who already have PlayForSure DRM content and are looking at buying the Zune.
You’ll have to buy all-new content from the new Zune Marketplace.
Yes, this is true too. However, the same can be said for Xbox 360 and iTunes and a bunch of different legal movie download sites (Vongo, Cinemanow, etc). If someone switches from Windows to Mac tomorrow, can they take their DRM-music with them? Nope. This isn’t Microsoft’s fault, this is the fault of the copyright owners making it difficult for their customers to enjoy the movies and music freely for personal use. This is why we choose to buy DVDs and CDs which give us the option to make an archival copy in a format that we can enjoy in our home without restriction.
Oh, and the Zune Marketplace doesn’t even take real money, proving that on the Zune Planet there’s no operation so simple that it can’t be turned into a confusing ordeal.
Confusing for who? 1.25 Microsoft points = 1 penny. It’s not a difficult calculation and as I mentioned in detail in the past, it offers the advantage of being able to charge less than a penny for something.
You’ll find that the Zune Planet orbits the music industry’s Bizarro World, where users aren’t allowed to do anything that isn’t in the industry’s direct interests.
DRM sucks, no argument from me there, but again, if you pay the $15/month at Zune (and you don’t use Microsoft Points to pay for that, BTW) you can listen through over a million songs — regretably not every song in the database — and decide which music you want to buy. Ihanatko’s complaints about DRM are justified, but as long as the player supports the most widely used format — MP3 — Zune and the iPod are in the clear. I’m frustrated that Apple won’t let me listen to more than 30 seconds of a song so I can really decide if I want to buy the track. I would pay extra for this service if they offered it, but apparently Apple doesn’t think music fans want to try before they buy — beyond 30 seconds that they choose as a snippet.
the Zune’s sole wireless feature is “squirting” — I know, I know, it’s Microsoft’s term, not mine — music and pictures to any other Zune device within direct Wi-Fi range. Even if the track is inherently free (like a podcast) the Zune wraps it in a DRM scheme that causes the track to self-destruct after three days or three plays, whichever comes first.
“Squirting” is a terrible name. Warner doesn’t like it either and neither did anybody he queried.
I haven’t tried the sharing functions because I haven’t run into anybody else with a Zune yet to try that out so is this a practical argument against the Zune yet? If/when we buy a Zune for our son than we’ll have two Zunes and can work with the Wi-Fi sharing. Since our entire music collection is available in a shared directory on our LAN, I don’t see why we’d need the sharing feature at home anyway. If I go out to an event with other folks with Zune then I’d like to get music recommendations from others. It wouldn’t bother me that these were time sensitive files I needed to make a choice on. If the files were tied to the Zune all you can listen to store since we are subscribers, we could listen to the song more than the limited number of times.
As for sharing MP3 and other files through the Zune, somebody has already hacked that. I suspect this will become a futile cat and mouse game like Sony has been doing with the PSP crowd.
One thing I would like to see is the ability to surf the Zune store from within the Zune via Wi-Fi. I hope that is coming in a future version. Why should I need the PC to select music from the store if Wi-Fi can already tap into the internet connection?
And lastly the review ends with Ihnatko’s bogus prediction:
Result: The Zune will be dead and gone within six months.
Mark your calendars, friendly readers because this is an example of a snarky prediction that won’t come true. There is no way the Zune will be gone in May 2007. In fact if Microsoft follows the way Apple works its product lifecycle, we’re more likely to see a second generation Zune next year — or at least a few nice firmware upgrades. Don’t expect blind Apple loyalists like Andy Ihnatko to point to any of this in a future piece.
With that said, the Zune definitely has flaws. I think the accessories are way overpriced. The picture at the top of this post shows how we used an existing (cheap) FM transmitter plugged into the standard headphone jack (why doesn’t the iPod use standard headphone jacks? Update 1:33pm PST: it does, thanks for the correction JackAxe) and it works great. Spending $100 for an auto kit seems like a great way to bilk your customers for something they should throw in for free or for under $20. If you want people to listen to your device everywhere, make it easy for them to listen in the car, boat, RV, etc.
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.
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[…] 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 @ 10:21 pm PST
I believe when he says the Zune doesn’t support podcasts, he means the app does not manage and sync podcasts the way iTunes does. Which a lot of people might be interested in, and not be willing to go to through the steps you have taken. I believe his review is geared towards looking at the Zune as a Christmas gift, and that means it has to be painless to go from unwrapping to enjoyment. No one wants to give the gift of DLL installing and folder sharing/software downloading.
Comment by brandon — November 27, 2006 @ 12:05 am PST
Somebody sent me a link to your post, recommending it as an excellent rebuttal to my review. I sure agree. I’ve always felt that a tech review should be no different than a movie review…reflecting the opinions of a real human, instead of being a dry comparison-table of features and specs. So I’m always happy to see folks representing the other side.
I do think you misunderstood parts of the review, though. You’re right that I didn’t point out the strengths of the Zune (like the device’s clean interface, its nice FM tuner, and support of AAC). I had a limited amount of space and I thought it was more important to be crystal-clear on why I disliked the Zune so much rather than talk about features that in no way mitigated the negatives.
My chief problem with the Zune is that even in a world without the iPod, it’s just not a good buy. It’s incompatible with WMP, and (from the POV of the user) it doesn’t have to be. There’s no advantage to the Zune software, and it means that if I have more than one player in my house (which is a v.popular setup; I maintain a 5G iPod, a Nano, and a Sansa, all via iTunes) I’ll need to maintain separate playlists. It’s incompatible with every other music store, and (again) it doesn’t have to be. You made a good point about subscriptions; I didn’t mention that explicitly, but that’s precisely what I was thinking of when I mentioned that incompatibility. I love the URGE service (an MTV/MS production) and when it came out earlier in the year, I pointedly said that “subscriptions done right” was a terrific advantage over the iTunes Store.
I still think it’s nuts to ask consumer-oriented users to download a separate podcatcher app or plug-in to get podcasts into your Music folder. In 2006, this is like having to get a separate piece of software to rip CDs. Naturally, I’m well-aware that (just like WMP) any files that land in your My Music folder will also land in the Zune’s library.
Remove iPods from the picture and I still ask myself why someone would want a Zune instead of a Toshiba Gigabeat and another $40 in your pocket, or a Sansa (and potentially a $100 savings) or any of a dozen others. By my way of thinking, other WMP players offer all of the features of the Zune with none of the drawbacks…and usually for less money. I’ve talked to plenty of happy Zune users and universally, what brought them to the Zune was the potential that they saw in the player.
I saw it, too. It was the most frustrating thing about writing that review. WiFi could have been a _killer_ feature. If Zune 1.0 was able to do _anything_ useful with it, such as wirelessly syncing to a desktop, I wouldn’t have been so hard on it.
And of course, I’ve read all of the rumors about what might be done with a future firmware upgrade. I have various contacts at Microsoft and I kept firing some of these scenarios at them. Every time, the response was “We have no plans to announce at this time.”
Which doesn’t mean that they’re not planning that stuff. But as-is, given my low opinion of 1.0, I didn’t feel that I could in any way encourage people lay out $250 for a sucky 1.0 player, in hopes that some day Uncle Microsoft comes through with a free (and killer) upgrade.
We both agree on the relationship between MS and the recording industry. To me, this was the final nail in the coffin. It’s no joke that Universal et al have been getting increasingly upset with Apple for not caving in; their demands for higher prices, per-iPod kickbacks, and tighter restrictions on content is well-documented. It wouldn’t have prevented me from recommending a player that I liked, but as is, it was Strike Four.
If there’s anything in my review that I wish I’d re-worded, it’s the “dead in six months” line. I’m confident that in six months’ time the Zune will have failed to make a serious dent against the iPod or the family of WMP-based players, and will have become irrelevant and mostly forgotten. But not dead and buried, not beyond revival with a terrific 2.0 firmware update.
Rest assured that I’d like nothing more than to be able to write “Man, 1.0 sucked…but after a free five-minute download and a 20-minute upgrade, the blind can see and the lame can walk!”
Then again, think about all the other technologies that Microsoft hyped to the rafters, and then were never heard from again. SPOT, anyone? How about UMPC’s?
Anyway. Like I said, I thought your post was very illuminating.
Comment by Andy Ihnatko — November 27, 2006 @ 5:05 am PST
[…] Yesterday I wrote a detailed rebuttal to Andy Ihnatko’s kevlar-piercing Zune review that made the rounds, and somebody sent it to him and he took time to stop by and comment personally in detail. I encourage you to follow that link and read his pensive reply before continuing with this post. I elevated my response to his comment to a new post because it highlighted several additional points that I think are important enough to cover in a new post. […]
Pingback by Customers vs. users and being accused of astroturfing » Make You Go Hmm — November 27, 2006 @ 10:08 am PST
Thank you for stopping by and reading my rebuttal, Andy (hopefully I can talk to you on a first name basis, now). I still think you might be giving the average prospective Zune customer or undecided shopper (bad, bad, bad habit calling them “users”) some disrespect when you throw out blanket statements like: “It’s incompatible with WMP.”
Unfortunately, playlists from iTunes aren’t transferable to WMP, Napster, Zune, etc. It’s too bad there isn’t a universal playlist format. iTunes does try a bit in this department by outputting as an XML file, but the companies need to get in bed on this one like the GYM trio did on sitemaps for web sites recently. It would be better for all of us, no matter what portable music device we’re using.
I like the fact with your writing that you don’t just want to throw out boring feature comparisons and like to get down to the brass tacks of what real people actually care about. Only in your review you completely missed a very passionate audience that the Zune fits well, I’m guessing because you don’t have/play an Xbox 360 or use the Live Marketplace.
I have many more thoughts, so many in fact that I decided to put them in a new post rather than fill up the comment area here. I invite you to follow this link for my complete response:
http://www.makeyougohmm.com/20061127/3988/
Just to reiterate, from a fellow writer’s perspective I enjoyed your review passion, even if I disagreed with most of the underlying substance.
Comment by TDavid — November 27, 2006 @ 10:26 am PST
Hi brandon - thank you for weighing in.
You wrote: “I believe when he says the Zune doesn’t support podcasts, he means the app does not manage and sync podcasts the way iTunes does.”
I get that but both Windows Media Player and iTunes have tons of plugins and it’s not complicated adding FeedYourZune for those savvy enough to follow podcasts and podcasting. I’m sure if it’s that important for their listening that they will seek it out. It also left something to third party developers which Microsoft likes to do. Remember, they also have a vibrant developer community.
Most people interested in podcasts will be able to quickly and easily add the third party app. Perhaps more importantly, the review doesn’t mention MP3 anywhere and says that the Zune isn’t compatible with Windows Media Player which is inaccurate. How can you review any portable music player and not mention that it supports the most popular format out there?
Maybe this is obvious information to you and I, but is it obvious to a parent shopping for their child? A husband shopping for wife or vice versa?
As for the “gift of DLL” comment, I already said that setup on two different computers here with two different OS — my son’s Windows Media Center 2005 machine that has all kinds of different apps and I’m sure conflicts and one of our most used Windows XP Pro machines — and it didn’t require adding any DLL. I’m not sure what was missing on his computer and others who have experienced the same problem, but again, adding a DLL file is not a complicated undertaking in the unfortunate event that this step is required.
Comment by TDavid — November 27, 2006 @ 10:42 am PST
[…] Update 12/2/06: After reading even more on the Zune, and then talking to an iLike friend of mine, T.D., I’ve had to re-evaluate my feelings on Microsoft’s Zune. I still won’t go out and buy the player (It’s not compatible with Mac anyways) but it seems there are some pro’s to MS’s different way of doing things with the Zune. Also, for those who like the subscription model, the Zune Marketplace may be your answer. For further reading, and also in the interest of fairness, visit T.D.’s blog entry on his experiences with the Zune (he actually has both Zune and iPod 5G!). […]
Pingback by The Esoterik Blog » Blog Archive » Ewww, Microsoft Seems To Have Zune’d Itself! — December 2, 2006 @ 8:06 pm PST
[…] of historical confirmation to one critic, the Zune isn’t dead and gone “within six months” as predicted. Here we are a full eight months later and […]
Pingback by Summer almost gone, Zune bashing still in season with ZunePhone parody » Make You Go Hmm — August 28, 2007 @ 12:42 pm PST
[…] in November 2006, in response to a Zune bashing review where the reviewer claimed the Zune would be “dead within six months” I wrote: if […]
Pingback by Flashing the public, Zune version 2 » Make You Go Hmm — October 1, 2007 @ 4:25 pm PST