Discover and share the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.
10 iPod vs. Zune Myths
roughlydrafted.com — Seems like everything we know about the Zune is wrong! Here is an illustrated guide to ten myths that get repeated in iPod & Zune comparisons, with links to authoritative sources for the answers. Smart and entertaining - Dan Eran of Roughly Drafted.
AlexaW- 416 diggs
- digg it
- 23r17i05o42n, on 10/12/2007, -34/+24"Zune is a disaster in the making."
- Paul Thurrott- lava, on 10/12/2007, -21/+17Meh, whatever. I don't understand the whole debate about the resolution. Oh no! Less pixel density! My PDA is 320x240 with a bigger screen than the zune and the ipod and video looks great on it. And who cares about the DRM and the crappy MS software? I'm buying one as soon as the "Let's put Linux on everything!" crowd gets to it. Oh yeah, and I'll probably get the brown one.
Geez, what a fanboy.
- lava, on 10/12/2007, -21/+17Meh, whatever. I don't understand the whole debate about the resolution. Oh no! Less pixel density! My PDA is 320x240 with a bigger screen than the zune and the ipod and video looks great on it. And who cares about the DRM and the crappy MS software? I'm buying one as soon as the "Let's put Linux on everything!" crowd gets to it. Oh yeah, and I'll probably get the brown one.
- CharlesSaint007, on 10/12/2007, -20/+72He might as well name this article, "10 reasons I love the iPod and the Zune sucks."
- Ireland, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19I never used the Zune, but I do love my iPod.
- cheez, on 10/12/2007, -20/+28no support for podcasts is the main reason i am not buying one
- m4v1s, on 10/12/2007, -12/+21I don't understand, no support for podcasts? a podcast is, usually, an mp3, the Zune is an mp3 player, ergo the Zune supports podcasts. If you mean that the software doesn't automatically download the new episodes of a podcast you've subscribed to, then I agree, that is a major flaw. If I were in the market for a new PMP, the Zune would probably beat the iPod in my book, I already have a Toshiba made mp3 player and it has been very good to me.
- m0shen, on 10/12/2007, -9/+11i don't understand.... aren't podcasts just mp3 or aac files?
*edit ~ m4v1s beat me to it* - tonyr1988, on 10/12/2007, -6/+12Define "support for podcasts." It's the software, not hardware, that determines if you can play "podcasts." Podcasts aren't a special media file - it's basically (from my little knowledge of it) a feed for regular audio / video files.
Even if Zune is tied to WMP exclusively, and even if WMP doesn't have support for podcasts (I've never used it), there are many programs that can transfer new podcasts into a directory of your choice, and WMP can sync it to your Zune.
Bam - podcasting on Zune.
m4v1s beat me too...kinda - I still hold that there isn't any major flaw, even if WMP doesn't support podcasts. You don't have to take any extra steps. Granted, you need to run an extra (small) program, but just have it boot at startup and you'll never notice. Just sync as usual. - TPrime, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Now if the Zune could download podcasts *ahem* netcasts without having to sync up to a computer, THAT would make a compelling reason for me to buy one.
The darn thing has WiFi, it should be able to download RSS audio feeds!
- pxujn, on 10/12/2007, -23/+36Wow. Serious fanboyism. I guess it was obvious from the astronomical amount of iTunes ads down the side.
- TheCount, on 10/12/2007, -9/+8Are you kidding?
This is another well thought out and unbiased article from the highly respected new source, Rougly Drafted.
/sarcasm
- TheCount, on 10/12/2007, -9/+8Are you kidding?
- prockcore, on 10/12/2007, -28/+27Roughly Drafted has absolutely no credibility. They're well known astroturfers working for Apple.
- Quix, on 10/12/2007, -16/+21Would you people get over Roughly Drafted already? It's a pro-Apple blog featuring one guy's opinions. It's not Reuters or CNN. Get over it.
There are plenty of pro-Microsoft blogs out there too. Go find one and Digg it. Geez. - linkinpark342, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9"There are plenty of pro-Microsoft blogs out there too. Go find one and Digg it. Geez."
I agreed with you till this part.... I dunno about this one... I think I'm going to need sources (other than paul) - sokz, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2It's not that anyone is upset over this being an apple blog, it's that the story was submitted in a fashion which insinuates a well thought out article.. not.. this..
- Quix, on 10/12/2007, -16/+21Would you people get over Roughly Drafted already? It's a pro-Apple blog featuring one guy's opinions. It's not Reuters or CNN. Get over it.
- sokz, on 10/12/2007, -22/+26Holy crap, could this be any more of an Apple fluff job?
also: I like brown and would buy a brown product over a white one. The guy who wrote this "article" is a douche - if I may be so bold.- linkinpark342, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5"also: I like brown and would buy a brown product over a white one."
You know... this line seems to work for the whole "job outsourcing" thing too - Phyltre, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I have a brand new white 80GB iPod sitting here right now. If I could magically make it be that color brown, I would.
Of course, that's kinda moot, since it has to be in its aftermarket $30.00 armor-plated shell or it'll get scratched to oblivion. - gforce7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2seriously???? ...brown? I'm holding out for the harvest gold and pistachio. Who cares about fanboyism...straight based on what was said , if it's true...the zune hasn't got a chance.
- jman8888, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0linkin is a .... Cant say it. Might be banned/
- ipodskickass, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah get the color brown. The ***** thing deserves a ***** color. ZUNES ***** SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- linkinpark342, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5"also: I like brown and would buy a brown product over a white one."
- bpinard, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21http://duggmirror.com/apple/10_iPod_vs_Zune_Myths/
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6Does he claim the Zune is "much lighter" than the 80G iPod?
- mywhitenoise, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4No it isn't. 'Much' lighter? As in half an ounce?
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2So..lighter by a half ounce is not a big deal, but a teeny tiny bit larger and thciker is teh worst thing ever?
Just anohter pathetic fanboy claiming that every aspect that the iPod wins is extremely significant, while every one that the Zune wins is unnecessary.
And sadly you think you are making a point. - ipodskickass, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1WHO CARES HOW ***** LIGHT IT IS. IPODS RULE
- egarc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19I'm withholding judgement until I can hold one in my hand. Then the real comparisons can start.
- rm999, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1"This is the sort of guy that would kill himself if the Zune overtook the iPod for market share. "
Why do I suddenly hope the Zune is very successful? ;)
- rm999, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1"This is the sort of guy that would kill himself if the Zune overtook the iPod for market share. "
- mlkmnz, on 10/12/2007, -13/+26I was waiting for:
"Myth 11: The Zune sucks ass and I am awesome and I waste my life writing extremely long blogs and I still live at home with my mum and I Iike men very much"
Anyway, without reading the whole thing (cause it looked like waffle), to counter his first point about the size of the screens. Sure the pixel count is the same, but so what. The resolution of a movie cinema projector is less than my HDTV, but that doesn't necessarily mean viewing a higher resolution on my HDTV is more enjoyable than the big screen.
This is the sort of guy that would kill himself if the Zune overtook the iPod for market share. *****, they're both HDD based audio players, who gives a *****?- SenatorPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I agree with you, up to the point where you say that screen density doesn't matter, and that your HDTV is higher res than a movie projector. Until my HDTV plays film reels, that is false. Screen density does make something look better than an EQUALLY sized product. But here they are comparing apples and oranges. It's preference, not fact with the iPod and Zune's screen.
- mlkmnz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2@Senatorpenguin - thats right, its only for equally sized screens. A 9" screen at 1280 x 1024 vs. a 17" screen at 1280 x 1024 would be painful, your eyes would bleed on the 9". Plus its relative to how close to your face you want to hold it.
- briman4031, on 10/12/2007, -20/+13Nobody ever mentions the 2 yr. lifespan on an iPod before it self-destructs. Why is it just short of everyone on Digg is an Apple whore?
- mywhitenoise, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14I've had 3 iPods. Not because any of them broke, just because I like to get new versions once they come out. So far the oldest one I bought (2nd generation, 3 years old) is still working, I gave it to my brother. The iPod photo I sold on ebay, in excahnge for a video iPod, which is still working without any problems.
- colincornaby, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14I have a four year old iPod still going, and I gave it to my girlfriend actually and it's still working for her. My sister has one she got only a few months apart, and aside from the battery (which is a problem for any MP3 player with a built in rechargeable), that's still working. I can name countless other people I know who still have working iPods.
Yes, iPods do die, but at the same rate as any other MP3 player. - themaestro8, on 10/12/2007, -10/+42 years??? Damn, I only got one year out of mine.
- Quix, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12"Nobody ever mentions the 2 yr. lifespan on an iPod before it self-destructs."
Tell that to my 3.5-year-old iPod that just won't die. I was hoping it would so I could get a new 80G. It didn't, so I bought a new one anyway.
Let's dismiss this "iPods die quickly" propaganda already. - tgone, on 10/12/2007, -11/+5my iPod died after 2 years.
- coheedcollapse, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2To add to this, I think the guys with long lasting Ipods either don't ever use them or got lucky as hell. I've owned two Ipods, I'm on my second...the first only lasted two years until the battery went totally to hell, I got it for free from one of those pyramid scheme thingies a while back, so I decided to pay the stupid battery replacement fee (which really should be phased out by now..I mean how much work does it take to make an easily replaceable battery? This one I have now is working fine, but it can still be a pain in the ass every once and a while.
My girlfriend and my dad both recieved video Ipods, my dad is on his second in less than a year and my girlfriend needs to get hers replaced.
And this is coming from a guy that can keep a computer running XP virus free and totally up and running for years without any sort of problem - I take care of my electronics - I've even managed to own a running PS2 since launch date. That's a feat. - lukasm, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I've had my ipod for 2 and a half years now, it still works fine and gets about 5 hours of battery life. And as for coheedcollapse's comment, it gets daily use, and has backpacked through south east asia with me (it survived lots of drunken drops in the sand on beaches)
- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3ipod do die quickly...case in point
My sisters ipod mini's battery was toast after a year.
My girlfriends ipod mini's battery was toast after a year.
My video ipods battery iis only lasting 4 of its advertised 15 hour+ charge after...A YEAR.
- Insimbi, on 10/12/2007, -11/+20Dude, LMAO at the picture of the brown Zune with a dog takin a dump. Haha - that's awesome.
- omologato, on 10/12/2007, -10/+13This article is seriosly biased. Even if you are a diehard apple fan; its never good for one company to have such a strong monopoly over a market. I think its good that there will finally be some strong competition for the iPod, to drive prices down. Thank god for capitalism.
- mywhitenoise, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6i'm more concerned with Apple adding more features, than taking down the price. $350 for 80GBs is a pretty sweet deal as it is, but i'm holding out for the 6th generation player.
- brian1001001, on 10/12/2007, -10/+16Where's the bury option for "So overly biased it might as well be labled inaccurate"?
I love my iPod too, but this is absurd. Must be really worried.... - emorphien, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9That article was biased beyond the point of being worthless. Unintelligent fluff and fanboyism. I'd love to see a real comparo, not a lame spin-job attempt to make the Zune seem bad by an iPod fanboy. I'm disappointed that the screen doesn't offer higher resolution, but at the same time being larger you can hold it a bit further away which benefits the user in reduced eye fatigue.
I'll be interested to see what places like dapreview has to say about this player once its out. I'm not planning to replace my iHP-120 with a Zune, if anything I want to augment it with a small flash player... but I hold a lot of promise that the Zune line in general will be nice.- scaleslea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Biased? Yeah, fair enough. Then again, who has an opinion that ISN'T biased?
Fluff? Maybe. But amusingly written.
Unintelligent? NO WAY. Daniel does his researched, checks his facts, and reports his sources. He may have an axe to grind, but it is his personal blog and he's allowed.
I don't see any of his attackers providing facts.
- scaleslea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Biased? Yeah, fair enough. Then again, who has an opinion that ISN'T biased?
- kratos, on 10/12/2007, -7/+11Most people aren't even giving the zune a chance
- ahatter, on 10/12/2007, -10/+7I personally love the brown colored zune.
- emorphien, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I know some other people that really like it, just because it's different. I don't think it's bad myself, but also not my cup of tea.
- whiteguysamurai, on 10/12/2007, -11/+8I'll take all this with a grain of salt.
Please, apple fans.
Don't take this the wrong way, but not all of us want an ipod.
Just because Microsoft is making a product to compete with the ipod, doesn't mean you have to take this as holy war.
The zune will be a hit, no matter how you dislike it.- colincornaby, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9"The zune will be a hit, no matter how you dislike it."
Yeah. Just like we were told the Dell DJ would be a hit. - Lynn, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5"The Zune will fail"
Yeah, Just like the PocketPC will fail against Palm. - scaleslea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Competition is fine.
Really.
But I think it's rather too early to declare the Zune a success, much less an iPod killer.
Someday an iPod killer will come. But odds are it won't be touted as an iPod killer until after the iPod is dead. Was the iPod touted as a WalkMan killer?
- colincornaby, on 10/12/2007, -8/+9"The zune will be a hit, no matter how you dislike it."
- Lynn, on 10/12/2007, -6/+6Saying that a 2.5" display is better than a 3" display at the same resolution, is like saying a 30" 720p TV is better than a 50" 720p TV. NO, it is not.
He also states as fact that it is harder to navigate through screens when focusing on other things: walking, driving, exercising. Oh really. Have you tried a Zune? No you have not.
Then he lies and says it will not play video files. What the hell. The Zune will play H.264, WMV and Mpeg2 files just fine at launch. - hookshotzz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7i dont want a zune, and love my ipod, but *****... how fanboy can ya get?
- AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10Look around clown: this whole comments section is the biggest bunch of jerk off boys I've ever seen. Wow!
How many fanboys does it take to suck up to Microsoft and pretend that they're not getting ***** by the company they love? Fanboys!!
At least the article is smart and funny. It isn't just a bunch of bitter troll boys with nothing to do but cry about Apple. - justnick, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1Alexa....Are you drunk or high? This article was over the top apple FUD and paranoia. All these post are saying that and not praising microsoft or anything. Learn to read. Follow this link:
http://secure.hop.com/index.cfm?AFID=158&redirCampID=154
It may help you.
- AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10Look around clown: this whole comments section is the biggest bunch of jerk off boys I've ever seen. Wow!
- biznite, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Before you guys hate on the Zune anymore...look at this video, it really does have some cool things going for it, Fanboy-ism aside. Is it THE iPod killer? Probobly not...is it a decent DAP? Yes...so give it a look.
http://zunelicious.blogspot.com/2006/10/sweet-video-of-chris-stephenson-from.html - noeljohnhoward, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8lets get this out there, man
dispelled alot of myths for me - coldfusion055, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4That was perhaps the more biased and inaccurate article I've read... today.
- FlatSurfSucks, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4I was going to say all the same things that have already been said. POS garbage written by a fanboy.
- Sergio965, on 10/12/2007, -10/+5Wow - this is one of the lamest articles I've ever (half) read.
Could anyone get any more senile? Burried! - tgone, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I'm not a big Microsoft fan (I currently use Linux as my primary OS), but I still have an open mind about Zune. It's better if Apple has a serious competetor, because that's a good thing for the consumer.
- GrayOne, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3All of this is true but, it doesn't matter. This is Microsoft we are dealing with by the 3rd generation of this device it will be very functional and probally beating the iPod.
I really don't understand why they are not using PlaysForSure or why they didn't add "netcast" support to WMP 11.
John C. Dvorak said that he asked the MS WMP team about podcasts and the MS engineers just gave him a weird look.- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3no all of it isnt true, in fact most of it is wrong.
the part that bugs me the most is about the drm. You can freely share your own mp3's via wireless with ZERO restrictions and no drm on them. get it right. - AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6source? or are you just blowing smoke out your ass?
- justnick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1do a little research....quick google search for zune and DRM got this
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060920-7788.html
http://www.zuneinsider.com/2006/09/zune_and_drm_or.html
http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/2006/09/20/is-zunes-drm-not-so-infectious-after-all/
Ah, too be an informed consumer. - AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@justnick
the sources you quote are Microsoft doubletalk. They tiptoe around what "DRM" means, but it makes no difference in how the system works. Your articles all say:
"If you have a song - say that you got “free and clear” - Zune to Zune Sharing won’t apply any DRM to that song. The 3-day/3-play limitation is built into the device, and it only applies on the Zune device: when you receive a song in your Inbox, the file remains unchanged. After 3 plays or 3 days, you can no longer play the song; however, you can still see a listing of the songs with the associated metadata."
Who cares how they want to word it, it says the same thing:
1) you get any song
2) 3 days or plays later, no work
3) you see a "listing fo the song and its metadata" so you can buy it from MS.
DRM or sunshine and farts, it's the same thing. Zune kills shares in 3/3.
Sounds like DRM to me = digitally restriction management.
In what Universe is that not DRM? - justnick, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Alexa --
I understand your point; however, it's not known if you can or can not transfer that file to your computer after the limit is up and add it to your playlist and have it put back on your Zune without any restrictions after the next sync since it has no DRM on the file. We will have to wait to find that out but it sounds like that would be possible.
Either way I still thing the wi-fi is good. I didn't pay for the song in the first place but my friend can send it to me and I can listen to it to see if I like it and buy it later or use limewire if I want to keep it real yo. All this bashing on the wi-fi is completely moronic. Even with the DRM you get to listen to the song 3 times to see if you want to buy it or not which is 3 times more than any other player, including the almighty ipod, lets you. Microsoft out innovated apple on this one. That's it. Get over it. Apple needs to step up now. And looking at your other posts I feel I should tell you that I am a Linux man, not Microsoft.
- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3no all of it isnt true, in fact most of it is wrong.
- brondum9, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3yeah. Mac users will dual post in favor of Mac. They will tell half truths like the commercials and ride the rainbow pinwheel to self-doubt. They dislike anything Microsoft and except the 360.
I own an Ipod and will probably own a Zune. That's why we have Ebay. - jasonsfakename, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2"Thanks to some vigilant Wal-Mart watching by a friendly tipster, we've got a good idea as to the Zune pricetag, though we're still no closer to a specific launch date."
taken from the original article off engadget.com.
I see nothing about the actual price of the Zune. Just "a good idea".- AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Try the microsoft website.
- jasonsfakename, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/sep06/09-28ZunePricingAvailabilityPR.mspx
Thanks for that suggestion. $249.99
- AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Try the microsoft website.
- Maasneotek, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I don't think I'll be buying the Zune anytime soon. I even mentioned as much when the Zune first came to Digg. Although its nice to see some competition with Apple products, The Zune, knowing Microsoft, would be riddled with DRM. (Which of course I was Dugg down for)
I see no reason to attack the guy and call him names... his article is frankly, too inflammatory and poorly written to directly sponsored by apple, as some of you have implied.
Note to author, you cant debunk a myth related to opinion. What are your thinking and "I like brown"? Ugh..- jasonsfakename, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2The only drm associated with the zune will come from zune marketplace. And even with the drm you will be able to share the file with other zune owners.
- chamiltonj, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Let me preface this by saying I just bought an Ipod an am quite happy with it, but my God why are bloggers so snarky?!?!
There was definitely some useful info for making a buying decision, but the snide comments made me almost want to buy a Zune just because I felt like I could not believe a word the author said.
Just the facts and lose the 'tude!
- 022A, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4That "article" made me want to kick the writer in the teeth and go buy a Zune out of spite. Items 2 and 4 are particularly annoying because they clearly show that the writer doesn't understand the tech he's trying to compare.
- AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5you sir are not a fanboy at all
now go have your mom change your diaper - justnick, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1That article (if that's what we are calling it) confirmed my decision to buy a Zune. If an apple fanboy like the writer is so paranoid about it, it must be kick ass. Also if a 2 day old subscriber like Alexa needs to troll the comments of this, then it must be even better than I thought.
- AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5you sir are not a fanboy at all
- pauldonnelly, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Doesn't Microsoft have a history of making fairly solid hardware? Their mice and keyboards are loved by many, and the Xbox is well put together as well, with a good interface and great controllers. I have trouble believing that the Zune is going to be a terrible device. It will be DRM infested, of course, but so is the iPod.
- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3The DRM in the zune only applies to the songs bought via the online store. It has been confirmed that you can freely trade your own mp3's over wifi and not have to worry about them expiring.
Yes MS does have a good track record with hardware. Their networking equipment was pretty damn good and their KB/Mouse's sometimes rival Logitech. - 022A, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0This is absolutely correct.
The good old Intellimouse was the best thing around for a long time. The more recent products have sullied the name a bit but that old mechanical "lopsided pear" mouse was excellent. The MS Natural Keyboard, Sidewinder and the XBOX pad are more examples of great hardware design and quality from Microsoft.
It's too bad most of the Digg readship can't seperate objectivity from "fanboism" (the most stupid-ass counterproductive word to hit the web since "whatever" and "STFU").
"Whatever, STFU fanboy!"
There, I save you the trouble.
- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3The DRM in the zune only applies to the songs bought via the online store. It has been confirmed that you can freely trade your own mp3's over wifi and not have to worry about them expiring.
- colincornaby, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10Here's why the whole Zune thing pisses off Apple fans.
When the iPod was introduced everyone said it would fail. Then Creative/iRiver came along with their iPod like players, and everyone said Creative/iRiver would kill the iPod. Then Napster came along with their music store and everyone said it would kill iTunes. Then Dell came along with the Dell DJ, and everyone said "OMGZ Dell is so big they're going to cream Apple!", and they didn't. Next were the Windows Media Portable players that did video, and everyone said that was going to kill the iPod. Then we had Origami, and everyone said that would kill the iPod.
Now finally we have Zune, and again, it's the same story. It's going to stop/steal marketshare/kill the iPod because of a list of features that either are overrated or the Zune can't actually do.
Don't you think we get kinda crabby when the Windows fanboys show up every month with a new iPod killer that never actually kills the iPod?- Lynn, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I will make you a deal. We will stop talking about iPod killers if you guys stop talking about the Mac like it is a Windows killer.
- robottaway, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2This article definitely shows not merit. But...I find that iTunes really is a great application. Without it iPods would not be just another mp3 player. Any ideas how M$ will compete in this arena? Oh yeah and I wouldn't be surprised if M$ eats the hardware cost on this one.
- JTForce, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0The brown zune is pretty sweet. It would be like walking around with a brownie in your pocket that plays music.
I just wonder if i will be able to tip the scales in the mp3 player market. I mean every grandma scooting around on a rascal and 5 year old at the bus stop seems to have an ipod now. Then again the xbox showed us what M$ can do if they dump enough money into something.
I guess the end result will be if its actually a good marketable product, which in the end is what makes any product a mainstay.- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0Only about 10% of the country owns an iPod.
- heyitsme23, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4for all of you that keep saying this is biased and inaccurate, maybe you should write your own zune comparison, without any info from the 7 zune blogs. See how much info you find on the web from actual news releases and articles that show how bad it is.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2what does that even mean? You are claiming there are unbiased (as in, not on sites that BEG Steve Jobs to let them suck his *****) that have claimed the Zune is bad? Because there isn't any.
As for this one...if you truly can't see how biased and inaccurate this article is, then I have given up all hope of having an intelligent debate with you. You need to join the others in line hoping to taste Jobs' semen. But he will NEVER let you swallow, no mattter how much you beg. - Quix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4That's odd, lakawak, because the only one here talking about "*****" and "semen" is you.
Things that make you go "hmmm...." - heyitsme23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2no comment,
but seriously, I use google news more than digg, and Ive heard all the ins and outs of what the zune can and cannot do from actual news sites, not blogs.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2what does that even mean? You are claiming there are unbiased (as in, not on sites that BEG Steve Jobs to let them suck his *****) that have claimed the Zune is bad? Because there isn't any.
- pneill, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not true about the video not working.... Check out Diggnation on a zune.
http://bgbg.blogspot.com/2006/09/podcast-ground-zero.html- smeager, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think the author meant video support as in buying video's from Zune's Marketplace, which won't be avaliable at launch. You will be able to play back video (strangely in formats that Microsoft said they would not support H.264, MP4, AAC (WMP11 still dosen't support these formats out of the box in its current state) along with there own WMV and WMA and the standard MP3).
While Apple's iTS is moving more toward a total Digital Media Hub (for purchased content) Microsoft is starting off with strictly music, which you really can't ask for more considering that this is just starting out.
- smeager, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think the author meant video support as in buying video's from Zune's Marketplace, which won't be avaliable at launch. You will be able to play back video (strangely in formats that Microsoft said they would not support H.264, MP4, AAC (WMP11 still dosen't support these formats out of the box in its current state) along with there own WMV and WMA and the standard MP3).
- Hyprtime, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Myth #11: This thread is readable with all the Zune street team *****.
Dudes, we get it. Y'all don't like the iPod and are betting on the new, shiny horse to give it a good race. That's commendable in some kind of mildly retarded way. But, if you're acting like this is some flawless piece of gadgetry with revolutionary new features, you're sorely mistaken. The Zune has an uphill battle against the iPod, and its first volley seems pretty ***** weak.- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3The most asiine comment ever. People calling this OBVIOUSLY ***** and biased article (it claims it won't play video, when it definitely will) as nothing but a fluff piece and you think that is fanboyism on the other side?
And of ocurse, because you are so scared, you automatically are calling the Zune a failure despite having NO IDEA what the ***** you are talking about.
So, your opinion that it is going to fail is more valid than those who say it won't?
Seriously...why do you even bother posting here? You have zero credibility in the real world and NEVER will be taken seriously in life. - AlexaW, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@lakawak
I know you are not worried too much about the truth in your fanboy rage, but the article cites microsoft in a CNET article on MP3.com, and quotes Lee, the MS VP in charge of consumer hardware.
This is not a lie, it's what reputable sources are reporting. AND ITS WHAT MICROSOFT IS SAYING! If you have a problem with it, it's your problem with MS, not an issue you should complain about in the article.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3The most asiine comment ever. People calling this OBVIOUSLY ***** and biased article (it claims it won't play video, when it definitely will) as nothing but a fluff piece and you think that is fanboyism on the other side?
- Fett101, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4Am I the only one who hates the scroll wheel? It's nice compared to old methods of navigation, but it's still kind of awkward to do it. I always go flying past what I'm looking for and have to scroll back. And then I miss it by one and have to go the other way again. :-(
I can't find anywhere that states how the Creative Vision's touchpad works... Anyone know? If you could just hold your finger at the bottom to scroll through songs, that seems far easier and more accurate then slinging your finger around the wheel. Anyone know if that's- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3I don't think it is bad, but people acting like any device without it will fail are ridiculous. It is no big deal.
It is yet another example of how out of touch Digg is with reality, since they actually think that the average MP3 consumer wants to put 2500 songs on their player to scroll through endlessly.
ALL surveys have shown this is not true for a very large majority. - danieleran, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5haha except for the actual survey that asked what product 60 million people would actually buy. That one was decidedly in favor of the iPod.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -6/+3I don't think it is bad, but people acting like any device without it will fail are ridiculous. It is no big deal.
- bigvics, on 10/12/2007, -7/+4While this article is complete ***** and obviously biased, which is completely expected from a pro-Apple website, what I think is hilarious is that all this Zune bashing which originates from these type of sites only reach and affects the people they serve: Apple Fanboys.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Once I saw "Dan Eran Roughly Drafted, I knew I didn't need to read the article.
I already know it basically takes every thing that Zune offers than iPod doesn't and claims that no one cares about those things (with no evidence to back it up) and then takes the very few things that the iPod offers over and claims that everyone demands them.
Seriously...podcast support? Is he (and digg) so far out of touch with reality that he thinks the average MP3 buyer gives a ***** about being able to automatically get podcasts? Most people don't LISTEN the podcasts. And those that do have no problem simply downloading the MP3, and putting it on the player.
Go ahead, and bury me, but seriously...if you think that over 1 out of 10 MP3 player users have ever downloaded a ***** podcast, you really need to come back to planet earth and join the rest of us in reality.- heyitsme23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Yes, but reason this from an ipod users standpoint (that is not a geek)
I never heard of a podcast until I used itunes, which has a whole "store" for podcasts (their mostly free though). The ones I like: photoshop tv and virtual magician.
You end up with a few good podcasts, and they automatically end up on your ipod where you want them, no hunting or clicking or anything involved. Compaired to youtube, podcasts are way easier, better quality and more enjoyable. - lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2You think Microsoft is expecting people to throw away their fully functioning iPod to get a Zune? Nope. They are not targeting current iPod owners. They are targeting the 90% of the country that does not have an iPod, plus iPod owners pissed off at their iPod once again conking out on them after 18 months.
And again, you may listen to podcasts. That makes you part of a VERY tiny minority. And you could still listen to those podcasts with a Zune. It would just take a couple extra simple steps.
So, the bottom line...most people don't care about podcasts, and those that do will not be so turned off by the extra steps they have to take to not buy a Zune if they otherwise would have.
Anyone who thinks that the screen size is less of a criteria for the average user than the easy access to podcasts (like Dan Eran does) is living in FantasyLand.
- heyitsme23, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Yes, but reason this from an ipod users standpoint (that is not a geek)
- jonnierod, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2My favorite part:
"Myth 1: The Zune has a larger screen that's better for movies." Next sentance: "The iPod's 2.5” display is smaller" Huh?
And the part about the resolution being the same... iPods don't have a 3/4 aspect ratio, buddy. - teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6Is this guy a blatant ipod/apple fanboy or what? Nice @mac.com email address btw... I'd even go so far as to say this is apple propaganda. Marked as inaccurate...Quotes are from the article.
"Zune's slightly larger display is still showing the same number of dots; they'll just be more obviously pixelated because each dot is larger. The lower pixel density of the Zune's screen means its display can only be less sharp."
When the screen is that small and that low resolution I'd put money on the fact that you wouldnt be able to tell the difference in picture quality. In fact the larger screen despite being the same resolution should offer a slightly easier to view picture.
"Viewed comfortably in the hand, the tiny iPod screen is the same relative size as a 27" TV viewed from across a small room."
Please...tell me he is kidding.
"The same resolution on a smaller screen simply looks better."
That may be true when your talking about a 17inch display but it doesnt apply when the display is only 3 inches.
"but the Zune doesn't offer a wide aspect display; it has to stretch or letterbox the screen to show wide aspect movies just the same as an iPod or standard definition TV would."
A firmware update could fix that, if it hasnt been applied by the time it hits retail. It wouldnt be true widescreen but it wouldnt have to stretch the picture either and it could offer more viewing even though its only a slight difference.
"A wide aspect ratio screen might not even be a great idea for a handheld device, because a wide display would be wasted when watching content designed for TV"
Alot of TV shows are filmed in Widescreen and then edited to fir a 4:3 display, whos to say they couldnt take the HD source and compress it down?
"I'd rather watch a movie on my iPod than pull out a laptop, simply because it affords more privacy and is less obtrusive. "
Unless your watching porn why does privacy during movie viewing matter when your in a public area? I'd much rather watch a movie on a laptop, better picture quality my friend.
"According to a CNet MP3.com interview with Microsoft executives from two weeks ago, "the Zune won't immediately have video playback capability." Yikes! It’s supposed to be out the middle of November."
A focus on Music is not a bad thing. The Zune is fully capable of playing video files, whether its out of the box or a firmware update not far down the road when an online video store launches its possible. Im fairly sure MS will launch with video support but you will have to encode them yourself.
"By downplaying Apple's movie programming from Disney, the "closely affiliated company," as merely some "interesting headlines," and completely ignoring a year's worth of TV programming in the iTS, Microsoft revealed that it isn't just slightly behind schedule in getting video perfected, but that it actually doesn't have video on the company's radar."
The video you buy from itunes is hardly a good value. You could buy the DVD and then encode it to fit the Zune or ipod and also have a full feature version for your TV. You could also record the video yourself if you wanted to, setting a PC up as a DVR is cheap and easy...in fact it takes about as many clicks as buying a video on itunes and best of all it would be FREE.
"Well no, Microsoft isn't supporting Audible audiobooks, nor providing any support for podcasting, nor has it announced any support for notes, tasks, calendars, contacts, or games. So all it does is play music. "
Podcasts are MP3's. The software that runs on your computer handles the playlists not the player itself. Audiobooks are also MP3's. How many people use their ipod for notes, tasks and a calender? I use it for music and thats it.
"Well no, it doesn't have a clickwheel, just a round button designed to look like one. That means there's no circular input to spin through long lists of songs. "
OMG NO CLICKWHEEL!
"There's also no Microsoft equivalent to a 80GB iPod, the nano or shuffle."
Its a 1st generation model, why dont you stop acting like a complete tool and cut them some slack. Lets get the basics right and then go into the niche market. I have a 30 gig ipod, ive filled about 7 gigs with music...the chances of me every listening to every song are slim to nill.
"What value is Microsoft offering at the same price? A rewarmed WinCE PDA, packaged as the PlaysForSure Gigabeat music player which failed in the marketplace, and then rebranded again as the Zune. How many layers of failure does it take to deliver an iPod killer?"
Microsoft hasnt put out an MP3 player, and who said anything about an ipod killer? This is an MP3 player. Apple may own the market but that doesnt mean competition should lay down and die, if that was the case the ipod would be stuck in G3.
"Microsoft has only announced support for the ability to slowly upload individual tracks between players, and such a "sharing" always involves a DRM wrapper that destroys the song after three uses or three days,"
This is a big one. The Zune only wraps songs that are bought online in DRM. You can freely trade ANY MP3 you want with no restrictions whatsoever. Do a little fact checking before you write an article.
"Who thinks this tepid non-feature will do anything beyond frustrating users while destroying their battery life? "
Nobody said you had to use the feature. I dont think MS will take away your Zune.
"When WalMart leaked its $289 discounted price for the Zune, it appeared that Microsoft hadn't anticipated that Apple would cut the price of its similarly sized 30GB iPod to $249. Prior to Apple's repricing, the Zune would have been ten bucks cheaper. That's not much of a price difference, but due to human psychology, it would appear to be a meaningful discount."
MS wants to be competitive, and do you blame them? Have you ever thought that maybe the cost of materials went down, or that Walmart was wrong?
"Not only are customers expected to pay the same price for the Zune in its version 1.0 release, with inferior hardware"
How the hell do you know how the hardware is, have you used one or even seen a working unit? The answer is NO you havent.
"Could there be more bad news? Of course! Even Paul Thurrott isn't impressed with the Zune, calling its pricing strategy the “makings of a disaster.” Misery! Not only has the Zune suffered a horrific wreck of a product introduction, but Annie Wilkes is at the foot of the bed saying she doesn't approve of how things are going."
The only bad news I'm hearing is the misinformation spread by people such as yourselves. I know quite a few people who are interested in checking it out, all of which are ipod owners.
I'll agree with you, the ipod is a good mp3 player but thats all its good at. The video features are lacking, the games are lame and the extra features like the almighty calender are useless. Why dont you give the Zune a shot before you burn Microsoft to the ground. I know its hard for fanboys such as yourselfs to open your mind up but...give it a try.- teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Oh and the Xbox 360 support with possible music store being run through the 360 is a sweet idea. I wish apple had supported the 360 like MS wanted them too...then the Zune probably would never have happened.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -8/+0Why do you care if the Zune never happened or not?
How the ***** does it affect you? Is your life so horrible that you live and die on Apple? A company that doesn't give a flying ***** about you? - teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3mod'd down for telling the truth...oh the irony of digg.com
I remember when only smart people came here ahh the good ol days. - sactodigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Sorry but audiobooks are not just mp3 files
Not having video out of the box is not a dealbreaker, but then why talk about how you have a larger screen to display wide aspect ratio video better, when you may not have video natively. - teamparadox, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1it does have video natively whats so hard to understand here?
- danieleran, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5teamparadox (ironic name)
can you provide a clue as to why Microsoft said they were not supporting video in the CNet article cited? Or perhaps explain the quote from Microsoft's exec which said they were not viewing video as an important feature?
Why are you saying things that aren't true and unsubstantiated, if you're so worried about the facts quoted in the article?
Who is the lathering fanboy?
- monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5obviously it's written by an iPod Fan.
but it does set a few facts straight. - L2006, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2When will the dumbasses realize that a "podcast" isn't a format?
- tonyr1988, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3"Microsoft . . . has reserved the [wireless] technology solely to spread DRM infections"
This coming from an Apply fanboy? The same Apple these are talking about?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairPlay
http://www.nodrm.com/?p=164
http://www.boingboing.net/2006/06/15/why_apple_is_to_blam.html
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2003/11/20031122001549.shtml - sactodigg, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Maybe digg should just not allow roughdraft to be considered a news source?
- apotropaic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2lol META keywords on this site
Yea no biased at all..... - Applemacmad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So....
Get an iPod or Creative... - Tilneys, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"What value is Microsoft offering at the same price? A rewarmed WinCE PDA, packaged as the PlaysForSure Gigabeat music player which failed in the marketplace, and then rebranded again as the Zune. How many layers of failure does it take to deliver an iPod killer?" So true.
Zune has bombed before birth...and Microsoft are getting ready to blame the press... in particular RouglyDrafted.com!
MS's defenders really are something. 99% of the comments here are just reactionary bashing of 'anything' positive about Apple. Just can't stand that Apple can win I guess. -
Show 51 - 60 of 60 discussions
The Digg Toolbar for Firefox lets you Digg, submit content, and keep track of Digg even when you're not on the Digg site. Download the official 
© Digg Inc. 2008 —
Content posted by