After months of coverage, of questioning, of speculation, the day has come. Microsoft has officially launched the Zune for everyone to get their hands on. Go run on over to your local electronics store (click here for list of retailers ) and pick one up, let the MP3 playing revolution begin. More information, pictures, video, etc here. What do you guys think? Will this take a chunk of market share from the iPod?
They look pretty cool however I am an Ipod owner and user. I have invested so much into Itunes and all my music is on there. I don't know how to convert songs my library into any other format. Anyway I guess if it ain't broke... therefore I don't see myself changing anytime soon.
If you want to convert your iTunes songs to MP3s, create a CD through iTunes and then rip the CD into MP3s.
I might be the only person to actually like the brown colored Zune. I'll wait till my Ipod craps out though.
I just gave my Ipod to the woman, I never used mine other than a portable hard dive.. If I ever need a do buy an MP3 player again it will be a Microsoft one..
If the woman is permanent I'd suggest you both being on the same system. We have a Ipod and a Creative, and different computers, but I do have one external hard drive where I save stuff from both computers. In either case, I find it to be very painful to have some in one format, some songs in another. I will be ditching the Creative Zen for an Ipod at some point in the future.
Does the "don't buy anything from Microsoft when it first comes out" rule apply to hardware and electronics, as well?
From some reading on the topic, the only advantages I know of are: 1.) Better integrates with XBox 360 and Windows Media Center (and soon-to-be Vista) 2.) Bigger and better display 3.) Wireless capability (albeit limited in what you can do...i.e. wireless sharing of music w/ limitations but not wireless connectivity and downloads of tunes (still have to go through PC)) Other than that,
I don't think it will have too big of an impact on ipod sales. Today Apple announced a deal with 6 airlines to integrate capabilities to charge your ipod in your airline seat as well as watch videos. This will be a huge factor for people buying based simply on travel and I'm sure there are quite a few of those people out there.
FWIW, Dwight Silverman of the Chronicle linked to an Engadget report of the Zune software install causing Vista to freeze. Then again, that could be more Vista than Zune.
I wonder when this mp3 player will no longer be compatible with songs purchased from within Windows Media Player. For the past few years, Microsoft has pushed their "Plays for Sure" program. Music purchased from MSN Music, MusicMatch, Napster, and a few other music services all played on the same players (almost everything other than the iPod sold within the last few years). Now Microsoft has changed the game. The Zune player is incompatible with music purchased from those services -- even those purchased from MSN Music. If you purchased music from MSN (which is a Microsoft product) and want to buy a Zune player (which is a Microsoft product), you'll either have to burn the songs and rip them in a compatible format (although that lowers the quality) or simply purchase them again. Nice! If Microsoft would do something like that to its customers once, what reason do I have to believe they wouldn't do it again? If people are simply going to listen to actual mp3's with this, fine. But I wouldn't purchase anything from the Urge music store. There's no guarantee that Microsoft isn't going to change things again and leave the people who bought Zune-compatible music hanging out to dry.
Circuit City is 40 bucks and Staples is 50... but either way you are going to have to pay tax I can also do you a 12% off overstock.com coupon for a total of 219.99
For those of you who want to know the specs and other information about Zune, check http://www.zuneuser.com/index.php/about-zune/ For galleries with tons of high-res Zune pics: http://www.zuneuser.com/wp-content/plugins/fgallery/fim_photos.php
Wow! I wonder why no one has thought of selling a portable MP3 player before The Zune. Day late. Dollar short.
