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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Apple Matters: Zune is Serious

Posted by David Tucker in "Zune Talk" @ 06:23 PM

http://www.applematters.com/index.php/section/comments/why-the-zune-will-outdo-the-ipod-111/

“The Zune’s introduction was met with much criticism from the Apple community and was passed off as an iPod knockoff. Recently, Microsoft updated the platform and proved why Apple should be wary of the Redmond based company.

Consumer friendly hardware. Those three words don’t seem like something that would go hand in hand with Microsoft, but when it comes to the Zune, the two share the same traits. Compared to the iPod and even iPhone, the Zune lacks in design and capabilities, but after the recent introduction of two new flash players and a product refresh, Microsoft just showed how a product should be made in terms of support. “

Well, the reception that the Zune G2 line is getting is far different than the reception that the G1 line received. There are even Apple diehards who, even if they have no intention of getting a Zune, at least see that Microsoft has a serious entry into the market. Tanner sees what Microsoft is doing with the Zune and he realizes the potential. And while I think we’re a year or two away still from seeing a Zune device that will make people stop in their tracks and buy it over an iPod, the writing on the wall is there.

We may never see that day. I’m not convinced Apple can’t be beat though. The Walkman dominated the market partially due to its innovation and ‘must have’ appeal. That’s what the iPod is doing. The difference, today, is that the world is faster paced than most people can keep up with. If Apple fans can see it, then I think there might be something to it.

Tags: apple, opinion

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

More Opinions on the Zune

Posted by David Tucker in "Zune Talk" @ 09:10 PM

There’s already more opinions out there on Zune 2.0 than you can shake a stick at. I feel like this opinion piece over at the NYT technology blog wanted to not like the Zune from the start. Its got a lot of really good information in the write up but the conclusions that the writer comes to seem very contradictory to other things he wrote. To start the article, Mr. Hansell writes:

"It’s hard to imagine anyone reading the reports of the second generation of Microsoft’s Zune audio player and deciding it should go at the top of their Christmas wish list."

That may be true for Mr. Hansell. Maybe he can’t imagine anyone thinking the Zune is the best option right now. But curiously, here’s what he says later:

"There’s a bigger screen, a social networking site and a bit more you can do with the built in Wi-Fi connection. Frankly, feature for feature, it gives the iPod Classic - Apple’s hard drive model - a run for its money. But the flash models can’t compete on fashion with Apple’s Nano and Shuffle."

So it gives the iPod Classic a run for its money but you can’t imagine anyone wanting it? I really would like to know why. In all of the excitement yesterday, I didn’t spend much time thinking of how this generation really stacks up with the iPod. The more I thought about it today, the more I realized that Microsoft really trumped Apple here. The Zune 80 offers significantly more than the Zune Classic. The only place the Classic wins is a larger HDD option.

As for the Zune 4/8, it might not beat the Nano on looks (though I would argue that the new Nano is pretty ugly) but on features it most certainly wins again. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the new Zunes are anything but ugly.

Mr. Hansell goes on to talk about many of the features that the Zune brings that people might be interested in. He’s particularly interested in the evolution of digital media devices from simple playback to an interactive user entertainment center.

By the end of the piece, Mr. Hansell has pointed out a lot to like with Zune 2.0. It almost makes you want to add it to your holiday list. Not me though. I can’t wait that long.

Tags: zune 2.0, opinion

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