New Zune HD (do you know anyone with a Zune?) | Comments | McSolo by Ron McElfresh </head> <body id="comments"> <div id="wrapper_comments"> <a name="top" id="top"></a> <div id="wrapper_header"> <div id="region_header"> <div class="Leaderboard-Top-728x90"> <script type='text/javascript'></script> </div> <div id="logo"> <a href="http://mcsolo.com/" title="McSolo Home Page"><img src="http://mcsolo.com.s3.amazonaws.com/logo.png" alt="Logo" /></a> </div> </div> </div> <div id="wrapper_middle"> <div id="region_left"> <div class="region_pad"> <div id="navmenu"><ul class="buttons"> <li class="active"><a href="http://mcsolo.com/" title="McSolo Home Page">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/mobile" title="McSolo Mobile Home for iPhone">Mobile</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/news/" title="News Links Archive">News Links</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/archive/" title="McSolo Article Archive">Articles</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/search/" title="Advanced Search">Search</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/about_mcsolo/" title="About McSolo">About</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo_projects/" title="New Projects">Projects</a></li> <li><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/rss_atom/" title="McSolo RSS Atom Feed for Articles and News Links">RSS Feed</a></li> <li class="lastitem"><a href="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/contact/" onclick="window.open('http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/contact','popup','width=440,height=550,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" title="How to Contact McSolo">Contact</a></li></ul></div> <div class="byline">By Ron McElfresh</div> </div> </div> <div id="region_main"> <div class="region_pad"> <div class="frame_article"> <h1>New Zune HD (do you know anyone with a Zune?)</h1> <div class="date">Thursday, August 13, 2009 | Articles | Read or Post a Comment</div> <p>Like the Timex of yesteryear, Microsoft’s Zune takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Well, maybe not ticking. But it’s not dead yet. Introducing the <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/13/zune-hd-lands-september-15th-up-for-pre-order-today/" title="Zune HD">Zune HD</a>. Microsoft’s next iPod killer. What’s the HD stand for? It’s not what you think. </p> <h3>Squirting Prediction</h3><p> As an original iPod owner, and owner of nearly every iPod model since, including the iPod touch, I’m qualified to say that the Zune HD won’t be an iPod killer.</p> <p>Why not?</p> <p>First, it’s aimed at the rapidly growing iPod touch market but in such a way as give Microsoft an out should the Zune HD fail or flail in the market place. In other words, the Zune HD misses the mark and features don’t really compare well to the iPod touch.</p> <h3>It Does What?</h3><p> Going right at the heart of the matter, the Zune costs less, now, than an iPod touch with comparable memory. The iPod touch currently comes in three flavors starting with an 8 gigabyte model for $229, a 16 gigabyte version at $299, and the whopping 32 gigger at $399.</p> <p>The Zune HD will have multiple colors vs. the iPod touch black, but only come in 16 gigabyte and 32 gigabyte versions, but start at $219 and end up at $289—a full $100 plus less than the iPod touch.</p> <p>What’s the Zune HD do that’s different than the iPod touch?</p> <p>It plays HD radio. It plays 720p movies.</p> <h3>The Day After</h3><p> I’m convinced that many Zune HD owners will be disappointed on Christmas morning when they find out that all it does is play music, HD radio, and 720p movies, but no games, no applications, and probably not as much fun as an iPod touch, the <em>funnest</em> iPod ever.</p> <p>Timing is everything and Zune HD timing is really bad this year. Apple will introduce a new line of iPods in September. Not only will the current iPod touch models do more than a Zune HD, the new models are likely to sport a built-in digital camera and other goodies. Apple is a moving target.</p> <p>I use my iPod touch as a netbook in the living room. It’s perfect for checking email, browsing the web, catching up on notes, chatting, playing games, watching videos, and everything else that makes the iPhone, iPod touch platform so enjoyable.</p> <p>HD radio? Hasn’t the iPod done enough damage to radio already with tens of millions of iPod connectors in cars?</p> <h3>Finis</h3><p> The Zune HD design is more akin to Microsoft, with beveled angles and highly visible screws to hold it together. The price, however, is more competitive—hardware to hardware—than previous models.</p> <p>It won’t matter. Microsoft is years late with their catch up media player that will be eclipsed by the next generation iPod touch models; more features, more capability, more fun. How about an iPod touch model with a built in digital camera, ala the iPhone; for movies and photos?</p> <p>The price differential between the Zune and iPod touch won’t matter. The Zune brand doesn’t carry much cache these days.</p> <p>The true test of Microsoft’s anemic attempts to compete is contained in the answer to a simple question: “do you know <em>anyone</em> with a Zune?” </p> </div>  <a name="read"></a> <div class="wrapper_comments"> <h3>Reader Comments</h3> <div class="frame_comments_one"> <p><strong>JimO</strong> said:</p> <p>I have a friend who has not one, not two, but three Zunes. He claims that he really likes them. He’s is a big Microsoft lover, but he was really bit with jealousy when he first saw my iPhone. His likes the way the scrolling works on the Zune in contrast to the iPod classic and how he can make a playlist on the Zune. Personally, I’ve never had any issues with a random playlist on my iPods or iPhones, I can always skip to the next song. Everyone else I know has iPods and they love them. Can’t please everyone. </p> <div class="posted">#1 | Friday, August 14, 2009</div> </div> <div class="frame_comments_two"> <p><strong>Partners in Grime</strong> said:</p> <p>Don’t know anyone with one (or anyone that’ll admit to owning one), but I did see one under the counter in a store once. </p> <div class="posted">#2 | Friday, August 14, 2009</div> </div> <div class="frame_comments_one"> <p><strong>Constable Odo</strong> said:</p> <p>I do, I do. My cousin has a Zune 30 GB. He went to a concert in Manhattan and won it for free about three years ago. It’s still sitting in the box unused. I said I’d set it up for him with music and he said don’t bother. I told him that he’d be the only person in New York City carrying a Zune because the Big Apple is all about Apple and iPods. I say that because when I’m on the subway or bus, I’m always checking out what people are using for music players and I swear I have never seen anyone using a Zune. If you don’t carry an iPod, you’re really out of the loop. He also won a free Zune T-shirt, but he swore he’d never been seen in public with it.</p> <p>It seems like a waste, but I don’t think his Zune will ever be used. </p> <div class="posted">#3 | Thursday, August 13, 2009</div> </div> <div class="paginate"> </div> </div> <a name="post"></a> <form id='comment_form' method="post" action="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/comments/new_zune_hd_do_you_know_anyone_with_a_zune/" > <div class='hiddenFields'> <input type="hidden" name="ACT" value="1" /> <input type="hidden" name="RET" value="http://mcsolo.com/index.php/mcsolo/comments/new_zune_hd_do_you_know_anyone_with_a_zune/" /> <input type="hidden" name="URI" value="/mcsolo/comments/new_zune_hd_do_you_know_anyone_with_a_zune/" /> <input type="hidden" name="PRV" value="mcsolo/preview" /> <input type="hidden" name="XID" value="4d5e87dd229518c9c34fb6867e926ba455e8199f" /> <input type="hidden" name="entry_id" value="396" /> <input type="hidden" name="site_id" value="1" /> </div> <h3>Post A Comment</h3> <div class="frame_comments"> <p>Your name:</p> <input type="text" id="name" name="name" value="" size="40" /> <p>Your email address:</p> <input type="text" id="email" name="email" value="" size="40" /> <p>Your location:</p> <input type="text" id="location" name="location" value="" size="40" /> <p>Your home page:</p> <input type="text" id="url" name="url" value="http://" size="40" /> <p>Enter your comment below:</p> <textarea name="comment" cols="50" rows="10"></textarea> <p><input type="checkbox" class="buttons" name="save_info" value="yes" /> Remember my personal information! <br /> <input type="checkbox" class="buttons" name="notify_me" value="yes" /> Notify me of follow-up comments?</p> <p>Please enter the “Magic Word” from the image below:</p> <img src="http://pixobebo.com/images/captchas/1283668299.76.jpg" width="140" height="30" style="border:0;" alt=" " /> <br /> <input type="text" id="captcha" name="captcha" value="" maxlength="16" /> <br /> <input type="submit" id="post" name="submit" value="Post" /> <input type="submit" id="preview" name="preview" value="Preview" /> </div> </form>  <div class="search_box"> <form method="post" action="http://mcsolo.com/index.php" > <div class='hiddenFields'> <input type="hidden" name="ACT" value="19" /> <input type="hidden" name="XID" value="616d232f67e885609552c10db20fe691b56631bd" /> <input type="hidden" name="RP" value="mcsolo/search_results" /> <input type="hidden" name="NRP" value="" /> <input type="hidden" name="RES" value="30" /> <input type="hidden" name="status" value="" /> <input type="hidden" name="weblog" value="mcsolo" /> <input type="hidden" name="search_in" value="everywhere" /> <input type="hidden" name="where" value="any" /> <input type="hidden" name="site_id" value="1" /> </div> <label for="keywords"></label> <input type="text" name="keywords" id="keywords" value="" size="40" maxlength="130" /> <input type="submit" id="gobutton" value="Search" class="submit" /> </form> </div> <div id="Feature-Rectangle"> <div class="Feature-Rectangle-336x280"> <script type='text/javascript'></script> </div> </div> <div class="backtotop"><a href="#top" class="anchorLink" title="Back to the Top of the Page">Back to Top</a></div> <div class="logo_small"></div> </div> </div> <div id="region_right"> <div class="Sidebar-Skyscraper-160x600"> <script type='text/javascript'></script> </div> <div class="region_pad"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="wrapper_copyright"><div id="region_copyright"><div class="region_pad"><p>Copyright © 2008 - 2010 <a href="http://mcsolo.com/" title="Ron McElfresh">Ron McElfresh</a>, Honolulu, HI. 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