“Microsoft Corp. on Thursday unveiled Zune, a 30-gigabyte music and video player that marks the software giant’s entry into a digital-media player market dominated by Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod,” Rex Crum and Michael Paige report MarketWatch.
“Microsoft said Zune will come with a three-inch screen, which is larger than the iPod’s two-inch video screen, as well as built-in wireless and FM-radio tuning technology, features that also aren’t available on the iPod,” Crum and Paige report.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s iPod features a 2.5-inch screen, not a “two-inch” screen, and offers the exact same 320×240 pixel resolution as Zune. Apple’s iPod Radio Remote. Listen to FM radio on your iPod and control everything with a convenient wired remote. Just $49.
“Additionally, Microsoft launched what it calls the Zune Marketplace [available this holiday season in the United States], an online music site where customers can purchase individual songs or buy a subscription that allows the purchase of unlimited songs for a flat fee,” Crum and Michael Paige report. “Microsoft said the Zune would be available in time for the holiday shopping season, but didn’t immediately disclose prices for the product, or for songs bought through the Zune Marketplace.”
Full article here.
According to the press release, Microsoft plans to offer Zune, manufactured by Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp., in black, white and brown, according to a company news release.
“The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning,” said J Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is heading its Zune project. “With Zune, we are not simply delivering a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring artists closer to their audiences and helps people find new music and develop new social connections.”
Apple’s iPod holds more than half of the worldwide digital media player market, according to research company NPD, while iTunes accounts for over 70 percent of U.S. digital music sales. In the United States, the iPod has more than 75 percent of the digital music player market, according to NPD.
Is this a joke? Zune Marketpace? Great name. As for the Zune player, rarely has a product been so appropriately hued as Microsoft’s repackaged Toshiba Gigabeat in brown. It’s appropriately dressed for its inevitable date to circle the bowl.
We can see the ads now: Zune pitchman, South Park’s Mr. Hankey, singing, “PlaysForShit and looks like it, too!”
One thing’s for sure, the Microsoft marketing person who scheduled this “news” release for a Thursday, two days after Apple’s special event no less, is no genius.
If this was from any other company than Microsoft, we’d feel sorry for them – like we did for Toshiba when they first debuted this thing.
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Zune=turd. Now available in the popular brown!
hey, shit is brown too, what are you trying to say?
What a joke! Keep the laughs coming Microsucks!
dude, I’m gett’n a zune
How are you going to unveil without giving a price? You unveil with prices so people can buy immediately. Ugh.
One day Microsoft will look back fondly at the Dell DJ.
I give Zune six months. A year at the outside, whatever Ballmer says now.
If I was Creative Labs or SanDisk or even Napster…. I’d be pissed like a mutha at MS
I was right. No product, just announcement. Typical M$.
And no proice either. LOL
Isn’t the iPod’s screen two and a half inches, not two?
M.W. = “too” – alright, now you’re just f—in’ with me!
the 80GB iPod threw them for a loop, they dunno wtf to do
MDN magic word = served LOL
Zune is going to hurt the whole MS music eco system by diluting it further. Now there’s an even smaller piece of pie for other PC partners.
::YAWN::
Did something just happen?
Gotta love how Mafia$oft is just eating into their “Plays For Shit” partners. How long do you think they are going to like being Mafia$oft’s little bitches before they give them the middle finger? I’d say Christmas 2007 at the latest. It will soon be just Apple and Mafia$oft, again.
Brown is the new brown.
I really think that MS will have a hard time building a brand before Christmas. After the holidays, Apple should be well ahead of the game with iTV and a new true video iPod.
Yeah, the iPod’s screen is 2.5″, not 2″ as Microsoft says.
What’s with their insistence on “social connections”? It’s been in every Zune press release recently. They are really buying into the whole MySpace idea. That’s fine, but I don’t think that is the bandwagon to be on – ease of use, quality, and GUI aesthetics is the bandwagon to be on. Once again, Micropenis picks wrong.
OK. So MS actually did something right, here!!!??? That’s a surprise!
They invited mp3 bloggers to review their device, which is awesome. MP3 bloggers have way more of a following (read: community) than the cronies people usually invite to press releases.
I’ve read the reviews and (for a first-gen product), everyone says it’s really cool.
The magnetic headphones is great, because I get so tired of my iPod earbuds tangling.
Wallpapers are nice as a background. I love customizability. (Is that a word?)
The price isn’t revealed? Well, Nintendo didn’t reveal their price until today (after months of speculation), so I guess that’s OK.
No battery life revealed? Did I miss that, because that IS important.
But, alas, it won’t work on my iMac.
Is that a mono speaker on the front?
Wait a second. MDN just added an extra “take” in the middle there echoing my two and a half inches comment. Uhhhhh, no that’s not what I’m talking about.
And they added a picture of a shit brown Zune. Eeeewwww!
WTF is that? Someone please tell it’s a joke. Let me check to see if it’s April 1. Ummm… Nope.
Damn that’s ugly. Looks like a… turd.
Zune, zune, zune, Who-oo-oo-oa.
Hey, do you see any product tie-in’s here?
MW york… ah… I got nothin’. If only it had been Yuk, or Yak, or even Bjork.
That is the ugliest mp3 player i have ever seen!!!
they have the Ipod wanna be, but where is the iTunes wanna be? Let’s see the zusic marketplace.
Yea that’s what we’re calling it, Zusic.
YUK
YUK
and
Y…
…I’m going to puke..!
How horrible is that? It should have brown paper bag over it.