Microsoft announced three new models of Zune portable digital media players: a sleek, black Zune 80GB hard-drive model, which has a bright 3.2-inch screen and comes with premium headphones (ERP $249.99; all prices are U.S.); the ultraportable Zune 4GB (ERP $149.99); and Zune 8GB (ERP $199.99) flash models, both available in pink, green, black and glossy red. The new Zune devices feature the Zune Pad navigation button, with its touch-sensitive surface. Consumers can flick their thumbs over the pad to fly through lists of songs or albums or to fast-forward through picture slide shows or videos. For those who need to pause, advance or adjust the volume on the device without looking, they can also navigate the Zune Pad using physical cues by pressing on the four sides or the center of the button to adjust the volume or choose the next track.
Together with the original Zune 30GB, the new devices round out the player family and lets users choose the size, color or price that suits them best. Every Zune device includes built-in wireless features and an FM tuner, and they all have a bright color display that is perfect for showing off album art, pictures, videos and podcasts. All devices have been given distinctive new menus, and it is easy to customize the background screen with a personal picture. Ensuring that existing Zune owners benefit from the advances in this release, all Zune 30GB devices will be automatically updated with all the new features as well as the new device software design this fall.
New features for fall include the following:
• Wireless sync. Zune devices will automatically sync over consumers’ home wireless networks with this helpful new feature, aimed at ensuring that Zune owners always have the latest podcasts and other content ready to go when they‘re leaving home. Syncing with the collection on their PC happens via a home wireless network and will start on its own when the device is placed in its dock or plugged in to charge. Alternatively, the sync can be started manually.
• Extended wireless sharing.Share select full-length songs, albums, playlists, pictures and even audio podcasts from device to device. Consumers can now listen to any song received up to three times with no time restrictions, and they can now also pass along songs to other friends who have a Zune.
• Recorded television content to go. The Zune software will now automatically import broadcast content recorded on Microsoft® Windows® Media Center for Windows Vista® Home Premium or Ultimate, so consumers can sync them onto their Zune media player and watch them on the bus, in their car or wherever they want when they’re out and about.
Connecting People Through Music
Launching first in beta, Zune Social, a beta online community Web site, gives people a place to share their music tastes, knowledge and experiences with others. Anyone can create a free, customizable Zune Card that automatically updates to reflect the music they are listening to on their Zune or with Zune software on their computer. The Zune Card shows most recently played tracks and highlights that person’s all-time music favorites. Other members of Zune Social can play samples of the songs a user has been playing directly from a friend’s Zune Card or link to Zune Marketplace, where they can buy or download the music. In a nod to the inherently social nature of music, Zune Social will eventually enable its members to place the Zune Card on today’s most popular social networking sites, where it will continue to update automatically and show off what its owners are listening to.
In addition to creating a friends list, members of Zune Social can send song links and messages to each other, post comments on a friend’s profile page or on their favorite artist pages. They can discover new music by seeing what their friends are listening to, receiving recommendations from others in the community or by seeing what the top fans of artists they’re interested in are listening to. Each artist page will list the Zune Cards of the people who listen to that artist the most, making it easy for other Zune Social members to browse their recent playlists and discover new content they can sample, purchase or download with a Zune Pass.
Zune Marketplace and Software: Easier Than Ever to Discover New Music
The Zune Marketplace online store has been restocked and redesigned to make it even easier for people to find what they are looking for. The Zune software has also been completely redesigned with a new look and feel and lots of helpful new features. In addition to offering more than 3 million songs, the updated version of Zune Marketplace will launch with thousands of music videos for sale and over 1,000 of the top audio and video podcasts available for free. Consumers will also be able to choose from a selection of more than 1 million digital rights management (DRM)-free MP3s, which can be played with Zune or any other digital media player. A new, streamlined and highly visual layout makes it fun and easy to browse through the store, and a new integrated search feature gives consumers one view across the music, music videos and podcasts categories. By typing in an artist’s name or genre, users will see all relevant content that is either already in their collection or available in Zune Marketplace.
To let music fans try new music, Zune Marketplace continues to offer Zune Pass, which lets consumers download as much music as they want for a flat monthly rate of $14.99. To inspire Zune Pass subscribers, Zune Marketplace genre editors offer a range of playlists and promote new albums each week. Consumers can also choose to purchase music and music videos individually using Microsoft Points.
New Accessories Work Across the Product Line
Zune will also be offering a new line of accessories to help consumers get the most from their Zune content wherever they are — at home, in the car or on the go. To make it easy and affordable for existing Zune customers, original Zune accessories will work on new Zune devices and new accessories will also work with the Zune 30GB device. In addition to a selection of accessories from partners, eight new accessory options are available from Zune this fall:
• Zune Home AV Pack. Home Dock with three faceplates to accommodate each Zune device, wireless remote, AC adaptor and composite AV output cable (ERP $99.99)
• Zune Dock Pack. Home Dock with three faceplates to accommodate each Zune device and AC adapter (ERP $49.99)
• Zune Car Pack. Redesigned FM transmitter/charger and dashboard grip pad (ERP $79.99)
• Zune Cable Pack. Sync cable, composite AV output cable and audio cable (ERP $39.99)
If you talk to a Macintosh user he or will eventually try to sell you a Mac. They will tell you how superior the Macintosh is over the PC. The cool kids own a Mac and the mindless followers of “Corporate America†own an IBM PC or clone. We are smart you are dumb.
There is little doubt that Apple has brilliantly marketed their Macintosh computer and in the past five years their iPod product. Apple generally leads the way in innovation and always has. The biggest problem with Apple is with their management failing to gain momentum when they have success.
In my opinion, most hard core Apple users are “Kool-Aid†drinkers. They are fanatical about their cherished Apple computer or iPod. The average Apple computer cult member believes that they are smarter and more sophisticated than the average Neanderthal that uses an “IBM†style PC. The general message Apple users’ project is that Apple is for the little guy and PCs powered by Microsoft software are evil. Stick it to Microsoft/IBM and buy a Mac!
The perception that Microsoft and IBM are Corporate America and Apple Inc. is “the good guy†fighting Corporate America is silly, but successful marketing on Apple’s part. In 2006, Microsoft’s revenue was just over $51 billions while Apple’s revenue was just over $19 billion. They are both multi-billion dollar corporations and besides corporate culture there is little difference between them. Again, the real difference is Apple’s failure to sustain success in any product except the iPod.
Somewhere down the road, companies like Netscape, Linux, Apple and other competitors of Microsoft convinced the average American that they were the good guy and Microsoft was the big bad monopoly that needed to be taken down. The truth is that Apple, Netscape and other corporations where actually the monopoly or leader in their market and Microsoft and other competitors beat them through better management and cheaper products. Apple owned the computer market before IBM entered; Netscape owned the browser market (and charged for it!) before Microsoft entered it (giving it away for free!), and so on.
Here is a history lesson on Apple Inc and their success/failure. After its founding in 1976, Apple Inc quickly became a market leader competing with Tandy Corporation and Commodore. Apple had some great success with their Apple I and II computers, but stumbled with their Apple III. The designers of the Apple III (led by Steve Jobs’) omitted the cooling fan that ultimately resulted in thousands of recalled units due to overheating. An updated version, the Apple III+, was introduced in 1983, but it was also a failure due to bad press and wary buyers. The Apple brand was wounded and competitors pounced. This left an opening for IBM and Microsoft, and by 1991 IBM and IMB clones destroyed Apples market share with Microsoft and makers of IMB style computers winning the “PC War.â€
Apple lost the PC War for two main reasons. First, IBM made a cheaper computer and Bill Gates wrote software that people wanted to use. Second, Apple’s management was at war with each other and made foolish decisions like leaving a cooling fan out of a computer (doh!). There was no evil conspiracy or illegal tactics involved just bad management.
Apple reinvented itself in the mid-90s and eventually did great with their Macintosh computer and iPod media player that continues today. This did not come easy as Apple Inc tried and failed to enter the camera market and game console market before finally finding success with the iPod and sustaining a small piece of the computer market.
The Apple Pippin is a fine example of Apple’s failure to enter a market. The Apple Pippin was Apple’s failed attempt to get into the gaming industry in 1995. Apple failed miserably selling only 5,000 consoles. It was so bad that in May 2006, the Apple Pippin was selected as one of the “25 Worst Tech Products of all Time” by PC World Magazine. In 2001, Microsoft successfully entered the gaming market with its launch of the Xbox and is now closing in on 10 million subscribers to its Xbox live internet platform. Again, where Apple’s management failed Microsoft’s management succeeded.
The big media buzz today where Microsoft and Apple are competing is with the hugely successful iPod and Microsoft’s Zune player. Apple has sold 100 million iPods and Microsoft just announced 1.2 million units sold. Apple cult followers immediately pounced on Microsoft’s success with vicious attacks on the Zune player and article after article of Zune’s inevitable failure. If I were a betting man I would say the Zune is here to stay and Apple cult followers are scared and angry that Microsoft is again entering their market. Microsoft has a proven track record of success and Apple’s management has a mixed track record with failure after failure after initial successes.
If you picked up one of the Halo Zune editions then you need not worry about this post, as this is the video of Red vs Blue that was distributed among all the Halo Zunes.
If you ever wanted to know how to say “Welcome to the Social” in different languages, well then this video is sure to help you out :)
The Water Melon red Zune is the latest to join the brown, pink, white, black colors of the Zune family. The Red Zune will go on sale come June the 10th exclusively at Target and Amazon. Now don’t ask me why just those 2 stores… I am not really sure why its not just every store but could be GameStop got the Halo Zune so Target and Amazon wanted some exclusive love to! Well they got it, June 10th its when the Red Zune will hit the shelves.
Well this is probably on of the weirdest Zune-Arts.net clips, yet prob my favorite so far. First have to say, whats up with the whole grave yard theme Zune is going with?
Any ways, its pretty cool looking clip, got some good music. Sad thing is, they die :( isn’t true love grand?
There is also a pretty nice Zune background image to go along with this clip:
Unfortunately, this is really only for users who have Windows Vista :(
So this morning I received an email form Chris, who pointed me to this really cool Windows Vista sidebar gadget. Essentially this gadget acts just like a music player in the side bar, that looks and behaves just like the Zune .
So there you have it, this is what the gadget looks like. Just like the Zune you can browse through individual songs or albums, which is what that picture is of. All the buttons on the gadget work, hover over the top of the wheel and will scroll up, hover over bottom and will go down. Then you got the pause and player button on right and back on left. Pretty simple right?
And here is what the gadget looks like when you start playing an album, it actually pulls the album art directly from WMP, which I think is pretty cool.
The gadget allows a fair bit of customization. The first option is the ability to change the background of the Zune gadget. At default its set to the Windows Vista default background, but you can make it what ever picture your hart desires. Along with the background, you can also change around the colors of the Zune. At the moment it only has the 3 original colors, no pink color yet.
The next option to customize is a pretty important one. I said before how you only just have to hover over the scroll wheel to move up or down. However at default this is way too fast, this option lets you customize how fast you want it to go, I found a good range to go is between 5 and 10
The third option is just listing down all the keybord short cuts that the gadget provides to make things that much easier.
And here you can see the Zune gadget sitting happily in the side bar rocking out to some music.
To download the gadget or read some more info on it head on over to here
If you use this gadget, let us know what you think in the comments or any tips on using it.
Here is some new Pink Zune goodness. First off here is a pic of the new Baby Pink colord Zune next to the limited edition Pink Zune provided to the Zune workers and the 100 limited edition ones provided to the public.
Pretty big difference there, so which one do you guys prefer?
And also thanks to Cesar there are 2 new Zune backgrounds themed to the new Pink color.
The gadget allows a fair bit of customization. The first option is the ability to change the background of the Zune gadget. At default its set to the Windows Vista default background, but you can make it what ever picture your hart desires. Along with the background, you can also change around the colors of the Zune. At the moment it only has the 3 original colors, no pink color yet.
