The more I hear about MicroSoft’s “iPod Killer” the less likely I am to buy one. Set for release on 14 November, just in time for Christmas, the new Zune sports a larger screen at a cheaper price ($249.99). It also comes with an F.M. radio and WiFi. MS is also planning to buy all of your downloaded iTunes purchases in order to bring you over. It may be able to do something with the latest XBox. It will run Windows Mobile.
And ladies and gentlemen, that’s what’s going to kill the “iPod killer.” You’re going to get a lot more stuff for about $50.00 cheaper, but with Windows at it’s core, folks who already have one or two iPods simply aren’t going to convert. Windows sucks. You know it, I know it, Bill Gates knows it. The only reason we tolerate it is because Macs are too expensive and Linux can’t get any decent applications going. I’ve already put Beautiful Wife on notice, my next notebook is going to be a Mac. I’m done fighting Windows when I don’t have to.
The good news about the Zune? It could make Apple lower some of it’s prices. Maybe. If I were Steve Jobs, I wouldn’t be shaking too much. Cuz it’s Windows and everyone knows Windows sucks.
UPDATE: Our very alert readers have corrected me on the current price of the 30gig iPod. It’s $249.00 making it .99 cheaper than the Zune.
And I have to agree with some of the comments, I want my MP3 player to be my MP3 player and my iPod does that better than anything I’ve seen so far.
I have a Windows Mobile phone and it’s quite simply the biggest piece of crap on the planet. I’ve been using telephones for 30 odd years now and this is the only phone I’ve ever had to reboot - and it happens about once a week. It’s just a badly designed, badly coded piece of junk, and the thought of having to rely on it in an emergency puts me into a cold sweat. I read recently that MS are trying to get Windows embedded in cars; there really should be some sort of law against it. Not only would I not trust it, I dread to think that someone else on the road is driving a car with Windows on board.
The phone’s days are numbered though; in two months it’s free upgrade time and I’m back to a Nokia again. Happy days…(and it’s 3G so I’ll be able to video call my son when I’m working away…)
Comment by Al — 20060929 @ 0818
I dunno. Windows Mobile was pretty sharp right up to 2003 SE, which is the last version I used. Keep in mind that WinMobile is a rewrite from the ground up and a completely different animal than any of the desktop versions.
As for OS reliability, I refer you to this
Comment by Datarat — 20060929 @ 0827
Funny thing happens when I take all the non-microsoft crap(anti-spyware,popup blockers,registry cleaners etc.) and replace them with defender,sp2 and ie7 your puter will boot up in 90 seconds or less.I may be stupid,but even my old 366 laptop boots up in less than 2 mins.
Comment by ck — 20060929 @ 1040
I have no religious problems with MS, and I’m quite happy with XP pro at work and at home (along with OSX and a unix server, so I speak of being “happy” with it while using the competition daily).
But I still won’t get a Zune, because none of the things it has that an iPod doesn’t are at all compelling to me.
I don’t want a handheld video player. I don’t want an FM tuner (Seriously, radio around here is total crap. I have an mp3 player precisely to avoid it. My iPod is used in the car, and nowhere else).
Likewise, I don’t see any need for 802.11b in my mp3 player. Why would I want a slow (and power-hungry) wireless interface for putting my music on it when they all have USB2?
The chief non-aesthetic advantage of the iPod is that it does one thing really well, and that’s why the Zune isn’t compelling.
(Now, if I was the sort of person that wanted a handheld video player, the calculus would be different, maybe…)
Comment by Sigivald — 20060929 @ 1059
Seems you comment on price is a bit out of date:
Apple’s new 30gig ipod with video is 249.00 Zune is 249.99 And also the comment regarding MS buying your itunes music seem to have been a false rumor and there has been no mention of it for weeks
you won’t regret moving to an Apple notebook
Comment by Oz — 20060929 @ 1103
um, the iPod is $249.
The Zune was going to be $300 until they lowered it to $250 last week to compete with the iPod. You have it backwards.
Comment by gate's brother — 20060929 @ 1147
Al, too late.
Modern Toyotas already have it (in embedded form). And, yes, they can “crash”. My father’s 4Runners has started shifting weird twice and the air conditioner went stupid once - pull over, turn-off engine, re-boot, everything back to normal. My Tacoma went into a weird idle, chocked and died. Again, reboot, everything fine. No, I’m not making this up.
Odd choice by Toyota, considering how ultra-reliable these cars have been otherwise.
Scott
Comment by Scott — 20060929 @ 1516
I seem to recall a similar sentiment in the gaming world when the xBox was first announced and delivered. For all the vitriol hurled at MS they tend to not make bad business decisions. If I was an Apple shareholder I’d be worried about the entry of MS into what has been a very profitable market for Apple.
Hopefully this will result in Apple easing up on the DRM for music bought in the iTunes store. It’s ungodly insane that I cannot transport music bought on one of my computers to another computer in my household using my iPod.
Comment by Detailed Recruiter — 20061001 @ 0112
Detailed Recruiter.
You can as of iTunes Version 7.0.
Didn’t you know?
Comment by Timmer — 20061001 @ 2310