By
Jen Ludington
December 4, 2006
Being a college student who has big eyes and a small budget, I've been red-flagging the latest technology to hit the market right before Christmas. I'm not spoiled, I'm just blessed with a father who shares my love for new technology.
One of the items I track pretty consistently is mp3 players. For me, music is an essential part of daily survival. When I came across an advertisement for some new mp3 player called the "Zune," I had to satisfy my curiosity.
What I learned is that the Zune is put out by Microsoft, a company batting about .750 in my book. I perused the Zune's features. Everything was looking well and good until I realized, much to my dismay, that I had been tricked. The Zune bore an all-too-striking resemblance to — gasp — the iPod.
I hate the iPod.
Many who share my view would have stopped perusing at this point, but I was cautiously compelled to learn more about the device. Mainly because, well, if it wasn't actually an iPod it had to be better than iPod.
Don't get me wrong: The iPod is a good concept, but it is mis-motivated — sort of like when Denny's started selling beer. Very few of the consumers who eat up the idea of the iPod are in it for the quality of the product (no, I'm not admitting that it's a quality product). The iPod is a trend. Some would even call it "trendy."
A lot of people will look at the Zune and call their friends on their RAZRs and say, "Have you seen the new Zune? They're just copying the iPod, that's not fair, oh wait I have to go, Real World is on."
I'm not here to argue that the Zune doesn't have a lot of iPod-esque qualities, just that Microsoft is completely justified by putting out this product.
I stand by the saying "Look before you leap."
Look at the Xbox. Microsoft waited years to put out a game console, which hosts some of the best games of our generations, like Halo and Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball.
Apple, on the other hand, puts out a "better product" about every four weeks. The company capitalizes on the trendy status of the iPod to a ridiculous degree, knowing they can sell anything that is smaller and more hip than the last product. Personally, I'm holding out for the iPod Micro. It comes with the guarantee that if you don't lose it within a month, they'll put out a new model.
I'm not going to hate on Microsoft for letting Apple be the guinea pig for the concept of a mass storage mp3 player. It would be different if it was putting out an inferior knock-off, but the Zune has innovative features the iPod just can't hack.
First off, the Zune's screen is bigger than the iPod's, with both horizontal and vertical viewing so you don't have to watch your movies in faux letterbox. The Zune is also equipped with wireless sharing capabilities, so you can send all of your favorite new tunes to your friends. And if those two features don't knock your North Face socks off, the Zune comes with a built-in FM radio. iPod users are way jealous.
Most importantly, the Zune is available in white, black and brown. I think Microsoft did it to mock Apple. Apple's latest publicity stunt is to participate in (Product) Red, donating $10 for every red iPod sold (wow!).
Before all you iPod fans shoot your mouths off, let me point out that Gates doesn't have to make a publicity stunt out of his charity; there was a time when it wasn't publicized at all. Zing.
The real victory for the Zune corrects another shortcoming of the iPod: Its unique music manager. iTunes promptly adjusts your music's format the moment you upload songs into it so the songs aren't multi-player friendly anymore. Zune tunes can be managed in multiple formats.
All in all, Microsoft was able to package a pretty decent product for a reasonable price — something I've yet to see Apple do.
Just think, that shadowy outline you see dancing around campus like a blind monkey could now be you. If you're going to subject the campus to that, at least do it right — with the Zune.
Columnist Jen Ludington: jenludington@thedaily.washington.edu.
8 Comments
#1 Roxanne
on December 4, 2006 at 8:34 a.m.(Seattle, WA | Unverified Name)
As a student who uses both Apple and Microsoft products, I guess I'm always amused when someone takes such a strong stance. For all that the Zune supposedly "corrects [...] shortcoming[s] of the iPod", doesn't it have a few shortcomings of its own? For example, its heavier weight, its lower resolution screen, and its shorter battery life? Rather than recommend a product based solely on its' brand name, perhaps the technological facts could swing one's decision.
#2 jim
on December 4, 2006 at 2:56 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
Great article. I too hate iPods and the whole culture around them. I like the way you underhandedly poke fun at all the push overs who own them.
#3 Christophe
on December 4, 2006 at 3 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
Dear Jen, you praise the ZUNE as if you were given one for free - I hope that's not true. Please also mention some disadvangages of this gadget: its inability to play many video and music formats, the limit of sharing to 3 days or 3 times, the mandatory paying of points to "buy" songs in large increments - thereby providing an interest-free loan to MS, you can't use Windows Mediaplayer to load your Zune.
#4 Scott
on December 4, 2006 at 9:30 p.m.(Port Townsend, WA | Unverified Name)
What's lost in all of your pretentious "I'm so anti-trendy, I'm actually hipper than you" yammering is the fact that Ipods really are, as the first large capacity mp3 player, a revolutionary and quality product. Seriously, isn't it kind of sad to go out of your way to avoid using a good product just for the sake of feeling like you are above fashion?
I can't decide whether this is more of an exercise in shamelessly hypocritical advertisement, or self-congradulatory masturbation. Either way, you can't expect people to respect it as an opinion column.
#5 Will
on December 4, 2006 at 10:46 p.m.(Tacoma, WA | Unverified Name)
From: hahnwg@gmail.com
Subject: Not Zune Enough
Date: December 4, 2006 1:42:30 PM PST
To: jenlundington@thedaily.washington.edu
Cc: editor@thedaily.washington.edu
I'm not normally one to whine about people's opinions on technology. Everybody has preferences and a feature set won't ever change those. However, it is expected that a columnist would at least do their research when presenting their opinions.
In your recent article entitled "Not Zune Enough", you portray the Zune as "upstag[ing] Apple on every level". While definitely having a dramatic flair and being a valid opinion, the facts used to back this claim up are rife with misinformation and false assumptions. You claim or suggest that 1) Microsoft sat on its haunches while the iPod experimented in mass storage mp3 players 2) the Zune's screen is larger than the iPods with both horizontal and vertical viewing for movies 3) You can send all of your favourite new tunes to your friends with the Zune 4) The Zune FM radio is an innovative feature 5) The Zune colour scheme is a mock move for Microsoft in response to Apple's participation with Bono's AIDs charity Product (RED) 6) itunes converts all your music to a format unplayable on other players while the Zune Marketplace allows storage in multiple formats and 7) The Zune is affordable while the iPod is not.
Yes, I am saying that every one of your statements is false or misleading.
1) The iPod launched in 2001 and was available for in 2002. In 2004, Microsoft launched its PlaysForSure program. This consisted of a direct attack at Apple. In addition to licensing its mobile Media Center software to PortableMediaPlayers, Microsoft created a WMA DRM and licensed it to all of the major alternative music stores, the idea being that they could beat the iPod by allowing people a large option of players (any MP3 creator that'd licensed its DRM technology) and a large option of marketplaces (which consist of Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo, and even Microsoft's own PlaysForSure store and Microsoft/MtV's URGE). The Zune, which was slightly redesigned by Microsoft but is, at its root, a year and a half old Toshiba Gigabeat, breaks Microsoft's support for their own program as it does not work with music purchased from PlaysForSure marketplaces. In addition, Microsoft closed down its personal PlaysForSure store, leaving anyone already subscribing out of luck.
2) The Zune has a 3" screen to the iPod's 2.5", this is correct. However, there are two very important problems. Firstly, the Zune can only playback movies in the horizontal view and, secondly, the resolution and form factor of the screen is identical to the iPod's screen. Both can only handle 320X240pixels in a 4:3 format, which in layman's terms is normal television form factor. The Zune is NOT a 16:9 widescreen, so your movies have the same bars as on the iPod. Also, since the Zune has the same resolution as the iPod but a bigger screen, the image is naturally less crisp. Add into the fact that the Zune will only playback WMVs (it will convert some other formats) and not the industry standard H.264 (which is the technology behind the iPod's videos, BluRay, HDDVD, and digital television), the movies are lower quality at the same file size and have to be larger to match the quality on the iPod.
3) The Zune does contain a file sharing feature over WiFi, with huge caveats. Firstly, all songs you squirt (Microsoft's term, not mine) expire after either 3 plays or 3 days, regardless of if they are songs which can be purchased or just something you recorded in your garage. In addition, having WiFi on lowers your battery life to 10-11 hours, significantly less then the 30 GB iPod's 14-15 hours and the 80 GB's 18-20. While accurate that you -can- send your favourite tunes, your representation misrepresents what can actually done by sending songs.
4) MP3 players have had built in FM players on and off since beyond the original iPod even came out. Almost every one of the major PlaysForSure MP3 players have one (including the iRiver H10 which, in my experience, is a far superior product to the Zune, even if older). This has caused an extremely low clamor. Who buys an MP3 player to listen to music at crappy 96 kbps radio compression? Many people, such as myself, purchase MP3 players to SAVE ourselves from the radio.
5) This is horrible and should be apologized for. It is wrong morally and technically. Technically, the iPod Product (RED) is an iPod Nano, which does not compete with the Zune as it is a flash-based low profile MP3 player to the Zune's Harddrive based high-storage media player. In addition, the iPod Nano already consisted of silver, blue, green, pink and black, with the addition of red giving it 6 colours... to the Zune's 3. And the iPod 30gb comes in two colours. Multiple colours are a standard thing, not a jab toward Product (RED).
Morally, it is incredible that you would compare having multiple colours (one of which being a very unpleasant shade of brown with green trim) to the Product (RED) charity, which is spread over a large variety of manufacturers in a move to try to convert consumerism to AIDs relief. Bill Gates' charity givings are not related to Microsofts and come from his personal wealth. Apple is involved in plenty of charity which is not highly publicized and, unlike Gates, Steve Jobs does not actually receive a salary from Apple outside of 1$ per year to qualify his family for healthcare. It is sickening that you'd suggest being part of Product (RED) is simply a publicity stunt to raise sales (which is highly unneeded as the iPod has maintained 70% marketshares).
6) This one's simple. In the iTunes preferences to convert to MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF and Apple Lossless which completely variable bitrate settings on all the lossy formats and it only converts files it can't play (aka WMAs). The Zune Marketplace only converts to MP3 or WMA (no lossless or raw formats... not even Microsoft created WAV) in set bitrates. If you set the iPod to convert to MP3 all of your songs will work on any music player.
7) The 30GB Zune costs $249.99. The 30GB iPod costs $249.99. The 80GB iPod costs $349.99. There is no higher capacity Zune. How is this any more affordable then the iPod?
One final note... the Zune is HUGE in comparison to the iPod. It is nearly 1.5 times the thickness of the 30gb iPod and is still around 15% thicker then the 80gb iPod. It is also taller then the iPod (and all the other main players on the market) and heavier. In addition, the Zune works on all of two platforms: Windows XP SP2 and Windows MCE 2005 (recent patch). No Linux. No OSX. No Windows Vista. iTunes works on ALL of these. With an increasing number of Macbooks popping up around campus, lack of support for other operating systems (or even all of their own) is ridiculous.
It's fine if you don't like the iPod and I realize this is an opinion column, but what ever happened to fact checking and journalistic integrity?
-Will Hahn
#6 Leia
on December 4, 2006 at 11:37 p.m.(Redmond, WA | Unverified Name)
^^ Actually, I use Vista and I have a Zune and it works just fine. The bigger screen is perfect for watching movies on the bus. Most of the shows I watch have subtitles that would be impossible to see on the iPod's tiny screen. The battery lasts plenty long-- long enough to watch 5 episodes of a TV show or listen to 13 hours of music. It is planned for a 60 GB Zune to come out that will be exactly the same size as the 30 GB. And yeah, it's easy to rag on "only 3 songs or 3 days" sharing, but do you see the ipod allowing any sharing at all? No. So shut your mouth.
#7 Christophe
on December 6, 2006 at 2:16 a.m.(Puyallup, WA | Unverified Name)
Dear Jen,
It would be a relief if you would publicly acknowledge whether or not you received a free ZUNE to publish a
one-sided report on this gadget. The DAILY readership
would like to know.
#8 Tom
on December 6, 2006 at 3:12 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
Dear Ms.Ludington, your journalistic integrity would benefit from disclosing any personal/family involvment with regard to the Zune. Your hatred for iPods, yet with no arguement why, and love for the Zune smells like a poorly concealed ad for the product. Please let the readers know if you got paid by, are employed by or have close family members who work for Microsoft.
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