Zune HD? (Updated)

I just about fell out of my chair once they posted that MS pretty much confirmed it was the real deal. I've had my Zune30 since the first year the player was out. While it still works perfectly, I will seriously look into this if my budget allows. Just please have native FLV support!

I'm not big on mp3 players but this Zune HD is gorgeous (a word I don't often use) and it would make a nice portable movie/video player :-) I'd buy one.

Hopefully its not just a PMP. The market has moved on.

step out of reality a sec, and imagine this. - Zune HD. - International Zune launch. - App ecosystem (aka iPod Touch & iPhone) supporting Silverlight, WPF, .NET in general and XNA (that's the C sharp games framework for xbox community games etc) I wanted to develop for iPod Touch, but when it comes to programming, I'm a Microsoft junkie - C sharp is the most beautiful language ever created.

@simongoldring: I think the Zune folks would be spot on to do something along those lines, making this rather close to their reality. I'd definitely consider this product either way since I find myself wanting video to an extent and only having a Nano, capable of video but, uh, it's a Nano.

I'd like to see some really good screen quality on a device that touts the term "HD". So far, most devices only have WVGA resolutions of 800x480. It's nice and all, but it's not HD, despite the naming convention. I'd like to see a 1280x720 resolution using some of that 200+dpi technology like they use on the miniscule Sony VAIO P screen (it's 8.9" with a 1680x768 resolution - do the math). Can they do it? Well, at the ~208dpi that the Sony uses, the screen would have to measure approximately 7" diagonally to get 720p resolution. To get 720p resolution at a more modest 3.8" size, you'd be using something more akin to ~380dpi. That'd be tough work for an LCD maker. At the very least, I'd like to see WVGA (which is at least true 16:9), but have to ability to play 720p content, scaled to fit the screen. If there's going to be a break-out dock/cable for video output, have it support full resolution and use proper HD cables, meaning Component cables at a minimum (prefering HDMI for simplicity).

Is it just me or is the "chic" look getting more and more like it's retro high-fashion tech from the early 80's?

It looks like Zune v4, Windows Mobile 6.5, and Windows 7 will all be launched around the same time, followed by Office 14 a few months later. There will probably be some XBox 360 announcements too. I'm not sure when their retail stores are slated to open. Looks like Microsoft has a lot going on in a bad year for the economy. I wonder if it's a good idea.

Crosses fingers for xvid/divx support. As far Engadget, this is probably already marked ahead for their Worst Gadget of 2009 down to a bad photoshop job of a screaming Ballmer holding one these with a BSOD in the display.

I think you are reaching subzero. The iPod Touch already has WiFi support. Already has a browser. Already does Skype. As well as run 30,000 apps. There is nothing Microsoft could realistically do to make this device a game changer. More file formats and "780P" video would mean absolutely nothing. I honestly thing people are underestimating the imapct of the AppStore in the PMP space. If your PMP (Sony, Creative, MS, whoever) does not have a full OS then you are not going to make any dent at all in this market. As I said before, the game has moved on.

The Zune is a very good player, despite having no substantial market impact. I hope this is an excellent product, too, since Apple needs the competition. I would think the gaming angle would be a crucial component in this kind of effort, which hooks into the Xbox brand and marketplace. That seems to be the next market for OSX Mobile to make a major impact, now that media playback is utterly dominated and smartphones are on the same trajectory. I for one have no interest in trading on monopoly for another, so bring it on Redmond. Keep 'em on their toes.

"LOL! This isn't the Zune HD. This is the HTC Touch Diamond 2 running Zune software!" I read today some other place that it is actually using HTC touch hardware. Do you really think the Zune OS is a total re-write of Windows CE/Mobile? When I had a Zune 30 if I scrolled down my music list real fast you would see large letters on the screen like "H" as in went through the alphabet of songs. The exact same thing will show on my WinMO phone if I scroll through my contacts fast. Zune OS is WinMO at its core. Anyhow this should help Zune compete with the current generation of iTouch from the looks of it. That said we have no idea what it can do, and I am sure Apple will rev the current iTouch/iPod in June. It should be a an interesting second half of the year for the MS vs Apple competition.

OT!! http://www.ndpta.com/ Holy FrontPage 98 Batman!!!! I guess creating poorly written white papers translates in to horrible website creation skills. Looking at that photo I think Mikey G is really an alias for Roger Kay. Only question now is which is the real Mikey, the slim version on that site or the one we are graced with here?????

The website is hideous, "Lindy", and that whitepaper makes my eyes hurt. Someone needs to tell these clowns that modern typesetting uses one space after a period, not two. What a joke—all the way around. It's got more holes than a block of swiss cheese.

@Lindy: None of what you said would surprise me. At the very least it makes sense if only for the fact that the Zune device software will migrate to Windows Mobile smartphones. There would be some conferencing happening between the regular WinMo dev team and the Zune firmware dev team. More than likely the dev team responsible for the Zune firmware is just a specialized division within the WinMo team. You have to remember that the original Portable Media Centers were also Windows Mobile based - the boot process had a WinMo splash screen too. Say what you want about Windows Mobile being clunky, but it is pretty flexible. It's funny that Apple is now copying the flexibility of Windows Mobile's app ecosystem, but only because 3rd-party dev's were practically pulling Apple's teeth to open up the platform.

@mike: "The new Zune looks really nice. It has kind of a Jacob Jensen look to it and I love their industrial design." It is nice and it doesn't look like a copy of Apple's designs. I hope it has more than one button.

Maybe the 10 people that purchased a Zune will upgrade. The Zune is dead.

I'm with John on this. I hope the new Zune brings some competition for the iPod. I doubt it, but who knows. Zunes are essentially the same price as iPods, so the cheaper hardware argument that Microsoft is now using fails here. I don't know what value/feature differentiation they hope to use, but if it pushes Apple to keep innovating then fine. And, on the subject of iPods, I agree with Paul that the 3rd gen shuffle is a misfire. Can't use it with my Etymotics? Thanks, but no thanks. Anyway, the 2nd gen is already small enough.

"Anyway, the 2nd gen is already small enough." I agree. I like the 2nd gen shuffle. It's perfect for the gym. I have a 1 Gig model that I got for opening a bank account. For something without a screen, it's more than enough for me.

"To get 720p resolution at a more modest 3.8" size, you'd be using something more akin to ~380dpi. That'd be tough work for an LCD maker." In other words, it won't really be HD and this is marketing BS. "Zunes are essentially the same price as iPods, so the cheaper hardware argument that Microsoft is now using fails here." MS is fighting the last war, and wishes for the good old days when computers cost $5,000+ in today's dollars and had to be replaced in 3 years at most given the rapid increases in processing power. Those days are over. Macs may be more money, but it's an amount most people can afford. This is only going to become more and more true, as computing hardware prices drop, drop, drop. Look at the iPod - yes apple's PMP were always a little bit more money. Paul always harped on that, and was convinced $50-75 cheaper players would take the market from apple, like $2000 cheaper PCs took the market from macs in the mid-90s. He was wrong (as usual on all things apple vs. MS). Given falling component prices and apple's commanding sales volumes on the new wave - handheld devices - it will be very difficult for anyone to significantly undercut apple. The post-PC world isn't looking very friendly - or at least a LOT less friendly -- to MS's model. MS's model favored multiple OEMs and hardware competition. Now, that model yields an insignificant if not zero price advantage (for handheld devices) and lots of downsides (the same ones that exist for the PC - tremendous hardware/software incompatibilities and glitches and more difficult support/problem resolution) "No question that this will be an interesting year for Microsoft's billion+ customers." MS doesn't sell to billions of customers. It sells to OEMs and IT shops and the relatively few individuals that buy an off the shelf copy of windows for homebuilts or upgrades.