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Microsoft: Zune HD is real

May 26, 2009 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

It looks like the Zune HD is real. Here are the details, courtesy of CNET:

Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed its plans to take on the iPod Touch with a new, touch-screen Zune that will be able to surf the Web, play high-definition movies, and tune in to digital radio.

The Zune HD, which will be available in the U.S. only starting this fall, features an HD Radio tuner as well as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen, Microsoft said. It is based on Windows CE and will use a version of Internet Explorer customized for its touch screen, Microsoft said.

The software maker did not announce pricing or capacity, though it said the device will use flash memory and attempt to take on Apple's high-end iPod models.

Zune buyers will also be able to play HD content on their TVs via a dock.

At next week's E3 trade show in Los Angeles it will announce details on a new Zune-branded video service for the Xbox that will replace the current Xbox Live marketplace for TV and movies.

Microsoft plans to continue selling its hard drive-based model, which will have a software QWERTY keyboard, but said it plans to eventually discontinue its other flash models in favor of the Zune HD.

I can’t recall if I had stated this date explicitly before, but I have been told that Zune HD will ship on September 5, 2009.

Discuss this Article 82

lotsamystuff
on May 27, 2009
"I'm not the one in marketing, advocating Mac usage, while flamebaiting someone during downtime on a persistant [sic] basis." No, you're the one in Canada, marketing your own store with MS Publisher's clipart collection, hanging out at Apple stores advocating PC usage to potential customers, and flamebaiting everyone who doesn't subscribe to your Win-centric view of the world during your downtime, which seems to be substantial. "you are the result of your own imaginary personification of others" No, everything I said above is true, and based on your own words. You, OTOH, keep getting it wrong.
lotsamystuff
on May 27, 2009
"I have held my Zune 80GB...The Zune HD looks to be extremely similar" Really? http://www.cliczune.com/images/2007/11/29/zune_80_originals.jpg Your steady diet of McDonald's Angus Beef must be affecting your eyesight.
Dipsh t Admin
on May 27, 2009
lotsa, I barely read Waethorn's posts, so I didn't even know he was comparing how it looks/feels. So there. Seriously, there isn't a huge amount to go on here, and to sing the praises or knock it down when we don't know all of the details is certainly futile. "So what's the point? That it's "Not From Apple"? Seriously, is that really where the bar is set these days?" What's NOT the point? Is no one else allowed to compete in a market that Apple is in? Whatever happened to "thinking different?"
gfryesc1
on May 27, 2009
yeah, the current logic still applies that to make any appreciable difference to the market leader your product must be 10x better. This device appears at first blush to be inferior compared to yesterday's Touch and will probably be comparably priced. This appears to be nothing more than a halfhearted 'me too' product. I cannot wait to see just how much money Microsoft loses on this one.
lotsamystuff
on May 27, 2009
"Is no one else allowed to compete in a market that Apple is in? " Didn't say that. I'm all for competition. I also believe that to be successful, MS and others are going to have to offer something compelling other than "it's not from Apple". From the review I quoted, which was generally positive, that seems to be its biggest attribute. Not price, not features, not styling, not usability. Just "not from Apple". That's a pretty low bar, and not the one manufacturers should be striving to jump over. For the record, dip...I WANT lots of competition for the iPod. I want other companies to push Apple to make it even better. I want the raising tide to lift all ships. I'd be thrilled to see someone completely leapfrog what Apple's done, because that, in turn, would make Apple work even harder than they already are to make the next generation even that much better. So far, that hasn't happened. Clear enough? Good.
lotsamystuff
on May 27, 2009
"Whatever happened to "thinking different?"" With the plethora of "me too" products out there, that's a very fair question, and one you should probably put to Microsoft, Sony and others.
shark47
on May 27, 2009
"From the review I quoted, which was generally positive, that seems to be its biggest attribute. Not price, not features, not styling, not usability. Just "not from Apple". That's a pretty low bar, and not the one manufacturers should be striving to jump over. " That is the reviewers fault. Most reviewers that review "not from Apple" products start with the assumption that Apple's products are perfect. Anything the "not from Apple" product does differently is labeled a design flaw. The reviewer intentionally gives the impression that the product will only appeal to those that dislike Apple. Sorry, but reviewer's bias plays a major part in all this.
Waethorn
on May 27, 2009
"marketing your own store with MS Publisher's clipart collection" Sorry, but that's wrong. Not a single image is clipart. "hanging out at Apple stores advocating PC usage to potential customers" I never said I "hang out at Apple stores". You are just wrong. "and flamebaiting everyone who doesn't subscribe to your Win-centric view of the world during your downtime" Wrong again. It's just you. Speaking of which, I hadn't even commented in the past few posts until you brought up my name as flamebait. You contribute nothing of value here. "Your steady diet of McDonald's Angus Beef must be affecting your eyesight." Point confirmed. Both devices have a brushed metal finish. The iPod touch is mirror-finish with rounded edges. I've held a Zune 80GB and an iPod touch, which is at least 50% more than you. "I'd be thrilled to see someone completely leapfrog what Apple's done" ....and yet when it comes to marketing and sales of Windows, or non-Apple PC's, you come up empty for compliments of Microsoft. Figures.... "With the plethora of "me too" products out there, that's a very fair question, and one you should probably put to Microsoft, Sony and others." ....or to Apple for AppleTV, yet no compliments for Media Center. Or no mention that Microsoft already offered a 64-bit OS down to the kernel, and now Apple is playing catch-up? Nobody buys your drivel, losta.
cesjr
on May 27, 2009
As for the criticism about how I can comment without knowing what the device will be like - of course the same can be said of everyone who makes a positive comment. Positive and negative comments on the Zune HD are based on incomplete info at this point. Also, MS brings this stuff on themselves. I mean, if you put out vapor, you can't expect people to give you a break because you put out vapor. Anways, I don't mean to say that MS should be attacked for coming out with zune HD. After all, they have to start somewhere. But they should probably wait until they are farther along before announcing these types of things. I guess that's asking too much from MS who has elevated vapor releases to an art form.
shark47
on May 27, 2009
"...[Microsoft] has elevated vapor releases to an art form." Just like the iCabal has elevated idiocy to an art form. Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed all iCabalists were idiots and criticized them based on that assumption.
johnbaxter
on May 27, 2009
Thank you, Shark, bettieblu, and others I may have missed. I'll stop fearing CE. That's good to know. WinMo is not in my immediate future (18 months of contract remaining). My only problems with the Zune seem to be self inflicted (pushing the wrong button--hard since there are two, and I'm getting over it) and leaving it in a state that empties the battery when I think it is off.
shark47
on May 27, 2009
@techfan: "BTW I don't like the metal's color. I hope there'll be some choice colors, like white or graphite." It's probably in black also: http://www.zunethoughts.com/news/show/93879/say-hello-to-the-zune-hd.html
lotsamystuff
on May 27, 2009
OK, then correction: You go there to kill time and market to their customers. You call it "killing time", I call it "hanging out". That's a minor difference at best. To wit, let's read one of your own stories about your marketing brilliance and the apocryphal evidence of bumbling Apple Store employees: "i recently went into the only branded Apple store that i know of in Canada - in the Eaton Centre in Toronto - while killing some time before a theatre show. i threw some questions towards their "genius" while talking to some of the store's customers and getting a feel for the atmosphere. the store wasn't very full and there were clearly too many staff on hand for the number of customers. i asked them about Mac's crashing, because of the ads and that YouTube has proof to the contrary. the "genius" blatantly told me that "Mac's don't crash" - essentially outright lying to my face. the lady next to me spoke up and quickly correctly them by saying "That's not true! My Mac crashes all the time!!!". so i looked back at the "genius" while giving him the shrugged shoulder "i don't know" gesture while grinning devilishly. he quickly walked away (nice customer service there). being friendly, as Canadians usually are (as well as knowing how to talk to people from marketing training), i asked her why her Mac crashes, and she didn't know why, but that programs close by themselves and she's had a few kernel panics before....now here's the funny part....she was told by an Apple "genius" that she had used her Mac beyond it's [sic] life expectancy (a G4!!), and that it was "time to look for a new Mac"...." - Waethorn August 27, 2007 Nice to know that you "know how to talk to people from marketing training", especially inasmuch as you're constantly trashing marketing people.
Waethorn
on May 27, 2009
"apocryphal evidence of bumbling Apple Store employees" "apocryphal: Definition: probably not true, but widely believed to be true" As is the case with many things Apple, there is merit to the belief. You can try and dispute that all you want - that story is true. "I call it "hanging out"." That's such an immature term too. It shows your age, or your intellect. In your case, whatever.... "Nice to know that you "know how to talk to people from marketing training", especially inasmuch as you're constantly trashing marketing people." Sorry, but you're wrong. It's just two-bit, uncongenial swindlers like yourself.
Waethorn
on May 27, 2009
"I just assumed all iCabalists were idiots and criticized them based on that assumption." :) LOL! That says it all.
chuckb84
on May 27, 2009
"Also, MS brings this stuff on themselves. I mean, if you put out vapor, you can't expect people to give you a break because you put out vapor. Anways, I don't mean to say that MS should be attacked for coming out with zune HD. After all, they have to start somewhere. But they should probably wait until they are farther along before announcing these types of things. I guess that's asking too much from MS who has elevated vapor releases to an art form." Yes, Microsoft has used this tactic many times to kill competitors products when Microsoft didn't have anything ready to ship. Paul droned on for YEARS about how "Longhorn" would kill OSX, but it didn't quite turn out that way. Now we have the same thing repeating with Windows 7 (which in fairness, doesn't look too bad). This isn't a commentary on the quality of Vista/Longhorn or Windows 7, just on the FUD tactic. However, the FUD tactic only works when you're the dominant player. If some little competitor has a product out that you want to kill, just make it known that your enormous company is about to come with something just like it, only better, and that, by the way, our FUD product will interoperate with all our other products, you'll have the full faith and credit and reputation of our ginormous company behind it, etc, etc. That's a well-known and well-understood tactic. Note how the Zune HD (which isn't full HD and has "HD" radio, that no one knows, uses or cares about) "interoperates" with the XBox. Sounds like the usual playbook, doesn't it? The only problem is that, in this area, Microsoft is NOT the dominant player, they are in fact a bit player. The preemptive announcement won't have the desired effect because they forgot that this isn't desktop computing, it's mobile computing. Apple owns this market and vapor announcements aren't going to change that. The whole thing amounts to saying that "We're releasing a portable media player, just like Apple's previous version, with some "features" added." Before the Zune, Paul went on and on (and on and on) about how Phones would be the iPod killer. He was right, but never figured out that Apple might make......a Phone. So, now who sells a Phone that has taken over the whole portable computing/media/phone market? Who's still struggling to produce a previous generation technology portable media player?
Dipsh t Admin
on May 27, 2009
"That is the reviewers fault. Most reviewers that review "not from Apple" products start with the assumption that Apple's products are perfect." Shark, that was exactly my point. The overall assumption from the Apple lovers such as lotsa is that the Apple product is perfect, so how dare any other product compete in the same space. Listen, there is plenty of competition abound, which lotsa you say you appreciate. But even competition that is supposedly inferior (at least in the Apple fans eyes) deserves to have a place in the market. The market will tell them whether it is a failure or not. And before we go all crazy about the Zune marketshare, let's remember the Mac marketshare. It's basically the same argument. "But they should probably wait until they are farther along before announcing these types of things. I guess that's asking too much from MS who has elevated vapor releases to an art form." You seem to be misunderstood about what vapor means in the context of the tech space. Saying that something is going to come out, and even more or less giving a firm date on the release of said product is not vapor. If the date keeps on slipping and it never comes out, then that was vapor. Duke Nukem is vapor. This just released product snippet is not. And if you dislike the pre-release of bits of information, I'm sure that you don't ever look to to any of the Apple sites that constantly spew out unsubstantiated rumors. I'm sure you visit those sites and tell everyone that they should just wait until the product is released and not talk about "vapor". No, nothing?
Dipsh t Admin
on May 27, 2009
I don't think that HD in Zune HD refers to the HD radio. If they were to use that, they would have to use the official HD Radio logo, which I don't see here. I think that they mean HD, such as High Definition content, which will be displayable on a TV, and on its relatively high quality screen. Still, before any announcements are made, signing the death knell or grand slam success of the device is a little premature, is it not?
techfan
on May 27, 2009
@shark47: Nice! I like that all-black one. Paul in his review of the Zune HD has a shot of a silver-looking version that looks nice, too.
shark47
on May 27, 2009
"And if you dislike the pre-release of bits of information, I'm sure that you don't ever look to to any of the Apple sites that constantly spew out unsubstantiated rumors. I'm sure you visit those sites and tell everyone that they should just wait until the product is released and not talk about "vapor". No, nothing? " Exactly. Damn it, Apple announced the iPhone in Jan 2007 and finally released it in July. That's 6 months between the announcement and the actual release. By chuck's twisted logic, that's FUD or a vapor announcement until it actually came out. Snow Leopard was first announced in June 2008. Now, two years later, it still hasn't come out. Again, by chuck's logic, that's FUD or a vapor announcement. Like dipsh*t says, what about all those snippets of information that get leaked out about future Apple products? Isn't that FUD too? Geez!
whiplash55
on May 27, 2009
A little premature to make any intelligent judgments of this product but it looks very cool. What version of IE does it use, and how well will it work? To compete with a itouch its gotta be very good.
UnnDunn
on May 27, 2009
So here's the thing: as a Zune owner, I can't help but feel sorry for those of you who refuse to consider it for the mere fact that it is a Microsoft device. Sure you may dress it up with any number of real or imagined criticisms, but at the end of the day, it's Microsoft therefore it sucks, right? For me, the Zune HD is extremely compelling because of three things: Zune Pass, HD Radio and Xbox integration. Back in the 90s, people were making a big deal about "the celestial jukebox", a then-mythical service that would let people download whatever song they wanted whenever they wanted, providing ultimate music freedom. Zune Pass is that service. Any song I feel like getting, whenever and whyever I feel the urge, for no per-song cost. You can have my Zune Pass when you peel it from my cold, dead fingers. HD Radio is compelling because every song broadcast on an HD Radio station is tagged with artist/song metadata, which the Zune HD will be able to parse. Which means I can hear a song I like on an HD Radio station, select it and have it downloaded at the next wifi hotspot, all for no per-song cost (thanks to Zune Pass.) This is killer. The existing Zune can already do this with FM radio and RDS, but not all FM stations broadcast usable RDS data. And I'm glad Microsoft is finally pulling together the Xbox and Zune services. Millions of Xbox 360 owners will have Zune marketed directly at them. I think that may help improve Zune's market share a little. And having Xbox TV show purchases be reflected on Zune and vice-versa is a sorely overdue feature. So yeah, while Apple may be the leader in this space, Zune is far from a slouch, and if all you see is "it's Microsoft therefore it sucks" well I hope the Steve Jobs kool-aid tastes great, and I'm sorry for you.
robertsjoe
on May 27, 2009
@bettieblu: "On Topic, this thing does look good, James Bond good." Funniest (and dumbest) line of the month. Thanks, Bettie. The thing looks really awful. It's your typical Microsoft product. Lacking any taste whatsoever. The Zune is doomed to failure.
tayme
on May 27, 2009
@robertsjoe - You and milegalos should get a point counterpoint blog...It'd be the busiest site on the blogosphere! The 2 of you are so much alike that its hilarious! Thanks for the entertainment! --tayme
Thunderbuck
on May 27, 2009
I'm enthused about this (though more lines of rez would have been nice). I have two questions: 1, will it have A2DP Bluetooth support, and 2. do we have any clearer picture of what an international launch of the Zune Marketplace might look like? I bought my wife an 80GB Zune for her birthday last year, and we were both really impressed with it as a device. Liked the software, too. Too bad we have to keep buying music for the thing off iTunes...
cesjr
on May 27, 2009
A few things have become clearer from a MS interview at Arstechnica: - no non-game apps. None. - IE6 !!! - no email http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2009/05/inside-the-zune-hd-a-new-hop...
gfryesc1
on May 27, 2009
I'm sure it will be a competent music player, just like Opera is a competent web browser... and we all know how much Thurrott loves Opera.
shark47
on May 27, 2009
"I'm sure it will be a competent music player, just like Opera is a competent web browser... and we all know how much Thurrott loves Opera." I'm sure the iCabalists will stop making idiotic remarks, just like Rush Limbaugh will stop making idiotic remarks... and we all know how soon that will happen.
gfryesc1
on May 27, 2009
so nasty, shark, who peed in your purse?
shark47
on May 27, 2009
Oh, and before I forget, I own and love the iPod Touch and the iPod Shuffle. So, the "anything but Apple" argument won't work with me. Sorry. Microsoft should not have a separate app store for the Zune and WM. That's just stupid. Anyway, I will wait for more details to come out before I pass a judgment. It looks good. That's all.
techboy2000
on May 27, 2009
I adore my 1st edition iPod Touch but it has been dropped too many times and is falling apart. I would consider buying the zune if it has: Easy podcast integration Wifi A good browser Great mapping A good email client that works with Google Activesync Wireless syncing Good built in apps Third party apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Pandora Location based services H.264 video Divx video would awesome Divx video and the FM/HD radio would be the cool delta. Microsoft could do all of this stuff but for some reason I suspect they will screw up by not integrating with Google or Yahoo well. On an operational note, why does MS still have so many mobile platforms? Will the Zune software continue to be seperate from Windows Mobile? Will MS continue to have multiple teams creating similar software? Is Windows Mobile 7 the future and will this Zune CE software get thrown away in a year or two?
anonymous
on Jun 1, 2009
分类: 手持设备 传闻指出 ZuneHD 将于九月五日推出，但距离 九月五日还有一段时间，所以 ZuneHD 真的要推出吗？还是我们要多等一下。毕竟我们一个没有 Zune 的社会，美国九月五旦推出 ZuneHD

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