Pre-Order the Zune HD

Just dropping in to say Wow. Its amazing how all of the regular brand-loyalists come out when something like this gets announced. Each group defending their favored company as if that company was a family member. This evening when robertsjoe gets out of school, he'll be along to tell you all how Zune is dead and Apple is awesome. He, Waethorn, and "lotsamystuff" are about the only ones missing. Very predictable and very boring. You can now return to your pathetic little argument while I enjoy technology from both Microsoft and Apple...along with several other leaders in the industry. --tayme

blad Hmm. Let's compare: Apple having iPod support Windows increases audience from 3% to 99% of computer users Microsoft having Zune support Mac OS X increases the audience from 96% to 99% (at best since a high percentage of Mac users already use Windows or won't buy non-Apple products) By doing that, Apple increased their audience by 3,200% By doing that Microsoft would increase their audience by at best only 3% You really think that's a hard decision and that the two choices are even similar? Wow.

Chip Let's see: Microsoft is currently taking orders and announced a delivery date. That's pretty solid and binding. On the other hand, you're going off a rumor on "Daring Fireball" and we all know that Apple pre-release rumors have about a 1% chance of being true. (Are you enjoying your Mac Tablet? It's been equally rumored for at least five years now so you must have several of them by now!)

"Apple Products are the "Windows" of this market. With less consumer complaints. :)" With less complaints that come out into the open.

"Now to figure out what I'm doing wrong such that the Zune discharges itself when I'm pretty sure I've turned it off for a couple of days." When you "shut off" the Zune by holding down the button it only goes to sleep. To fully power down, you need to press down on the directional pad and while holding that also press the back button until it powers off. then it will be fully off. it will need to boot every time you turn it on from that state though... which only takes a few seconds though.

"He, Waethorn, and "lotsamystuff" are about the only ones missing." Thanks for your typical "non-biased" flamebait tayme, but I already commented. I've already said before that products that aren't sold outside of the US are of little interest to me.

As a comical note, I see that they've FINALLY added the US's primary official language to the website here: http://social.zune.net/home.aspx?culture=es-us

@Mike http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10309110-37.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksA... "Now, this isn't a huge surprise since Apple has held an event announcing the latest upgrade to the iPod and iTunes around this same time every year." I would not be surprised if the iTouch was available, as in you can actually put your hands on one, before the Zune HD. IHMO I dont think we will see the rumored tablet this year.

Amen to redunion1940, but that'd also mean that you couldn't use iTunes music in other dev... wait. WTF is going on in here? Can't you see? Apple did a great move in creating apps for the iPod Touch platform (stop saying iTouch, that product is NOT from Apple) because they would have un-DRM'ed music and thus needed to still make their devices useful. If there were no apps or app store (which took long to happen) the iPod Touch would be the less featured iPod, given the others had beyond 100gb of space. Please don't start with the flash memory advantages, don't go there, please. I've been using even Creative's Zen micro HDD equipped player and NEVER skipped a song or ran out of battery in a troublesome way. Thing is, MS is up to something good here: new high-tech device with an out-of-this-world processing unit that could allow for games and stuff like that, beyond freakin' video playing. They could/should nurture this ecosystem like 'yesterday' and bring such advances to Windows for Phones (yes, they ditched Windows Mobile for the next gen platform). Goddamn they've already got XNA to make games to almost anything they already provide. Come on, MS, throw a nice punch. Got the skillz, got the money, lack the inspiration, but you'll get there. I for one, have used my feature phones since before iPhones to play music, videos, take my pictures and organize life. My cheap as hell Nokia 5800 does it all and for less than half the price my Touch Diamond used to. Anyways, live and let live. No one here's a business consultant for either company, so they won't take us seriously any soon. Cheers!

There's more than a hint of desperation in the eagerness of Zune fans to compare a non-shipping model with what Apple currently ships. Of course, that's because a comparison of the shipping models of Zune and iPod is no comparison; the iPod stomps the Zune. Zune HD will ship, the new ipod Touch will ship. Then compare. I think they'll be similar because the state the art in hardware is similar. The difference is the software and the design of the product. Apple has been winning that fight since the beginning and will continue to do so. The Zune HD is good news for Microsoft, because now they are only half a generation behind Apple, instead of a full generation. However, still no app store, still no games, etc, etc.

People buying one of these is like them buying a Walkman. It's dead. Why not post some graphs showing how it's doing against the iPod?

@robertsjoe: They're a joke because they /intentionally/ made a design choice to /cut off the e/ from "Marketplace" in the Zune menu? Riiiiiight.

While its wonderfully soothing for some to think that this is competing against the iPod, in truth its not, no matter how hard the Zune partisans try to frame it as such. They act is if there is no other competition other then Apple and MS. Last I liked there were plenty of other MP3 players (or at least the ones that the iPod hasn't demolished yet). Its a fight for second place, maybe. Hate to be the one to break it to you guys this is going to be no different then last year when a certain person chastised Apple for having Nanochromatic colors, but since MS is doing it its now cool. Dell did the same thing when Apple came out with the multi-colored iMacs, then Apple does the same. Add to all of this the market for dedicated MP3 players is on the decline. Apple realized this and started transitions perhaps 2 years ago. MS is still thinking they can "win" this. The comments from many was that Apple had nothing left and then went on to sell more iPods last holiday Zunes many times over. On top of all this the iPod Touch is well already and well established against the other players in the MP3 market. The Touch is useful as it serves as a gateway to the iPhone which a certain MS CEO famously laughed off, then played fast and loose with the facts of the state of Windows Mobile. Meanwhile MS is desperately trying to level the playing field. And is aghast that the iPhone has gone from no-where to a significgant worldwide player in the span of 2 years will Windows CE/Mobile whatever you want to call it may have shipped X amounts but is loathed most anywhere you ask. And in business circles the Treo or Blackberry kicked it around six ways to Sunday. Then there is the ever fun game of Marketshare. To those in the Windows camp Marketshare is everything, its all that matters. Ask Dell and HP how that relentless quest for more of it has turned out. MS might as well be jousting at windmills here. Marketshare for the sake of Marketshare is a hollow victory, again ask Dell. Tayme- dont be so sure, yours and my viewpoint are far closer then you might think. And lastly I'll upset the Zune fanboy cart even more: This isn't about better marketing this is about a complete role reversal that the fanboys can't deal with is unsettling to them and downright scary. Apple ships more iPods in a non-holiday quarter then MS has shipped ever. Apple average around what 8-10 million per quarter, Zune.... I really don't care about marketshare, but since you all seem so fixated on it, try that on for size. Keep telling yourself its simply because of marketing.