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September 14, 2006

| Britannica Probably Has a Picture of a Brain or Something >>

No Seriously, It's the WifiPod

Listen, I don’t want you to start thinking I’m a shill for Microsoft or anything, but honestly, doesn’t the Zune seem way cooler than any of those new iPods?

Robin-sig.gif
Posted September 14, 2006 at 11:06 | Comments (7) | Permasnark
File under: Briefly Noted, Technosnark

Comments

The Zune does look pretty cool, but something about the all plastic (?) case seems a bit chintzy when compared to the aluminum backing on the iPod.

And of course, I'm still clinging to my 3rd generation iPod. I like the purity of a device that's just for playing music.

And also solitaire.

Plus, for a personal device that plays both music and video, I'm holding out until these become reality. It'll be just like ST:TNG.

As far as I can tell, the Zune is 50G shy of being as cool as the new 80G iPod. Taking a music snobs perspective on the WiFi aspect: Am I supposed to be excited that I can Zune is a coffee shop and discover that the dude Zuning next to me likes both the Killers AND the Doobie Brothers? No way, man. Online communities make sense for something as interactive as video games, but I think Microsoft is a bit optomistic when it comes to the mp3 "community".

Posted by: Brandon on September 14, 2006 at 09:11 PM

Hmm. Both good points. Brandon's especially. The more I think about what I *specifically* think will be accomplished via the wifi, versus my vague sense of wifi coolness, the more my enthusiasm erodes.

maybe there's a point here I'm not getting, but on a purely design level....I mean, is it just me, or doesn't it look...exactly...like...the..iPod? what's happened to innovative designing? product differentiation? is that circular trackpad/button *meant* to rip off the iPod?

The biggest reason I haven't bought an iPod is the lack of FM radio. An FM radio gives me two huge wins: I can listen to NPR, and I can listen to TV at the gym that are hooked up to FM transmitters.

rAchel... this *is* Microsoft we're talking about... no suprises here.

I mean, also, at some point your 'design space' becomes somewhat constrained -- you need to have a big screen, and a way to navigate through a menu, and you know you have to keep it simple 'cause the players with little fins and horns look lame. Until the next technology revolution, at which point media players will be printed on slips of e-paper that you can crumple up like a dollar bill, I'll wager they'll all look more or less like an iPod.

You think you feel like a shill... I've played with 'em, and eyebrows raise when I tell people that they're actually pretty cool...

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