Microsoft made the Zune because partner hardware "sucks"

Thanks to yet another Microsoft antitrust suit in Iowa, subpoenaed emails have revealed a moment of candidness and clarity at Microsoft in 2003 when Jim Allchin (Co-President, Platforms & Services Division, depicted left) and Amir Majidimehr (Corporate Vice President, Consumer Media Technology Group) had an email thread that basically summarized the portable media device playing field then, and for the most part, now. Some choice quites from the email back-and-forth:

Jim: title "sucking on media players"; regarding a current Creative player (probably a Nomad, perhaps a Zen Touch): "My goodness it's terrible... What I don't understand though is I was told the new Creative Labs device would be comparable to Apple. That is so not the case."
Amir: "Now you feel our pain." He suggests giving cash bonuses for partners that come up with decent devices. In the instance that doesn't work: "it is time for us to roll up our sleeves and do our own hardware."

And of course so they did, with great hype and great failure to immediately capture market share, the Zune was born many years later -- far too late by most accounts, but hey, you've gotta start somewhere. Still, it's funny to think that for these guys rolling up their sleeves and doing their own hardware means taking an off the shelve portable media OS (PMC 2), getting Toshiba to make a modified Gigabeat, and cutting some seriously anti-consumer deals with major labels.

Zune 58% Welcomes You to the Social

Microsoft Zune propaganda welcomes you to the social, but that's only about a 58% welcome, because sites around the blogosphere are noticing that around 42% of the songs they're trying to share Zune-to-Zune are on the "Zune sharing prohibited" list. Even that three days/3 plays DRM slapped on every shared song is not enough for those moneygrubbing and paranoid record labels.

Out of 50 songs tested by Zunerama, Universal and Sony artists were the most represented on the prohibited list. That's particularly frustrating when you recall that sweetheart deal that Universal Music Group and Microsoft dreamed up for the Zune, making everybody pay through the nose for the right to share Universal's music on the Zune.

The list of prohibited and accepted songs in this 50-song sample:

Universal Music Group
• Prohibited Zune Sharing: Gwen Stefani, Snow Patrol, Eminem, Blue October, JoJo, Jay-Z
• Accepted Zune Sharing: Nickelback, Nelly Furtado and Maria Carey

Sony Music
• Prohibited Zune Sharing: Beyonce, Weird Al Yankovic (not sure if song is from Sony) and Ciara
• Accepted Zune Sharing: Shakira, Wyclef Jean, The Fray, Christina Aguilera, John Mayer and Brad Paisley

Don't steal music, but look the other way when record companies won't even let you share it, even with gobs of DRM slathered on it. Great plan, guys.

Steve Ballmer laughs off the iPhone, deems it "most expensive" in the marketplace

We'll be the first to give props to Steve Ballmer for accomplishing what he has at Microsoft, and we will agree that the iPhone is one expensive (and probably overpriced) little machine, but during a recent interview where he was questioned about the iPhone, he proceeded to not only compare Apple's forthcoming handset with the "$99 Motorola Q," but insisted that the iPhone was "by far the most expensive phone in the marketplace," which couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, most of the long, long list of mobile phones priced above (sometimes well above) the $500 price point aren't exactly mainstream handsets, but as the luxury phone market continues to bloom, Apple is looking to take advantage of those willing to shell out half a grand to have the hottest gizmo out. Additionally, Steve did mention that the iPhone was absolutely "not suitable for business purposes" due to its complete lack of a keyboard, but considering its half-hearted attempt at Push mail and lack of 3G, we doubt Mr. Jobs is out fighting for the corporate market just yet anyway. Nevertheless, it's always entertaining to see one head honcho completely mock another company's product, so click on through for the YouTube'd interview.

The Video

ZOMG, Zune runs teh Linux!

A tip like "omg its true. mys videl was really workin on teh zune linux." doesn't really inspire confidence -- in the story, or in the future of mankind -- but if this YouTube video is to be believed, it seems as if some foolio named "MysVidel," who can't even manage to get a camera to focus properly, has hacked up his Zune to run Linux. It could very well just be a video playing back on the Zune, meant to fool the casual viewer, but the button presses are well enough timed that we're willing to give this one a fair shake. Don't let us down, MysVidel. As for tipster -- our hope in you is lost already. Like always, check the video after the break.

Don't cry for the Zune just yet

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Reports of lackluster sales of Microsoft's Zune that surfaced earlier this week might be a bit premature.

Microsoft's newest MP3 player, which launched just over two weeks ago, took second place in the portable digital player market in its first four days of sales, according to numbers generated by the market research firm NPD Group.
Microsoft's new Zune MP3 player did not fare as poorly as some predicted during its first week of sales.
Online retailers are creating their own shopping traditions. CNN's Kyung Lah has more.
"Considering it is a new brand, it's a very good first-week showing," said Ross Rubin, director of industry for NPD Group.

Zune took 9 percent of digital player sales, according to NPD, edging out Sandisk (down $0.85 to $43.92, Charts), but behind Apple (down $1.09 to $90.72, Charts), whose iPod models have long dominated the MP3 player market.

Another research agency, Current Analysis, reported a somewhat similar sales reading during the same week. For the same week ending November 18, 2006, the Zune took 7 percent of the MP3 player market, falling behind both Apple and Sandisk.
While the two reports look strictly at sales at major U.S. electronics retailers, online sales of the Zune appear not to be as favorable.

As of midday Wednesday, Zune ranked as the 18th most popular MP3 players sold at Amazon.com (down $0.81 to $40.11, Charts), behind most models of the iPod.

Shawny Chen, a research analyst for Current Analysis, says that in order to become a serious contender against Apple, Microsoft will have to make further adjustments to the Zune, especially considering the number of unfavorable reviews the device has received so far.

"Microsoft will have to come out with an improved Zune that touches on the very features that people are disappointed with this model, such as the limited WiFi capability," said Chen.

Kathleen Maher, a senior analyst at Jon Peddie Research, notes that even if the Zune is off to a slow start in the MP3 player market, Microsoft has had a lot of success launching a new product, tweaking it and ultimately satisfying consumers.

"It doesn't bug them to dump a bunch of money into an experiment and rejigger it along the way," said Maher, pointing at the success of the Xbox. "It's worked reasonably well."

Zune Now Works With Mac OS X and Linux (Well, Almost)

until now, Mac OS X and Linux users had been left out of the social—that is to say they haven't been able to use the Microsoft Zune with their operating system. "Until now" because the library libmtp is actually able to read the Zune's crazy filesystem on other, non-Microsoft OSes. How big a deal is this?


Right now, it isn't that huge a deal. The programs making use of the library (like XNJB for Mac OS X which is pictured here and amaroK for Linux) still only offer rudimentary support for the Zune. The only thing you can do is read the files on the player and transferring files to and from the Zune is still a ways away.

However, a fully-functioning Zune for Mac OS X and/or Linux might get people to take a closer look at the Zune rather than automatically discounting it. Of course, you'd first have to be convinced that the Zune is worth going out of your way to configure esoteric libraries just to get it to work on your OS of choice. (Try saying the Zune is worth it to some people.) Still, progress is better than no progress and more options are always welcome.

Zune on Mac OS X and Linux [Zune-Online]

Zune AV cable dissected, just like iPod's

AnythingButiPod took a look at the Zune's AV Cable and surprise, surprise... found it to use yet another unique pinout configuration for pumping audio and video out to the TeeVee. However, this time you don't have to get locked into the vendor-specific accessory game since the Zune AV cable shares the same ground location of both the iPod (video) AV Cable and better yet, those off-the-shelf camcorder cables you probably have sitting around the house. As a result, you can use the other cables as long as you route the cable colors correctly for AV-hookup to your TV: iPod AV cable, swap left and right audio; el cheapo camcorder cable, swap video and right-audio. Unfortunately, in yet another drubbing for PlaysForSure devices, the AV cable which works interchangeably between Archos devices, the Zen Vision Series, Cowon iAudio, and even Toshiba's other DAP -- the Gigabeat -- won't work with the Zune. Not without the help of a Xacto knife, anyway.

Zune hacked for USB drive use

Microsoft won't let the Zune function as an external USB drive? Fine. We'll make it function as an external USB drive our damn selves. Looks like the fine chaps over at ZuneBoards have divined a method to make the non-MSC non-MTP Zune open the hell up and act like a real drive for god's sake

Turns out the hack is just a clever bit of RegEdit action, so you shouldn't have much trouble following along at home and setting your Zune free to load whatever dang files it chooses over USB. The best news is that after renaming your .zip file full of super-secret Thanksgiving recipes to a .jpg, you can transfer it via WiFi to all your Zune-toting pals. Now if you only had some Zune-toting pals...

Get your skins on: Wii, PS3, Zune, Xbox 360, PSP

Cookie cutter gadget? Passe. It's all about skins, even the kind that may or may not ruin the shiny new finish on your valued consumer electronics. Submitted for your approval: tons of skins for your rare and lustworthy devices. Ok, so the 360 isn't much of a skin, but we find the literal use of the term rather amusing, and when was the last time you saw a fake-fur faceplate?

P.S. -Big ups on the Xbox 360 and Eames-inspired PS3 and Wii skins above.

Zune is not compatible with Vista

I really couldn't believe the tip a reader sent in earlier this month that Microsoft's Zune MP3 player would be incompatible with Windows Vista.

I had heard the Windows Media Player DRM and the Zune DRM were not going to be compatible. (According to this Knowledge Base article, Zune supports Windows Media Player 10's DRM, but not WMP 11's. And "Zune software and devices only play protected music files from Zune Marketplace.") That was bad enough.

But there is absolutely no way Microsoft would allow the Zune to work only with Windows XP SP2 and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Update Rollup 2, I said. It is going to have to support Vista — or at least have a clear-cut upgrade path and timetable as to when Vista support will be provided.

But on November 14, Microsoft rolled out the Zune player, which doesn't work with Vista. And so far, the Softies haven't provided any public info (that I've heard/seen) about when the company will introduce a patch or update enabling the Zune to work with Vista.

I already know Microsoft's justification: Vista only RTM'd on November 8. So there was no way that the Zune team could have made sure the final Vista bits would work with Zunes.

All I can say is Microsoft really needs to have a Vista update — or at least a public Vista support strategy — for Zune by the time the company does the business launch of Vista on November 30.

(Update: In a News.com story, Scott Erickson, a senior director of product management for Microsoft's Zune effort, said Microsoft is working on Vista compatibility and is shooting to deliver on it by the time Vista is made available to businesses at the end of November. If Microsoft misses that date, Zune-Vista compatibility should be achieved before the Vista retail launch on January 30, Erickson said.)

Zune OR iPod ...Microsoft or Apple??

Now it comes down to the final question: should you buy the iPod or the Zune? After 72 hours of deliberating, I'll tell you what I would do. Since I've got an iPod, I'm sticking with the iPod. I don't want to have to buy all my music again, give up smart playlists, and basically learn to use both a new player and the corresponding software. Then there are all the accessories I don't want to purchase again. Plus, since there's no OS X support, Mac users have their choice made up for them. Say you're not using the iPod, or are ready to try something different. Now, you've got a lot more options...

You really like the music/picture sharing: Zune. It's a feature not found on the iPod, but will have limited use unless your friends all buy Zunes. Chicken & Egg problem, where you don't want to buy one until other people have it, which means it'll take a while to get up to speed.

You want a bigger screen: Zune.

You need an all-you-can-eat subscription service: Zune.

You want a store with a larger music library: iPod.

You want a movie and TV store: iPod.

You want contacts, calendar, notes, stopwatch, and iPod Games: iPod.

You want to be different/want something new: Zune.

Xbox 360 owners who purchase music and want streaming: Zune.

Xbox 360 owners who purchase music and don't want streaming: iPod.

You want a scratch resistant player: Zune.

You want a built-in FM tuner: Zune.

You want a touch-sensitive scroll wheel: iPod.

For most people,I am going to recommend you get an iPod. It's got more support, plus it's backed by iTunes, which works well and gives you a lot more choice in music, TV, and movie purchases.

Of course if you want a subscription service, or a bigger screen, or a built-in FM tuner, then there's the Zune. But if you're borderline between the Zune and the iPod, I'd play it safe and get the iPod, then wait for the 2nd generation Zune and see what's going on.

Zune Product Page [Amazon]

iPod Product Page [Amazon]

All You nEed TO Know On the ZunE

We asked, and you answered. After reading this, you'll be such an expert on the Zune, TV news programs will ask you on as a talking head. There's such a wide breadth of questions, which says to us everyone has their own concerns/uses for a portable music player. Here's everything you need to know about the Zune, in no particular order.

Q: If I send a regular MP3 without DRM to my friend, does the zune apply the "3 day 3 play" restriction anyway, or is my friend free to keep the song permanently?
A: Yes, the 3 day 3 play DRM is placed on every song, even if it's just a regular MP3.

Q: Does the Zune support Divx codec?
A: Nope, just WMV.

Q: How is the sound quality compared to the iPod?
A: Using both the included headphones and my Sennheiser 580s, I couldn't tell the difference. Maybe my ears are retarded.

If your question is featured today, you win! The prize? An answer to your question, by me. See them all after the jump.

Q: Does the Zune work with anyone else's "DRM'd" music or just microsoft? If no, will there be any way to make other paid-for music (like from napster) work?
A: No, it doesn't work with any other DRMed music shops. You could strip the DRM off of DRMed songs, then import those into Zune, but that's a grey area. And kind of a hassle.

Q: Is microsoft going to pay you back for zune to zune sharing?
A: Eventually. They're still working on it, so don't expect an announcement for a few months at least.

Q: Does the Zune support bookmarking (Must have for Audio Books).
A: No, you can't resume a song in the middle, even on audiobooks. And the Zune has no Audible support yet.

Q: Does the Zune have a mass storage mode? Can you drag and drop files onto it.
A: No. Thus, explaining why PlayStation 3s can't see it. Xbox 360s see it just fine, since they're kissin' cousins by Microsoft. No, you can't drag and drop files onto it because you can't see it in Windows Explorer. I don't see mass storage mode coming in a future update, but maybe Microsoft will get enough pressure to add it in.

Q: Does the Zune pause playback when the headphones are removed or external power is cut off?
A: Yes, if you remove the headphones the playback stops. Microsoft told me that if you remove the headphones after leaving the volume on super high, if you plug them in again the volume will revert to default settings. I couldn't' get this to work on my Zunes.

Q: Obviously the Zune has a bigger screen [compared to the iPod] but which screen is brighter? Sharper? Which one has better contrast?
A: Comparing the Zune against the 5G (I don't have a 5.5G, sorry), the Zune is brighter. However, the iPod looks sharper and has better contrast. They're both 320x240 resolution, so the Zune just blows up everything bigger. It looks nice, but not as sharp as the iPod.

Q: What, if any, integration with Xbox Live will there be, beyond simple connectivity to the Xbox 360?
A: None, as of right now. There may be WiFi connectivity later, but that'd require you to have a WiFi adapter for your Xbox 360 also.

Q: Will the Zune [be] used as a second "screen" as the PS3 and PSP are rumored to be used?
A: Most likely not. This generation Zune is just a music player. In the future, Microsoft may create a more game oriented Zune, but their KISS (keep it simple stupid) rationale would most likely prevent any 360 integration beyond just streaming media.

Q: Is the Zune capable of playing Windows Media Center recorded content?
A: Not at the moment, no, unless you re-encode those shows into WMV.

Q: Will the Live/.net accounts work with the zune? Will you have your own 'gamercard' like with xbox live?
A: Yes, the Live accounts will work with the Zune. You just have to log in with your same account, and you can use the same gamercard that you use on Xbox Live. You share the same Marketplace Points (money) between the two devices.

Q: Does the Zune work with the iPod cables, speakers, and adapters?
A: No. Zune's connector is smaller.

Q: Can you edit songs in the Zune [Software] including things such as album art, genre, album, artist etc?
A: Yes. You can edit all the metadata, and Zune will go out and fetch album art for you for ones you don't have.

Q: How long does the Zune take to Boot-Up?
A: About a second, second and a half.

Q: Some Mp3 players schuffle music oddly (clumps of tracks or not really random). Does the Zune?
A: Seemed pretty random to me.

Q: How does it handle playlists and directory structure?
A: Just normal "dumb" playlists instead of "smart" playlists. There's no directory structure.

Q: Will/Can the resolution be upgraded?
A: In the 2nd generation Zune? Probably.

Q: What if I want to just share two zunes between the same exact media library. Can I set up two owner relationships from the software, one to each zune?
A: Yes. Subscription songs ($15 a month) can be synced to two Zunes, whereas purchased songs can be synced to five Zunes. Your own songs should be able to be synced to as many as you want.

Q: Can you use a bands album art as a wallpaper theme?
A: You can use any picture as a wallpaper.

Q: Can the zune's landscape mode be used in either way, i mean can you set it so you can hold it with the conmtrols on the left side instead, for the lefties of the group.
A: Unfortunately not. Suck it lefties.

Q: Is the zune compatible to macs?
A: Nope.

Does the Zune charge with a USB cable like the ipod?
A: Yes, it charges while syncing with your PC.

Hows the durability?
A: Pretty scratch resistant. Definitely not fragile-feeling like the iPod.

Q: I have the 30GB video iPod, and purchased the PocketDok Line Out adapter because the audio was too distorted over the headphone jack. My friend has the Toshiba Gigabeat, but his sounds great - does the Zune benefit from this same Toshiba improvement?
A: I'd say so, since it's pretty much the same device.

Q: How's the video quality with the Zune? If you were to compare it to the iPod's video playback, which one would you say is better looking?
A: The Zune, because it's got a bigger screen—despite the fact that they're the same resolution.

Q: How are the default headphones? Are they worth it to keep or should I be making a headphone purchase day one?
A: Not bad, and you should try them out yourself to see if they're too big/small for your ear holes before you purchase new ones.

Q: If I manage to get myself a Zune over the Christmas holidays will the software work ok in Australia or will I be out of luck?
A: The software itself should work, but the store most likely will not.

Q: Does this mean the Zune will play my protected AAC files? (I hate music protection, but hey, sometimes you can only find that one song on iTunes) And on the flip side, will Zune not play all those random mp3s that I've moved here and there and everywhere? Particularly ones that I didn't pay for, even if it was a free download off of the artists website?
A: Protected AAC Files = No. Your own downloaded MP3 files = Yes.

Q: Does the Zune have gapless playback?
A: Nope, neither the Zune or the Zune Software has gapless playback.
Update: Cesar says there's gapless playback in the software. Either it's on all the time, or I'm blind, cause I can't find it in the options.

Q: Second, I am curious how the Zune handles albums that have an album artist that is different from the track artist. For example, on a DJ mix album, the DJ would be the album artist and the track producer would be the track artist.
A: Yes, there's a concept of "Album artist" and "artist" on there. So if you label it correctly, you can search/sort by either album artist or just artist. So to answer your question, yeah, it would work.

Q: Can the Zune record from your TV ?
A: Sorry, no can do.

Q: Do you know if there are any plans to make the Zune compatible with Macs?
A: Maybe someday (generation 2? 3?).

Q: The zune itself only supports a limited number of video codecs. Will the software automagically transcode the rest to wmv?
A: Yes, Zune software transcoded some of my podcasts that I downloaded via iTunes to WMV.

Q: The buttons! The back and play buttons on the Zune -- are they actual buttons or are they like 3G iPod 'buttons' as they sorta look like?
A: They're actually buttons, and not touch-sensitive buttons. You gotta press them.

Q: Can you download pictures directly from your digital camera to the Zune? It would be great to not have to carry multiple SD cards on vacation.
A: It may be possible in the future to have an adapter that does that.

Q: While your testing out the Zune, have you seen or heard of support by the Zune for "Podcasts"?
A: Not in the software itself, but you can download podcasts manually and watch them on the Zune after importing/transcoding.

Q: XM? or general raido/ real-life recording?
A: No XM, just FM. And no FM recording.

Q: Does the zune come with the FM transmitter or do I have to fork out for a seperate device?
A: The FM in the Zune is just a FM receiver. You'll have to buy a transmitter separately.

Q: Hi, I see from some videos of the Zune interface that there seem to be different backgrounds for each function that you are using. Am I correct in thinking that the background for the start up screen is different from the background for the transfer screen and so on? If so, can you customize each background?
A: The background is the same for every screen, just faded/darkened when you're not on the main screen.

Links direct you to giZmodo

An mp3 Knob..yep a knob

You can call me a Luddit (I have been called a lot worse), but I often find beauty in simplicity. Case in point: the MP3 player knob, as seen on Red Ferret.

As the iPod and other players are increasingly woven into the fabric of our lives, something like this could actually be useful. Attached to your iPod-enabled clothes or bags by Velcro or magnet, the knob could preclude unnecessary fumbling in cramped quarters. Of course, if you want more than volume control, you can always go the full remote route.

(Photo: Plusminus Design)

FROM CNET NETWORKS

Interested in getting a sense of Zune, but don't want to shell out $249 for the device?

One option is downloading the Zune software. It's free from Microsoft's Zune Web site.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

I gave it a whirl this afternoon. The download was slow--perhaps because of high day-one demand. It took 19 minutes from the time I noticed it was taking a while to download. Once it downloaded and installed, it required a restart.

Once up and running again, the Zune software walked me through creating a Zune nickname, linking it to a Windows Live account. The software offers the option of making Zune the default music player or choosing specific file types for which it is the default. I handed over the reins only for Zune Playlist files.

Also of note, Zune's software rips CDs to WMA format by default, but that can also be set to MP3.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Once done with making my choices, the software automatically built a library from my existing music files. It nicely handled the importing and sorting of the music, including the album art I already had. Many other albums showed up with the tag "searching for art," while others said "paste art here."

Microsoft still hasn't gotten 99 cents out of me, or 79 points, or whatever. But I did browse around the store, the Zune Marketplace as it is known. Overall, the software is quite reminiscent of Windows Media Player 11, which is not surprising since Zune's software is based on Microsoft's existing jukebox software.

Microsoft launches the Zune, world keeps on turnin'

The world rumored speculated and finally its available the so called iPod Killer is in the market for 250$ Your call... Me? I find the box and the product UGLY!Anyway some might disagree and well some might agree anyway its democracy man welcome Zune welcome!!!!

Microsoft quits MSN Music bussiness

In another strong example of Microsoft's continued "investment" in PlaysForSure, it's pulling out of MSN Music, the big M's very own store for selling the not-completely-dead-yet music format. Now, instead of offering up fairly generic tracks at fairly generic prices, the MSN Music store will offer prospective listeners the choice of hopping over to Microsoft's Zune store, or Real's Rhapsody. We've gotta give Microsoft props forwarding on to a competitor like that (or, at least props for following the terms of a 2005 legal settlement), and in its defense, the URGE store Microsoft started with MTV is still going strong, but with Real slowly moving over to their own DRM, FairUse4WM alive and kicking, and now the MSN Music shut-down, things aren't looking great for PlaysForSure. The changeover happens on November 14th, and Microsoft promises that purchased tracks will continue to work. MSN Music will live on as a music content site, with the "Buy" buttons forwarding users on to Zune or Rhapsody.

Links and story by
Engadget

The Gates talk....man behind Microsoft

Now I am in no means a fan of Microsoft but I should tell you he has the knowledge and he has taken Microsoft places if it wasn't for him Microsoft would have lost the war long ago but Microsoft is now the gigantic company in the market many people like it many people don't . i don't anyway
To read his stuff go to his wikipedia page
Bill My Gate {Bill Gates}

Zune 1st party accessories spotted

If you hadn't already heard, Microsoft's fancy Zune.net site went live today, complete with hip "content," featuring certain "musics." Oh, and of course there's that "welcome to the social" slogan emblazoned all over the place. What's news is that Microsoft is finally showing off its various accessories for the fancy little DAP, including a Zune Home A/V Pack (pictured, for a cool hundie), Zune Car Pack ($80) and Zune Travel Pack ($100, the one we spotted on Amazon a few weeks back). All of this is just like expected, so we won't get into the nitty gritty, but it's nice to finally see 'em all in the flesh. Not too bad in the looks department, Microsoft, not at all.

[Thanks Paul from Engadget]