[laotzu]

community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together

Let's all hold hands and sing.

[aft_lizard]

If they make it cheap and easy enough they can take on iPod,

[Mr. Brightside]

I hope Microsoft can do this.

It is frustrating that I cannot get my Media Player playlists onto my iPod. Also, some of my files cannot be read by iTunes, which is necessary to get the songs on the iPod.

[inkling]

Why would any technology firm take on the iPod now? The thing's been around for years!

It's a telling sign that Microsoft is spending its time looking backward and trying to undo years of Apple's dominance. They should be working on developing the next iPod-like "must-have" technology. I'm sure Apple is.

[bcsco]

I bought an IPod. I hardly ever use it and it was a dumb purchase for me. The only time I use it is when I'm mowing the lawn.

Beyond that, there's problems with the Apple IPod that perhaps Microsoft can circumvent: The Apple music file format is not compatible with PC CD burning. The songs can be burned to a CD, but the disc isn't playable on a car or home system. When the disc is inserted the display shows the total time but only one track. Nothing plays.

To get around this, one has to purchase software that converts the ITunes file to a WMA or mp3 format that is compatible with disc burning. That, of course, costs the user extra cash.

Microsoft's entry will probably get around this but at what expense? There are already other units available that play mp3 file formats. Creative and RCA both come to mind as makers. The RCA Lyra units are pretty inexpensive comparatively, although they don't have nearly the storage capacity.

This is something anyone should know before spending a lot of cash on an Apple Ipod.

[MichiganConservative]

We see a great opportunity to bring together technology and community to allow consumers to explore and discover music together."

Yeah, like there will be a lot of exploring and discovering going on. The group that seems to have taken to these iPods the most seems to be college students. I bet that if you took their iPods, most of what you'd find is what is currently being pushed on eMpTyV: pop-punk, generic R&B/hip hop/rap, top-40 pop bubblegum. I don't need an iPod or eMpTyV to find music.

[bmwcyle]

Creative Zen Photo, I have one and love it.

[Mr. Blonde]

Is there a worse name for this they could think of? They should have taken another page out of the Apple playbook and continued using X in front of their products.

[TruthWillWin]

Not hardly. Genesis describes events occuring 1000's of years ago. Fossil records not disputed indicate life millions of years ago.

[TruthBeforeAll]

Has Microsoft ever actually had a truely innovative, original idea in their existance?

Microsoft is to the computing world what WalMart is to the retail world.

[Paloma_55]

I can't figure out why cars come with CD players when they could put a USB port on the front of the thing and allow me to play hundreds of songs without fiddling while driving.

A record button would be nice too so I could pull songs off the FM when I happen to get a good station. The record would put the last minute of music and everything up to when I push the stop.

[Hoplite]

Now everybody can get Zune'd by a beeber-like device.

Reference.

[Spiff]

What's with these big companies coming out with great products but giving them terrible names that makes you not want to buy them? First we had the Nintendo Revolution that sounds like a killer gaming console and then Nintendo goes and changes the name of the console to "Wii". (Rhymes with wee). Who, except maybe a 5th grade boy doing his best potty mouth routine, wants to say, "Hey, let's go to my house and play with my wee."

Zune? Rhymes with spoon, right? Or maybe it rhymes with loony. I just can't wait to say, "I'm listening to my zoonie tunes right now." Who named this thing? Did they get a third grade class together and have them vote on a name?

It really sounds like a good product. But the name is just plain stupid.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Microsoft confirms 'iPod Killer'

I'm not a knee-jerk, MS basher but it's hard to hold your tongue when you read crap like this.

[TruthWillWin]

Although a good product, people pay way too much to be with the Apple iPod in-crowd. Like paying a premium for an overpriced product prominently displaying the company logo (Nike check) so that you are part of the fad.

What a great marketing strategy. Overprice your product and have the buyers advertise for you. How gullible can consumers be.

[observer5]

No matter how crappy this is gonna be, you can count on the fact that millions of moronic Mafi$oft lemmings will buy the thing!

[devane617]

In one version it will contain Sirius Satellite Radio which will be very cool. I think AAPL with partner with XMSR, and MSFT will partner with SIRI. The partnerships may go as far as a total buyout of the SatRad company.

[InterceptPoint]

Here is a photo comparing it to the iPod. No guarantees that it is accurate:

[Panerai]

ping

[Vicki]

How many viruses does it come with?