Avoid the Loony Zune: Microsoft gets music player all wrong

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | November 23, 2006 | Andy Ihnatko

[quidnunc]

FYI

[cmsgop]

But,but......The Zune was going to AAPL's A$$ I thought ???</>sarc

[ARealMothersSonForever]

This may have ThreadJester potential...

[MikefromOhio]

yes yes yes it may :)

[Man50D]

Microsoft doesn't provide for two(Zune and WMP)of its own apps to be compatible with each other? How could MS miss filling such an obvious requirement?

[SaveTheChief]

Sounds like someone who had a little trouble and wants to make a big deal out of almost nothing. This reminds me of the false argument that the iPod won't play music purchased from other sources.

I've not yet seen the Zune, but I can't imagine it being as miserable as this drama queen wants his readers to believe.

[big'ol_freeper]

I notice on these Zune threads that the usual Windows sheeples (read that sycophants) are strangely absent. Leads one to believe that this latest Microsoft piece of trash is even too much for them to make excuses for.

[KStorm]

I'm looking into a Cowon iAudio device, although not for Christmas. They handle a heck of a lot more formats, and they don't tag your music with DRM.

[Terpfen]

I've not yet seen the Zune, but I can't imagine it being as miserable as this drama queen wants his readers to believe.

He's not the only person reporting severe difficulties with the player. It really is that bad.

[rzeznikj at stout]

Nope, haven't seen, er, that guy on the thread Swordmaker posted--he's been quiet for almost a week.

Swordmaker--courtesy ping

[RayChuang88]

The problem is NOT with the player itself--I've read the interface on the device itself is quite good. It's the software that you use to interface with the Zune that everybody gripes about.

[Terpfen]

I'm well aware. But the issue here is that the PC-based software AND the hardware fail to deliver. Microsoft may have gotten the Zune's interface right, but at the cost of mediocrity in other categories.

The lack of wireless syncing and inability to use the Zune as a remote storage drive are really baffling.

[Dallas59]

pods...Zunes?...try ZEN...I have had a 5gig for over a year that's just wonderful.


I have dropped it, sat on it, left it in a hot car...and it still functions. I use an adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter that broadcasts the player over the fm radio in my truck..



It's ugly but it works and I'm thinking now of buying a Zen 20 gig.

The computer interface for ZEN is nice also..

[Terpfen]

That is not a nice interface. More to the point, I cannot believe someone is actually endorsing a Creative product. Even their sound cards sell generally because no one knows of any alternative.

[AndrewC]

but I can't imagine it being as miserable as this drama queen wants his readers to believe.

How long have you been using Windoze®?

[Dallas59]

I've never had any problems with it. It boots up, plays downloads...not one problem.

[SamAdams76]

I'm a Microsoft fan in general but I have no problem in saying that this Zune is probably the most awful product they ever released. And considering turkeys like Microsoft Bob and Windows ME, that's saying a lot.

Consider the lunacy of making the much ballyhooed "Plays For Sure" initiative incompatible with the Zune for example. Many people built entire music libraries around "Plays For Sure" and they are now left out in the cold. And Microsoft expects they will download their entire music collection all over again on the Zune music store? What were they thinking?

[SamAdams76]

You've got to be kidding with that ZEN interface. You think that's good? Obviously you've never seen the elegant interface of iTunes.

[Cvengr]

How could MS miss filling such an obvious requirement?

That's never stopped Bill Gates in the past from leading the industry in some of the worst programming techniques imaginable, not to mention his dearth of computer science in his operating system transactions.