Posted on 10/10/2011 11:59:20 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
After a week of confusion, Microsoft's Zune HD is officially no more.
Brian Seitz, senior marketing manager for Microsoft, confirmed the news during last Friday's Windows Phone podcast. "Since you I both were Zune brethren," Seitz said to co-host Matt Akers, "there was finally the announcement that we're not going to be making the Zune HD anymore, which was a bummer."
On the Microsoft Store Website, the Zune HD is out of stock.
Microsoft's reluctance to formally announce a commercial flop is understandable. But during the podcast, Seitz made a point that Microsoft might've done well to publicize: Zune players were the first Microsoft products to use the "Metro" interface that's being woven into Windows Phones, Windows 8, and the Xbox 360. Although the hardware was a failure, the software is helping to redefine Microsoft. That's nothing to be ashamed of.
Seitz's word is as official as it gets, but there wasn't really an announcement. Microsoft first dropped a hint of the a handful of new apps.)
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
APPLE DESTROYS ‘EVIL’ MICROSOFT IN THE INTERNET MUSIC BUSINESS !!
Went to a mega-mall this weekend.
Apple Store: Packed...absolutely packed. Decided to order my Iphone at a later time.
Microsoft Store: Yes, there are actually some of these. Crickets chirping.
And, after watching the print driver on my office Windows 7 machine crash for the Nth time (where N is a large number), I confirm the difference in talent between Bill (never could invent anything) Gates and Steve Jobs.
Is it an HP printer? It seems to be a common problem.
Music players are a dying market since everyone can have the same capability in their phone.
Convergence.
RE: Bill (never could invent anything) Gates and Steve Jobs.
Unlike APPLE, Microsoft is not really known for product innovation. It is known for leveraging its ownership of the most dominant operating system in the world to COPY the ideas of what smaller, more innovative comapnies do and then by sheer size and OS market dominance, destroy them.
Count them — Lotus 1-2-3, Novel Netware, Word Perfect, Netscape, and even in the developer space, Borland, etc.
Microsoft did not come out with the idea of the Spreadsheet, Word processor, browser, PC network or Integrated Developer Environment, they just copied the ideas, made it work better under Windows and bundled them with their products, and simply demolished them.
that would not ne MS’s fault. HP drivers have had issues
for some time (I have an OfficeJet).
Maybe when billg kicks it the MS stores will be packed as well, (or maybe not)...
I always wondered about that. I never had an iPod or Zune or any other mp3 player, because I always used the music capabilities of other devices.
However, the more that these devices "converge" into the smartphones, the more battery drain there will be on the phones.
I was always afraid that I'd drain the battery listening to music, and then not have power for the phone when I needed it.
Maybe convergence isn't such a good thing?
Is it better to have a small dedicated mp3 player with 10 hours of play time, instead of using a phone with 4 hours of talk time to also play music?
-PJ
As far buying music for download, Amazon MP3 will do in a pinch.
Bill Gates just woke from his nap and has no idea what you are talking about.
I just about bought the new Zune for HD radio. Fortunately our static ridden AM talk radio station now broadcasts on FM.
Batteries are improving....slowly.
The biggest advancements are in the hardware side where the power required is getting lower and lower....hence the battery lasts longer.
So what are Bill Gates’ kids going to use now?
I have it on my Windows smart phone. It sucks. The Nokia suite would at least let me synch directly to Outlook. Zune was worthless.
I probably would have kept using my old Zune 30 if it supported FLAC and didn’t force me to use the stupid Zune software.
I ended up buying a Sansa Fuze because I got tired of Microsoft’s asinine limitations. Even before Rockbox was ported to the Fuze V2, I already had everything I wanted for a fraction of what I paid for the Zune.
I find that the battery issue isn’t that big a deal. I have an iPhone 4 that I use for listening to music, reading books, playing games, GPS, watching videos, taking pictures and videos, oh and I call people too. :)
I use a Lenmar case that includes a battery that augments the iPhone battery, doubling the life. (The case is about the same size as other cases too, so it’s a good deal). I also plug in often - in the car, at work, at home.
You can also buy small, portable battery chargers in case you need them in a pinch.
I think for me, it’s been easier to carry one device for all of that and the battery life is not an issue with a little bit of planning.
Are you claiming is that Apple has never done this with new or upgraded products of theirs?
Typo. Remove “is” from the sentence.
Typo. Remove “is” from the sentence.
I ended up with a cheap very small sansa player with a micro SD slot. I can listen whenever I want and endless memory just by switching out an inexpensive SD card.
Plus, I can listen to the pirate encoded stuff that will not play on an iPhone or Android phone.
As a second gadget, it is unobtrusive and give me features that modern smartphones are excluded from.
That was the long answer, the short answer would be yes.
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