The Zune is Dead, Will be Missed Sort of

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JCCIII

September 17, 2011 at 12:11am

Microsoft is finding it hard to monopolize, so pout and go home, what an ethic.

It is the company that charges its customers twice for an operating system and after the you-paid-us-to-beta project, repairs it, and re-labels it Window 7. Likewise, Microsoft is the a company that forgoes employing Americans every possible way, outsourcing to China-based Foxconn, a company so appalling in employee abuse, that its employees commit suicide after striving to make Apple and Microsoft products. No doubt under Apple and Microsoft’s politically-minded guidance, the company now has employees sign, "We will not commit suicide pledges."

This lack of integrity and dishonesty is like Maximum PC telling us, its readers, that 4G is not available and, then, permitting 4G advertisements and writing about 3G phones, labeled 4G, as if they were 4G. This trouble stems from Verizon campaigning the company’s upgrades and phones as 4G, knowing 4G will only begin to be available in 2012-13; and, research says the expensively labeled 4G phones will be incompatible with any 4G network.

The United States Atty. Gen., sources like Maximum PC, and we constituents are encouraging and permitting the very behavior that is destroying our country and taking the world with it.

Zune HD of Microsoft goes the way of CEOs and executively minded people who are not interested in enough profit to be sustained but unsustainable greed. Its demise is but a small token of the real problem. However, little things like communicating the truth can change it all. Therefore, I wish Maximum PC would lose its fancy name, find its roots, and call it Boot! Or, keep the glamour name, but do the same.

Sincerely,
Joseph C. Carbone III

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erniemink

March 30, 2011 at 12:33pm

I have long been a huge supporter of Microsoft Windows, Zune and Xbox. I still am, and that will never change.  I understand that Apple has higher sales, mostly because college and high school students are pushed into the fad of the iPod and the iPhone and now the iPad, all of which are inferior to the Windows products. And yes, I have tried Apple products. They are horrible, over-simplified, bloated and insecure devices. I don't care what Apple sales do versus any other company. Stupid is as stupid does, and Apple has no place in standards versus Microsoft's ability to be common place in business and the home. Apple can never say that, and their browser Safari is poor and insecure no matter what security software you use on top of it. Stay away from Apple. By the way, Steve Jobs treated his employees very bad when the Apple computers were released and it was slave-driven. Bill Gates NEVER did or would ever do that. ALL businesses have some sort of driven mentality, but if I were to compare Bill to Steve as a better human being, I would most definitely without any question in my mind say Bill and Melinda Gates, who have done more charity and creations for people and the computer world than Steve Jobs could ever do. Remember that.

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hammeredtoast

March 25, 2011 at 12:06pm

As a bro who just had another iPod break (this time the actual internal connector itself (not sure about the technical term for that)), I'm pretty upset about this. I was definitly going to go Zune this time.

 

I don't know what it is about Apple turd's, but every iPod I've had from them, which has been an original Mini, a Shuffle, both a 30GB and a 120GB Classic, as well as a iPhone 3G have died on me. I was really, really hoping to branch out, but I'll have to see how the software is continually supported from here on out.

 

I presume it's the same software used to run Windows Phone 7, right? RIGHT?

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SYNK109

March 15, 2011 at 11:08am

@someuid  What do you mean it's like comparing a yugo to a porsche? That makes no sense...the zune has better battery life, screen and resolution, shell, everything. If anything the itouch is the porsche with the yugo interior and the zune hd is a ferrari. In an media player, I care more about media playback. I have a psp for games and apps. Not to mention the custom apps for zune are much more hardcore than apples apps and they are free. Just cause apple has more developers doesn't mean that their device is better.

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bling581

March 15, 2011 at 10:11am

"In a world dominated by Apple's portable media players, Microsoft would always be playing catch up."

Microsoft is always going to be playing catch up if they don't get it together. The Win7 phone was a bit late, and now their tablet isn't coming out until 2012?

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SYNK109

March 15, 2011 at 7:43am

I love my zune hd. I dont want to pay through the ass for a WP7. I  mean i want one, but i don't have extra money for the other device. Zune is so much better than itouch in almost everyway...except maybe the app selection. Custom apps and games are supa easy to put on a zune when ipod takes a while to jailbreak and void the warrenty. Thank you to microsoft for pitching one of their best products EVER.

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someuid

March 15, 2011 at 8:10am

"Zune is so much better than itouch in almost everyway...except maybe the app selection"

Isn't that like saying a Yugo is so much better than a Porsche because is uses less gas, has cheaper parts, but is doesn't go as fast?

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lunchbox73

March 15, 2011 at 11:59am

As a media player the Zune is the Porsche. They ARE media players, not app machines, remember? If you want to get an iPod because you're mostly interested in the apps then knock yourself out. That's why my kid wanted one and that's just fine. I bought my ZuneHD to listen to music with help from the awesome Zune Pass, watch videos, and listen to podcasts. The Zune does these things exceptionally well.

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Silent_Raider

March 15, 2011 at 6:49am

First the Courier, now the Zune line.... why does Microsoft insist on quitting on some of their best products?!

 

I love my Zune HD.  I just wish it had more support.  Like many of you mentioned, making it and the WP7's function like the iPod touch and iPhones would be epic.

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riopato

March 15, 2011 at 1:39am

So they made a PMP that could have gone toe to toe with the iPod touch but they decide to give it almost Zero support and they wonder why sales aren't great? People wanted a Zune Phone the moment that Apple introduced the iPhone. They ignored them. Now they currently have two different platforms that isn't even compatible with each other except for the software which isn't even the same since Zune HD is a different experience than WP7's version of Zune!!!!So far it seems everything is riding on the WP7 for their mobile platform and with the problems they face with this platform, it isn't very promising for either version of zune to continue past 5 years.

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Fecal Face

April 07, 2011 at 7:04am

WP7 pretty much IS a Zune phone, though the media player could have been better, like it was on the Zune HD

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eastbayrae

March 14, 2011 at 11:11pm

This was a given when they announced the WP7 would have Zune integration.  I will continue to use, and love, my 32 gig Zune HD.  I had a Halo Edition Zune before that.  I cannot even remember how many times I dropped both of them on gravel, concrete, dirt, asphalt, and in the mud and it still works without fail.  The upside is I can leave any basically anywhere and nobody will even think about stealing it.  I won't even consider an Apple product of any type.  I don't need the phone over here in Afghanistan, as most of its features won't even work here.

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Engelsstaub

March 14, 2011 at 10:29pm

Did you guys know that Microsoft actually authored a Mac app to sync a Windows Phone 7 (or Zune HD) with one's iTunes library? I just about shit myself when I saw that...no lie.

The Zune HD is a great product and a good value at the moment. I love my 64gig iPod touch but I'll just admit it. You can get a 32gig Zune HD customized from Zune Originals for the price of a 16 Gb iPod touch.

...maybe they'll reconsider if enough people see this bargain for what it is?

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emadgreek

March 14, 2011 at 9:33pm

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Edwincnelson

March 14, 2011 at 6:44pm

I love my Zune HD and I love the Zune pass but really, was I really going to replace it and deal with the redundancy of having a Windows phone 7 and a Zune player? As soon as my contract is up and I can find a phone that has enough space to hold all my music and such I will probably give my Zune HD to my wife or kids and move on.

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jackal49

March 14, 2011 at 5:55pm

My wife is going to kill me.  I got her a Zune instead of an iPod.  I got her an Android instead of an iPhone.  She loves both of them, but she'd always ask, "why aren't there many Zune accessories?"

Zune has, and always was, superior hardware to iPod.  Zune was the first with a built-in FM tuner, widescreen display, wireless, and so on...  I don't own any iDevices in my house.  I refuse to pay the "Apple Tax."  And Zune marketplace is superior because of one reason... Zune Pass.

Like many have said, why not a WP7 device without the phone.  Just the WP7 experience, with heavily integrated Zune, wi-fi, and Xbox Live.  That would be a game changer.  Hell, several companies, including Samsung, have Android MP3/4 players coming out.  Some people want Android, Angry Birds, music, movies, and no phone.

I will proudly continue to use Zune products and the Zune pass.  Hopefully Adroid can get Zune integration.  I don't want a WP7, as I already have a great smartphone with WinMo 6.5.  I have an adroid tablet, wi-fi only, and I'm good.  I guess I'd better buy a couple of Zunes as spares.  Being a non-follower sucks sometimes...

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someuid

March 15, 2011 at 8:15am

"Zune has, and always was, superior hardware to iPod"

This is not a poke at you, Jackal.

I find it funny that a company like Microsoft, where they made their billions when they realized licensing software was more profitable than making hardware, have designed some really great hardware and failed to follow up on the software front.

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Darius Roberti

March 14, 2011 at 4:51pm

I own a Zune HD... and I'm a bit pissed. Haven't gotten a real update for it in MONTHS, and the last update (4.5 I think) removed the ability to play .m4a audio podcasts. I've been contacting them for MONTHS and they refuse to own up to it, even though many other users are reporting the same problem. It's like they decided the Zune HD was dead a long time ago. I lovd my Zune 8, I love my Zune HD, but I feel like Microsoft screwed me over, big time.

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livebriand

March 14, 2011 at 4:45pm

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

They should've improved Windows Phone 7 a lot and made Zune WP7 without the phone - much like the ipod touch and the iphone.

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schmitty6633

March 14, 2011 at 4:38pm

Admitted defeat to Apple...

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kevaskous

March 14, 2011 at 3:56pm

Guess that means no mp3 players for me, as I will not own a apple product ever.

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Danthrax66

March 14, 2011 at 3:43pm

I owna  zune but would never buy a windows phone. MP3 players have higher quality DACs than phones and I don;t want my phone to die because I was listeing to music. Stupid decision microsoft.

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riopato

March 14, 2011 at 3:17pm

By letting this happen, they admit defeat. They also let down those who chose Zune as their player of choice. Windows Phone 7 isn't even a complete Zune HD experience.

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