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Aldarion wrote:

Hmmmm.... should we add our own reviews?

Sure go ahead and clog the product page with a bunch of bullsh*t bantering so that no one can get a real review or information.

I'm sure people shopping amazon want to hear a bunch of apple fanboys using product review postings like an internet forum.

SpacemanSpiff wrote:

But the review reads like a magazine clipping:

Packing a 3" screen, an FM-tuner, and Wireless features into a unit almost exactly the size of a video iPod, Zune is a compelling alternative to Apple's iconic iPod.

While it's hard to match the elegance and innovation of iPod, Microsoft has broken new ground with its "community" features of Zune - which allow wireless sharing of songs from one Zune to any nearby Zune. The shared songs are limited to 3-plays-in-3-days.

With its aggressive pricing, and feature-packed opening model, Microsoft may just turn the portable media player world into a two-horse race.

Report that as inappropriate.

Spam is not acceptable in Amazon reviews.

Hehe, the first thing I read under reviews.  "I have two questions for Microsoft. (1) What were you thinking when you designed this? (2) When are you going to come up with some original ideas and stop copying everything Apple does? But seriously, this is about the size of the 1st generation iPod, the wifi is useless, the interface is a joke, why would i switch?"

Customers tagged this product with
defectivebydesign (91), drm (22), garbage (6), ipod killer (4), microsoft (3), aac compatible (2), apple (2), beats apple (2), crap (2), gay (2), gotzuned_dot_com (2), ipod (2), junk (2), laughable (2), weak (2)

heh.

played with one at target (a working model).

i gagged. and laughed. the thing is a joke. i'm not even in the market for a new anything (have a 60 gig iPod video), but i really tried to give it a chance. really, i did. but the whole experience broke down with the button/"wheel" thing it has going on.

No doubt, reviews are few and far between right now. More will pop up toward the week's end.

Most of the grumbling I've seen seems to pertain to missing features that'll probably get implemented with software updates (ie network sharing) or first generation product woes. 

Mosburg and gizmoto have both given then UI favorable reviews.

I'm curious to see how IGN and ARS Technica review the thing.

Last edited by Aqua OS X (2006-11-14 6:31 pm)

I overheard this idiot in my math class claiming she's going to buy a Zune because they're 'so much better than iPods'.

I just chuckled.  Loud enough so that a couple of people looked at me weird.

Aqua OS X wrote:

Believe it or not, when you leave the Macaddict bubble and venture to other web sites, the Zune is actually getting good reviews.

I'll need to touch the thing before my mind is made up. That said, the fanboytitus is fairly rampant in these forums. Most folks concluded that Zune was a POS even before pictures emerged.

CNN and Engadget are in the MacAddict bubble too.  I suppose in about 12 months when the Zune quietly folds, and goes the way of the rockin' Dell DJ and many, many others, the only logical conclusion will the that the whole world is in that magical Apple MacAddict warp-zone bubble.

Last edited by Czachorski (2006-11-14 8:16 pm)

sparkn wrote:

The Zune isn't going to fold, IMO.  The Microsoft bubble is much larger than the Apple bubble and it will sell if for no other reason than Microsoft makes it.  Personally, I don't like it and I'm not willing to be an early adopter just to fund the improvements.

Yeah, this is probably true.  There will always be a small band of MS zealots and anti-establishment types who lash against Apple and keep the zune propped up.  I am sure it will maintain a small, but healthy and stable marketshare in the single digit range.  Hmmmm.  Sounds familiar. 

Czachorski wrote:

CNN and Engadget are in the MacAddict bubble too.  I suppose in about 12 months when the Zune quietly folds, and goes the way of the rockin' Dell DJ and many, many others, the only logical conclusion will the that the whole world is in that magical Apple MacAddict warp-zone bubble.

In addition to the Gizmoto guys, I was waiting to hear from IGN and ARS Technica regarding the Zune, and they finally chimed in:

IGN's Review of the Zune:
"Until Apple blows the Zune out of the water with the long rumored touch-screen iPod, the Zune is one of our favorite mp3 players on the market."
http://gear.ign.com/articles/746/746470p1.html

ARS Technica's Review of the Zune:
"flawed, but close to greatness"
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/zune.ars

I swear, if I only read the Macaddict reactions I would assume Microsoft smurf in a box (a box made of smurf), added some black headphones and decided to sell it. Yet <gasp> some people actually found some value in Microsoft's PMP.

All in all it looks like MS has a fairly decent first generation PMP. It may not be as tight of a platform as the iPod, but it looks like they have something that is, at the very least, prized to swoon the masses who hate the fact that the iPod is now too cool for it's own good.

Last edited by Aqua OS X (2006-11-17 3:20 am)

When it comes down to the Zune alone, it does recieve decent marks, as it should. It has features that the iPod doesn't have, and vise-versa, so it deserves an ok score.

But if you read reviews of the REST of the "Zune" experience (i.e. the store) you'll find universally bad reviews where iTunes thrives. By the way, even the IGN people heavily bashed the Zune Marketplace, though they liked the Zune itself.

All in all the reviews on the Zune aren't bad but I will make one prediction I am very comfortable making.
The Zune is going to be a nightmare for retailers. We here all know how little most people pay attention to details of any tech product and I bet a lot, maybe even a majority of early Zune buyers will be returning their Zunes when they get home and discover that their Microsoft blessed "Plays For Sure" music will for sure not play on a Zune.