Just curious. It strikes me as somewhat amusing that in the same month as two massive consumer electronics launches that have seen insane campouts and become almost impossible to get, the other supposed big new gadget is just sitting there in the kiosks for anyone who wants one. Or two, or three. According to the Amazon sales rankings it’s not exactly burning up the MP3 player market, even if you take iPod out of the equation. Meanwhile, the only Zune auctions I found on eBay are actually going for less than the retail price.
The rumor I heard, chargers for iPods are outselling the Zune.
The Zune had potential, but it’s way too gimped for anyone to bother. I was slightly tempted to get one last week because it’s a gadget and it’s new, but I came to my senses and got an 80 gig iPod for $330 instead.
Have they made it compatable with Itunes yet? (or at least have some way of importing songs and video bought on itunes?)
No, and since that would involve breaking Itunes’ DRM it’s unlikely to happy.
Shit, it doesn’t even work with Media Player.
I had to install the Zune software in order for my PC to share files with the Xbox 360. I wasn’t thrilled about that but it seems to work fine.
Well there were rumors that MS was going to allow a one time transfer or something like that. Guess not.
I never understood the MP3 player band-wagon. I have MP3s on my computers, both at home and at work, where I spend 98% of my time. /shrug.
Can I borrow your teleportation device? Some of us commute and get bored. There’s also working out, waiting in line, waiting in a waiting room… I can’t believe I’m explaining the advantages of a portable media player.
I may buy one. The hardware is pretty awesome, at least from my limited experience of playing with it at Fry’s.
The vast majority of mp3s I listen to are ones I ripped myself. I very rarely buy music online, and if I do it’s from eMusic which is DRM free. Given that there’s likely to be a big price cut soon it seems like it might be the way to go.
Perhaps what Balasarius meant was that he watches enough TV shows and movies, listens to enough podcasts and music at home and at work, so that when he’s working out, waiting in line, waiting in a waiting room…he prefers to interact with the people around him, or, maybe read? ;-)
-Vede
And interact with common scum?! I think not.
Honestly I drive a lot and podcasts are my savior.
If that’s the case, then do we attribute how he has “never understood” why others would like it to a dry, sterile imagination?
We’re making a big assumption he works out.
It takes a while to “get” mobile technologies because you have to allow them to change your life before they become important.
I never understood mobile phones (“you can just walk into a building and ask to use their phone if you need one so much”) until after I started carrying one.
I didn’t understand laptops (“there’s a computer every place I would want to use one”) until I started using one to work at home or on the road.
With portable music players, once you have your entire music collection in the palm of your hand without having to boot up a computer to get at it, then you start doing new things with the music instead of letting it gather dust on your cd shelves. You listen to music in the car, or take it over to a friend’s party, or take it to the gym, or whatever. It’s still just a frivolous gadget, but they can change the degree to which music permeates your life.
The whole point of a portable media player is that it excuses you from having to deal with irksome things like interact with people or read shit.
When I work out, I watch TV. (Which, admittedly, is pretty damn rare.)
When I commute, I drive a car, and listen to the radio. While the music often sucks, the DJs are usually sufficiently entertaining.
I try not to wait for anything. Ever. If I should need to wait, there’s the PSP. :) Or, books.
I kinda want the brown/green one. I’ll wait till it tanks hard and grab it for $100.
Anyone want to take a guess on the first price drop?
$200 by next xmas, max? I think they are willing to lose money on this thing for a couple years, but I think they will drag their feet on price drops…