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Sounds like they've thrown in the towel.

» Microsoft exec: Zune gets a B-; Xbox profitability; Windows Mobile’s future | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

Not quite. Here's their next try: Zune price dropped to $200 ahead of Apple event

so who is getting a Zune now? .

$249 for an 80Gb classic or $199 for a 30Gb Zune. Just think of the extra $50 as a dollar a gig, hehe .

Are you guys ready for the "squircle"?

There are whispers that we'll see the Squircle tomorrow.. Who's friggin' stoked?!?

Well the new ones are out and look "OK" that's about it though.

No more sh!t-brick. And I was soooo gonna buy one.

At least I can get a cover to make my iPod look like the sh!t-brick-pod: Hide-a-Pod iPod protection

I always thought the brown/green color combo was kinda nice. But there were obviously a ton of other shortcomings that have been discussed ad nauseum here.

Also, I was joking about being excited for the new generation, but it does seem to have its upsides. It's not the friggin' brick it used to be (though apparently they're still selling the 1st-gen, unchanged; WTF?). They've removed the 3-day part of the squirting restriction. Still 3 plays, but whatevs, it's not like you'd really expect them to just let people share songs willy-nilly and there isn't a mechanism in place to really know the creator's intent w/r/t sharing. Interestingly, old Zunes get a firmware update that'll give 'em feature parity with the next gen (though I'm a little confused about this, since the new one has a touch sensitive control). And there's Wi-fi syncing, which folks have been asking for on the iPhone & touch. There seem to be some other interesting aspects regarding sharing playlists and whatnot.

OTOH, I don't think Wi-fi syncing is really a killer feature. It'd be nice now and then, but I think even the folks clamoring for it on Apple's devices can live without it. And then there's the whole point of having to commit yourself to a still-pretty-new DRM scheme from the people who were plugging PlaysForSure as the best way forward just over a year ago.

This is of course irrelevant to me; even if I wanted one, I couldn't use it with Mac OS X. But overall, this thing does actually seem to have a lot more promise than its predecessor. I still think they'll be running a distant second to Apple for the next few years, but they may make some inroads in making the whole hardware/software/content ecosystem suck less. Zune might wind up being the Betamax of the aughts, but it'll at least keep Apple on its toes for a bit.

im really not a fan of either Zune or iPod but Apple's Technology is way ahead of Microsoft's when it comes to portable audio. Alot of people have claimed to have "ipod killer's" but they never succeed.

I just got an Archos 605 WiFi.... Man this thing is WAYYYYYYYYY Better than an I-POD or Zune, first of all the LCD is bigger and better, it plays all kids of Video formats and can send the Video to your TV and record Video too!!!, plays Music ofcourse (oldskool) and I can surf the Net from my PALM!!! This is the REAL DEAL I-POD KILLER!!!!

Well, good luck with that...

HELL YEAH! THIS IS IT. FINALLY THE REAL IPOD KILLER! I JUST RAN OVER MY IPOD WITH AN EXPLORER TO GET READY FOR THAT ARCHOS. THANKS FORT THE TIP!



Do you have a tip on how to replace my MAC too? This IMAC is slow as hell. I called MAC but they couldn't help. They suck!

That's because you spelled I-POD wrong and Bill knows it when you do. and MACs are for RETARTS anyway.

...and for zombies!

Well, it's a sticky so not like it's bringing it to the top.