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- - e r i k - - · Nov 28, 2006, 06:14 AM

iPods claimed five of the top ten spots in Amazon's consumer electronics chart over the key US shopping weekend.

Apple's portable music players took another five of the top 25 bestsellers, with Microsoft's heavily marketed Zune so far behind that it was outsold by an iPod accessory. The Microsoft player was number 75 behind Apple's USB power adapter at 65.

The weekend sales, which follow the Thanksgiving holiday, show that as things stand the iPod appears immune to the Zune, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore.

Whitmore said that all three iPod models are selling well and that his checks indicate that Apple is having no problem with meeting demand. He added that the decision to release the new nanos in a variety of colours is proving particularly popular.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/98886/zu...-shopping.html

Eug Wanker · Nov 28, 2006, 08:26 AM

I just don't get it.

They can release hardware as nice as the Xbox 360, yet they can release absolute crap like the Zune.

Dakar² · Nov 28, 2006, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

I just don't get it.

They can release hardware as nice as the Xbox 360, yet they can release absolute crap like the Zune.

Ok, now think about the original XBOX.

Eug Wanker · Nov 28, 2006, 10:36 AM

The original Xbox was fugly, but it was still a good machine.

Zune is fugly, and by all accounts sucks in usage too (mainly because of the useless software).

Dakar² · Nov 28, 2006, 10:38 AM

Looks like the 360 took all their hardware karma, then, doesn't it?

xi_hyperon · Nov 28, 2006, 10:44 AM

I still don't get the decision to forego WMP as the companion software for zune, and use instead a thrown together piece of software. Why not incorporate the zune functionality into the software that's already established, and in many ways on par with iTunes?

Mastrap · Nov 28, 2006, 10:48 AM

The one thing MS does well is learn from mistakes. And they have the financial staying power to make sure that the next Zune is better than the current offering.

TETENAL · Nov 28, 2006, 10:50 AM

YouTube - Microsoft, Wake Up and Smell Defeat!

Jawbone54 · Nov 28, 2006, 11:03 AM

I love Craig.

"The Zune is cracka-lackin!"

Dark Helmet · Nov 28, 2006, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

I just don't get it.

They can release hardware as nice as the Xbox 360, yet they can release absolute crap like the Zune.

The 360 acts more like a spin off from Microsoft and they had really free reign on what they could do creatively. They also surprisingly innovated and didn't just copy Sony and Nintendo.

The Zune was born as an iPod clone from the start. That stupid wheel on the zune that isn't really a wheel just reminds you every-time you use it how much better the iPods real wheel is.

finboy · Nov 28, 2006, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by xi_hyperon

I still don't get the decision to forego WMP as the companion software for zune, and use instead a thrown together piece of software. Why not incorporate the zune functionality into the software that's already established, and in many ways on par with iTunes?

Makes no sense. Unless they're trying to create some kind of hurdle like iTunes (WMP is free already) where you lock people into the software, too. Just like iTunes.

mitchell_pgh · Nov 28, 2006, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Mastrap

The one thing MS does well is learn from mistakes. And they have the financial staying power to make sure that the next Zune is better than the current offering.

2004 - Microsoft launches Portable Media Center

2005 - Microsoft launches "Plays For Sure"

2006 - Microsoft launches the Zune

Seems like Microsoft is just waiting for something to catch fire... and if it doesn't, they kill it or morph it into something else.

mitchell_pgh · Nov 28, 2006, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

The 360 acts more like a spin off from Microsoft and they had really free reign on what they could do creatively. They also surprisingly innovated and didn't just copy Sony and Nintendo.

The Zune was born as an iPod clone from the start. That stupid wheel on the zune that isn't really a wheel just reminds you every-time you use it how much better the iPods real wheel is.

The iPod wheel is so good, that I think Apple could release a phone without buttons to be honest.

I could just scroll to the number and click the center wheel like a combination.

Hmmmmm...

Dakar² · Nov 28, 2006, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

I could just scroll to the number and click the center wheel like a combination.

Ugh. No thank you.

Dark Helmet · Nov 28, 2006, 03:54 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

The iPod wheel is so good, that I think Apple could release a phone without buttons to be honest.

I could just scroll to the number and click the center wheel like a combination.

Hmmmmm...

Text messaging is the bigger concern.

olePigeon · Nov 28, 2006, 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by Dark Helmet

Text messaging is the bigger concern.

What would make text messaging a lot faster is if they had something like Steven Hawking (and what webbrowsers have already), where he starts to type in a few letters and it autofills a word. It's also adaptive and prioritizes words he uses often, or, via category.

Dark Helmet · Nov 28, 2006, 04:06 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

What would make text messaging a lot faster is if they had something like Steven Hawking (and what webbrowsers have already), where he starts to type in a few letters and it autofills a word. It's also adaptive and prioritizes words he uses often, or, via category.

My phone has a bit of that and it actually works pretty good.

kick52 · Nov 28, 2006, 04:14 PM

Thats great.

- - e r i k - - · Nov 28, 2006, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

What would make text messaging a lot faster is if they had something like Steven Hawking (and what webbrowsers have already), where he starts to type in a few letters and it autofills a word. It's also adaptive and prioritizes words he uses often, or, via category.

Yeah, phones have already had that for years.

vmarks · Nov 28, 2006, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

The iPod wheel is so good, that I think Apple could release a phone without buttons to be honest.

I could just scroll to the number and click the center wheel like a combination.

Hmmmmm...

- - e r i k - - · Nov 28, 2006, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

The iPod wheel is so good, that I think Apple could release a phone without buttons to be honest.

I could just scroll to the number and click the center wheel like a combination.

Hmmmmm...

Genius!

vmarks · Nov 28, 2006, 04:46 PM

mitchell_pgh · Nov 28, 2006, 06:04 PM

OK, ok, but perhaps they could hide the keyboard... I think you could get much of the functionality with the scroll wheel. I think if I had something like iPod menus, I wouldn't need the specific buttons all that much.