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SirCastor · Nov 7, 2007, 12:09 PM

I remember about a year ago I was writing a rhetoric paper for an English class on why the Zune could not and would not be the iPod killer everyone had predicted it would be.

Today, nearly a year after it's release is the first time I have ever seen anyone actually using one. The first time I've seen one outside of a store.

And for the record, yes, it was a Brown Zune.

mdc · Nov 7, 2007, 12:14 PM

I've seen two in public. One on the subway and one on a desk here at my office.
I was walked around the office and someone had one on his desk and was using it.
Both of them were brown.

I have never used one though.

Tomchu · Nov 7, 2007, 12:23 PM

A friend of mine at work has one -- or should I say "had one" (he saw my iPhone, and now has one himself). The interface wasn't as streamlined as the iPod's, but it was definitely nice. The interface and graphics themselves are very attractive.

It's still chunky, though. :-S

Railroader · Nov 7, 2007, 12:29 PM

I have only seen a single Zune as well in the wild. It was brown too. It was in a lecture hall with a hundred or so aviation student who all used windows computers. The rest all had iPods.

starman · Nov 7, 2007, 12:32 PM

I have yet to see one, and I go to the gym everyday. If there's a place to see a portable music player, that's it. It's all iPods and misc. other small ones.

Jawbone54 · Nov 7, 2007, 12:37 PM

I've never seen one either, but I've seen so many iPods that it's become kind of creepy. I've seen more "classic" iPods than anything, but college campuses seem to have a ton of nanos. I guess it has something to do with the free nano when you buy a computer tactic that Apple's employed to dump outgoing nano supplies.

Railroader · Nov 7, 2007, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

I've never seen one either, but I've seen so many iPods that it's become kind of creepy. I've seen more "classic" iPods than anything, but college campuses seem to have a ton of nanos. I guess it has something to do with the free nano when you buy a computer tactic that Apple's employed to dump outgoing nano supplies.

Yeah, probably 90% of all iPods I saw on campus were nanos.

theDreamer · Nov 7, 2007, 01:04 PM

I saw my first one at the beginning of this semester for college, another student in my history class has one and is always using it and watching/listening to something.
Ironically, the girl on my left (plus me) both have iPhones in the same class. I noticed her iPhone before I saw his Zune in class and thought it was funny that I saw someone (not a friend) with an iPhone before I saw a Zune.

Rumor · Nov 7, 2007, 01:07 PM

I still haven't seen one except pictures.

sek929 · Nov 7, 2007, 01:26 PM

I have also never seen one in the wild.

My g/f got a free PC recently so I was like "Hey, I could get you a new Zune. It's a little cheaper and I've heard it's actually a pretty solid piece of hardware."

She just frowned, and I bought her a refurb 30GB Video.

Cipher13 · Nov 7, 2007, 01:36 PM

Never seen one. Not even in a store.

brassplayersrock² · Nov 7, 2007, 02:51 PM

saw one on the T a month or so ago. the guy acted as if he was all hip. even did that "yep, i'm cool" nod/smirk when he saw that i was looking at it for a few seconds.

imitchellg5 · Nov 7, 2007, 06:29 PM

I've seen only one, and the guy who owns it (he goes to my school) just bought an iPod touch and gave his Zune to his sister.

Sealobo · Nov 7, 2007, 06:39 PM

i have never seen anyone using a Zune here on this side of the planet... however i have seen the iPhone more than a dozen time, apparently imported and unlocked.

Shaddim · Nov 7, 2007, 07:00 PM

I saw a red Zune last week, the first I've seen in the wild.

Eriamjh · Nov 7, 2007, 07:02 PM

A guy at work has one. He says its fine, but he wishes his wife got him an iPod. Everyone else has an iPod of some sort. I've had mine the longest (since 2003) and I am one of 2 that has an iPhone.

davidflas · Nov 7, 2007, 07:05 PM

The first Zune I've seen in the wild is owned by the guy who sits in front of me in my Science Fiction class. The thing that strikes me the most is just how huge it is!

Kenneth · Nov 7, 2007, 07:11 PM

Very interesting! Although the Zune is a minority, I see more and more people are using the Zune. College students use it as I'm working in an education environment. I asked one of the Zune users, and she told me she bought one because it's cheap ($99 at w00t weeks ago) and not many people have it.

iranfromthezoo · Nov 8, 2007, 02:38 PM

I've never even seen one in real life...thats mississippi for you.

Don Pickett · Nov 8, 2007, 05:25 PM

I've seen one or two on the subway. And I worked with a woman who won one in a raffle. I see more Creative products and cool, little imported Asian players than Zunes, but mostly I see iPods. Thousands and thousands of iPods. . .

imitchellg5 · Nov 8, 2007, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo

I've never even seen one in real life...thats mississippi for you.

Or maybe they are just smarter there?

moonmonkey · Nov 8, 2007, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

i have never seen anyone using a Zune here on this side of the planet... however i have seen the iPhone more than a dozen time, apparently imported and unlocked.

They sell iPhones in the Wanchai computer market above Mcdonalds.
Never seen a zune.

Andy8 · Nov 8, 2007, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Sealobo

i have never seen anyone using a Zune here on this side of the planet... however i have seen the iPhone more than a dozen time, apparently imported and unlocked.

I see more and more iPhone here also (including mine

) - you can spot the mic on the headset. The iTouch is also selling really well here.

scottiB · Nov 8, 2007, 07:21 PM

My neighbor across the street, a Windows maven, has a brown Zune. We were over his house for a BBQ, and it was plugged into a jambox for music. I noticed it. He noticed that I noticed it, and he said, defensively, that it was just a good as an iPod, but cheaper. I was silent.

I recently bought a Touch and (discontinued) Apple Hi-Fi. I'm unsure whether to break them out for our BBQs next summer and escalate the cold war, or keep it in reserve, comfortable in knowing that I can bring the rain on command.

Buckaroo · Nov 8, 2007, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by davidflas

The first Zune I've seen in the wild is owned by the guy who sits in front of me in my Science Fiction class. The thing that strikes me the most is just how huge it is!

Is your Sci-Fi class a writing class? I think that would be interesting. What sort of things are covered in class?

Buckaroo · Nov 8, 2007, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by scottiB

My neighbor across the street, a Windows maven, has a brown Zune. We were over his house for a BBQ, and it was plugged into a jambox for music. I noticed it. He noticed that I noticed it, and he said, defensively, that it was just a good as an iPod, but cheaper. I was silent.

I recently bought a Touch and (discontinued) Apple Hi-Fi. I'm unsure whether to break them out for our BBQs next summer and escalate the cold war, or keep it in reserve, comfortable in knowing that I can bring the rain on command.

You have to drag him over immeadiately to see your new iTouch.

gangaspeed · Nov 8, 2007, 09:05 PM

Never seen one.

analogue SPRINKLES · Nov 8, 2007, 11:39 PM

I don't think they even sell them in canada.

CRASH HARDDRIVE · Nov 9, 2007, 04:54 AM

Joke in an as-yet un-produced episode of a certain show, now held up by strike:
P: "Hey, Bill Gates! Would you mind helping me figure out how to use my Zune? I can't seem to... oh, wait, hold on. Sorry, actually I have an iPod, like everyone else."

davidflas · Nov 9, 2007, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Is your Sci-Fi class a writing class? I think that would be interesting. What sort of things are covered in class?

My sci-fi class is mostly about reading great works of sci-fi, then writing papers interpreting major themes in them, etc... We do get to write our own stories, but only three pages in length.... what can I say, its only a 200 level class. We started by reading the original 1818 version of Frankenstein and lately have been reading famous short works from the 1920's - 1960's.

Kenneth · Nov 10, 2007, 12:06 AM

I guess the Zune sighting happens more often in the Seattle-area.

Mithras · Nov 10, 2007, 05:59 AM

The only time I've seen one was on the bus from Seattle to Microsoft, which hardly even counts.

- - e r i k - - · Nov 11, 2007, 11:53 AM

Never ever ever seen one. Stores or not.

Buckaroo · Nov 11, 2007, 02:51 PM

You'd think that after Apple introduced the iPhone and iTouch, Microsoft would not only turn and walk away, but RUN away from the market.

It's got to be the Balmer Monkey that can't stand defeat.

Anyone know what their music site is doing compared to iTunes music store? .0000000000000000000000000000000001 compared to iTunes?

Judge_Fire · Nov 12, 2007, 04:28 PM

I just saw a Zune... topping the Amazon bestseller list for all electronics. A brown one, for that matter.

(List updated frequently, so your experience may vary.)

Buckaroo · Nov 12, 2007, 04:32 PM

Has anyone read this story?

PC World - Zune 80GB Media Player - Black Review

It appears as though the author likes Zunes.

Railroader · Nov 12, 2007, 08:36 PM

30 GB Zunes on woot.com for $85 + $5 shipping. Not a bad deal.

If I owned a windows PC I buy one just to play with.

Woot : One Day, One Deal (SM)

Buckaroo · Nov 13, 2007, 12:52 AM

M$ has to unload all those early units no matter how little they get for them. Otherwise they'll have to admit that they didn't sell no where near as many as they have been claiming

Kenneth · Nov 13, 2007, 02:22 PM

Not to mention, MS released firmware for Zune 30 owners.

andreas_g4 · Nov 13, 2007, 06:24 PM

What's teh Zune thing everyone is talking about?