Zune HD up for preorder, more colors soon
Gentlemen, start your engines.
The Microsoft Zune HD portable media player is officially available for preorder today. Outlets ranging from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and Microsoft itself are taking preorders on a black version of the 16GB Zune HD, or a silver version of the 32GB model. As Tuesday's pricing leak suggested, the players are retailing for $219 (16GB) and $289 (32GB). Preorders of the Zune HD are expected to arrive on September 15, the same day we expect they'll hit store shelves.
Also on sale today is the Zune HD AV Dock, which allows you to connect the player to your television or home entertainment center and output videos and menus at 720p HD resolution. The dock retails for $89 and includes an HDMI cable, power adapter, and a remote control.
Microsoft has also sent out an e-mail (see above) showing off three additional color options (blue, green, and red) of the Zune HD along with 10 designs, that will be available from the Zune Originals online store starting September 15.
But Microsoft may be shooting itself in the foot by not offering these custom colors and designs for preorder. By not doing so, it's effectively telling customers that they can preorder a dull version of the Zune HD now, or wait to order a cooler version on September 15. With new iPods likely to drop in September, I would think Microsoft would want to put its full weight behind preorders before Apple potentially spoils the enthusiasm.
For more on the Zune HD, check out CNET's Zune Central.
On Sale Now:
$289.99
View the latest prices for Zune HD (32GB - platinum)
Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs.
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
I for one am completely sold, if only they would launch in Canada at the same time as the U.S!
If I am going to spend $290 on a device, I would like to have all options available for the pre-order. Granted I am still probably going to get silver, but that engraving is cool!
Microsoft is leaping backwards with the Zune. While Apple is making their music store widely available, Microsoft is making their little toys USA-exclusive. Sure the OLED screen is nice, but imagine how crippled that device will be when they decide to release it to the rest of the world if they will ever do that.
We are not living in little islands to do that, and that shows how headless people at Microsoft are. They aren't selling any Zunes, how do they plan to raise sells?
Interesting that the Zune 120's are still $249. I understand some need that kind of capacity but it seems so outdated now you'd think you'd see them cheaper. And the 8GB for $139 seems expensive since you get twice the memory, better screen, battery life, HD radio, and a web browser for $90 more. Perhaps they don't want to canibalize sales, but I am looking to pick an older model if the price drops.
Do we know what might come out in September to spoil the Zune enthusiasm? From what I've read, the $100 price advantage, for example, will likely decrease or go away as they traditionally move the higher capacity models into existing price points; and they might have a 64GB model at the high end. It looks likely there will be a camera for pictures and video but no OLED screen, no FM (or HD) radio. If not for these changes I think Zune would be the hands-down winner but, unfortunatley, this might only be the case for a few weeks.
The hardest part has been explaining to my teenage son why we have Zunes while all his friends have iPods. It would be nice to have reasons that make clear sense to him. Unfortunately a camera will likely be more appealing than HD radio and I think kids are less passionate about music so the advantage of the Zune music focus is hard to explain.
I'm saving up for mine, but after the other colors come out.
Frankly, going along with the crowd is something I'd rather my kid not do in a knee-jerk fasion. If the Ipod had any real advantage over the Zune for his age then it would be a hard choice, but it doesn't. The music sharing features (he sees what I listen to, I what he listens to) allow us to talk about the music we like and I we can recommend music to each other.
Some day my son will have to buy a car, a house, and myriad other things. I hope he doesn't just by what everyone else is buying but really looks at what he needs his purchase to do and gets the best value. It's sort of "Think Different" in the true sense. It's OK to be different.
There are also pragmatic reasons for this, such as having to support different kinds of devices in a household (think charges, syc cables, docs), being able to share a Zune pass, and having to run different programs.
Understanding MS is a big corporation with lots of quirks, Apple seems to be the one currently a bit over the top with control issues concerning who can use iTunes, making sure you can't use aps that compete with them, loading software you don't need, etc.
Zune pass seems to be very good since you get to keep 10 songs per month, though I would prefer a $10 5 song model.
Again you're just trying to force him to use a product you want him to use instead of one that 1. his friends have which fitting in is IMPORTANT when you're a teenager 2. find accessibility to 3rd easily, meaning he will be able to "discover music" more easily with his friends.
Finally you're defending MS? MS? Really? A company that's been known to payout developers of software, hardware so that only their products can be pushed. The only reason the 360 is even a worthy product is because of all the "Paid" exclusives since the 360 hardware wise is a piece of junk. Sorry I believe that may the best product wins not in who pays off the most, and although the Zune HD is an awesome product to say its better than the iPod is an opinion not a fact. Again you're forcing your son to use a product "YOU' want and not one that he considers "important" especially one during their teenage years where fitting in and finding yourself is a job unto itself.
I don't really care about the history of desktop software; I think both compainies are perfectly willing to exploit their dominance in their respective areas, use lawyers to excess, and deceive their customers. I am just looking at what I think is the best device. I think the Sony X series is excellent as well.
I don't know much about sharing with an Ipod. I do know that it is not usual to be able to get one song from one device to the other. Can you do that with a touch? Can you email a mp3 or directly transfer it? Doesn't iTunes tie your iPod to one computer? Maybe that's changed; I honestly don't know. As I see it, if five guys have iPods or four guys have iPods and one has a Zune, its kind of the same. No one can share except by lending the unit to each other; isn't that right? Change that around and have two or three or more Zunes and you do have an opportunity for genuine music sharing. This isn't just "squirting"; he could see what his friends are listening via their online presence _and_ download the music automatically via Wifi (with Zunepass) or recommend a channel. I think sharing is more than putting one earbud in your friends ear for a few seconds.
You must be a young person since you feel somehow I'm obligated to get my son such a thing. I understand you might think it unfair but it is really my perogative to choose to not get him something. If he wants to get an iPod with his own money, more power to him. I hardly think a Zune HD at $220 could be classified as "not much of a gift" and I have enough "points" with my son that I think our relationship will survive. I don't buy "points", I earn them by talking to him and sharing interests and, as far as I can tell, that happens more with a Zune. (OK, I did buy 500 microsoft points so I could use the marketplace, but those are different than the points to which I think you were referring.)
Good answer CCCC, you are the parent and you set the rules BUT IT IS MUCH MORE THEN THAT AS YOU STATED, everyone comes to make their own decidission beginning at a certain age. I applaud you for being A TRUE PARENT in guiding your son which eventually will result in a lot of respect between both of you but I guess by your comments it is already there. Want thing that is clear is the understanding the no matter what, no everyone gets to have what they want, opening new doors of direction and thinking for your son in this case.
Geo
Reality is, what he does for his son is his job as a parent, no anyone else's. It's not a real serious issue, it's only about an mp3 player.
And personality, just to put it out there, fitting in with everyone isn't necessarily a good thing. I mean, I used to like iPods about 5-7 years ago. I thought they were adorable and geniusly made. But as time went by, too many people had it. I felt like I'd be some kind of clone if I had it. Yes, the apps are fun and I do enjoy playing with them......on my friends' iTouches. Every time I see them, I just play with them for a few mins and then I'm good.
Forcing anything on a child isn't a good thing (unless of course it's a life or death situation). Instead, I'd just tell my kid about the issues of fitting in and individuality instead of basing it around an mp3 player. Then after that, if he stills wants an iPod, then fine, I'll just wait till he gets tired of it.
I hope its better than the touch, I'm so sick of this thing.
still have my zune 4 and have no excuse to replacing it whatsoever!
Hopefully, Microsoft will release a 64 gb version around the 200 mark in 2010
And quikboy2 - I agree completely. Aside from crappy value (price to feature/storage ratio), the main reason I switched away from iPods was because of the bloated, power hungry piece of software known as iTunes, that kept trying to install another piece of apple software everytime it updated.
but personally I would like to wait for the reveal of new Gen Ipod touch and Sony X series...
Isn't one of selling features of Macs that it can support Windows?..
Yea but that is a pain in the a$$. It would probably be easier to use parallels or something like that.
I thought when I bought my Mac I would be boot camping to windows 7 all the time. I did at the beginning but it was mostly to play with 7. I havent boot camped in a long time, there is really no need. So to do that just to connect a Zune is annoying.
and the way the zunes are arranged on the ad, reminds me of a certain apple product
but finally a good product from microsoft
As for the style, the large screen the covers the whole face is pretty much standard for a touchscreen PMP... other than the screen, the zune hd definitely has it's own unique style (which I think many people will agree looks alot better than the ipod touch)
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by clszm
August 14, 2009 2:29 PM PDT
- WHAT!!!!! No brown?
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