The Zune sucks, because everyone says so

welcome to the bandwagon

The Zune is big. The Zune is larger than the iPod. The Zune software fails to install. The Zune software is crap. Zune software crashes. The Zune DRM is crap. Microsoft screws PlaysForSure customers. Zune doesn’t work with Vista. Zune colors stinks. Kids hate the Zune. Zune isn’t hip. Zune isn’t a storage device. Zune doesn’t work with iTunes. Zune doesn’t support Macs. Zune’s Wifi sucks. Zune is expensive.

Of course, Microsoft has no intentions of pricing or selling the Zune in Australia anytime soon.

But that doesn’t matter does it? Because jumping on the Zune-bashing bandwagon is cool. I don’t even need to hold one to make a newsworthy judgment of it.

80 insightful thoughts

  1. Exactly, although we can say things like “it’s ugly” and “its too big” before we get one, you won’t know untill you try one out.

    Personally I’m not going to bother, I can’t afford it, and I wouldn’t use it.

    1. Zunes especially the 30gb are damn near useless. It constantly freezes, crashes and needs to be updated (which erases everything) And when your Zunes has technical problems (within the first 6 months) the only solution I get is to buy another.

  2. I think to most of the so called group of ” IT Geeks or somewhat like this”
    Who have grown up learning computer and its varied uses by Using cheap computers powered by Windows.
    These people love MS very much in their hearts but are afraid and so vent out their feelings by critising MS.
    I think Vista is a definite upgrade to me the day it comes out, and I would like to say that its the best OS ever.
    I have tried it in its stages of being beta at various stages.

  3. I don’t get why Microsoft bothers tapping into the iPod market (yes the iPod is so popular it deserves its own market!) Let Apple take on the mp3 monopoly…

    Why can’t MS just focus on the things they’re good at: software and keyboards πŸ™‚

  4. I don’t think its “harsh” to point out the flaws that are present in any product, be it Zune or iPod or any other product. I believe that people should get the clear picture before going out and buying one. I have to admit that MS has received very bad reviews with regards to Zune. But you got applaud them for the effort in doing this. Instead of making sure that Vista comes out early and it works fine, they started focusing on Zune. Way to go MS!…

  5. It’s not harsh. But everyone’s just doing it to be part of the ‘norm’ now. I mean giving an opinion before even opening the box is kind of, in your face.

  6. I understand that it kind of hinders individual opinion about Zune. But you have to understand that it is not a bad thing either. If someone tells you that a product sucks and its not good, then I will agree that I should not go on based on his opinion alone. But if the entire “industry” and experts report about a product that “sucks” (mind you that it is a bit harsh when you call a product when its just launched) it makes you think before you go ahead and buy it.

    I listen to this podcast called TWiT (I am not sure if you are aware) but here they discuss about Zune its disclourse documents for the review kit, its marketplace and how to buy a song etc. Even Forbes have reported that its sucks!

    I mean come’n… how many reviews you need before you can see that it is not a ‘norm’ and has some (well its actually many but anyway… ) truth.

    Please don’t think I am a MS hater. I am not. I depend on MS software, I think they do a great job with OS (albeit flaws), but I really feel that (and some die-hard fans I spoke to agree) that they should really focus on where they think they are strongest (OS and XBOX 360).

  7. I love TWIT, and the discussion about the disclosure statement is gold. Someone’s getting fired I think. πŸ˜‰

  8. Oh come on – the thing is brown… Brown! And don’t say “brown is the new black” – brown is the new brown. If they really wanted zune to be a hit, they should have called it the “Dan Brown” model. You can ship millions of any old crap with that name on it.

    Most of the reviews I have read say that it has its problems, but it has potential. Just like Windows v1, SharePoint v1, VPC… 2005. Give it time, see if it grows on people.

  9. al, yes, it’s brown, it’s also white and black. That’s amazing, eh ?

    Long, I need a new PMP (Portable Media Player) and I most likely would’ve gone with a new iPod though I like the Zune so much more but since we probably won’t see it for months would you say it’s worthwhile ordering one from the US ?

  10. Depends on how big of a pirate you are πŸ˜‰

    Remember if you order it from the US, that’s all well and good, but you probably won’t have access to the music store, support, warranty and other associated services.

    But then again, who knows when Australia is back on the map.

  11. Oh, I’m quite the pirate, hah. πŸ˜‰

    No Marketplace would suck, though bearable and I could get by fine as long as it was under warranty (I’ll have to do research on online retailers like Amazon to see what their policies are).

    The main thing is which I really worry about is that in the official Australian release there might be something different for the ‘localised’ version of the Zune (Including the box, documents, software etc). D:

    Microsoft, just freaking release it, Marketplace or not. :

  12. I haven’t used a Zune yet…but in all honesty, it does pretty much suck.

    I don’t see why I would trade one evil (iPod) for another (Zune) that is SOOOOO similar in limitations and price/features.

    The colors are no big deal but the DRM thing is too much. The lack of Playforsure is PURE crap and restricts you to using ONLY Zune for buying music/subscribing to it.

    And the size doesn’t bother me…but the price does. If it were $50 cheaper and had the same crap DRM issues and such, it’d be no big deal. But really, WHAT is the motive to switch over to the Zune?

    Why would any consumer switch over to an unproven product by an unproven digital music provider that is larger, not as “chic” in the public’s eye and has a shorter battery life when there is NO benefit in price/value?

    Zune is crap. I’ll buy one MAYBE if there is a sub $125 model that is above 5GB. MAYBE. MAYYYYYYYBEEEEEE.

    & let it be known I hate the iPod. We should all be using Creative Zens.

  13. I never planned on every buying an iPOD, my GF did, she barely uses it. So I won’t be buying either, i have an iPAQ that i can do pretty much anything with, and put song on it. Sure it’s not slim, but who cares i can write, edit and print off of it (provided i have a bluetooth printer near me). I can read books and play hundreds of games, use GPS, basically everything but use it as a phone, to which my next purchase in a year or two will include. iPAQ is better, hands down then the iPOD.

    The Zune might have gotten better brownie (get it brown) points if MS decided to create it fresh from the ground up, with it’s own Windows Mobile Software and i would say not Wi-Fi, although that has HUGE advantages in big towns, but with bluetooth. Nothing sticks it in an iPOD users face then listening to your songs with a bluetooth head set.

    MS should have really sat back another year, and developed a solid REVOLUTIONARY product if it wanted to compete. But i guess in that business, the longer you wait, the more people you lose. This way, they get a small chunk, and with time to prove itself, it will take the market. Five years down the line maybe, we will all be praising the Zune… XP anyone?!

    Who cares if MS is branching, i don’t think it will take away from the Software or Xbox powerholds, if anything, it’s making everything more universal and mobile and better!

    Lastly, I’m in college and see a lot of beatnecks and hippie wantabies all over sporting brown casings for their iPODs, so i don’t see a problem with marketing to the “artsiy” crowd.

    Long, love your site, but i never know if your being sarcastic or not, i hope other clones like me don’t follow what you say to a T!

  14. Long: Australia is is a country?!
    OK, jokes over(…), I don’t really like then iPod (becuase it’s Apple) Well, has anyone seen the Google video, “If Microsoft designs the iPod” I’ll take a bet on that one…

  15. Well, you’re probably right about Zune. I haven’t seen it yet. However, your comparisons to iPod/iTunes do not make Zune any better or worse than iPod. IMHO they equally suck.

    The iPod only plays low-quality music. It’s DRM is unworkable. It’s incompatible with pretty much everything on the planet. And it costs way too much. However, if you’re easily taken in by goofy commercials, and a sleek design (ie: lack of features), then please go ahead and defend iPod as much as you want. Perhaps that explains your (lack of) actual review?

    I for one am extremely disappointed by the current state of portable music. Is this the best these multi-media companies can do? I guess I will once again continue to wait for something useful.

  16. @solid: maybe that’s what m$ is hoping for…

    my zune shipped a couple days ago (should be getting it anytime soon).
    before this i bought a toshiba gigabeat S to do all my music on, mainly for the long car rides and such but i think i got a defective one and it only crapped out on me just recently. i figure the hdd got screwed and i suspect all it really needs is a nice format (a real one) and it’d be right as rain. but you can’t do that without killing it, and it doesn’t come with any utilities to aid with such.

    i wouldn’t have bothered with another pmc but i just got really used to it. so when zune came along, i thought wow! looks good! and i don’t particularly care for the drm stuff; i have more than 80GB in progressive-metal/hard-rock and anything new i want i just take a trip down to the nearest music store. sometimes i even pick up a few dvds while i’m there. i already own the tunes i want (mostly wma-lossless) and i actually like those lil booklets with band photos and lyrics (especially now with those music gestapos chasin after lyrics/tabs sites).

    i think it looks good; my only beef is the software as we could have built off of wmp11. that way we wouldn’t care if the first release didn’t work with vista, since vista users already have wmp11.

    i will reserve any judgements of the hardware for when i actually get my paws on it.

  17. @Chad: I was being sarcastic here. However most of the negative press is real, and most of the Zune is pretty poor, but the moral here is that someone gave a (negative) opinion before even opening the box.

  18. I know you were joking… now. But unless you got one of those big sarcasm headers i don’t! Anyways, fine job you’re doing, and yeah, the guy that didn’t open the box and comment, i guess is just looking for attention.

  19. Had it been any other company than Microsoft putting out the Zune, it wouldnt have gotten this much negative critique, im sure. I suspect that since majority of mp3-player owners seem to own an iPod, its probably the same people reviewing the Zune. And really..you cant give the Zune positive reviews when your an iPod person.

    Personally I dont really care much about the looks of a mp3-player. The Zune seems better in features than the iPod. I like the GUI better than Apples (its getting boring, old and dull) and seems like the audio quality is better than the ipod…and thats what an mp3-player is mostly about, right?

    Having said that…I have chosen to buy a creative mp3-player simply because of the fact that:

    1) everyone has ipods..its too common..too dull
    2) better sound quality
    3) i can transfer music (any mp3 file) directly from windows explorer..without having to convert or use a special program.
    4) i dont like apple. they seem snobby and greedy to me. i like microsoft better but dont like their bugs
    5) its cheaper

  20. How good would the reviews of the Zune be if the iPod never existed?

    Is Zune like the second best MP3 player?

  21. I’ve only played with my friends’ Zunes (that sounds kind of perverted) a few times. Yep, I own an iPod – go ahead and beat me up for it – but, I do like the Zune’s interface way better than the iPod’s. It’s called “twist” navigation and it’s almost too freaking easy to use! (Though it took me a few seconds to stop trying to use the buttons as a click-wheel.)

    I’ve only used the software once, but my friends’ didn’t have any issues with it not working. Personally, I’m not a fan of WMP-styled interfaces, but it was very stylish.

    And as for the size and non-glossy texture: That’s one of the things I liked about the Zune but dislike about the iPod. Though I like the look of the black iPod, it shows way too many fingerprints, so I opted for the white one as a fallback. The Zune is slightly thicker, but not by much, so I had no qualms about it. It’s still small in dimensions overall.

    So, I dunno…. I kinda like the darn thing. But, I would never buy it since it’s still a first-gen product and I am always hesitant about that. Nope, I’m not dumping my iPod anytime soon because I don’t have the money. But Zune version 2.0 could be worth the switch. (Also, Gizmodo, Cnet and Arstechnica seemed to give Zune pretty favorable ratings.)

  22. Usually a knee jerk reaction is expected from small communities that always feel threatned by larger groups. Unix kiddies have always bashed Windows, and now OSX kiddies are bashing windows… It’s a `cool` thing to do within those communities.

    Needles to say the majority on either side who are normal users don’t really care.

    The odd thing about all this is that iPod is actually the majority, the larger community. So why do the ipod kiddied feel so threatned? Why is the knee jerk reaction to Zune?

    Isn’t Zune just like Firefox? Trying to take the pie by biting on the crumbs? I see Zune superior to the iPod in most aspects. However, Microsoft did drop the ball in a major department – too many people report problems with software. That only helps iPod kiddies to support their cause.

    I really think MS should’ve polished it before releasing. It needed to be flawless, if for any reason is just to shove it nay-sayers. The timing is also horrible. Releasing it on the same week as PS3 an Wii? That’s pretty dumb imo.

  23. I live in the U.S., I have my zune, I love my zune, the packaged software doesnt crash, the websites software does crash, I have the brown and green one, yes everyone does hate that color,I love it, the screen is at least eighty-seven thousand times clearer than the i-pood, it hase a much longer battery life than the i-pood, it’s made by the people at Redmond, I like commas

  24. I recently asked my dad to get me a black one. I know I won’t have access to the Zune Marketplace here at my place (Manila) and would have to wait for other ‘Zunesters’ to actually use the wifi for sharing, but I still decided to go get one.

    I think it’s a good device and has lots of potential mainly because it is the first MP3-wifi capable player in the market(afaik)

  25. brown is not the new brown. Brown is the old brown.

    I have an ipod. I use decent (etymotic research) headphones and the sound quality is fantastic. I can play lossless files (though I would like flac). THe supplied earphones are rubbish so I don’t use them. Why would I buy a Zune? if it supported Macs and flac, then I probably would. But they have hardly seized on a ‘niche market’. It plays fewer formats than an iPod. It is not available in the UK. Microsoft said that all ipods have stolen music on it (yeah? I’ve got the receipts.) Why should I get a zune? how cool is something that is only going to live in your pocket anyway? If you need to be cool by owning a music player, you’re a really sad Panda. “Welcome to the social” smacks of balding executives wishing they were still in their 20s.

    The iPod is successful because it really works. The people I know who have one couldn’t care less if it’s made by Apple. They just *don’t care*. It plays their music; MP3 or (for the more discering) AAC and ALAC, or aiff. You can – if you have windows, ironically, hack it to play flac. Why didn’t Microsoft find out what would really give them an edge over iPods instead of just regurgitating an inferior one? (yes, inferior: it’s bigger, for a start. It plays *fewer* formats on fewer platforms).

    doh…

    (and what’s with Manish’s “These people love MS very much in their hearts but are afraid and so vent out their feelings by critising MS.” eh? so, if I say I can’t stand Windows, I love MS? what would I do if I really thought it was a ghastly OS?

    Face it, the Zune is only attractive to those who hate the iPod because they think coolness resides in being ‘different’. It’s not a robust product in itself. The iPod created the market because it worked. Zune offers little, except the chance to be locked into Windows.

    (and, Manish, of course Vista is an upgrade. It’s a very very very very late upgrade to XP. It’s taken FIVE YEARS. What did you think it was supposed to be? Windows users are stil using an OS from 2001. Would you use hardware from 2001? AND it’s STILL getting slated by pro-Windows reviewers.)

    At least you’re loyal. I thought it was supposed to be mac’zealots’ who were blindly loyal. I have lost count of the number of OS upgrades we have had in that time.

  26. oh, and you know what? I have always used a Mac because I like using it, end of story. I just prefer it. I like using particular software, like BBEdit, that does what I want it to do. I never bothered anyone. and for years I have had to endure mindless crap and THREATS (*threats!* for god’s sake!) because a load of idiots who liked windows thought that their total lack of experience meant they should harp on about how bad the Mac OS was *even though they had never used it*.

    eh?

    So yes, I am a bit of a Mac zealot, but it took ten years of idiots abusing me in email forums and at work because I liked using a Mac, I would post ‘uh, I have this technical problem using X softaware (ps the mac version). Cue: “you ****head, what the *** are you doing?”.

    I never bothered anyone. I got torrents of abuse from people when they discovered I was using a Mac. I got utterly sick of it. Now the Zune is being ‘unfairly bashed’. Well, welcome to what my experience of the entire 90s was – people jumping to stupid conclusions without bothering to actually find out the first thing about what they were talking about. Excuse me if I’m finding it hilarious.

  27. and finally, dear audience: MS are legally convicted of being bullies, of destroying people’s livelihoods. This means that software developers were driven out of a job because of their tactics. What if that was your brother, cousin, or wife? Yet you want to jump to their defence? They have created the Zune because they can’t stand that Apple is doing well. They are a ruthless business, not some benefactor of mankind. Apple are a ruthless business too but at least I like what they make (just speaking for myself). But they have not been convicted of illegal practices.

    So – er – why do you wish to jump to their defence? I mean, honestly…? The people they drove out of business, or nearly did – why side against them? I’m genuinely puzzled. Do you think MS would have come up with the Zune if there was no ipod? what exactly makes you so loyal to Windows and MS? I really am genuinely confused by this. *what did they do to earn your loyalty?* Apart from ‘not being Apple’ (they’re much nastier…).

    weild.

    oh yeah – the Zune sucks. It just does. The websites and the adverts are even worse. They’re taking a loss on it – doesn’t that make you a teeny bit suspicious? and it apparently doesn’t work with Vista.

    good god… and Mac zealots are irrational?

  28. Who in their right mind would have a problem with Apple?? I’d say anyone who doesnt see how much better their software is built and how much more original they are in contrast to Micro$oft hasnt experienced a Mac or an Apple product. The Zune is destined to fail because it was made by Micro$oft. They dont even know to make it compatible with WMP 11. How stupid is that? What are the goons at Micro$oft thinking? the company is run by monkies. And I also say that the upcoming Vista OS is a copy of OSX and a big fat joke. Its time for the world to stop living 10 years in the past, and live in the present. Its time for Apples OS X to become the standard around the world.

  29. I Don’t like Mac os, but I detest Windows.

    I’d hate to see a big closed hardware Apple world though. I tell newbies to buy Macs “I’m sick of constantly fixing buggy windows installs for people who don’t want to learn security”.

    “I use Umbuntu Linux, my pod likes it fine”

    The BIGGEST problem with Zune, the one NOBODY seems to talk about is Zune/Media player 11 DRMS ALL your music INCLUDING stuff you rip from your own disks. You wake up one day and find all your music only plays on Windows.

    What Microsoft REALLY hates is the fact that Ipod is the “gateway drug” to Mac use. And THATS what they want to stop.

  30. I find it funny that you don’t even own one. Your post rambles like most die hard Apple fans. Try it out and you might find something you like. The system is actually a great one. I love my Zune and now I am not following the trend. After having 3 iPods die on me for poor battery life, poor hardware and just a scratchy easy to kill surface makes me wonder why people wouldn’t want to try something new.

    An iPod killer… no… but it is a start. It is nice to see some of the bigger companies starting to get in on the game to make Apple think up some new solutions. They keep following the same model.

    Just my $.02

  31. Got a Zune for review… a brown one. Nice screen. Fake click wheel. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Oh , there’s the song. Thumb hurts from all the pressing. Let’s install the software. Crash. Try again. Crash. One more time. 3 hours later. Let’s buy some video for that awesome screen. WTF? OK. Podcasts! WTF? Songs! Huzzah! Now I can share this awesome band with my friends wirelessly… but they don’t have Zunes. Oh wait, Bob does! 3 days later. Bob misses his new songs…

  32. I got this zune download that is a blast. i am glad microsoft is catching up. I know they get a lot of flack but i like them

  33. iPod? FOR PUSSIES! Zune? For complete fucking ASSHOLES!

    I have a fucking iPaq jacked into a boombox I carry around on my shoulder so I can share my music with the world. Old ladies love it so much they give me the finger and try to kick me in the nuts when I walk by. Hey, bite my ass, granny!

    My whole set up cost $125 bucks. I got the boombox at goodwill for $10 and bought the iPaq used from a friend and I just play MP3s on the media player. It’s great. MP3 ripped at a high bit rate actually sound quite good.

    The iPaq runs all sorts of software, too. If I wanted to do something with it besides play my music. Oh, yeah, I wanna go for a walk, boogie around the mall and dryhump post boxes and shit and tell people how much the Zune SUCKS.

    Yeah!

  34. Good to see some honesty. Zune does suck. What really sucks is that MS couldn’t be bothered with hiring an engineer to design a new mp3 player so that licensed an existing Toshiba design and “hacked’ the firmware/software. MS is inventing a new product category “crapware” – it’s as if they have no brains. At least figure out what people want and offer it to them, its the basic rule of business. The social is more like the schizo, it doesn’t work on most songs, only connects to other Zunes which are few and far between and then there is the brilliant 3plays/3days rule which is pointless if I wanted to rip the song, I can hook the earphone out to a pc and bob’s your uncle. WTF were they thinking?

  35. Zune is big cause of a nice screen, software installed fine, its not crap, it has never crashed, idk what DRM is, idk what playforsure is, it does work on vista , the colors are fine, how can kids hate the zune? it looks cooler then the ipod, zune is an mp3 player not flash drive, of course zune doesnt work with itunes itunes is for ipods zune is for zunes, if u have a mac u can still use zune, the wifi is fine even tho ipod donesht have wifi, and its cheaper then the ipod 30 gig

    So shut up retard

  36. I have a Zune, I live in Australia (yeah I got it off Ebay). All I can say is that everyone who has used it says that it is better than the iPod, then change their minds automatically when they hear that it is my Microsoft. People just love to hate Microsoft… Still, i think that Zune kicks the iPod in every way.

  37. ZUNE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
    I SPENT ALOT OF MONEY ON MY ZUNE AND I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ZUNE PRODUCT AGAIN, OR ANOTHER MS PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    ZUNE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

  38. I knew the software sucked, but the most recent update FREAKIN SUCKKKKSSSS! First it assigns the wrong album art, then the organization on the device is difficult to get it to your liking compared to the ipod. The only plus from my purchase is that I got my Mr. Hankey colored zune for 85 dollars. A great device for watching videos, but as for its interface for music…. it really, really, REALLY needs to improve.

  39. I own one and, yes, it sucks. I deleted all the music on my hard drive thinking that the music that I transfered to the Zune would stay. But Microsoft decided that people need to have the EXACT same library on their computer AND their Zune. So now I have no way to recover the 10gb of music I just lost. And its no good for watching videos either because it takes hours to convert a 500mb file.

  40. Hmm, have YOU even tried a Zune? I bet not, I have a Zune and adore it. So before you write a trashy review, maybe try one out.

  41. I just got a 2nd generation 80GB Zune and I love it. I previously owned a 2nd gen iPod nano, so I did some serious research to decide whether or not to continue with Apple, or try out Microsoft ( I was upgrading to a video mp3). I chose Zune. The 80GB iPod Classic and 80GB Zune are the same price, so thet wasnt a problem. Zune featured wireless syncing and they had made improvements from the 30 GB. The Zune’s screen is almost an inch larger than the ipod( diagonal). I LOVE the device. The only problem is the sotware. Its just really bad. I hate the Marketplace. The Zune Pass is cool, but a huge commitment. I miss iTunes SO MUCH. Microsoft is trying though..you gotta give them that.

  42. Zune Sucks……I have one and i hate it…the prograqm is crap and the zune is very awkward to hold…switching back to ipods asap

  43. ZUNE isnt for hip kids who just discovered a computer 5 years ago- its for people who are serious about decent technology. However you get your music in the first place- fits directly on the zune no problem. Wide video screen, good battery life- black works for me; and as far as expensive? its the same as an ipod but has more stuff. Can your ipod sync by walking past your computer? Ipods update was free- how much does steve jobs charge for updates? I shit on your ipod

  44. I have owned a Zune since January this year and frankly speaking : it kicks major ass!! The sound quality is A LOT better than the Ipod gives you, using the same premium headbuds that come with the Zune. The software installs fine, synching has gone easy always, the Spring update gave us some nifty features we all requested and finally got … never had an issue with the player and the video is great on my travels as the screen is nice and big compared to the iPod. Battery life is absolutely fantastic and price is indeed the same as iPod but with more stuff on the ZUne so relatively cheaper if you look at it that way.

  45. Just one issue I have with the Zune: I hope MS will open up the Zune Pass and marketplace to us international users of the Zune.

  46. ZUNE IS THE WORST MP3 player ever made. I purchased the Zune thinking it would be better than an Ipod. NO WAY.

    When I first got it, the earphone jack had a problem. There would be no sound when I fully plug in the earphone. I have to wiggle it for like 5 minutes in order to get sound. (so it’s not possible to bring it on jogging). K, so I go and exchange for another one.. This time the earphone problem has been resolved. However, the BATTERY DOESNT CHARGE. You would think that a brand new product would not have any of these problems. but the truth is – IT DOES.

    I would rather stick with an ipod and not mess with these “clones” that are not even perfect

  47. NONE OF YOU KNOW WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT. IF YOU WANT REAL FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE READ THIS.

    You can NOT say Zune sucks if you have never even experienced it. Yeah iPods are cool and everybody has them, but truthfully, they are not that great. My brother and i together have owned 4 different iPods including the old 20GB black and white, the original Nano, the 30 GB video, and the new 4GB nano. I have recently purchased a zune because i was sick of the iPods dying. They would last for about a year(convieniently their warranty time) and then either their battery would die or they would have harddrive failures and just not play music. I was constantly resetting the iPods also so i could get some use out of it. Now for the video iPod. It was extremely slow. I would constantly wait for music to load, not to mention the time it took for a video. The screen was small and got scratched up extremely easily. The video quality was terrible even with movies i bought from iTunes. Bottom line, iPods are nice, but not nearly as good as they can be or as everybody thinks they are.

    Now to talk about my new 80GB zune. First, it was only $250 with a $30 rebate. FOR 80GB! The screen is huge. It is amazingly clear. The videos play on my zune more clear than on my PC screen. And it does not scratch. And the new touch pad is awesome. Sure the ipods have the click wheel, but that is not that easy to use. The zune’s pad works wonderfully and believe it or not, the Zune is much more user-friendly than the iPod. THE ZUNE has NO LOADING TIME AT ALL. Videos show up instantly when i press Play. No waiting for crystal-clear videos. Wow. Something the iPod could never achieve.

    Now to talk about software. I’m a huge fan of iTunes. It is a great progam (free too) and Apple did a very good job on it. It is true, the Zune software is a little slow. and there are some naming issues. But that is because v2 just recently came out and there are a few minor problems. But they will be fixed very quickly with free zune updates I assure you. The Zune software has all the features of itunes, just in a fancier more user-friendly way so you can use it even if you know nothing about computers (and being a computer geek, i dont really like but i will deal with it because everything else is so much better). The wifi is also a cool feature. I can sync my Zune from upstairs when my computer is downstairs with just a click of a button. The Zune software also puts all the music from you computer in the library and accesss it for you. Makes things really easy.

    What ive been trying to get across here is that everybody just likes and buys the iPod because of the name and because everybody else has one. There are other hardrive disc players out there other than they iPod, and the Zune happens to be a very good one. At least give the Zune a chance and try it out before you post nonsense about how it doesnt work etc. The Zune is better and i would definately recommend buying one.

  48. ZUNE! Bwa ha ha ha! I can’t believe anybody can talk about this thing with a straight face. The only possible use for it would be for a parent to give it to their kid as a PUNISHMENT! Carrying a ZUNE around school would be as bad as wearing the uncool brand of shoes / jeans etc.

  49. All of the reviews are a load of crap with the exception of the very last one talking about the comparisons. I personally own a 80gb Zune and a 80gb Ipod and i can say without a doubt the zune is easier to use works better loads more reliably and will play everything i load for my ipod. On the other hand i cant say any of that for the ipod , its basically a name brand piece of crap. not easy to use like the zune , wth is with a dial anyway!? pretty screwy control for gaming , the only thing i can say that is better with the ipod is , it has a clock …. big freakin deal, what a waste , just like all the comments talking crap about the zune. it seems to me that only the people who are too poor or cant understand it have bad feedback for it . get over it and stop being jealous why talk bad about something just because you cant have it . too funny , everyone seems to go with the flow…. no wonder humanity is slow to evolve, we just keep repeating the idiocy of previous people. too bad

  50. own both and zune has to be the better buy

    also to break your ipod is think of an i pod breaking :/

  51. I own a Zune I have had problems with the software from day 1, I have had to call zune about 6 or 7 times with various problems, had to erase all content once and restore. I can put a album that I own on it and for no reason it will be deleted off of it and the computer its done this over and over again. And the very first problem I had when I tried to install the software it didnt load correctly and pluged the zune in thinking it loaded well I had to call microsoft so they tell me to unistall software and start over after doing so it the zune didnt recognize the compter and acted as if it was being pluged into another computer which sucked. O and if you buy songs from zune marketplace they too will disapear from time to time you can restore them however I have a couple that I have had to buy back again.
    So to show my support this past year in 08 for Christmas I purchased a Ipod touch for my wife and each of my kids 3 total. And I plan to soon by myself one.
    Thanks Zune

  52. at least do ur homework before u bash something:
    1. the Zune is a Microsoft product iTunes is Apple software why would they work together??
    2. the Zune was developed ages ago! It is sort of logical that it wouldn’t work with Vista…
    3. Zune and iPod cost the same and the Zune has a hard-drive which is better; it holds more data.
    3. It isn’t the Zune’s WiFi that sucks it your home’s WiFi… remember the Zune is the thing that is designed to connect up at any WiFi point so don’t blame it on the Zune
    4. Zune isn’t a Storage device?!? Neither is the iPod!!! And dah it isn’t meant to be it is meant to be a portable music device.

    Well I love the Zune it is so much betta than the iPod well my iPod at least. My iPod doesn’t even turn on anymore and i have ony had it or a year but my warranty has expired conveniently… I am not buying iPod again thats for sure…

  53. I personally think that the Ipod and the Zune are both terrific devices, I personally prefer the Ipod, but the Zune is pretty good to. Both the Ipod and the Zune have their ups and downs, but overall, I think they are both great devices

  54. Personally i love the Zune, but the crappy software is giving me problems. The DRM is screwing it up

  55. whoah, i am a total Microsoft product guy. and i fought pretty hard against the naysayers even before i had my zune because as with all Microsoft products there is a trick to it. but this time no. this is a Ferrari with a 25mph speed governor. the idiot behind the software and interface i can only hope is in the ranks of the unemployed and recognized as a moron. with NO experience with apple stuff or any prior experience with an ipod (any model) i was going on a long road trip and bought a zune for travel music and pod casts i had on my computer. 6 frustrating hours later i could still not form play lists for the zune to separate my pod casts from my collection music. so in frustration i borrowed my co-workers i pod……i waited longer to download i-tunes that it took for me to figure it out and have it ready for my trip in the morning. for the amount of money Microsoft wants for the thing it should be EASIER to use than it’s competitor if not better than. the worst part is it has potential to be awsome. it was like a carrot dangling in front of my nose. i believed it would be great ONCE i figured it out. the sad part is most zune owners i work with and talk to all seem to have many areas of “I’m not sure how” when it comes to their players. pretty sad. i’m still an avid microsoft supporter and hope their success continues but please FIRE whoever designed/accepted/finalized the interface and software for the zune

  56. I’ve never owned “apple” and probably never will. I’m a life long PC/Microsoft user. The Zune is my second mp3 player and I’m stuck with it till it dies, or I throw it against a wall out of frustration. I hate it! The sound is great, as is the battery life. I love it! I’ve had to completely erase/reload it no less than six times in two years. New computer oops Start over with your Zune. New Zune software version oops start over. I hate it! Screen is beautiful! I love it. I have over 200 background photos and have to apply them one at a time when I think of it. Why wont it switch automatically? I Hate it! I’m listening to Christmas music on pc with Zune software right now. I searched for christmas got 150+ results and have to play them one at a time??! I Hate Zune! Purchased a music video, that eventually became “no longer available through Zune” so I couldn’t even load it onto player after last Software forced full erase reload. I hate it! I’ve had to rip my entire cd collection three times because why!?!?

    Yes it’s a love\hate relationship with my Zune. If anyone asks me what kind of mp3 player they should get? I tell them ANYTHING but a Zune! Unless I really don’t like that person. πŸ˜‰ I think the bean counters at Microsoft are paired up one to one with the programmers for Zune. It feels and interacts as though it’s soulless. For all the original feeling artwork used for it, it feels so far from art that it drains.

    Sounds great once you get it going …. had to select next single Christmas song to play again!! [8-/

    Felt good to rant for a while, only…. Like all the other time and tears I’ve wasted on my Zune Microsoft won’t hear me. or care if they could lol.

    You fooled me again Microsoft, shame on me. At least for mp3 players I have choices other than you or (ick) apple. 8-p

    1. I forgot to mention – I can’t wait till it dies, then I can delete the software from my PC and never think of it again!

  57. yes i agree, zune sucks, i have one it was cool at first but after a while you get sick of the not-so-durable zune that always says “failed to recognise” takes all night to put lots of music on, the LCD screen has a bunch of tiny white dots on it that bug the crap out of me, also the very cheep headphones…. my friend ALSO got one of these, he hated it too, his screen totally cracked (like full on cracked) after a week of having it and dropping it once on a thin layer of carpet…. just please get an ipod i wish i did. and now i realize zune just copys apple within a few months of the itouch coming out, look at that the ZUNE HD, the same thing, but worse, and more expensive

    1. More expensive how?

      Zune HD 16GB $200 vs iTouch 8GB $200
      Zune HD 32GB $270 vs iTouch 32GB $300
      Zune HD 64GB $350 vs iTouch 64GB $400

  58. i have never been so frusterated at anything in my life, my zune refuses to do anything that i want or need it to do, it wont connect to my computer, or my 360. If the battery dies i have to switch it between my 360 and computer to get it to turn on and i have to charge it with my 360 while it is off. Zune is the lowest quality mp3 player on the market and i am going to do my best to tell everyone the bad experiences i have had with my zune. Once i upgrade to an ipod i plan on sighting in my rifle on my zune. Microsoft you suck at life and you should try puting out quality products instead of doing your best to rip people off. It is sad when a $30 generic mp3 player works better than namebrand. Microsoft please do everyone a favor and quit making zunes, before you know it you will be exposed and everyone will know how crappy your products really are.

  59. I like it because it’s compatible with all my mp3 files and doesn’t bother winamp-
    the durabilty is what i favor most because i wanted something that wouldnt break. so far, I’ve taken it biking, hiking, and motorcycle riding and dropped it on the road and highway and picked it back up- totally fine (minus some cosmetic scratches which somehow disappeared?)
    you can turn it into a storage device by changing how windows sees the zune through regedit on windows. you changed 3 numbers and thats it. better than ipod because you still have a choice to use or not use the zune software.
    Mine would restart often when I first got it- turns out it was a self-saver feature against static electricity jumps.

  60. I recently purchase American Reunion and couldn’t download a movie because the power went out in my small town during the download. They have “no refund” policy. However, with technology they can see I didn’t download the movie. I only had 24 hours to download it but the power was out longer than that. I am very upset with their policy. I WILL NOT purchase another thing from ZUNE. ** Buyer Beware **

Comments are closed.