Zune in your living room might not be too far off

Microsoft looks to counter Apple's upcoming services by integrating Zune services into your life, starting with your TV.

[oriol003]

Yes go microsoft iPod is garbage who needs a touch screen on their listening device anyways right?

[cryymoar]

BREAKING: New Zune has touch screen!

You: Yeah touch screen is awesome!

[FragMnTagM]

I read that as sarcastic.

[cyguration]

Isn't Apple like pwning the Zune with the iPod right now?

[iClutch]

Depending on the quality of this, MS might be able to win some customers over Apple

[Godmars290]

Without even having to try. On any level.

[FordGTGuy]

In terms of overall sales yes, in terms of sale increases no and in terms of device quality hell no.

[Godmars290]

Where have I heard that before?

Oh yes; from every fanboy talking up their system. Be it the 360 when comparing DVD9 to Blu-ray, or free PSN over subscription based XBL.

Never mind that in your "quality" argument you seem to have forgotten that sudden and instant bricking epidemic that hit the Zune last year. That's what put the nail in its coffin. MS will need to re-re-launch the thing. And then not have any mistakes, for the sake of their whole company.

[FordGTGuy]

I own a Zune 8, Zune 30, Zune 80, Sony PSP 3000, iPhone and have owned many iPods and the Zune is a way better PMP. BTW Cnet agrees with me.

There is no such thing as a flawless launch or a flawless product so you can go ahead and blow that out your @$$. Also the Zune firmware is working just fine now and no they weren't turned to bricks a simple fix solved that problem which is now gone. Atleast a Zune hasn't exploded in anyones pocket yet unlike another product.

[Godmars290]

Neither are making the Zune more popular than the iPod.

And honestly, are most of you item lovers even comprehending the article? If anything they're not talking about the current Zune. It could be a set-top box or just a software brand where its going to have more competition than just the iPod.

[thereapersson]

Really, you know as well as I do that most people don't even know anything other than the iPod name. It's not so much the quality of the player, as the fact that people see others with the iPod, so they want to fit in. I've talked to a few people throughout the years who seriously thought that the MP3 format is something that only plays on iPods.

Consumers are sheep, Godmars. You sound intelligent enough, so you should know this by now.

Oh, and as for the bricking argument, no they were not bricked. If you performed a hard reset and re-loaded the updated firmware, the problem ended up being resolved.

[Godmars290]

Exactly my point: people/consumers are sheep.

So 1) when the Zune "bricked" how many "sheep" do you think knew how to fix or even go to get it fixed, and 2) How is MS trying to sell products based on their brand name any different than Apple doing the exact same thing? Aside from MS committing major foibles in attempting to penetrate existing markets. Much less the people who defend them by pretending no mistakes were made on their part only to exacerbate any and all flaws they can find in the competition.

Not aying I'm any better, just that we wouldn't have the assinie fanboy crap we have know if people could accept that there are problems with the products they like. That its all crap not worth defying.

[JasonXE]

it turned on the next day.

[omodis420]

This has potential to really shake Apple up. As a fan of the iPod, I really hope it doesn't.

[omodis420]

Apple TV is going to wreck this.

[Captain Tuttle]

I like my 30 gig Zune...it's been bomb proof. Wish my 360's were.

[thereapersson]

I know, I have an 80 and I've dropped it so many times, and I also spilled liquid all over it; it still works flawlessly.

I like the Zune because it has good audio quality and the firmware is responsive to the things you tell it to do. The Classics are laggy, and Apple ruined the touch wheel from the previous generations by making them less sensitive. They also changed the audio circuitry in the classics, so they don't sound as good as the previous gen iPods. The funny thing is, Apple fans defend this by saying "oh, well the classics aren't what you should be buying; the iPod touch is where it's at!"

But then comparing the iTouch to the Zune or even the iPod classic is like apples to oranges.

[Elven6]

Likewise, I put my 80GB through hell and its still working just as fine as it was the first time I used it. I've been seeing more and more Zune's in my day to day travels on the train and such, the Zune is doing much better then people give it credit for, especially on N4G!

[Godmars290]

Are they talking about a set-top box like a dozen others already out? Making a media server, calling it Zune, then integrating it into Windows and especially the 360?

[KingKionic]

hope this works. i have a zune there great. ipods are good.touchscreen is good.

[xbollox]

M$ software
M$ hardware
M$ sh!tware
M$ underwear

[gumgum99]

If there was one product that I thought Microsoft has done right, it would probably be the Zune MP3 player.

It's just that its so underrated in the wake of the more popular ipod brand.

[FragMnTagM]

At Wal-Mart and the Zune hardly ever came back. iPods were always being returned at the desk because they were "bricked" (actually they were just frozen and needed to be reset). The other half the time they came back they were broken or the battery stopped working.

I have owned two Zunes and both have held up really well. Heck, I even use both of them. I leave one at my house and one at a friends house.

Can't say the same for the iPods I've owned.

Also iTunes is complete and total crap.

It was really hard to get people to buy the Zune though because everyone is hooked on the word iPod. If they heard iPod they automatically think it is the only MP3 player. Most of them did not even notice that there is whole row of MP3 players (including the Zunes) that sync music in a snap have FM tuners, and are cheaper. Somehow they only manage to see the iPods. Some people even thought that MP3 players and Ipods were different devices in completely different categories. Like how a cd player is to a tape player. It is unbelievable how stupid people are.

[thereapersson]

Usually the biggest problem with iPods is the battery craps out. My friend had to replace his 5.5 gen 80gb with a 120 classic because his old player wouldn't charge anymore. He's kind of happy it happened, though, because now he has more space for his music.

[creeping judas]

My only complaint with my 120gn Zune, is the fragging marketplace doesnt work in Canada!!!!

[BrianC6234]

Is this a late April Fool's joke? Microsoft killed off the Zune. No way are they wasting money right now on something that probably won't sell.

[Elven6]

You mean beat Toshiba, Samsung, and a bunch of other PMP makers in market share in the first year of launch and having sold over 2 million units to date is a failure? Your right!.....

[odelr5]

cmon zune

only if you could subscribe to music on the 360 like zune marketplace.