Leo and the Zune...

[lupin]

Meh I am confused on everyones big beefs on the Zune. One hand I do see how it is unreasonable for them to DRM every song you beem via WiFi even if it doesnt have DRM to begin with. Also the WiFi has not been fully utilized yet but it very could be used to browse the net keep in touch with contacts and purchase music in the near future.

Also everyone is *****ing about the fact MS is giving a dollar to Universal Music for every Zune sell. Why do you care? They are pretty much trying to tame the music companies from going after the pirates. And then to go off and say they are treating you like thieves as if you arent. Everyone I know who has a Zune/iPod has filled it with pirated music along with their small collection of CDs. You are a pirate Microsoft knows this and they are giving a measly $1 per sell to UMG. It doesnt raise the price for you, and in the long run it could help.

IMO the Zune is the better MP3 player. It allows for you to sync of with anyones music library something that always bothered me with any iPod. Say I am on vacation and the new Tenacious D album came out and I was going to use my families PC to download it and put it on my iPod. Pssh cant do that without losing everything else on it or going through some asinine process of backing up the music with ID3 tags. And for one second let me mention that the Zune has a subscription based music service which for me at least if I am going to pay for music this is how I want to do it.

DRM sucks but in a world with people like us (pirates) the record industry has to put up at least some type of fight to make it seem like they stand a chance. This will not be the death of DRM trust me on that. As far as the Zune is concerned its too early to tell. It hasnt even been out 2 months yet. When the iPod first came out anyone who bought to me was an idiot it sucked and did like nothing for the $500 it cost. Now look at it. So I urge and encourage everyone to hold their opinions for at least a year so you dont look like a complete jackass in retrospect.

[abjure]

Man I agree with you 100%

I forgot to thank you for your review you wrote in my thread asking about the Zune. So... thanks! :D

[wilw]

You are a pirate Microsoft knows this and they are giving a measly $1 per sell to UMG.

Okay, I am not a pirate. I have about 5000 MP3s, all of them bought legally from iTunes or legally ripped from legally-owned CDs that I bought and paid for.

It's not about the money, either. I resent UMG's instance that, because I own an MP3 player, I am automatically a pirate of some sort, and I resent Microsoft's implicit agreement with that sentiment.

For those reasons, and many others, I choose not to purchase a Zune.

I respect your points, and everyone is entitled to their opinions about these gadgets, but please don't paint us all with the same brush UMG and Microsoft are using.

[lupin]

Yeah well congrats you have 5000 songs legal. Want a cookie. Think of it this way. When you buy a PC game you get a CD Key right? Or some PC games have ridiculous protection software that bloats down your computer or even hinders it in some regards. You dont get made at them for treating you like a pirate then do you? No they are just covering their bases as is MS.

[dante75067]

The tech is ok with the Zune, not great, but ok. The gripe is about policies. I don't pirate either. No, I don't want a cookie. If I bought a Zune I would want a $1.00. If you think MS paid Universal out of petty cash instead of passing it off to the buyer, your nuts. It opens a Pandora's box for other companies to come knocking, asking for money. And not just from MS. Do you want to start paying a music industry ser charge for every audio devise you buy?

[cuberds]

A CD key is a different scenario. If one were to create a song, it would be wrapped around Microsoft's DRM virus, whether or not it was copy-protected to begin with.

[phatlip12]

Who wants a song for 3 days? I would rather them burn it, give it to me on disc and then upload it to my iPod and keep it forever.

[ryudo]

I am just pissed Gamestop where I work has these things for sale..it's supposed to be a ****ing gamestore not radioshack....I don't think we have sold a single one since launch other than the one my manager bought...the same four units dusty boxes and all still sitting in our back room.

[phatlip12]

I am just pissed Gamestop where I work has these things for sale..it's supposed to be a ****ing gamestore not radioshack....I don't think we have sold a single one since launch other than the one my manager bought...the same four units dusty boxes and all still sitting in our back room.

I noticed that at my Gamestop as well, it does seem kind of out of place.

[ArmpitOfDeath]

That was a funny rant though.

[sugarsickness]

They are pretty much trying to tame the music companies from going after the pirates.Yeah, ok, let's see if this really does stop 'music companies' from going after pirates.

And then to go off and say they are treating you like thieves as if you arent.Not everyone is.

Everyone I know who has a Zune/iPod has filled it with pirated music along with their small collection of CDs.Good for you but not everyone I know has pirated music. My mother's mp3 player is filled with music she purchased the cds to.

You are a pirate Microsoft knows this and they are giving a measly $1 per sell to UMG. It doesnt raise the price for you, and in the long run it could help.I'm sorry, but giving money to the companies AND slapping lame DRM when you want to give someone a song is just lame. One or the other would be more understandable (I think most would prefer no DRM, obviously).

[tokenuser]

Okay, I am not a pirate. I have about 5000 MP3s, all of them bought legally from iTunes or legally ripped from legally-owned CDs that I bought and paid for.

It's not about the money, either. I resent UMG's instance that, because I own an MP3 player, I am automatically a pirate of some sort, and I resent Microsoft's implicit agreement with that sentiment.The Zune security model actually makes some sense. I own the CD that I ripped music from, NOT the person that I might squirt (?) a copy to - so I am OK with that aspect. If they like the podcast you sent them, let them subscribe and download it themselves. DRM makes no difference here for freely available content.

As for the paying UMG a cut ... did you realise that there was an added fee to every blank audio cassette that was sold that was collected by the RIAA? The concept is similar - you WILL be putting illegal content on your device, so the fee from the tapes would be used to help offset those royalties that would otherwise have ben paid. If you used tapes for "legal" purposes, then you could get the fee returned - but it was a painful process.

$1 from each device isn't much to help keep the music providers (well one of them at least) happy.

[tomwynne]

It is correct that the Zune doesn't directly support podcasting. However, you do not have to have an iPod to use iTunes.
All you do is download iTunes and subscribe to the podcasts/vidcasts you want to listen to.
In the Zune software, choose Options..., Add Folder to Library and pick the podcasts folder on your hard drive. You are done. It will automatically synchronize when any new podcasts are downloaded. It will also automatically convert any video podcasts to the correct video format for the Zune. Note: this does take a bit of time to convert...
I don't buy alot of music on-line, still buy CDs, and mostly use my portable player to listen to podcasts. I don't agree with the $ going to the record companies for each Zune if I don't use it much for music. Also, I think $ is still going to them for CD-R and DVD-R media correct?

[sidtoner]

The Zune security model actually makes some sense. I own the CD that I ripped music from, NOT the person that I might squirt (?) a copy to - so I am OK with that aspect. If they like the podcast you sent them, let them subscribe and download it themselves. DRM makes no difference here for freely available content.

so independent artists shouldn't be able to send people their music without drm if they choose? or have complete control over their music on their devices? music they own on equipment they own... perhaps zune linux will solve these problems...

[tokenuser]

so independent artists shouldn't be able to send people their music without drm if they choose? or have complete control over their music on their devices? music they own on equipment they own... perhaps zune linux will solve these problems...That just the point. With DRM, they DO have the control over who hears their music/podcasts, whatever ... they just can't do it via a Zune.

You can't do it via an iPod either, so whats the difference?

Ah - but you CAN if you plug the iPod into a computer, mount the thing as a drive, and copy it that way. Well, if an intermediate computer is required, just download the damn file from the MySpace account that you host your music on (or where ever else you distribute your content from in a DRM free environment). The Zune model actually works in an independant artists favour ... by having the content expire, the user is driven to the bands web presence where they might actually be able to sell the user stuff (like a CD or TShirt) or find tracks the other user didn't squirt over.

How is this a bad thing? Or is it another knee jerk "MS is evil" reaction without thinking it through?

[laughterkillsme]

I'll start paying for music when the music companies stop screwing musicians. As far as the Zune goes, I heard its pretty good ... but with the DRM, and money going to universal I'm not going near it.

[laughterkillsme]

Meh I am confused on everyones big beefs on the Zune. One hand I do see how it is unreasonable for them to DRM every song you beem via WiFi even if it doesnt have DRM to begin with. Also the WiFi has not been fully utilized yet but it very could be used to browse the net keep in touch with contacts and purchase music in the near future.

Also everyone is *****ing about the fact MS is giving a dollar to Universal Music for every Zune sell. Why do you care? They are pretty much trying to tame the music companies from going after the pirates. And then to go off and say they are treating you like thieves as if you arent. Everyone I know who has a Zune/iPod has filled it with pirated music along with their small collection of CDs. You are a pirate Microsoft knows this and they are giving a measly $1 per sell to UMG. It doesnt raise the price for you, and in the long run it could help.

IMO the Zune is the better MP3 player. It allows for you to sync of with anyones music library something that always bothered me with any iPod. Say I am on vacation and the new Tenacious D album came out and I was going to use my families PC to download it and put it on my iPod. Pssh cant do that without losing everything else on it or going through some asinine process of backing up the music with ID3 tags. And for one second let me mention that the Zune has a subscription based music service which for me at least if I am going to pay for music this is how I want to do it.

DRM sucks but in a world with people like us (pirates) the record industry has to put up at least some type of fight to make it seem like they stand a chance. This will not be the death of DRM trust me on that. As far as the Zune is concerned its too early to tell. It hasnt even been out 2 months yet. When the iPod first came out anyone who bought to me was an idiot it sucked and did like nothing for the $500 it cost. Now look at it. So I urge and encourage everyone to hold their opinions for at least a year so you dont look like a complete jackass in retrospect.

On my second read through ... this sounds oddly like paid advertising. What is it, every four posts you throw up some fabricated personal information .. than every ten you plug an MS product?

http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2481
http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?p=42104#post42104

Seriously, do you write your own ads or do they circulate them in memos? And if your getting paid .. the least you can do is be cheery in your required Shmooze posts. No more fake depression, or generic "I hate the establishment" ones please?

[awbgeek10]

MS giving money to universal for every zune sold is ridiculos. Now the music companys are going to come and say we want 50 cents for every set of headphones sold, and 20 dollars per computer sold, and 5 dollars a month for every internet connection because they CAN all be used for piracy

[tonye5]

I bought my daughter an Ipod and my son a Zune, and I'm sorry but as a "tech guy", how can you not like the Zune. Now if you are an Apple person and you can't see past the cool Apple logo, fine I understand that, (I would love to be able to afford a MacBook Pro) but admit to it when you are posting. If you have 5000 songs that you bought from Itunes, you are obviously not neutral on the subject. Christmas morning (yes I did say Christmas, please don't faint) I spent an hour setting up my daughter's Ipod, and It's really pretty and album art is cool, and she loves it. But after seeing and playing with the Zune, "FOR ME" I would rather have the Zune, and I can't see how any "Techy" would honestly say other wise. For my daughter the Ipod is a perfect fit, but my son is doing sooooo much more with the Zune. It has peaked his interest in technology, he is constantly coming to me and saying I found this website that has these videos and I found this program that let's me transfer....

PS for the guy that spent to get the 5000 songs, that subscription service would be great for you, unlimited songs(legal) ... $5000 is very looooong subscription, something like 27 years. I think Apple should look at this.

[wetworker]

I bought one also, shipped from Florida; I live in Toronto, Canada. It’s not available in Canada as yet.

I had an ipod before the zune, and the zune is a much better product, Look wise it's not up to the metro sexual standards as yet but functions are top notch.

As for buying 500 tracks online, that’s madness, I would rather have a solid CD just incase, sure i would buy some music online, but the majority of my music has to to be something I can touch.

I give the zune 8/10 stars so far. No problems and I’ve been using it for two weeks now.
The interface kills the ipod, another thing I noticed in this climate in Canada b4 if I wanted to use the ipod , I would have to take off my gloves because of the touch sensitive wheel of the ipod ,now I can wear my gloves and do my navigation….sweet.

……I have the brown one.

[mcsurvey]

The zune's a brick though, it's larger than the 80gb iPod and it's only 30gb.

[tokenuser]

The zune's a brick though, it's larger than the 80gb iPod and it's only 30gb.That might be true, but it also has a larger screen, wifi, FM radio (does anyone listen to the radio anymore?) and is a 1st generation product, and not at version 5. You cant make it much smaller and still have usable controls on that sized screen, and the extra battery capacity to drive the screen adds to the thickness.

The device appeals to different users. Personally, I love my iPod nano, and can't see the appeal of watching video on a screen that size. Different requirements, different uses.

Here is a side by side comparison (http://zuneinfo.com/zune-and-ipod-comparison/) with a 30gig iPod ... in terms of dimensions, the key poitns are:

Width: same - 2.4"
Height: Zune 4.4" vs iPod 4.1" (0.3" difference)
Depth: Zune 0.58" vs iPod 0.43" (0.15" difference ... that about 5/32", 3mm, or the thickness of two credit cards)
Screen: resolution - identical (320x240), size - Zune 3" vs iPod 2.5" (that means the zune screen is 44% larger than the iPod).

Coincidentally, the volume (w.h.d) of the Zune is 44% larger than the 30gb iPod.

So - it is really a brick? or are you drinking the Apple fanboy koolaid?

[ArmpitOfDeath]

Actually I'll butt in and say even such seemingly minute differences are actually noticeable in-pocket. If the Zune isn't exactly a brick, it is certainly noticeably less svelte than the 30-gigger iPod.

I like the Zune. It's got a good OS, and it's a nice product which is decently well thought out. I could be quite happy with it...

However as much as I do loathe the iPod halo effect, smug Apple fanboys and the whole iPod = cool thing that began 3 years back, I wouldn't buy the Zune at this point given Apple's track record in timing releases to make other makers show their hand (and generating 2-3 months of buzz for said maker), then releasing something that makes it if not irrelevant, then at least a second-rate choice. Pity they can't get things as spectacularly right with computers.

[darknessgp]

I find it funny that some of you are soo offended by the DRM on shared music. You guys do know that to be able to share the music it HAS to be zune to zune right? There is no zune to ipod or even ipod to ipod transfering. Yes, it's annoying, but if it's a I'll send you this song so you can check it out and then if you like it we'll find a computer later. It's great for music makers, as it possibly gives users chance to preview before they decide to buy or get some other way.