newVideoPlayer("gateszune2_gawker.flv", 475, 376);
So let’s hear it from the main man himself, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, introducing his new Zune babies and ticking off the new features and interface in this Microsoft-produced video. Although Gates mentions a November ship date, he’s not as specific as Amazon’s precise November 13th rollout day. The MS chief also touts wireless auto syncing on the new Zune, one of our fave features, too. [Zune Online]
newVideoPlayer("zune.flv", 475, 286);
Giz wasn’t invited to the launch of the Zune, but the folks at Edelman working late into the night supplied us with a promotional video of the event. Check out the UI; it looks amazing. On the other hand, the act of scrolling on the Zunepad looks very constrained and awkward (see the hand in video). I stripped out the parts that were “lifestyle” and left mostly the closeup shots of the Zune. I also swapped out the aggro Seattle rocker track for a Hall and Oates song. (“Out of Touch,” fitting as it were on more than one level.)
The first generation 30GB Zune—which 1.2 million of you already purchased—is getting all the new Zune’s features. All. Sure, the new Zune is more of a half step forward than a completely new design. But Microsoft’s done something fantastic here by rewarding first gen buyers with cool new stuff that also happens to be free by software upgrade. And talk about spin— Microsoft just took a middling jump in hardware and turned it into a genuinely good move for loyalists (as well as a PR miracle). Are you paying attention Apple?
Contrast this to what Apple did between the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The iPod Touch is running the same OS as the iPhone, but it’s artificially gimped. There’s no email. There’s no weather or stocks. No notes. No adding events to the Calendar. When old hardware can’t support new features, that’s not anyone’s fault. But all this stuff that’s right there in the software and costs nothing for Apple to put in, and they leave it out to artificially differentiate the product line.
Back to Zune. Not only is the old 30GB getting the new Wi-Fi syncing, it’s getting the updated sharing features, the new codecs, the podcasts, and the new Windows Media Centre TV on the go. It’s essentially the new Zune, except thicker and with less storage space…which makes us ask why Microsoft would be so generous as to kill half the reasons why you’d ever upgrade to a new Zune. But as buyers, we’ll just say thanks.
If you’re now interested in what Microsoft’s throwing your way, you have the option of picking either the 4GB, the 8GB, 30GB or the 80GB, which only differ on size and storage space (plus the 80GB comes with premium headphones). You get to decide what you want. We appreciate the gesture of supporting your old hardware to the end, when it makes sense from a customer’s point of view, and when technically feasible. (Keep ignoring the marketers, thanks.) No artificially gimped players here.
The new Zune’s just slightly bigger than the iPod classic, measuring about 5mm taler and 2mm thicker. It’s also slightly thinner than the 30GB Zune, with 3mm height, 1mm width and 2mm depth separating the two. When you’re comparing 80GB to 80GB, the size different doesn’t’ seem like it’s going to be enough to make any sort of meaningful difference.
But when you’re comparing the Flash Zune vs. the iPod Nano, things get a little tricky. The Nano’s now fat, which means it’s shorter but wider than the Zune, so it’s kind of weird. But if you look at the iPod Nano 2G vs. the new Flash Zunes, it’s almost exactly the same size. However, Microsoft’s player still comes up a little fatter, wider, and thicker. [Sizeasy]
The next-generation Zune has just been announced, coming at you with a price tag which we already saw of $US249 for the 80GB hard drive model and $US149/$199 for the 4GB and 8GB flash-based models respectively. The new features in all models, which were leaked early, are wireless syncing with your computer automatically when you’re in Wi-Fi range—something users have been clamouring for since even before the first Zune—as well as videos in the Zune Marketplace and new music, some of which are DRM-free. The Zune Pad is actually touch sensitive, much like the iPod’s Click Wheel.
We’re live-updating as we find out more after the jump.
We’d seen the new Zune in red, pink and black (or whatever its called) but I was curious about the green model we reported today. Here it is, leaked, along with some better photos. Now, is that a pea green? An army green? An evergreen green? Looks kind of like Master Chief’s armour. But I’ve been playing too much Halo. Click through for the rest. [Updated with Press Shots leaked by CNet News.][Rompres via Zune-Online]
