Why You Probably Should NOT Buy a Zune
Adam Scheinberg, November 27, 2006 (18 years ago)
If you're finding this on Google or another search engine and you're considering a Zune, it's really important that you read this. There is information that I believe definitely proves that a Zune is a dangerous investment. I'm going to explain to you why investing in a Zune may be a huge, and ultimately very costly, mistake.
If you've read my blog over any period of time (and I'm relatively certain that no one has), you've probably noticed my not so subtle conversion from Windows to Linux back to Windows and then firmly to a Mac. We are all Mac at my house now, and I don't try to cover that up. At work, where I choose everything from a technology standpoint, we are Windows 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server, so I'm not especially anti-Microsoft. Anyway, fair disclosure.
Read on for the details.
It all started with this Zune review in the Chicago Sun-Times. Reviewer Andy Ihnatko concludes - well - here's a quote: "The Zune will be dead and gone within six months. Good riddance." There are plenty of choice quotes peppered through the article, but all essentially come to the same conclusion - that the Zune is aimed at pleasing the big record companies and not the user. Ultimately, the user interface is not intuitive; the setup is painful, with reports trickling in from around the internet of failed Zune software installs; the wireless capabilities are intentionally crippled; and the device is cheaply built, with the "scroll wheel" - which is lifted directly from the iPod - not actually being a scroll wheel, but rather, a wheel-shaped piece of plastic over four buttons shaped like a plus sign.
And while they all may be valid, the reason you simply cannot buy a Zune can be boiled down to three little words: Plays for Sure.
Why is the iPod successful? More on this in a second, but it ultimately boils down to the fact that Apple was able to integrate digital rights management - or DRM - without hindering the user experience. Most iPod/iTunes users haven't even noticed that their music is locked down like this.
As a direct response, Microsoft began their Plays for Sure campaign. They based their content restriction on their flagship Windows Media Audio, or "WMA" format. As a result, you can have restricted or unrestricted WMA files. But be aware: WMA files only play on Windows unless you have either (for Macs) third party software or (for Linux) an illegal crack. These files are NOT cross platform. To make things even easier, your Windows Media files are all managed through the already integrated Windows Media Player which - if you're not in the EU - has already been shipping for some time fully integrated into Windows. Sweet, right?
In order to placate hardware marketers *and* offer a wide product line, Microsoft locks in their DRM scheme and calls it "Plays for Sure" as in - buy this device and your music plays for sure! This way, they must've believed, people won't be scared of the lock-in, but rather know that there is guaranteed compatibility.
Fast forward to now - the Zune comes out, and guess what doesn't play at all (for sure)? Right! All of your old WMA files, all of your "Plays for Sure" songs, songs you've paid for - Gonzo. Zero. Cero. Zilch. Nada. Nuttin. They are flat out unusable on the Zune. Someone, somewhere, decided to take a different spin with the Zune, and all the old tracks you bought are now useless on this device. In other words, prepare to buy all of your purchased music again, at least, if you intend to use any of it on your Zune.
Furthermore, have you made yourself at home in Windows Media Player? Because you can kiss that goodbye too. Microsoft ditched WMP for the new Zune software. Not only that, but even if you load unrestricted files onto your Zune, they become restricted on your Zune! So if you download a free mp3 podcast - or better yet, your band's demo song, which you WANT to give away - and beam it over wi-fi to someone, a practice inexplicably called "squirting," - which is pretty much the only cool feature missing from the iPod - they get 3 days or 3 plays (whichever comes first, natch) to check it out. How incredibly useless.
Did I mention that the RIAA gets a cut of every Zune sold, because the chairman of Universal says that if you buy one of these devices, you're obviously a thief who downloads music illegally? Well, [[http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003380831|it happened]]. Microsoft must acknowledge that people who use portable music players are thieves, because they are cutting in the music companies on the sale of the HARDWARE. Explain that one!
You see, the way I see it, the iPod is a success for three reasons:
Users don't care about the record companies. Apple treats them like they are: third rate money grubbers who are unable to adapt to a new business model who will eventually become their own demise. But they get paid, because they have to, and users aren't subject to that nonsense. The iPod caters to the user. You barely notice the DRM, the software to manage your songs is effortless, cross platform, and logical, the device can be used as a hard drive, and the music is fairly priced.
But the best reason is the DRM itself - the DRM is built around the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec, which is built on MP4, the successor to MP3. It's unlikely we'll see this fall by the wayside. When someone "cracks" the rights management of Apple's "Fairplay" DRM - which happens regularly - Apple simply updates it.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has now demonstrated that if they don't have a high enough market share, they will screw their customers, obsolete their audio collection, and introduce a new revenue stream, forcing you to re-buy all of your music if you want to use an updated device. They have updated WMA several times, several times have broken compatibility, and ultimately built a parallel system.
You can't have any faith in the Zune. If you dedicate ANY of your time and money to it, there is no guarantee whatsoever that you won't be abandoned in the next 6 months, year, or even two years. Your music will be useless, your music stream could become suddenly unavailable, and your purchases unplayable elsewhere. In short, nothing is ever "for sure" with Microsoft.
The iPod, conversely, has a long history and is selling like hotcakes. Even the third alternative, which is choosing from the rich and varied line of portable players for the Windows Media line - is a poor choice now that Microsoft themselves have stopped supporting it in their new products.
In fact, there are really *no* compelling reasons to buy a Zune. They aren't prevalent, there are no third party devices to extend its functionality yet, and investing in the "assume you're a thief" DRM scheme is risky at best.
Let me conclude with a quote from Saturday Night Live's weekend update from last weekend: "On Tuesday, Microsoft released their iPod competitor, the Zune. Zune, as in 'Hey, your Zune isn't as cool as my iPod.'"
If you've read my blog over any period of time (and I'm relatively certain that no one has), you've probably noticed my not so subtle conversion from Windows to Linux back to Windows and then firmly to a Mac. We are all Mac at my house now, and I don't try to cover that up. At work, where I choose everything from a technology standpoint, we are Windows 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server, so I'm not especially anti-Microsoft. Anyway, fair disclosure.
Read on for the details.
It all started with this Zune review in the Chicago Sun-Times. Reviewer Andy Ihnatko concludes - well - here's a quote: "The Zune will be dead and gone within six months. Good riddance." There are plenty of choice quotes peppered through the article, but all essentially come to the same conclusion - that the Zune is aimed at pleasing the big record companies and not the user. Ultimately, the user interface is not intuitive; the setup is painful, with reports trickling in from around the internet of failed Zune software installs; the wireless capabilities are intentionally crippled; and the device is cheaply built, with the "scroll wheel" - which is lifted directly from the iPod - not actually being a scroll wheel, but rather, a wheel-shaped piece of plastic over four buttons shaped like a plus sign.
And while they all may be valid, the reason you simply cannot buy a Zune can be boiled down to three little words: Plays for Sure.
Why is the iPod successful? More on this in a second, but it ultimately boils down to the fact that Apple was able to integrate digital rights management - or DRM - without hindering the user experience. Most iPod/iTunes users haven't even noticed that their music is locked down like this.
As a direct response, Microsoft began their Plays for Sure campaign. They based their content restriction on their flagship Windows Media Audio, or "WMA" format. As a result, you can have restricted or unrestricted WMA files. But be aware: WMA files only play on Windows unless you have either (for Macs) third party software or (for Linux) an illegal crack. These files are NOT cross platform. To make things even easier, your Windows Media files are all managed through the already integrated Windows Media Player which - if you're not in the EU - has already been shipping for some time fully integrated into Windows. Sweet, right?
In order to placate hardware marketers *and* offer a wide product line, Microsoft locks in their DRM scheme and calls it "Plays for Sure" as in - buy this device and your music plays for sure! This way, they must've believed, people won't be scared of the lock-in, but rather know that there is guaranteed compatibility.
Fast forward to now - the Zune comes out, and guess what doesn't play at all (for sure)? Right! All of your old WMA files, all of your "Plays for Sure" songs, songs you've paid for - Gonzo. Zero. Cero. Zilch. Nada. Nuttin. They are flat out unusable on the Zune. Someone, somewhere, decided to take a different spin with the Zune, and all the old tracks you bought are now useless on this device. In other words, prepare to buy all of your purchased music again, at least, if you intend to use any of it on your Zune.
Furthermore, have you made yourself at home in Windows Media Player? Because you can kiss that goodbye too. Microsoft ditched WMP for the new Zune software. Not only that, but even if you load unrestricted files onto your Zune, they become restricted on your Zune! So if you download a free mp3 podcast - or better yet, your band's demo song, which you WANT to give away - and beam it over wi-fi to someone, a practice inexplicably called "squirting," - which is pretty much the only cool feature missing from the iPod - they get 3 days or 3 plays (whichever comes first, natch) to check it out. How incredibly useless.
Did I mention that the RIAA gets a cut of every Zune sold, because the chairman of Universal says that if you buy one of these devices, you're obviously a thief who downloads music illegally? Well, [[http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003380831|it happened]]. Microsoft must acknowledge that people who use portable music players are thieves, because they are cutting in the music companies on the sale of the HARDWARE. Explain that one!
You see, the way I see it, the iPod is a success for three reasons:
- Ease of use for a user
- Useful features that users want
- Unobtrusive DRM
Users don't care about the record companies. Apple treats them like they are: third rate money grubbers who are unable to adapt to a new business model who will eventually become their own demise. But they get paid, because they have to, and users aren't subject to that nonsense. The iPod caters to the user. You barely notice the DRM, the software to manage your songs is effortless, cross platform, and logical, the device can be used as a hard drive, and the music is fairly priced.
But the best reason is the DRM itself - the DRM is built around the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec, which is built on MP4, the successor to MP3. It's unlikely we'll see this fall by the wayside. When someone "cracks" the rights management of Apple's "Fairplay" DRM - which happens regularly - Apple simply updates it.
Microsoft, on the other hand, has now demonstrated that if they don't have a high enough market share, they will screw their customers, obsolete their audio collection, and introduce a new revenue stream, forcing you to re-buy all of your music if you want to use an updated device. They have updated WMA several times, several times have broken compatibility, and ultimately built a parallel system.
You can't have any faith in the Zune. If you dedicate ANY of your time and money to it, there is no guarantee whatsoever that you won't be abandoned in the next 6 months, year, or even two years. Your music will be useless, your music stream could become suddenly unavailable, and your purchases unplayable elsewhere. In short, nothing is ever "for sure" with Microsoft.
The iPod, conversely, has a long history and is selling like hotcakes. Even the third alternative, which is choosing from the rich and varied line of portable players for the Windows Media line - is a poor choice now that Microsoft themselves have stopped supporting it in their new products.
In fact, there are really *no* compelling reasons to buy a Zune. They aren't prevalent, there are no third party devices to extend its functionality yet, and investing in the "assume you're a thief" DRM scheme is risky at best.
Let me conclude with a quote from Saturday Night Live's weekend update from last weekend: "On Tuesday, Microsoft released their iPod competitor, the Zune. Zune, as in 'Hey, your Zune isn't as cool as my iPod.'"
<br />
I can't say the same for DIVX. I don't know anyone who has ever demanded that feature. That's not to say it wouldn't be nice, but it doesn't qualify as a let-down to me because it was never an expectation.
<br />
So what? Quicktime can already read OGG and the FLAC support is available and open source and therefore can't be tough to add quickly. iTunes just uses Quicktime, seems like that part should be cake. I would imagine Zune *could* add this stuff too, and adding it makes another feature to boast of. As is, the only really exciting feature is the dreadfully named "squirting," which is crippled anyway.
<br />
And the iPod doesn't do OGG either anyway. For many companies is a requirement for engineers to not touch (L)GPL code. MS is possibly one of the major ones that do that. Be, Inc. had the exact same policy: they were not allowed to touch *OR READ* GPL code. All the posix stuff were coming from BSD. So as long some companies have this policy, you won't see OGG support. Besides, OGG is not really better than MP3, technically-speaking.
<br />
- Roc
<br />
Given the fate of Plays for Sure, I see no reason to have any faith in Microsoft or the Marketplace whatsoever. Microsoft will have to establish trust for a number of years before I'd even consider bothering with their service (which I'd then use to rip the DRM off their music for use beyond the Zune). The Zune could very well become the next Gigabeat, and ZMP could very well become the next Sonicstage, only Microsoft has ONE player that works with it.
rip
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<i>Furthermore, have you made yourself at home in Windows Media Player? Because you can kiss that goodbye too. Microsoft ditched WMP for the new Zune software. Not only that, but even if you load unrestricted files onto your Zune, they become restricted on your Zune!</i><br />
<br />
Did you honestly expect Microsoft, or any company for that matter (including Apple), to include a feature in an MP3 player that allows users to freely trade songs via WI-FI? <br />
<br />
People are already doing stuff like this on the Internet. It's called file sharing. It's illegal. That would be why Microsoft included the DRM lockdown when trading songs from Zune to Zune.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, you suggest that all .MP3 songs added to your Zune are automatically locked down and given DRM. This is completely untrue. If you add an MP3 to your Zune and then delete the file from your computer, you can go back to your Zune and download the file and copy it in the original non-DRM state.<br />
<br />
And, by the way, Microsoft didn't "ditch" WMP for the Zune software. It's still very much in development.<br />
<br />
<i>In fact, there are really *no* compelling reasons to buy a Zune. They aren't prevalent, there are no third party devices to extend its functionality yet, and investing in the "assume you're a thief" DRM scheme is risky at best.</i><br />
<br />
Really? How about a larger screen, built-in FM tuner and Wi-Fi sharing. Sure can't find that on your iPod, can you, fanboy?<br />
<br />
And don't even mention the iPhone. It's a phone, not an MP3 player, so it doesn't belong in this argument. Take away the MP3 player and what are you left with? A phone.
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<i>Did you honestly expect Microsoft, or any company for that matter (including Apple), to include a feature in an MP3 player that allows users to freely trade songs via WI-FI?</i><br />
<br />
Yes. If I have a podcast on my Zune, or a song from a local band that ISN'T restricted, why would Microsoft ADD the DRM? That's silly. Why bother allowing people to share at all if you're going to make the song shared mostly worthless? It's a joke - the "feature" isn't a feature once it's crippled. <br />
<br />
<i>People are already doing stuff like this on the Internet. It's called file sharing. It's illegal.</i><br />
<br />
You are a zombie. File sharing is <b>NOT</b> illegal. Sharing <i>copyrighted</i> material is illegal. Believe it or not Harold, not all recorded material is copyrighted. I listed to Phish. You can freely redistribute their live music.... but not on a Zune. Microsoft has taken the liberty of assuming I'm a pirate attempting something illegal. <br />
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<i>Furthermore, you suggest that all .MP3 songs added to your Zune are automatically locked down and given DRM.</i><br />
<br />
No I don't. But if I did, it's true. It is locked down <i>on the Zune</i>. <br />
<br />
<i>And, by the way, Microsoft didn't "ditch" WMP for the Zune software. It's still very much in development.</i><br />
<br />
Are you nuts? They did ditch it <i>FOR THE ZUNE</i>. It's in development elsewhere. <br />
<br />
<i>Really? How about a larger screen, built-in FM tuner and Wi-Fi sharing. Sure can't find that on your iPod, can you, fanboy?</i><br />
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People who have no compelling arguments resort to name calling, Harold. Those features are great, but they are only there to make up for the massive shortcomings everywhere else. Without those things, the Zune would be <b>completely</b> worthless. <br />
<br />
<i>And don't even mention the iPhone. It's a phone, not an MP3 player, so it doesn't belong in this argument.</i><br />
<br />
A) Id didn't mention the iPhone. <br />
B) You're wrong, it IS an MP3 player, arguably the best iPod yet. <br />
<br />
<i>Take away the MP3 player and what are you left with? A phone.</i><br />
<br />
And a portable web browser. But take away the MP3 player from the Zune and what are you left with? An FM radio? What's that worth, $4.99?
I need to buy an MP3 player which is simply a flash memory card and a but of software to drive it and a shiny case with a tiny screen. I am GOB SMACKED at how much crap someone can type and spend so much time doing it, about such an insignificant piece of hardware........ if they don't feel threatened! God knows what buy, but it stores and plays music and video... from a different company. Get on with your life and use what you have and stop slagging the world off! ipods also have thier draw backs... you are STUCK with itunes and it encoding!! So Nerrrrrrr! But.... thanks for the entertainment, I will buy a new Zune in November when they are released.
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Go ahead, your loss.
Amazing screen, nice looking video - H.264, mp4. (easily converted a BluRay rip to h.264 with minimal loss in quailty.<br />
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NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. paid only 90$.<br />
90$ thats nothing. 90$ for a portable video player.<br />
incredible.
<br />
convert annnnny files to Zune format, no problems.
christmas day 2007 (which is the day im writing this): my cousin receieved a pretty pink zune. she is an average computer user, who knows not-alot of computers. and i can easily assume that most of you who wrote and complained to the writer are. ill fall into the former, as well, considering i dont much either.<br />
to our amazement, we cannot add songs from filesharing programs; this i did not know.<br />
we cannot add songs off of ripped cds and put them on to the zune; this as well i did not know.<br />
we cannot sign on to the marketplace because for some strange reason, it is "not available" in "our region" (we live in san antonio, texas...this isnt exactly the middle -of-nowhere kind of town); did.not.know.<br />
we cannot simply add said files (from filesharing or ripping through WMP) then transfer to the zune, because it is an "invalid media file"...need i say more?<br />
what i did know? you could send music wirelessly to friends, but w/ a restriction of 3play3day-thingy (1st turned me off to it) fm transmitter, and big screen. cool.<br />
for the average user, this is a problem. for others who know thier stuff...welp, good for you.<br />
telling my uncle, he will return the zune and replace it with an ipod. yes, it probably is more expensive; yes, it has its share of problems; yes, anything wrong w/ the ipod & itunes services, ill probably agree w/, but the most important thing for the average user about the ipod: its USER FRIENDLY!
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Make sure your music files are in either .mp3, .wma, .mp4, .m4a, .m4b, or .mov format.<br />
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Go into the Zune software and click "settings" in the top right corner. Click "add folder" by Music. Find the folder the music you want to add is in, and click ok. Thats all there is to it.
The same goes for my 17 year old and my wife. The interface is simple to navigate, and we have had no issues at all with either the software, the device, or the service. By the way, none of us even bothered to read the manual...<br />
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I'm not saying everyone will have this great experience, but I am sure we aren't the only 5 people out there with a Zune that had a great out of box experience. My family isn't a bunch of computer genius geeks either. Far from it...but it just doesn't get any easier than this when it comes to getting things started with an MP3 player...<br />
<br />
Dave
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I've owned a zune for about three months and have been very pleased with it. I have a few minor complaints. Syncing video can be very slow. That in and of itself is understandable because of the file sizes. It could really benefit in showing a bit more feedback that everything is syncing smoothly. The percent complete readout would be better if it showed a line indicating the percent complete for the file conversion and a seperate percent complete bar for sync complete. Also art doesn't always update correctly and there is no ability to search for the correct art. To get around this I use the Windows Media Player to search for the art manually. In most cases this fixes it. The zune software isn't perfect, but I like the fact that my source files aren't DRM locked and couldn't care less about wiifi sharing and threeday threeplay limitation. I bought the thing to watch video, store pictures, and play music, not file share.
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Well then, let me pose you this question. <b>Based on the <i>current</i> Zune hardware, software, and features,</b> what is your revised view of the product?
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Please disregard above douche bag.
This is article is the future of music and the future of Zune!
The Zune is a nice player, and the problems with it are not a big deal at all. Your main argument is its DRM, but its not a big deal. Its as simple as this: if you want a music collection you can depend on, you have to pirate it (or at least make sure their is no DRM whatsoever). iTunes has DRM too! Every major company is never going to accept having no DRM at all. When I tried to transfer my iTunes collection to my Linux and Windows laptop, it was locked up. But im no iTard, I found a way around it. And the way I used is just as illegal as downloading a copy of the internet, so I might have well just done that first. A music collection should stay free, and thats how I intend to keep it. I am somewhat tech savy, so I do not let the boundaries of DRM constrict me. I'd happily pay for my music, but the major digital stores dont even have all the music I want, and its all locked up if I bought it anyway.
The Zune is not a monster. It will not eat your children. In fact, its a great mp3 player if you've got half a brain to keep your music actually yours. They have come out with multiple hardware and software improvements since this was written. The interface is MUCH more intuitive then apples iPod (every review agrees) and its new design for navigation (a squircle) is awesome, and fast. Its also better for games, which by the way use the XNA developers toolkit. That means if I knew how to code a bit more, I could make my own game.
If your thinking about buying a Zune, try reading the unbiased reviews. Go to Cnet, or PCmag. Dont let Apple scare you away.
"In short, nothing is ever “for sure” with Microsoft."
In the beginning of this article you say that for technological things you specifically choose Microsoft's products, the reader assumes that you mean this because they are superior, and guaranteed to work.
"At work, where I choose everything from a technology standpoint, we are Windows 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server, so I’m not especially anti-Microsoft."
Yet you proceed to bash Microsoft, saying that nothing is for sure.
One things for sure, you're full of it. November 2006 huh, it appears to be December 2008. "The Zune will be dead and gone within six months," you say? 2 years, and the Zune still seems to be around.
A note for everyone, I haven't decided whether to buy one or not - I can tell your for sure right now though, If I wanted a portable music device, the Zune would be it, mostly for things like this.
I urge anybody actually looking into it to disregard the above article, it's aged and not worth your time.
I use Microsoft products at work because they are the best at what they do. The Zune is NOT the best at what it does -- for me -- for several reasons. The first one, of course, is that the DRM is not a proven constant. The second reason is that the loading software is not omnipresent and not found on multiple platforms. And, of course, the device is not common. Two years on, I do not know even one person who owns a Zune. But I know dozens who have multiple iPods and are very happy with them.
The Zune has certainly improved quite a bit since this was written, but the *fact* is that if it weren't Microsoft behind it, content with losing money just to compete in this market, it would've been a failure long ago.
The rumor this week is that the Zune is going to be retired and no longer manufactured. If that's true, my point will be proven... the DRM'ed music *will* come back and bite you in the ass.
Microsoft and Zune is here to stay!