Obama Zune Usage Still Unsettled

So, Obama gets spotted with a Zune, the blogosphere jumps all over it, and his administration denies it.  I thought this issue was all settled, and Obama was back to being an iPod sort of guy.  Even this article from today goes along with the theory that the original reporter didn't know what he was looking at, or that the Zune definitely was not Obama's.  Done deal?  Not by a longshot!

Apparently, during the Democratic National Convention, there was a giveaway of the Zune variety.  The Dem faithful not only got to promote their nominee to candidate, but they got some giveaways as well.  In their goody bag was a Zune of all things, loaded up with some exclusive content.  No word if "Happy Days Are Here Again," or "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" were among the preloaded tracks.  However, the latest theory is that Obama got the Zune, a special edition model no less, from this "un-conventional" source.

Is this now the final word?  Honestly, I don't know.  Every time I think this story is over, some other detail shakes out so stay tuned on this one.  I don't know about you, but getting a free Zune just might make sitting through one of those conventions worthwhile!

Obama Denies Zune Usage

Barack hasn't taken office yet, and is already in the middle of a scandal, of the mp3 variety.  While he apparently is an avid Mac fan, he was spotted yesterday with a Zune... reportedly.  For 24 hours, the blogosphere was lit up regarding the incoming President's music player choice.  After all, could the liberal Obama really use a corporate Microsoft product?  I hadn't really thought about it, but perhaps folks had been reading too much into the iPod choice, and now they were already disillusioned?  While it was hardly grounds for well, anything, this went so far as the Wall Street Journal calling the story ZuneGate.  Now maybe they just wanted to get everyone's minds off the lousy stock market, but an Obama spokesperson actually wanted to set the record straight, and let the American people that Obama uses an iPod.  Meanwhile, the reporter that broke the story is sticking to his guns, and suggests that perhaps Obama was borrowing the Zune from his entourage for the workout.

What does this mean for the future of this country?  Well, in all likelihood nothing either way, but I can't resist a president "Getting into the social," and enabling their wireless sharing at the inauguration.

President Elect Spotted With Zune

Regardless of who you voted for, the blogosphere is abuzz regarding a certain President Elect, and a piece of electronics.  Namely, the next President, Obama, was spotted in the city of brotherly love with a Zune.  What is even further intriguing is that reportedly this guy is a mac guy, and the Zune doesn't support the computers of the Macosphere, better known as OS X.  How he got the music on there remains a mystery, but rumors of dual booting abound.  Personally, I'd bet that if this guy gets his own chef, pilot, and security force, I'm sure someone can manage to load up his music player of choice for him.  Think really different?

Cesar Menendez adds further confirmation of the upcoming Zune 120

Of course, we have already seen the FCC approval come in, which typically means that we will see a production model hit the market in the future, but still, its always nice to get some additional confirmation.

So after the FCC image made its way around the blogosphere, Cesar Menendez was kind enough to come forward with the following statement;

"You've probably all seen about 120GB @the FCC- and just wanted to send you a note to confirm that is indeed part of the plan. There's definitely more details coming in the way of new software and hardware, pricing etc."

Basically he has confirmed that there will be a 120GB model Zune, along with some new software coming in the future, however was are still unsure of any further details or pricing. We have heard of a rumored release in November 2008, but as of now it is nothing more than a rumor. Lets just hope the new Zune 120 will be priced competitively.

Any current Zune users looking to upgrade? Personally I have been more than happy with my Zune 80 and most likely will hold off.

[ZuneThoughts]

120GB Zune hits the FCC, receives its approval

Its always fairly safe to assume that any portable media player will eventually be upgraded with a larger storage option. So now we know that Microsoft has been working on a larger capacity Zune, but the question still remains when they plan on releasing it.

While this latest FCC leak does not come with much surprise, it does come with a little disappointment. I suppose we cannot always expect a new or updated model to have a new look, but at the same time you cannot help but feel a little let down.

Anyway the latest Zune has received its FCC approval and it is sporting a 120GB hard drive, but the outer case is the same as the current Zune 80. It even has a standard firmware and was tested with version 2.5 (1614).

Again, this is just an FCC approval, Microsoft has not made any official announcement as to when we can expect to see this hit the market. Although the price still remains a mystery, it is being rumored to be coming in at $299, which would made sense when compared to its largest competitor, the iPod which has the 80GB model retailing for $249.

Aside from the possibility of some new exterior colors, this seems to be just a bump in storage, for me I can live with my 80GB model, but I am sure there are plenty of people itching for more storage that will be happy to see this.

[istartedsomething]

Steve Jobs can't handle the Competition

In an interview with Jim Goldman from CNBC, Steve Jobs was bashing the Zune. Goldman said:

"I told Jobs that I had sat down with Microsoft's Robbie Bach last week at the Consumer Electronics Show.  I mentioned that Bach was particularly optimistic about the new Zune, that it was now a worthy alternative to Apple's iPod."

Here's what el Jobso had to say about it:
"Was he inebriated?  Do you even know anyone who owns a Zune?"

What?? What did he just say??

He can't even handle the competition professionally! I personally know many people that own Zunes, many of them close friends. He's just trying to cover up the fact that Zune is becoming a very succesful product, and his Ipod line may have some troubles on the road ahead.

It's not even his first opinion though, so we'll have to see what happens next. So, what's your opinion on this whole thing??

Fox Says Zune is a Maybe-Buy; iPod Touch a Do-Buy

Do you know what really grinds my gears? These big corporate companies, like FOX, who before even using a product or even bother to turn it on, just immediately pick the product with the most fan-base behind it, as their choice on what to buy your loved ones for Christmas. Well they sure got my gears all messed up with this story.

This story talks about what to buy, what not to buy, or what to possibly buy as gifts for Christmas. Here is what they had to say about the Zune:

Maybe buy: A Zune.

Not everyone owns an iPod or uses iTunes. For these folks, the best choice for a hard drive–based player today is the Zune 80GB. Like Apple, Microsoft wants you to buy into the Zune ecosystem. Use the Zune with the Zune Marketplace. If you like that kind of thing and more features than you can find on the iPod classic, the new Zune is for you.

Now the funny thing about this article is that right below it, they just simply state:

Do buy: An iPod Touch.

The most lust-worthy digital music player ever made simply has no equal.

That's it! That's all FOX had to say about it! Keeping in mind they went over pretty much every consumer electronic that could be boughten this year, but still. Again, FOX is comparing the Zune 80 to the iPod Touch, even though they are in two different categories of MP3 players all together. And then they just tell their readers to buy an iPod, just cause it says iPod, without even listing the best features that the Zune has over the iPod, and for this matter, iPod Touch. If you want to read more on their what-to-buy guide, then click Here. And that people is what grinds my gears.

Wired Decides: Is it Zune or iPod?

So....are you still questioning what to get your loved ones for Christmas, and need the help of say a high publishing magazine to help you ease your pains? Well if your in that category, and for most of you I don't think that's a problem, cause this is a Zune website for god sakes, then have no fear, cause Wired will save you. Wired have just released it's comparison sheet, and the results are in, and is it no surprise, Wired like the Zune.

There's also the brand new 80GB Zune 2, which is actually your better bet. The kids are getting a Zune for Christmas, even if they asked Santa for an iPod.

So, if you want to find out why Wired thinks the Zune is better than the iPod Classic this time around, then go to link up top and find out why.

Cnet Prizefight: Zune 80 Vs. iPod Classic

It looks like Cnet has done another one of their infamous Prize fights, this time, pitting the iPod and the Zune in the ring. Read through the prizefight to see who the winner is!  Is it iPod or Zune? They have been at battle before, but these are the new contenders. If you thought the result should have been different, then write about it in the comments.

Official: Zune 80 Battery Results

I have some special facts for you tech hungry people out there on the Zune 80, straight from the horses mouth. Okay, maybe not straight from Microsoft, but it's the best I found. Donald Bell, over at CNET, has just announced that their CNET Labs have undergone a battery test for the new Zune 80 and have compared it to the first-gen Zune and the new 80GB iPod Classic.

The results. While it seems that it has been given a huge improvement from the first-generation of Zunes, which only had 13 hours of battery, it is still trailing behind the 80GB iPod Classic by about 23 hours, rounding the final number to be about 22 hours of battery life. Microsoft stated that the new Zune would be able to have 30 hours of battery with WiFi turned off, however this isn't the case. And even with WiFi turned on, it only gave out roughly 18 hours of battery.(It should be noted here that these tests done by CNET, were done with audio-only and with both WiFi on and off. Results will differ when using video and WiFi)

Is this because the Zune screen is bigger than the iPod Classic screen? Or maybe that WiFi uses up more battery than what Microsoft initially intended the feature to use up? What are your thoughts? Post them in the comments.

Zune & iPod Get Mixed Results in WSJ Poll

Alright, can anyone tell me what's better than having one side of a "fanboy" war altering results on a poll to show strength in their product? No one? Well the answer is actually two. As you may have all known, or heard about, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently held a voting poll with the question entitled, "Which of these items are you most likely to purchase as a gift?".

As you've probable figured out by now, two of the choices were the Zune and the iPod/iPhone. The ending result of this poll showed that 62% of the voters picked the iPod/iPhone, and the Zune had a surprisingly 28% of the vote. Now wait a minute, Doug Aamoth at CrunchGear states that the Zune, up until that ending day, only had 1% of the votes. So how did this happen exactly?

Apparently an affectionate Zune fan wrote an autovoting script only to be later matched by a similar script from the iPod side of the fence. The result?

When I left my house Thanksgiving morning, the Zune had 241 vote to iPhone/iPods 63,415 votes. Pretty lopsided I must say. Well, someone went and ruined any credibility this poll had by creating an auto voter for the Zune. I won’t share the link since I think it’s embarrasing that someone has so little respect for this poll that they would ruin it by skewing the votes. Basically this auto voter opens up in your browser and begins spamming votes for the Zune.

And it gets better.

Now, 16 hours later, this poll has 169,554 votes. What is even worse is the fact that it would seem that someone also created something similar for the iPhone/iPod seeing that the numbers have jumped from 63,415 votes to 377,766 in the same time period."

Wow. I guess the song "Anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you", really applies to this story. This just shows how crazy some "hardcore" fans can be and do such a thing to change/spam the votes just to make their product-of-choice stand out and be the best. Simply put, I would be alright if Zune only got 1%. I mean I wouldn't be pleased with it, but you've got to take into consideration that there are other choices on that list, and not everyone has heard of the Zune, and most people just go for the iPod. But with the recent zune shortages, it makes my life a lot easier knowing that there are less people who want Zunes, and a better chance I'll be getting a Zune before Christmas.

Vote for the Zune on the WSJ!

This is a poll that started two days ago, and I've just found out about it on Zune Boards. It's on the Wall street Journal's website, and it's a poll for the Items you are most likely to purchase as a gift for Christmas. If you enjoy using a Zune, which most, if not all of you do, then vote here for it, because those ifans have crazy numbers for the iPhone and iPod already on the poll.

Zune and iPod Almost Equal in Battery Life

The new Zunes have similar battery life to the new ipods, and here are the facts:

• The new Zune 80 gets 30 hours of audio playback, and 4 hours of video playback
• The ipod Classic gets 30 hours of audio playback, and 5 hours of video playback


• The flash Zune gets 24 hours of audio playback and 4 hours of video playback
• The iPod Nano gets 24 hours of audio playback and 5 hours of video playback

I assume the Zune gets one hour less of battery life on video playback because of the larger screen . I would rather watch video content on a nice screen for 4 hours than to have to squint for 5 hours while trying to watch videos from an Ipod. What do you think you would rather have, a larger screen or better battery life?

Source

Leo Laporte: His take on the new Zunes

Check out youtube.com to see his video about that Zune.  That should help fill in anyone in on who didn't know who Leo Laporte is.  Well a while back I e-mailed him to see if he would answer some questions about the new Zunes and he agreed today.  I checked my e-mail and I got a response from his assistant she said she would get my questions to him.  So check back in a couple of days for his response.

p.s.

No I haven't gotten a hold of J Allard yet so don't waste my time or yours with those questions.

Zune 80GB Compared with the Zune 30GB and iPod Classic

Here’s a size comparison for the Zune 80GB, Zune 30GB and the new iPod Classic.  What do you think? A decent improvement for the Zune?

Source

 

Comparison Charts: Zune 80GB vs. iPod Classic and Zune 8GB – 4GB vs. iPod nano

Here’s a comparison chart for the new Zune 80GB, Zune 8GB and Zune 4GB and the iPhone and the new iPods. The chart also includes the Zune 30GB. Click on the image to get a larger version of it.

Important information like weight and battery duration are still missing, but we're getting the big picture here.

Let me know if you spot something wrong in the chart.

What else should we add to the chart?

Flash Zune and 80Gb Zune Available Next November!

Journalists were invited to a press event today at the Zune Team campus in Redmond. The new Zune players we’re revealed to the attendees, but an embargo stops them from publishing the information until midnight, tonight. Nevertheless, King 5 station in Seattle leaked some (unconfirmed) precious information ahead of time. According to the station, Microsoft will release a new Flash based Zune player (4Gb and 8GB) available in black, pink, green and red. A new black 80GB Zune player (hard disc based), thinner than the 30GB Zune player and equipped with a 3.2 LCD screen, will also be released by the same token. All models will carry an FM radio tuner.

And guys, we’ve been expecting new Wi-Fi scenarios and they're on their way! The new Zune 2 firmware will sync music, videos and photos wirelessly from with your computer! Pretty cool! Isn’t it?

Prices? These are easy to guess as they match iPod prices… Flash Zune models will be priced at $149 and $199 for the 4GB and 8Gb respectively. The new 80GB Zune player will carry a retail price of $249. The new devices will be available mid-November. We still don’t know if the 30GB Zune player will be retired or if it will still be available and compatible with the Zune 2 firmware.

The Zune firmware has been redesigned from scratch, and that’s why no substantial Zune Firmware update has been released since the first generation Zune was released last year. Life is sweet, isn't it?

Silicon Alley Insider says that the Zune marketplace will have DRM free music. The Zune to Zune sharing would be totally or partially released from its DRM prison (still to be confirmed though).

We should also expect videos and podcasts from the Zune marketplace.

The Zune Squircle is apparently called the Zune pad...

More details later! images from rompres

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

Still in the Mood for a Pink Zune? Here’s a Limited Edition Just for You!

We’ve seen this Zune before, but we didn’t know it would become a limited edition of the Zune…

Well, if you haven’t bought a Zune yet and like the pink color, you might want to rush (soon) to Urban Outfitter Stores to get one of the 1000 pink Zunes designed by Nylon Magazine. The first ones will be at NYLON’s Fashion week party tonight and the rest will be available later this month. No word on the price so far.

Ok, I get it. You’re still upset by the new iPods announced yesterday. But don’t worry for now; Microsoft has not said their last word. They’ve been working on the new Zunes longer the first generation Zune itself. They must have something interesting to offer. Right? Harvey from ‘rama has an interesting take on this.

And just like John Lennon said: "All we are saying is give peace Zune a chance"...

Interesting quote from the Zuneinsider after Apple's announcement yesterday:

"Oh, and this may come as a shock to folks, but today's Apple Computer announcement doesn't actually change any of our plans. Of course we watched with some degree of interest but our plans have been in motion for some time now.  No announcements to make other than the fact that the Zune team remains committed to building a solid experience for users."

Nice quote. No?

New iPods: Zune Killers?

Apple dropped a bomb in the portable media player market this afternoon. The Cupertino Company released a completely new line of iPods, including a new iPod nano, a new iPod Touch and a 160Gb iPod called the “Classic”. All those new devices also have extremely attractive prices as well. Even the iPhone gets a $200 price drop!

The iPod Touch  has a Wi-Fi connection with an embedded Safari browser and the ability to buy content online through the iTunes Wi-Fi Store. Almost even more than what we dreamed about for the Zune.

The Zune already had a tough time competing with the old iPod, it now has a even tougher enemy.  And with the iPod Touch, Apple seriously takes the lead on portable device software.

But what can Microsoft possibly do to compete with the iPod? Buy RIM? Create a Zune based on Windows Mobile? Embed the Zune in Windows Mobile to get access to all Windows Mobile phone out there?

So many questions!

The Red Zune Outsells the Pink but can’t Beat the Black

Even though the red Zune makes a nice debut on Amazon, the black remains the number color for the Microsoft Zune. The red Zune is now sitting in second position just in front of the pink Zune. The brown and white Zunes are the least popular Zune colors. These shiny colors certainly give the Zune a big boost. If not already done, the million Zune sold target will probably be easier to reach with the pink and red Zunes.

But the black is not only popular on the Zune player. In the Amazon’s top sellers, the number one position is hold by the black 30Gb iPod video.

Four brands are seriously competing for the MP3 player market. The iPod is of course the number one player on the market followed by Sandisk, Creative Zen and Microsoft Zune. New models including a flash Zune would help Microsoft reaching at the second position.

Below is a list of the top sellers on Amazon. The ranking is updated hourly but it does not change that much from day to day.

Audio Quality Test: iPod vs. Zune

Which one is better? The Zune or the iPod? Difficult to say but CNET-Crave found a way to avoid fan bias. They did a simple "Coke-Pepsi challenge" with people in the street.

Participants had to listen to each player and tell them which one sounds the best. Of course, just like the old "Coke-Pepsi challenge", they didn’t know what player they were listening to.

Results of the test: iPod: 2 and Zune: 4. So, based on a very small number of people, the Zune has a much better sound quality.

Great news! I wonder what would be the result with a few hundred people.

Zune vs. iPod: the iWars!

This video is awesome. Zune and iPod are having a fight, the Vader way. very well done for an amator video. The story goes like this :

“Since its launch in the year 2001, Apple's Ipod has been virtually unrivaled in its sale of digital audio players.

Turmoil has engulfed the industry as Microsoft released its long-awaited player, the Zune, in late 2006. Several hundred thousand consumers have declared their intentions to abandon loyalties to Apple.
This separtists movement, under the leadership of the all-powerful Microsoft, has made it difficult to heep the peace. Two consumers, who believe themselves to be the gaurdians of peace and justice in the galaxy, take the fight into their own hands...”

via

Zune Grabs 10% Market Share – New Models Coming Soon?

Retail research firm NPD Group report that for December, Zune represented 10.2% of all units sold. These numbers are for the 30Gb Hard-disk based MP3 players only. The Zune market share is well below if you look at the MP3 market as one category. For 45 days of sales since the introduction of the Zune, this is no bad at all. That growth is also in line with Microsoft's expectations of exceeding 1 million units in sales by June 30.

Apple announced the iPhone: A threat to the Zune?

Apple is finally introducing the iPhone. The unit is packed with dream features. Check it out here on iPhonefreak.com to get more info on it.

What does it mean for the Zune? Any thoughts? It is certainly not a good news but how bad is it?

First Month of Zune Sales? 9% of the HD Based MP3 Players!

No bad for an intro! Considering the crowded market the Zune had too jumped in, 9% is very good. Ok, there is the astronomically huge marketing campaign that goes with it but the Zune only have one model at this time.

“Although Microsoft didn't release the Zune until more than halfway through November, the company was the second-leading manufacturer of hard disk drive-based media players, capturing 9 percent of the

U.S.

retail market, according to NPD. Including both flash memory and hard disk drive players, Microsoft came in fourth, with 1.9 percent of the market.”

Zune Bashing Again!

This time it comes from Businessweek’s Stephen Wildstrom, who does not believe Microsoft when they say they are happy with first few weeks of the Zune sales. The writer is also convinced that the numbers are well below original forecasts.

The journalist wrote, “On Dec. 9, the black Zune (Amazon counts each stock keeping unit, or SKU, as a separate product) was the 60th most popular consumer electronics item with Amazon customers. That's a good performance only in comparison with the brown Zune, which ranked 292nd, and the white model at 423rd, suggesting that if you want to sell a white music player, it had better be an iPod.”

The white Zune is surely the less attractive color out there but I would not count the brown Zune dead right away. The color brings something new and trendy. Is it going to gain a real momentum or not, we don’t know but it keeps us talking about it! Right?

Read

Technorati Tags: zune

The Zune Interface: The Best one on the Market?

"Zune's core layout and navigation are truly excellent. You'll be up to speed in seconds.

When you're viewing a category, all the other categories on that "level" are aligned along the top, and pressing left and right on the controls moves between them.

For example: Choose Music from the main menu, and you're looking at the Albums view automatically (or whatever view you left it at). Pressing up and down scrolls you through albums with small artwork. But to the right is Artists, then Playlists, Songs, Genres…you get the idea.

On most other players, you select Music and then Artists, Playlists, Genres, whatever. If you want to change the view, you have to back up to the previous interface level and select a different view. Microsoft's approach is considerably faster and easier.
This works on all levels of the interface: If you're viewing the contents of Moby's album "18" in album view, then pressing to the right and left will quickly flip you to the next albums in your library ... "1984," "20," "Abbey Road," "All Killer No Filler," "American Idiot" ..."

I completely agree with Jason Cross on this. The Zune interface is by far one of the strongest elements of the player. The “lateral navigation” that Zune have is making us forget the lack of an iPod wheel we got used to. It did not take me long to make the transition to the Zune interface from the iPod. I find the music I want a lot faster with the Zune compared to my iPod.

Take a look at this really complete review of the Zune nicely done by Jason Cross from Extremetech. He covers most of the important things you will find on the Zune.

Technorati Tags: zune

Zune will Give iPod a Boost

“It’s competition. If this forces Apple to innovate further and come down on its prices, that’s good for us,” said Debu Purohit, a marketing professor at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. “I think Zune is a legitimate challenge for the iPod. It’s not going to make people stop buying iPods, but it will probably bring more consumers into the market.” via Duke.edu

This guy is absolutely right. I’m sure iPod sales are having a boost this week. Competition always makes healthy markets. Companies are there to make profits. If they don’t have someone tailoring them, they are not going to drop their prices, they are not going to make better quality and they are certainly not going to innovate at the same pace.

iPod in a Plane Near You!

Apple today announced a series of agreements which will enable Air France, Continental, Delta, Emirates, KLM, and United airlines to offer their passengers seamless iPod integration with the carriers' in-flight entertainment systems.

"There is no better traveling companion than an iPod, and now travelers can power their iPods during flight and even watch their iPod movies and TV shows on their seat back displays," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's VP of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing.

The six airlines will offer in-seat connections for iPods which supply power to the portable media player for in-flight charging, and enable video content from iPods to be displayed on built-in seat-back displays.

We had the feeling that Apple was not going to sit back and let Zune get all the media attention this week. Some people thought we might see a touchscreen iPod announced at the same time as the Zune’s launch. But the bomb came from the air. I have to admit that Apple made a terrific stunt we that.

With movie downloading available from iTunes Store, the airplane integration becomes a really important feature. Are they going to have iPod stands at airport gates? With a choice of pre-loaded movies?

I would not be afraid of anti-trust problems, like ZuneThoughts and Digitrends seem to think. They are not preventing you to use your Zune aboard the plane. Apple is just taking the lead and opening the path for other players. If Apple was not there to first sign those deals, Microsoft would certainly not concentrate on it at this point. Everybody will benefit from it on the long run. And with 75% of the market, Apple has all the rights to negotiate that kind of deal.

But for now we need an “iPodToZune in-flight A/V system connector converter”. After all, power, audio and video signals are about the same on all players. Any volunteer?

via zunethoughts and digitrends

Zune review: The Zune is Bigger!

These pictures are from Flickr and they show the Zune stacked agains the Zen Vision:M, iPod 5G, iPod nano and the Sansa E200 series.

Yep, the Zune is taller and ticker than most of the other players...but the Zune also heavier than most players as well.

We knew that already from the iPod vs. Zune chart, but Engadget assures us that the device is still quite pocketable! We will have to wait and see what real users are thinking about the size weight of the Zune…

Survey Says: No Loyalty among iPod Users

According to ABI Research, when 1,725 teenage and adult US residents and iPod owners were asked whether they planned to buy a new MP3 player in the next 12 months, of those responding they were likely to do so, 58 percent revealed they were “somewhat likely” or “extremely likely” to choose a Microsoft Zune player over the iPod or another MP3 player brand.

Interestingly, for owners of players other than iPod, 59% indicated that they would be “somewhat likely” or “extremely likely” to choose Zune over other choices. Finally, only 15% of iPod owners said they were "not very likely" or "not at all likely" to choose Zune.

"Our conclusion," says principal analyst Steve Wilson, "is that iPod users don't display the same passionate loyalty to iPods that Macintosh users have historically shown for their Apple products."

We can’t be really surprised with those results right now. The hype around the Zune is so high, I don’t see why a person would completely be against at least a look at what the Zune can offer. The real test is going to be in a few months from now when real people will have a Zune in their hands a make real reviews. But that kind of survey can still crank the heat in Steve Jobs’ office…

100 Million MP3 Players in 2011

Jupiter Research issued a report called "U.S. Portable Music Device Forecast, 2006 to 2011,". The market analysis firm is forecasting that growth rates for MP3 players like the Zune and the iPod will slow down dramatically in the coming years. But even a slower growth will bring the user base to 100 million in 2011 from some 37 million users in 2006.

Reasons for the growth include the market moving beyond the early adopter’s phase of that kind of product to a more mainstream base of users. Early adopters are also upgrading existing player or purchasing multiple devices.

The report also finds that Apple keep its dominance of the portable music player marketplace, even with the Zune available on the market.

A wireless iPod for 2007?

Rumours, rumours and rumours again. But when a company is filling a patent, it is not completely a rumour anymore. This is the case with the “Wireless iPod” (FM-AM-Satellite-Wi-fi!!!)

Apple has filed a patent application for a protocol set to save media for later purchase. Sound like Zune to Zune sharing! FM radio seems to be the main target for music discovery but Satellite and Wi-fi are also mentioned in the Patent filing. The wireless iPod integrated in your car would be able to buy a song that comes on your favourite FM or XM station.

iPod Carrying Microsoft Windows Virus!

We can read on Apple’s support site :

“We recently discovered that a small number - less than 1% - of the Video iPods available for purchase after September 12, 2006, left our contract manufacturer carrying the Windows RavMonE.exe virus. This known virus affects only Windows computers, and up to date anti-virus software which is included with most Windows computers should detect and remove it.”

6G iPod with Touchscreen in December?

According to TrustedReviews, the 6G iPod will be released in December and it will be capable of 480p resolution. The "extremely well-informed exec" source from an accessory manufacturer confirmed to the editor of the site that it will be a touchscreen model with virtual click wheel control. 

If we believe Steve Jobs when he said a few days ago: “By the time you've gone through all that [Zune to Zune sharing], the girl's got up and left!”, the 6G iPod won’t have a wireless connectivity! To bad for the iPod!

If Apple does come out with that kind of device in December, it will spice-up the iPod vs. Zune war even more…Microsoft will have to release the 2G Zune really fast!

Zune: Steve Jobs not Afraid of the Zune

In an interview with Newsweek, Steve Jobs talked about what he thought of the Zune.

“I've seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable.”

Questionned about the idea that the iPod may be losing its cool factor as it becomes increasingly ubiquitous, Apple’s CEO said:

"That's like saying you don't want to kiss your lover's lips because everyone has lips. It doesn't make any sense".

Read

Zune review : Zune vs. iPod (Codecs comparisons)

Here is a Zune review of the different codecs of the Zune and the iPod.

	Zune 30Gb	iPod 30Gb
MP3 (audio)	Yes	Yes
iTunes	No	Yes
Zune Martketplace	Yes	No
Play for sure	Not yet!	No
AAC (audio)	Yes	Yes
WMA (audio)	Yes	No
AIFF (audio)	No	Yes
WAV (audio)	No	Yes
.aa (audio)	No	Yes
Podcast (audio)	Yes	Yes
JPEG (image)	Yes	Yes
BMP (image)	No	Yes
WMV (video)	Yes	No
MPEG-4 (video)	Yes	Yes
H.264 (video)	Yes