Zune is finally on store shelves today. One can be had for $249. I've thought about it, but after reading some of the news I'm not too sure. Engadget goes through an install sequence and quite frankly I think to myself--do I have time for this? Hmmm. Well if Vista comes out on MSDN before I can get to the store--no way. And I'm not going to get a chance to go to the store till tonight. So we'll have to see who the winner is. :-)
My first hands-on experience with Zune was at Educause. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked the device. It felt comfortable to hold. It looked nice. It didn't take but a few minutes to feel comfortable navigating around. Of the three colors, I liked the black. I realized at the time how pictures don't do the Zune justice. You can't appreciate the translucent effect the case has.
I also liked the size and brightness of the display. I could see myself using a device like this. But after talking with the Zune team for a few minutes I began to realize that my usage scenarios were mostly ahead of the current model.
Zune can display images--jpg images. But what about inked GIF images generated on my Tablet PC? Nope. What about screencasts created by Camtasia? As long as they are converted to movie format. Neither is a big show stopper, but this got me thinking about how the device is nice and everything, however, it doesn't go that extra step to make me want one right now. I already have an iPod for listening to music.
I'd like something more akin to a well connected digital storage media that I can play content on. Most of how I envision using a Zune would be to consume to RSS feeds (audio, video, text) as well as using it to hold my custom video files. Dave Winer has a similar take: "they could have made a simple product, not had to do any deals with Hollywood, and do an end-run around Apple."
The Zune folks told me that they'll be listening to feedback and that this is only a first generation device. In this Bloomberg article, Steve Ballmer suggests that Microsoft is working on much more feature rich Zunes too.
So should I buy or should I wait. Hmmm. Vista save me and my wallet. Please show up on MSDN :-)


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