Is the Zune coming to UK & Ireland?

Hutchy_MuseHutchy_Muse Posts: 7,075
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Just wondering, is it? I heard there was a lot of confusion over it..
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  • WiddyWiddy Posts: 2,001
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    Just wondering, is it? I heard there was a lot of confusion over it..


    You can buy them online, I got an 80gb Zune Mk2 on ebay.
  • jammersjammers Posts: 4,290
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    Why would you want one?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 34
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    Zunes, aren't they for coughs and colds? I believe they "help you breathe more easily!

    I would think buying a Zune is like buying a 3 legged horse!
  • WiddyWiddy Posts: 2,001
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    Actually I love my zune, the only thing I cant seem to do is register to download zune content on the zune site, I guess it looks at my IP address and realises I am outside the USA.
    However I can easily add my own mp3's, videos and photos so happy with that. The software is not as bloated as iTunes either and has a much cleaner interface.

    Admitedly its not for everybody, but as an iPod user for several years I wanted to make the switch and am more than happy.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 723
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    Does it play Divx and Xvid straight away? Or do you have to re-encode...
  • HelixHelix Posts: 1,485
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    It was originally it was meant to be coming out over here ready for christmas but then a couple of months later it was changed to be coming out in 2008. I'm not sure if thats still the plan.
  • jammersjammers Posts: 4,290
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    They only sold the original Zune in the end at Fire Sale Prices. It has flopped and the second gen Zunes are doing no better. Microsoft can't do hardware.
  • WiddyWiddy Posts: 2,001
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    jammers wrote: »
    They only sold the original Zune in the end at Fire Sale Prices. It has flopped and the second gen Zunes are doing no better. Microsoft can't do hardware.


    I dont think its a case of MS cant do hardware, the Zune 2 is a vast improvement on the Zune 1 but with the Apple market share it unlikely to dent the market. MS has also grown a bad rep over the last few years with a few dodgy buisness practises (remember the browser wars etc).
    However don't knock the Zune especially unless you have tried it.
  • Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    jammers wrote: »
    They only sold the original Zune in the end at Fire Sale Prices. It has flopped and the second gen Zunes are doing no better. Microsoft can't do hardware.
    I think that Microsoft can do hardware well, but there's just no way to stop the iPod.

    It's just got too much momentum and there's not much any company can do to stop it.
  • denddend Posts: 2,176
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    I am actually interested in getting a zune mk2 over another ipod, cant stand itunes to be perfectly honest :P Everyone says Apple are amazing, but honestly what a shite program itunes is.
  • jammersjammers Posts: 4,290
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    Daveoc64 wrote: »
    I think that Microsoft can do hardware well, but there's just no way to stop the iPod.

    It's just got too much momentum and there's not much any company can do to stop it.

    They can't. The Xbox 360 is a good machine but:

    MS have set aside a billion dollars to take care of the millions of faulty units around.

    The Zune was just a re-packaged Toshiba product that had already failed in the market place.

    The Zune, while improved in V2 form, is two years behind the iPod, 5 years behind the touch.

    Microsoft has never made a profit on hardware, in fact the last set of figures (yearly) saw MS make their biggest ever loss on hardware. Without Office subsidisng the Hardware division MS would have to shut it down before it took them bust.
  • WiddyWiddy Posts: 2,001
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    jammers wrote: »
    They can't. The Xbox 360 is a good machine but:

    MS have set aside a billion dollars to take care of the millions of faulty units around.

    The Zune was just a re-packaged Toshiba product that had already failed in the market place.

    The Zune, while improved in V2 form, is two years behind the iPod, 5 years behind the touch.

    Microsoft has never made a profit on hardware, in fact the last set of figures (yearly) saw MS make their biggest ever loss on hardware. Without Office subsidisng the Hardware division MS would have to shut it down before it took them bust.

    Have you got proof of those figures? It seems unlikely they would bring out a v2 of a product that was not making them any money.

    I dispute its 2 years behind the ipod, both have their pros and cons and its not made to compete with the ipod touch, more the ipod classic.
  • Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    jammers wrote: »
    They can't. The Xbox 360 is a good machine but:

    MS have set aside a billion dollars to take care of the millions of faulty units around.

    I'm aware of that. I don't think it's that big a deal though. It's a very well designed piece of hardware and software - in some ways it's almost Apple like.

    It does have a design flaw which causes the product to fail, but Apple has certainly had its fair share of problems too.

    I don't think that the issues the Xbox 360 has in any way make it a bad product.
    jammers wrote: »
    The Zune was just a re-packaged Toshiba product that had already failed in the market place.

    The Zune, while improved in V2 form, is two years behind the iPod, 5 years behind the touch.

    I don't think that the Zune could beat the iPod no matter what they do.

    It could make breakfast and it would still not win.

    I have 4 iPods and I wouldn't consider a Zune. I don't think it's bad, I just don't think there's much reason to switch from my iPods. I expect that is the same feeling a lot of people have.
    jammers wrote: »
    Microsoft has never made a profit on hardware, in fact the last set of figures (yearly) saw MS make their biggest ever loss on hardware. Without Office subsidisng the Hardware division MS would have to shut it down before it took them bust.

    Microsoft planned for the division to not make a profit until the current financial year. They planned that in 2001, so you saying it now doesn't surprise me now.

    Microsoft made a profit following the Halo 3 launch, that 1 billion you described is done, they have huge console sales and they have huge Halo 3 game sales (both announced this week).

    They wont consider shutting it down, because they are simply following the plan that they have had all along.

    Most of the loss came from investing a lot in developing the technology that they needed to make both consoles and Xbox LIVE successful.
  • jammersjammers Posts: 4,290
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    Daveoc64 wrote: »
    I'm aware of that. I don't think it's that big a deal though. It's a very well designed piece of hardware and software - in some ways it's almost Apple like.

    It does have a design flaw which causes the product to fail, but Apple has certainly had its fair share of problems too.

    I don't think that the issues the Xbox 360 has in any way make it a bad product.



    I don't think that the Zune could beat the iPod no matter what they do.

    It could make breakfast and it would still not win.

    I have 4 iPods and I wouldn't consider a Zune. I don't think it's bad, I just don't think there's much reason to switch from my iPods. I expect that is the same feeling a lot of people have.



    Microsoft planned for the division to not make a profit until the current financial year. They planned that in 2001, so you saying it now doesn't surprise me now.

    Microsoft made a profit following the Halo 3 launch, that 1 billion you described is done, they have huge console sales and they have huge Halo 3 game sales (both announced this week).

    They wont consider shutting it down, because they are simply following the plan that they have had all along.

    Most of the loss came from investing a lot in developing the technology that they needed to make both consoles and Xbox LIVE successful.

    Well we shall see, they made their biggest loss in the last financial year.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 723
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    christocar wrote: »
    Does it play Divx and Xvid straight away? Or do you have to re-encode...
    ???????
  • Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
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    christocar wrote: »
    ???????

    The Zune does not support divx/xvid.

    It has format support similar to the iPod, so h264 is probably your best bet.
  • The RatThe Rat Posts: 6,048
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    jammers wrote: »
    Microsoft has never made a profit on hardware, in fact the last set of figures (yearly) saw MS make their biggest ever loss on hardware. Without Office subsidisng the Hardware division MS would have to shut it down before it took them bust.

    With revenues of $51.12billion for 2007, irrespective of how poorly the Hardware Division does, or your description of impending doom, Microsoft are going nowhere. We will see the back of your beloved Apple before we see the back of Microsoft, and neither is remotely likely.

    Dave
  • jammersjammers Posts: 4,290
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    The Rat wrote: »
    With revenues of $51.12billion for 2007, irrespective of how poorly the Hardware Division does, or your description of impending doom, Microsoft are going nowhere. We will see the back of your beloved Apple before we see the back of Microsoft, and neither is remotely likely.

    Dave

    lol, nowhere did I say Microsoft was heading for impending doom but it does demonstrate very well their inability to understand the hardware market.

    As it goes, by the end of 2008 it looks like Apple will be worth more than Microsoft.
  • The RatThe Rat Posts: 6,048
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    jammers wrote: »
    lol, nowhere did I say Microsoft was heading for impending doom but it does demonstrate very well their inability to understand the hardware market.

    Poetic license. Talk of going "bust" implies doom.

    I agree with their shortcomings in the hardware markets - then again, when you have Windows and MS Office how important is your ability to penetrate into hardware. MS knew it as a shot to nothing when they embarked on it safe in the knowledge that the Windows and Office cash-cows would pull them through.
    jammers wrote: »
    As it goes, by the end of 2008 it looks like Apple will be worth more than Microsoft.

    Based on what measure?

    Revenues, a typical measure of a company size for 2007 (MS Vs Apple) $51.12billion Vs 24.01billion (less than half), or perhaps operating income $18.52billion Vs $4.41billion (less than a quarter). Apple has a long way to go in this respect.

    Dave
  • The RatThe Rat Posts: 6,048
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    The Rat wrote: »
    Based on what measure?

    Revenues, a typical measure of a company size for 2007 (MS Vs Apple) $51.12billion Vs 24.01billion (less than half), or perhaps operating income $18.52billion Vs $4.41billion (less than a quarter). Apple has a long way to go in this respect.

    Dave

    Maybe I have been a narrow in my assessment here, shall we consider what their physical/actual value is worth:

    How about for 2007 (MS Vs Apple), assets $66.37billion Vs $19.46billion (less than a third), or maybe total marketable value $275.85billion Vs $72.92billion (less than a third).

    Dave
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,965
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    The Rat wrote: »
    Maybe I have been a narrow in my assessment here, shall we consider what their physical/actual value is worth:

    How about for 2007 (MS Vs Apple), assets $66.37billion Vs $19.46billion (less than a third), or maybe total marketable value $275.85billion Vs $72.92billion (less than a third).

    Dave
    Are you talking about market cap?, Cos those latter figures look off

    Apple - $160bn.
    MSFT - $320bn.


    To the dude complaining about iTunes and bloat. Well, it does a lot more than the Zune software. Which being new is missing a ton of key features. Editing metadata is a joke on there. As is the smart playlist situation.

    The hardware is nice though. Superior to the iPod classic but not the Touch. Perhaps will be even more so come the SDK launch.
  • The RatThe Rat Posts: 6,048
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    Are you talking about market cap?, Cos those latter figures look off

    Apple - $160bn.
    MSFT - $320bn.

    No I am not talking about Market Capitalisation, although that is another one to throw in there. They are 2007 figures published by Forbes as quoted.

    Dave
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,965
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    The Rat wrote: »
    No I am not talking about Market Capitalisation, although that is another one to throw in there. They are 2007 figures published by Forbes as quoted.

    Dave

    What is total marketable value? Do they have a definition? Never even heard of it before...
  • The RatThe Rat Posts: 6,048
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    What is total marketable value? Do they have a definition? Never even heard of it before...

    Not sure. At first I assumed it may be a marketable value based purely on stock value and minus assets, although it is a strange definition.

    Write to Forbes if you are curious.

    Dave
  • jammersjammers Posts: 4,290
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    The Rat wrote: »
    Not sure. At first I assumed it may be a marketable value based purely on stock value and minus assets, although it is a strange definition.

    Write to Forbes if you are curious.

    Dave

    I read it last week somewhere, I didn't look too closely at the reason why but it may have been based on share value.

    Still, with 18,000 employees and a 4% World Wide PC share they aren't doing too badly lol.
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