I wonder if the version 2 will look any better? I'd be embarrased to take a Zune out of my pocket. It's about as generic and bland as you can get.

We're not going to get the Zune v1.0? Fantastic news!!!

Oh, they're going to bring out a smaller, bigger-capacity one and a flash-based one? In the UK? Oh, the pain... the pain...

http://hideapod.com/ - hilarious.

Its no wonder that Microsoft is doing so poorly these days:

The Zune has failed to take off like they thought,

the XBox 360 will cost them an additional Billion and a half,

Everyone hates Vista,

It just keeps on coming. ????????? MS, what is up with you.??

While the Toshiba Gigabeat (Zune) is an OK mp3 player, when they added all that DRM and then locked it into their own music site, Microsoft killed the chances for the Zune from taking off. Now they are getting ready to come out with a larger Zune and ??? flash based Zunes to battle the iPod crazy.

Why? And if they really want to be in the consumer market, what is taking them so long to get going???

We all know that Microsoft really does not care about what the consumer really wants, they just care about what they can sell us. They have stated that from the beginning. But they are so really, really bad at deciding what we will buy, that its pathetic. Sorry, but unless you are a Microsoft fanboy, you have to wonder howcome the company keeps throwing more and more money after projects that just do not pay, unless they have some ulterior motive (world domination repeat, just like with the OS). ???

Just my two cents.

en

... and Zune 2.1 - one that actually DOES work, and DOESN'T overheat (Geddit? Hee-hee!) - out for the New Year!

Seriously, though, does Microsoft actually think they stand a chance with Zune 2, or even Zune 3 or Zune 4? They missed the bus with not having a music player when everyone else of note had them out on sale, and given their fetish for slavishly trying to ensure that the music explodes after being played once (or something like that, I couldn't be bothered reading the microprint on the "End User Agreement" after the bit that said I had to forfeit my house and children if I stored a Zune within 25 metres of something running Linux), I can't see why any sane person would actually want one.

And no doubt it runs "Windows Media Musical" or somesuch load of old decrepit, bug-ridden collection of potential buffer overflows. Get ready for the excuses as to why you should endure... I mean, enjoy, the "Windows musical experience"... :-(

I am sure that the 2.0 stands for twice as ugly as their first model. No matter how hard Microsoft tries to be "cool" it always comes off as "faux cool". They never seem to understand that a product has to actually "be cool" in the first place to earn its reputation as "cool".

There's always one 'killer' device that sets the bar high up.

Then there's the 'filler' devices that all try to capture the 1% marketshare that is left from 'killer' device.

Guess what the Zune will ALWAYS be? (Hint: It starts with f. :)