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Microsoft Politics

Obama's "ZuneGate" 608

theodp writes "Barack Obama supporters were left shaking their heads after a report surfaced that the president-elect was using a Zune at the gym instead of an iPod. So why would Mac-user Obama be Zune-ing out? Could be one of those special-edition preloaded Zunes that Microsoft bestowed on Democratic National Convention attendees, suggests TechFlash, nixing the idea that the soon-to-be Leader of the Free World would waste time loading Parallels or Boot Camp in OS X just to use a Zune."
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Obama's "ZuneGate"

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  • so? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by n3tcat ( 664243 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:20AM (#26018825)
    Here in Germany I see more no-name mp3 players than ipod and zune COMBINED. What does it matter if he's an apple or windows guy? It's not linux, so why does it matter?
    • Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by theaveng ( 1243528 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:58AM (#26019005)

      You took the words right out of my mouth.

      An MP3 player is an MP3 player - you don't have to use an Ipod. Me, I use an Insignia that I got for free from Best Buy and it works just fine.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)

          by BrentH ( 1154987 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:37AM (#26019193)
          Apart from the fact that iPod bought after summer 2007 can't load Rockbox, there's a bazzilion players out there that play Ogg Vorbis and FLAC right out of the box. If these free codecs are so important to you, why not buy the device that actually already does what you want (and support the kind of manufacturer that actually builds these players)? BTW, the Zune works fine with Songbird, so the Zune can be used natively on any platform.
          • Apart from the fact that iPod bought after summer 2007 can't load Rockbox, there's a bazzilion players out there that play Ogg Vorbis and FLAC right out of the box.

            Are there? I can't find any here in Italy.

            • Re:so? (Score:5, Informative)

              by tao ( 10867 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @08:26AM (#26019391) Homepage

              The Samsung YP-U[123] (BTW, don't import one from the US; the US firmware has no support for Ogg Vorbis) devices seems to be quite easy to get hold of all over Europe; I bet you can find that one in Italy as well. But I'd recommend trying to find a Cowon iAudio instead (possibly by ordering it online). Less bugs in the Ogg Vorbis support plus support for Ogg FLAC.

              • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

                by gsn ( 989808 )

                The Cowons are excellent - I've had both the M3L and the X5L from petty much right after their release. Excellent sound, battery life, and support for just about every audio format I could throw at it and both took daily abuse for years (the X5s video support is a bit of a joke). The M3L was stolen in NYC (why I got the X5L) and the X5L now stays at work. Unfortunately, they haven't really come out with a successor with larger capacity, which is why I move to the Archos 5 but it annoys me with the number of

          • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

            by Anonymous Coward

            BTW, the Zune works fine with Songbird, so the Zune can be used natively on any platform.

            Correction: The Zune works fine with Songbird under Windows, so the Zune can be used natively on Windows. Songbird is available for other platforms, but MTP support is only available in the Windows build for some reason.

            • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

              by BrentH ( 1154987 )
              Hmm, odd. Anyhoo, I thought Amarok supports it too, which runs on Linux and OSX (beta).
        • Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)

          by McFadden ( 809368 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:49AM (#26019257)
          That doesn't take anything away from the fact that the vast majority of people probably use them to play mp3s and frankly couldn't give a stuff about anything you've just mentioned.
        • Hmm... the iPod is probably the most expensive mp3 player that you can load Rockbox onto, isn't it?
          I know that Rockbox was created for many other players, and the iPod just got added to it.
          So I'd rather go with a player that does the same for less money. :)
          But I already have a mobile phone (one of those that are made to play music, and therefore have better a/d converters), and I have my own good headphones.

          I never understood why anyone would want an overpriced, too large player, that can't be used as an US

        • Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)

          by WhatAmIDoingHere ( 742870 ) <sexwithanimals@gmail.com> on Sunday December 07, 2008 @10:10AM (#26019897) Homepage
          Sometimes you just want to listen to some music while you're working out.

          I thought this was /. not TMZ.
    • Re:so? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bobmarleypeople ( 1077639 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:00AM (#26019023) Journal
      I can see CNN now
      Our top story tonight... Obama: To Apple or not to Apple, that is the question posed to our team as rumours surface about major Mac user President Obama using a Microsoft Zune to listen to his music. We bring you the detailed analysis after this commercial for iPods.
      .........actually, I can't see that happening. Give us some real news please!
    • It's that kind of fairy talk that is helping MS lose the all time important war against the iPod.

      Grow a set, pick a side and prepare for war!
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by BobReturns ( 1424847 )
      Exactly, this hardly seems like an issue that matters to the electorate - or more accurately that should matter to the electorate. Maybe we should be more interested in policy?
    • by rhyder128k ( 1051042 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:39AM (#26019203) Homepage
      Perhaps it's just a prop that one of his advisers handed him to make him look hip.
    • Re:so? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Curtman ( 556920 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @09:06AM (#26019547)

      What does it matter if he's an apple or windows guy?

      I am absolutely thrilled that the dumbest thing this president has done so far is use a Microsoft product. Dubya had already planned to blow up half of the world by now.

    • Re:so? (Score:4, Funny)

      by rishistar ( 662278 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @09:07AM (#26019551) Homepage

      He's quite clearly an Apple guy, and like all their fanbois he is a religous zealot, who will do his hardest once president to push to ensure the spirit of the Mac leader does not die. After all, he has pledged to create 2.5 million Jobs - I just hope they've ordered a load of black turtlenexk sweaters for all those clones.

    • More pop culture (Score:4, Insightful)

      by p51d007 ( 656414 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @10:13AM (#26019915)
      Here we go...more pop culture BS! Who gives a rats ass?
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by erroneus ( 253617 )

      I would only care about this if... nope. Can't think of a reason to care about this at all.

      If Obama were to use all F/OSS, I might sit up and take notice. If we could somehow convince this incoming administration to concern himself with what he does rather than what brands he endorses while doing it, we might be able to see some interesting things happen in government IT.

      I have submitted multiple messages to that change.gov site to that end... perhaps we could get a few more people to submit their opinion

    • by Valdrax ( 32670 )

      What does it matter if he's an apple or windows guy? It's not linux, so why does it matter?

      The irony of these two sentences back to back is so deliciously rich.
      Stupid Apple fanboys -- why won't people praise Linux more!?

  • In other news... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dreamchaser ( 49529 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:20AM (#26018827) Homepage Journal

    Obama is said to have been wearing Fruit of the Loom underwear instead of his usual Hanes...

    WTF...*this* is news for nerds? I could care less what any politician uses to listen to his or her music.

    • by Albert Sandberg ( 315235 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:07AM (#26019067) Homepage

      Yeah, but if it turned out he was listening to c64 sid music, I'd wet my pants ;-)

    • by thesolo ( 131008 ) * <slap@fighttheriaa.org> on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:10AM (#26019079) Homepage
      Thank you. Not only is this not "News For Nerds", it's not news, period.

      If the presidential choice of MP3 player seriously matters to you, kill yourself. With all of the problems facing the US and indeed the entire planet, this is the most trivial of matters, and people reporting on it should be ashamed of themselves.

      Next we'll be hearing about Obama getting a hangnail. Just shut up.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Chrisje ( 471362 )

        Right. So obviously nobody has modded your post +5 insightful yet.

        But they should. I mean seriously. Jesus H. Christ on a popsicle stick. Who cares? In other news, he might wear string underwear, use hugo boss suits and play the banjo in his spare time too... And I still ask myself "who cares?"

        All of these bloggers, newsmen, execs and /. editors ought to get something that at least resembles a life. Really. Seriously.

        It reminds me of a Cake Song:

        Shut the Fuck up

        Ok
        All right
        Oh no
        This one, this one, this one

        Heads of state who ride and wrangle
        Who look at your face from more than one angle
        Can cut you from their bloated budgets
        Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets

        Now, heads of state who ride and wrangle
        Who look at your face from more than one angle
        Can cut you from their bloated budgets
        Like sharpened knives through chicken mcnuggets

        (Shut the fuck) up
        Yo, shut the fuck up
        (Shut the fuck)
        Right, right, learn to buck up
        (Shut the fuck)
        Right, shut the fuck up, hey, ho
        (Shut the fuck)
        Now, now learn to buck up

        (1, 2, a-1, 2, 3, 4!)

        Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
        Will eat your children and steal your thunder
        While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
        Will crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels

        Now, nimble fingers that dance on numbers
        Will eat your children and steal your thunder
        While heavy torsos that heave and hurl
        Will crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels

        (Shut the fuck) up
        Yo, shut the fuck up
        (Shut the fuck)
        Right now learn to buck up
        (Shut the fuck)
        Right, shut the fuck up yeah, ho! Yow!
        (Shut the fuck) Yow! Yow! Yow!
        Learn to buck up

        Now, simple feet that flicker like fire
        And burn like candles in smokey spires
        Do more to turn my joy to sadness
        Than somber thoughts of burning planets

        Now, clever feet that flicker like fire
        And burn like candles in smokey spires
        Do more to turn my joy to sadness
        Than somber thoughts of burning planets

        (Shut the fuck)
        All right
        Ok
        I don't(Shut the fuck) wanna
        I don't wanna hear it that's right
        (Shut the fuck)
        Oh no, ok, I don't wanna
        (Shut the fuck)
        I don't wanna
        (Shut the fuck)
        Yeeaahh, ho, yow!
        (Shut the fuck)
        I don't wanna...I don't wanna...

        Ooooh ooh oooooooh ooh ooooooohhh ooh

    • This is important. This news suggests that he's at least somewhat immune to the RDF and stupid trendy shit in general. He also appears to be a smoker. I must say all this is pleasantly surprising, quite unlike his cabinet nominations.

  • You guys (Score:5, Funny)

    by sleeponthemic ( 1253494 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:21AM (#26018829) Homepage
    I will seriously kill myself if he likes Star Wars better than Star Trek.
  • oh my god (Score:5, Funny)

    by papabob ( 1211684 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:23AM (#26018841)

    He is one of those f*** bastards who use the tool that best fits him (for example being free, if it is really a gift from microsoft) instead of "what he should use"!

    (or better)

    He is one of those f*** bastards who only want to listen mp3 ignoring how stylish is his player!!

    Impeachment now!!

    • "if it is really a gift from microsoft"

      1. Build spook data center next to MS data center.
      2. Give Obama zune...
      Do I really need to spell it out?
  • God help us. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by msgmonkey ( 599753 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:24AM (#26018857)

    Maybe he cares more about the music he's listening to rather than the make/model of the player.

    If I did n't have an mp3 player and got a zune for free, as long as it played my mp3s correctly I'd use it. Sometimes I wonder if Apple is a religion or just some company that makes tech products.

    • Re:God help us. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Threni ( 635302 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:31AM (#26018889)

      Maybe he's found out about how Apple make it impossible to use third party hardware with the iPod classic, or maybe he got one of the crippled EU ones with a volume limiter which precludes the use of a lot of high end headphones. Or maybe he doesn't like the fact many iPods have problems with batteries, or the effort Apple goes to to thwart people's attempts to use their own software or firmware in the Apple so you can't play ogg/flac etc format files. Apple's successes with the iPod are chiefly marketing related, not technological. They're like Microsoft - they adopt other people's work and stick it inside fancy cases. There's no reason why Obama should use Apple instead of Microsoft stuff - it means nothing.

      • by jotok ( 728554 )

        Yah, I have been trying to get rid of my 160g classic for exactly that reason: I want to go back to the 80g model I had before (forget which generation) so I could hack it and play FLAC.

        Nobody wants to buy the damned thing :\

  • by Macthorpe ( 960048 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:26AM (#26018863) Journal

    I can't believe that some people care more about which MP3 player he uses than what policies he's going to implement.

    Can I get a reality check to aisle S, please?

    • by mgblst ( 80109 )

      It is not exclusive. Most people can concern themselves with more than one matter at a time, an amazing feat, I realise.

      The funny thing is that I see loads of stories here that nobody care about, and they get no comments. Then there is the odd story that bring out the people who feel the need to inform everyone of how little they care about the story, by actually posting on it.

      It is like the people who don't care about something, but really feel the need to make you understand that they don't care about it.

      • Did I actually say any of that?

        It's like people who reply to your posts because they have their own point to make and end up completely ignoring everything you said.

  • Jesus... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by skam240 ( 789197 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:31AM (#26018887)

    Holy Christ! Our president to be is using "such and such" as his mp3 player!? Holy Christ! Some one please tell me what popular Hollywood celebrity is dating what Hollywood celebrity right now as well because this is all totally fucking relevant to my life!

  • Great (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:37AM (#26018913)

    As MAC user with a Zune, he will be able to experience the true value of DRM. I hope he'll remember that the next time some DRM lobbyist asks for a favor...

    • Re:Great (Score:5, Insightful)

      by je ne sais quoi ( 987177 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @10:34AM (#26020053)
      Mod parent up! Except for the MAC part instead of Mac (a MAC is a serial number for an internet card, a Mac is a computer), this post is spot on. I have no idea what the DRM on Windows and Zune is, but I hope that he has tried moving some of his files from his iPod to his Zune and discovered iTunes won't let you do it, or he has run afoul of the "this computer is not authorized" crap. Let's also hope that he's the kind of guy who can spot when there something wrong and actually gives a shit.

      I'm pretty sure our current president has had these issues, he's an ipod listener, but I also guess he probably has his staff do everything for him and doesn't really care if his staff have to infringe on copyright while they are working on his behalf or violate the terms of the license to listen to the songs by moving them amongst un-authorized computers.
  • by A12m0v ( 1315511 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:37AM (#26018915) Journal

    I'm posting to let you all know that I don't care!

  • by 91degrees ( 207121 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @06:44AM (#26018941) Journal
    Can you impeach a president elect? I think we should try!
  • by Spasmodeus ( 940657 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:00AM (#26019021)
    I have this fantasy in which I am kind of superhero who travels the country tracking down hack reporters who slap the "gate" suffix on anything vaguely resembling a scandal, then jabbing them with a cattle prod until I'm satisfied justice has been served.
    • Watergate is a God Damned Hotel You Turds

      Yeah, and the real "watergate" is the tidewater lock [mcmullans.org] at the end of the 180-mile-long C&O Canal, which guess what, sits right across the street from the Watergate Hotel.
    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by RyoShin ( 610051 )

      THANK YOU. I would be the president of your fan club.

      Slapping "Gate" on everything annoys the fuck out of me, as well. First, it's not a fucking suffix, it's half the hotel name. Second, Watergate was Nixon's thing; stop being lazy fucking journalists and make up your own damn titles.

      If you need me, I'll be in the Angry Dome. Rrrrrrr...

  • Apple (Score:2, Interesting)

    What's the issue?

    Why do you want to use the proprietary apple stuff and be part of the product hype.

    I am happy with my Samsung mp3 player because it plays OGG Vorbis.

    Geek or Apple? This is a confession.

    Using a Zune is kool.

  • Soo... (Score:5, Funny)

    by denzacar ( 181829 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:05AM (#26019057) Journal

    Was it a brown one?

  • Doesn't matter (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tsotha ( 720379 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:07AM (#26019065)
    I seriously doubt Obama loads his own mp3 player, and that's a good thing. He's got lots to do before his first day on the job, and screwing with computers isn't on the list.
  • This is classic (Score:4, Insightful)

    by JamesRose ( 1062530 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @07:17AM (#26019105)

    It's one of those "what a product represents" things. The Zune is immediately uncool at slashdot because Microsoft, newsflash- Microsoft make some decent products. Rated Excellent at cnet- http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/microsoft-zune-120gb-third/4505-6490_7-33259222.html?tag=mncol;lst [cnet.com] . Reality check, this is a good mp3 player that he got free, I'd be concerned if he went out and spent $250 just for a different make.

  • After the last articles about whether or not he'd get to keep his Blackberry, would any other device with non-volatile memory mean anything?

    Not to go tinfoil hat, but shouldn't we be just a bit concerned about donated devices to the politically influential that may phone home? (Sure, who cares what the recipients listen to, but if any of these are personally identifiable, it wouldn't be a huge technological leap to read just a little extra info during a the next firmware update check.)

    I'd guess that this ha

  • by Tom ( 822 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @08:01AM (#26019321) Homepage Journal

    You guys are all missing the point! The "news, things that matter" part of this isn't that Obama is using a Zune, but that a Zune has actually been seen being used by someone. Happens to be the president-elect, that's just the bonus celebrity factor. But have you ever seen a Zune outside a store? See, now you know why this is news. :-)

  • for the record (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Dolphinzilla ( 199489 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @09:29AM (#26019667) Journal

    I dont care to know any of the following about Obama's preferences:

    1. Ipod or Zune
    2. Apple or PC
    3. Charmin or Scott
    4. Missionary or Doggy
    5. Chevy or Ford

    Folks get over it - Obama is not the second coming and he's not the Antichrist -

  • by Have Blue ( 616 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @12:02PM (#26020877) Homepage
    The president is smarter than you think. He just wants make his iPod a less attractive target for theft. [hideapod.com]
  • by harlows_monkeys ( 106428 ) on Sunday December 07, 2008 @12:54PM (#26021287) Homepage

    iTunes Store: millions of songs. Download and keep any song for $1.

    Zune Pass: millions of songs. For a flat rate of $15/month, download as many as you want, for use on up to three Zunes and three computers. Each month, you get to designate 10 of these as permanent. If you cancel your subscription, you keep the ones you designated as permanent, and the rest go away.

    I have two iPods and an iPhone, and I'm sorely tempted to get a Zune for Zune Pass. That's a fantastic deal.

The means-and-ends moralists, or non-doers, always end up on their ends without any means. -- Saul Alinsky

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