No App Store For Microsoft's Zune HD 351
Xerfas writes 'Microsoft's Zune HD, set to go on sale Tuesday, will not feature an open application store like its competitor the iPod Touch. It will come with some unique features, though, like an HD radio tuner, and with software that has been well-received by users. Those capabilities will determine whether the ZuneHD sells well — and whether Microsoft decides to keep selling its own music player, said Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft.' The Zune marketing manager was quoted in the Seattle Times on whether the Zune would open up for 3rd-party apps, and he gave a response of such mind-numbing PR-speak that John Gruber of Daring Fireball was moved to provide this English translation: "No, because our mobile strategy is a convoluted mess."
Re:HD radio (Score:5, Informative)
It's ironic that the "HD" in "HD radio" stands for high definition, when current digital, especially with lossy comression, has a LOWER definition than the old analog vinyl did.
A few things:
1) It's a good thing the HD in HD Radio doesn't stand for "High Definition" then. It's "Hybrid Digital".
2) HD Radio is higher fidelity than FM, and that's what it's being compared to. ("Definition" doesn't really work with audio, anyway)
3) Vinyl may have a higher theoretical accuracy, but CDs have a far lower noise floor, which in practice makes them far more accurate.
I guess that's why they changed it from "High Fidelity" to "High Definition, because at today's low sampling rates and especially lossy compression, the fidelity just isn't there.
Again, they didn't change it. And at the recording studio, they're using higher sampling rates and less compression than ever. The fact that the music you buy from iTunes is more compressed (And the fact that CDs in the "Loudness War" are clipped) is irrelevant.
Re:HD radio (Score:5, Informative)
HD Radio stands for Hybrid-Definition [wikipedia.org]. It's misleading marketing bullshit.
The guy who initially demoed Zune couple of months ago was scrolling the list of songs on the device and said (in reference to a 480-by-272 display) "Look at the gorgeous screen. You can really see the HD." I don't think people at Microsoft really understand the meaning of High Definition or lying through their teeth in their marketing materials.
Re:Astroturf (Score:1, Informative)
Re:HD radio (Score:3, Informative)
Lets not also forget that HD is not a widely used system. Its closed source and only used in North America. In Europe DAB is the standard, so good luck using or selling the zune outside the states.
This article is really sided (Score:2, Informative)
Zune does have a 'store'. There is the Zune Marketplace, around longer than the iphone app store. You can download games to your Zune (very limited) from the Marketplace, isn't that essentially what the iPhone app store does? The Zune isn't the iPhone or the iTouch (comes close), it is a DRM heavy Microsoft portable media player with the ability to run certain apps and share things with other Zune owners. If you have the cash and easy wifi access, then you are set on the media front. The Zune isn't for the pirate with a billion mp3's on their system as the Windows software is tailored to help you download from the Marketplace. The Zune is for listening to music, podcasts, watching videos and movies, being part of a Zune community.
An app store doesn't even make sense with the Zune fees. You can buy songs piecemeal but that would be idiotic when you can get all-you-can-eat plans. And if the smartest thing to do on the zune is pay for all-you-can-eat, why would somebody then pay extra for little games and apps?
The HD radio thing is not new, it's been in the Zune since the first incarnation. The newest feature would have to be it's ability to download tracks (from the Marketplace) that you hear and tag while listening to the radio.
There is an SDK for developing apps, if you are into that kind of stuff.
No more squirting (Score:5, Informative)
First, Microsoft has removed the "squirting" feature, which let you send songs directly from one Zune to another. This feature was supposed to be a big selling point of the first Zune but was crippled by unreasonable rights restrictions that let you play songs only three times or within three days (whichever came first). Microsoft and content owners gradually loosened those restrictions, but the feature never made much difference--mainly because there were so few Zune users out there to exchange songs with. (The "first man with a telephone" problem.) Now it's gone
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-10352637-27.html [cnet.com]
Re:HD radio (Score:5, Informative)
You make entierly untrue assumptions about HD radio, and unfair comparisons.
HD radio requires a fraction of the power of analog.
HD radio requires a fraction of the bandwidth of analog.
HD radio survives with 0% distortion over the majority of its receivable range.
HD radio is capable of CD-quality sound.
HD radio is capable of >2-channel encoding.
Similarly, your LP-vs-CD, while bordering on religious, is unfounded. Though LPs have a higher top frequency than standard CDs on their first play, both are well above human hearing.
The long-and-short is that the quality of playback on high-end equipment, when considered in light of the human ear, will be far more dependant on the mastering than on CD-vs-LP. And at that level we are usually discussing SACD and DVD-A... welcome to the 21st century.
And yes, I've heard CDs sound like live; and I've heard a number of SACDs that do. I suspect that you havent either because of a disparity in the mastering, a disparity in the playback equipment, or listener bias.
Re:HD radio (Score:5, Informative)
From the HD Digital Radio FAQ [hdradio.com]
Q : WHAT DOES THE HD IN HD RADIO MEAN?
A: The 'HD' in 'HD Radio' is part of iBiquity Digital's brand name for its digital AM and FM radio technology. It does not mean either hybrid digital or high definition, it is simply the branding language for this new technology.
They are simply riding the wave of video High Definition hype nothing more.
Re:Is a store really necessary (Score:2, Informative)
Microsoft has done a very consistent job of managing the Zune. That management got it where it is today, and I see this revelation as being consistent with all the previous management decisions.
And where it is today is right at 2% market share [marketwatch.com] (fifth paragraph from the bottom).
Re:Zune HD is a bizarre product (Score:3, Informative)
Re:HD radio (Score:2, Informative)
Have you ever heard a CD that you would confuse with a live performance? Me either.
In fairness, that is more a fault of the way most CD's are mastered today, rather than an inherent problem with the CD format. It is possible to produce CDs with a decent amount of dynamic range that do have the "feel" or dynamics of a live performance.
It's too bad that none of the 24-bit music formats have really caught on. That increased bit depth gives even more opportunity to incorporate real dynamics. With a CD (16-bit) you only have 65,535 possible amplitude levels. With a 24-bit format you get 16,777,216 possible levels. It's like the difference between 16-bit and 24-bit color on your desktop - they may look similar at first, but once you know what to look (listen) for, the difference is obvious and you never want to go back to 16-bit.
HD radio isn't FM (Score:3, Informative)
Its confusing, but HD radio is secondary radio streams (low bit rate I'm told), that is broadcast by existing radio stations. Its confusing because it sounds like High Def, or High Definition (The zune supposedly does 720p).
Not many people have the radios (I don't) so people are confused. They're trying to get them into cars. Its fm's answer to satellite radio.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Radio [wikipedia.org]
There aren't many people who aren't MS fans who think a slab /multi touch / one button PMP isn't just another me too device. It might be good, but its not original.
Re:What about an SDK (Score:1, Informative)
Looks like they have updated the XNA SDK to work with the Zune HD:
http://forums.xna.com/forums/t/38975.aspx
Re:Convoluted Mess or Just Bad Strategy? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:So, no apps, or just not yet? (Score:4, Informative)
This is a major oversight if Microsoft isn't going to allow 3rd party apps. Maybe when they get around to supporting it, you'll be able to install apps without using an iTunes-style interface. Directly from app's website perhaps?
It's just "Not Yet". This article is extremely biased, check out the Engadget article for actual info, not fanboy FUD.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/zune-hd-3d-gaming-and-app-downloads-confirmed/ [engadget.com]
-Taylor
Re:Let me fix that foryou.. (Score:4, Informative)
With introducing incompatibilities in document formats between Office versions, and introducing incompatibilities between SMB versions (just so that the Samba team can't reverse-engineer it), I think MS is just as evil as Apple. And no, I don't like Apple one freaking bit, it makes me vomit - but so does MS.
Re:I want my mp3 player to play music (Score:4, Informative)
You exaggerate. Currently I carry around nothing more than my cellphone and an iPod. Sure, sometimes I bring a camera, but generally my cellphone camera is adequate, but when I really want to take pictures a real camera is better. Sure, sometimes I bring my laptop, but most of the time my phone is adiquate (if not optimal) for quick browsing and email.
This is the point. All in one devices generally don't match specialty devices in terms of functionality. My phone is really good at being a phone, but isn't the best when it comes to playing music, taking photos, or general computing. My iPod is 100x better than my phone at playing music (especially when you consider there is no smart phones on the market that have nearly enough storage space to hold any decent amount of music). My camera is 100x better than my phones camera. My phone does have all the GPS I need, especially since I haven't found a need for it. My laptop is some order of magnitude better than my phone at being a computer. And having a portable DVD player is around infinitely better at playing video than any phone I've ever seen (don't own one, the laptop is actually better than most portable DVD devices). Why would I want only one device that fulfills one need rather well, but really sucks at doing everything else?
Why would I want to pay a shit ton extra for a phone that does a whole bunch of stuff that I can already do much better?