Zune Diehards

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/8qw5ax/zune-forever-the-diehards-still-obsessed-with-microsofts-colossal-failure

by chenster • 9 years ago

28 70 9 years ago

motherboard.vice.com

zecg• 9 years ago

The testimonies seem to be of people who have no reason to throw away a perfectly good music player, rather than "obsessed diehards".

chrisseaton2• 9 years ago

They sound pretty die-hard to me. And the majority say they'll buy another one so they aren't just keeping using it because it still works.

I loathe iTunes with the passion of every sun in the known universe
If my Zune breaks, definitely look for another Zune first.
I found out that they stopped making [the Zune], so I had to go to eBay
I vastly prefer the Zune device user interface
I'll probably see if I can get a replacement Zune online

hbex5• 9 years ago

It must be nice to live in a world so isolated that smartphones just completely passed you by.

Imagine being the diehard Zune fan who felt his best option for a replacement was going all in with Windows Phone.

baldfat3• 9 years ago

I loathe iTunes with the passion of every sun in the known universe

They seem spot on

discreditable• 9 years ago

I really liked my Zune. I came from an iPod in the same generation. I wasn't a fan of the Zune desktop software but the device software was a lot nicer and the build was sturdier than my iPod. I used it for years until I got my first smartphone.

amiga-workbench• 9 years ago

I really need to pick up a Zune HD, that UI is fantastic.

dawnerd• 9 years ago

I remember going to a frys launch day and they had to look around for it. Sad that they treated it like a cheap knockoff iPod. The screen was fantastic for the time.

scarface74• 9 years ago

I remember going to Walmart and they had a label on the section for Zunes "Zune iPod".

SteveJS2• 9 years ago

This probably says more about me than the article, but the drawing at the top is of an ipod that says zune. A zune has a ‘squarcle’ rather than a circle.

twright• 9 years ago

That's an illustration of the first gen Zune, the second gen had the "squarcle."

SteveJS2• 9 years ago

You’re right! As i also found out from the dozens of people on facebook that unearthed first gen Zune’s due to the same comment. My current understanding is it was a dpad in the shape of a circle.

lin_lin4• 9 years ago

I can relate to an extent. I use a USB stick music player. It's essentially like a usb drive with a headphone jack. I've had it years. I never use my smartphone for music, I don't see the need. When it breaks, I'll get another one.

coldtea4• 9 years ago

I never use my smartphone for music, I don't see the need

Shouldn't it be the inverse? Why the need for another device, if you're already carrying the smartphone?

detaro4• 9 years ago

Question of perspective. Why the need to use the smartphone (and look into and accept the compromises coming with that) when you already own a device made perfectly for the task of playing music? seems like an equally good question to me. (I don't own a dedicated MP3 player anymore, but have several times considered getting one again because of the downsides of using the phone)

collyw2• 9 years ago

Battery life for one. I would happily take a cheaper smaller music player many places I wouldn't take my phone, as its more important that I don't loose or damage the phone. Plus I found the default Andorid music player a mess to use. No idea where teh files are stored on the device. I wanted to move music from main memory to the SD card i added later. Way more effort than it was worth.

My Sansa Clip years ago was a far better device for music and survived the washing machine a couple of times.

wodenokoto2• 9 years ago

Which one are you using? I'm currently on a dying first gen ipod shuffle.

I tried getting a cheap "mp3 stick" of aliexpress but it came without memory. I'd rather not waste electronics a second time.

lin_lin4• 9 years ago

It's some sort of Sony Walkman. Dunno which model as all of the printing on the device has worn away with use!

zeotroph2• 9 years ago

I am regularly on the lookout for one which plays opus/flac plus the usual other formats and has much more than 4G storage, but I fear this type of gadget will die out before long.

Or hopefully the Arduino and Raspberry type of hardware gets small enough that I can build my own (with which I will probably never be allowed on an airplane).

chrisseaton2• 9 years ago

I never use my smartphone for music, I don't see the need.

But if you want a music player, why carry and charge a second device if you already have a phone?

lin_lin4• 9 years ago

Charging isn't an issue, it lasts days and days. I don't actually remember the last time it ever ran out. Not mention I use it as a handy sub storage for other files. It's ultra light, and as someone who does a bit of running I'd feel ridiculous having one of those arm patches to hold a £xxx phone.

revelation2• 9 years ago

Because it's heavy, large, battery life sucks, breaks when dropped, might not even have a 3.5 mm jack and most of all requires me to look at its display to do anything.

I have one of those Sansa Clip players running Rockbox that I use for sport and bike commute. It costs nothing, it is virtually indestructible, has more space for music than anyone ever needs and I can operate it without ever taking it out of the pocket its in. Simple physical button presses to start, shutdown, resume last playback position, adjust volume and move forward and backwards between songs and folders.

philliphaydon• 9 years ago

I always wanted a Zune but I don’t believe it was ever avaliable in NZ :(

Now I just use he iPhone to play music

wink• 9 years ago

I never had a Zune and if I need something for "just music" (like in the car with the broken radio) I now take my old Android phone with the semi-working display.

If all my(2-4?) 6-10 year old cheap mp3 players had a decent UI like the Zune and didn't break... I don't see a reason why I wouldn't still use them.

Boothroid• 9 years ago

I hope we move past this attitude that there is something strange about continuing to use something that fulfils its function perfectly well, purely because it's not the latest sexy product. This idea is not good for the pocket or the planet.

tcarn• 9 years ago

Have to agree. One day someone will come out with a service that allows you to upgrade/make usable old technology.

baldfat3• 9 years ago

I LOVED my Cowon D2 it was the best sounding player I ever listened to and it supported ogg and flac. I jumped on EBay to look and they actually cost about twice as much on EBay than when I bought mine new 9 years ago.

My LG V20 blows it away in audio quality and power plus I can do pro-level recording. I have a $250 portable recorder and my phone has replaced it.

christophilus• 9 years ago

Man. I had a Zune mini [0] and loved that thing. I also had their music service which gave me unlimited music for $10 / mo and 10 permanent songs per month that I could keep even if I canceled my subscription. That's a pretty darn good deal.

I never understood why the Zune never succeeded. It was a great little player.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Zune-Digital-Media-Player-Black/dp/B0...

stevenj• 9 years ago

I never understood why the Zune never succeeded. It was a great little player.

I think it was primarily due to three things: (1) it didn't get released until 5 years after the iPod; (2) while many people loathe iTunes it was widely used and liked by everyday people, and it was introduced 8.5 months before the iPod released; (3) Microsoft wasn't viewed as a "cool" consumer brand.

Kipters3• 9 years ago

Another big issue is that it was only available in USA and Canada, I had to get mine on ebay, shipping from US

soylentcola• 9 years ago

Even when they were still new and roughly equivalent (arguably better in some ways, worse in others), the narrative seemed to be that Zunes were just wannabe iPods. They were the punchline to several late night TV jokes. Basically, the market (or at least the marketers) decided that they were the uncool poseur in the room so whatever potential they had was undermined by public perception if nothing else.

I also had one after only using cheaper Sansa Clip type mp3 players prior to that. I believe it was on sale and was a more affordable alternative to an iPod when I wanted to try something that could hold a lot of music, do podcasts, had an FM radio, and essentially avoid iTunes (which I'd tried and disliked).

Sadly, it was stolen after a few months and I gave up on the idea. I still have an old Sansa Clip in a drawer somewhere for occasional use. Otherwise, even back in the Zune days I often just streamed Shoutcast stations on my old Treos and PPCs before moving on to more modern smartphones which are more likely to be used now. I load up a USB stick to keep connected in the car for specific things I want to listen to. Otherwise it's just Youtube Music or (still) streaming Shoutcast stations.

MikusR• 9 years ago

Similar to most of Microsoft hardware and service products it was 'Murica first.

Kipters3• 9 years ago

The subscription service lived until this year, it was officially discontinued two weeks ago

jccalhoun• 9 years ago

Most of the people quoted seem to be using a Zune because it is just an mp3 player and don't seem to be aware of the fact that there are tons of other mp3 players out there ranging from audiophile level to cheap ipod clones. I think this says a lot about apple's total dominance of the market (that they have now abandoned). The fact that they at least knew that there was a second option indicates that the Zune wasn't a total failure.

I had a brown zune and it was great at the time.

jrs95• 9 years ago

I actually think I'm going to get one of these...seems like a 120GB one is actually pretty cheap, and I really like the idea of having a totally offline music player

Kipters3• 9 years ago

I still have and use my Zune HD and I love it: the UI is fast and fluid, battery is decent (after 7 years!), sound quality is good, it's a pleasure to use.

Also, I can just place it in the dock and use it at home (or even for watching videos, up to 720p)

deadmetheny• 9 years ago

Same. I've used my HD nearly every day since I bought it many years ago, and it still works great. Only issue is that the biggest model of HD is only enough storage for about half my music...been considering putting a SSD and a new battery into the shell of my dead Zune 120.

dmreedy• 9 years ago

Recently, I became fixated on the idea of someone using a Zune in 2017, which I found absolutely hilarious for reasons even I don't fully understand. What must it be like? Does the modern-day Zune owner feel like a gadget-toting John the Baptist in a desert of Apple products, vaping and sermonizing on Radiohead?

Not everyone lives under your paradigm of brand-tribalism, and of those who do, not all subscribe to your particular tribe.

To my surprise, my inbox was soon filled with emails from people who claim to still use, and love, their Zunes.

Of course you were surprised. How can there be so many painfully unhip people in this world? I bet they don't even live in a hip city. Couldn't tell the difference between a cortado and a flat white, am I right?

I understand ad hominems are generally not cool, but seeing as the author's contributions to this article are, in typical Vice fashion, devoid of anything other than breathless, sneering, self-important cultural 'commentary', I find it harder to take the high road.

eurticket• 9 years ago

The line itself links to another article regarding sustainability and tech/device waste, a quote: "All the manufacturers talk about sustainability but when it comes down to it, their security and their brand is way more important than how the material is recycled"

The writer could be calling them out just the same. Because a lot of people use Apple and the mainstream 'tribe' subscribes to the mass brand appeal, the writer seems conscious enough of the way they operate the business.

DKnoll• 9 years ago

I understand ad hominems are generally not cool, but seeing as the author's contributions to this article are, in typical Vice fashion, devoid of anything other than breathless, sneering, self-important cultural 'commentary', I find it harder to take the high road.

The authors contribution to the article is just that... the article. The author sought these people out and got them to share their thoughts on the Zune.

Also, what you call breathless, sneering self-importance (at least in this instance) I call a sense of humour.

o_nate• 9 years ago

I'm on my second Zune, and when it finally dies, I'll probably buy another one, assuming I can get a cheap refurbished one online and the software still runs on the latest version of Windows. The build quality is good, the software is very clean and minimalist compared to iTunes, and it just works. In this case, the lack of constant software updates is a feature.

godzilla932• 9 years ago

I still have and use my zune.Most of my music is on it

SomeHacker44• 9 years ago

I'm holding on to my old HP Calculators for dear life, especially the 41, 42 and 48/49/50s.

I am glad Swissmicros is out there!

Zune Diehards

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