I have to say that the Marketplace is a great concept. I think that could be a big hit.

But as always, the execution is the real test. Microsoft often stubs their toes on these types of initiatives, especially the first try.

I hope as an iPod user that Apple implements a feature like this. Especially since once again, Microsoft insists on Windows-only policy for allowing iPod users. Pathetic!!

/

meant Zune Social!!

Suppose I buy a song - then I share it with friends across the internet -

Opps, even if they only listen to it once, we've broken the law. What am I missing here? Are songs licensed so you can share them 5 times, or listen 4 times, or what?

huh.

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"a lot of fan boys here... Frankly this:

t"he service lets fellow Zune owners share music across the Internet rather than just each other's WiFi networks; members can not only create profiles but view recent playlists and buy their tracks, send and receive recommendations, and show the biggest fans of a particular artist to find new friends. "

Sounds pretty damn cool and if Apple had come out with it first many would be hyping it up.

Give credit where it is due. Microsoft is pushing Apple to be even more creative and competitive. I'm not buying a Zune anytime soon, but I would bet the next version of the Touch has some sort of Social Networking play..."

actually there is a sort of this feature on itunes music stores many years ago, and it is called "imix". To me if the zune goes back to the internet to find other user's favorite tracks, then it is sort of imix already.

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It's hard to tell from your description, but it sounds like iTunes 4.0 had the exact same feature (sharing music across the internet), except decentralized (what's this about "members"?) and, importantly, not implemented like s*** the way Microsoft has surely done with the Zune. Unfortunately, Apple removed this feature when the labels started bitching, in 4.0.1 IIRC.

actually there is a sort of this feature on itunes music stores many years ago, and it is called "imix". To me if the zune goes back to the internet to find other user's favorite tracks, then it is sort of imix already.

An iMix is NOTHING like this. An iMix is just a glorified playlist tied to the iTMS, so you too can buy the music some other person says fits together. Big deal. This is more like sharing your iTunes library to other computers, but over more then you're local network.

Question is, how does it deal with DRM music? Apple's implementation requires you to authorize any computer that wants to play it.

and, importantly, not implemented like s*** the way Microsoft has surely done with the Zune.

And people claim I'm biased or opinionated. Sputschic's already decided that MS's implementation already sucks, without ever using it.

where is the sweet brown color? I so well matched the smell of the t*** player

...killer song I sent you! Isn't it killer? This is soooo social. Weeeee!

What? You did a couple times, and now it won't play anymore?

p***."

I can get this for only $15 a month... awesome... sign me up now, for all the sharing I can handle. Of course, sharing will be quite difficult in the Zunefree world known as reality...

While the new iPod touch is a very nice machine...its sound quality is terrible. The HISS it makes is unacceptable!!!! I have a Zune and a new Sony walkman and both of them blow the sound quality of the touch out of the water!!!

I don't understand why the touch has such a white noise problem, while the iPod Classic has a total lack of white noise.

I like the capabilities of the new Zunes, but the new button on the front is hideous. I hope MS decides to provide support for kana, kanji and hangul someday; as it is, my Zune rarely is used any more.

APPLE listen up!!! Provide sound quality across the product line equal to the original iPod Shuffle (sigmatel DAC) and your product would truly be a great DAP.

needs to get a community site created yesterday. even something along the lines of Amazon's reviews would be helpful. get a few guest eidtors from Spin, Rolling Stone, whatever. just get it done..

hahaha… it's funny how mac-users (including myself) quickly changed their attitude towards the Zune. It has now started to dawn on us that the Zune could very-well become a threat to the iPod ecosystem.

hahaha…haha…ha

hey idiot boy. nobody every claimed you're biased and/or opinionated. stupid maybe. idiotic perhaps. t*** like microsoft's zune, yes indeed.

if you care so much about zune social, why don't you try it and let us know?

I appreciate previous statements about MS competition being good for Apple, in forcing them to innovate and keeping them from being complacent. But to play devil's advocate, I'll say that rule isn't always true.

I'll say it could be the result of a long history of business and markets aiming for the least-common-denominator rather than consistently shooting for the stars.

I'll say that it assumes that Apple R&D is not already putting out its best effort. An assumption that the sheer genious of their entire product line and impeccable customer service efforts seem to refute.

I'll say that Apple worked its butt off to create the wildly innovative first iMacs, iBooks and iPods even when no one was paying attention to them.

I'll say that soon after, Apple still revamped their successful lines to an even higher level of innovation before any competent (better-than-imposter) competitors showed up.

I'll say that copy-cat competition - "copytition" - from a potentially serious rival can actually distract and weaken a company. So why disrupt something that is already going not just well - but going fabulously well. Why risk causing a company to reorganize and speed up their resources and deadlines; or pressure the lives of its employees; or fire a few employees; or seekout even cheaper overseas labor? All just to fend off the risks of other companies' inferior product releases? Where is the benefit for consumers in that?

More isn't always better. More competition can be bad. Sometimes less is better.

Microsoft says that they have sold 1.2 million Zunes. That is roughly the same number as Apple has sold iPhones. I see iPhones everywhere, but I have NEVER seen a Zune in the wild.

Is MS giving us BS?

...the channel. just they use site licenses and channel stuffing to inflate Vista's numbers.

It's not BS bubbler - the majority of Zunes are just selling in remote boondocks far away from most metropolitan hubs :)

awesome for sharing. lol!