Somehow, WMpowerusers got their hands on what is purported to be images and specs of the Zune HD. We’ve heard rumors of a new device supporting HD for some time and this image would be in the direction we’d have guessed. If this image is close, the Zune HD could be a worthy device and help get Zune out of the joke genre of PMPs.
Besides really good looking, the tipster suggests the specs are solid: OLED capacitive screen, 16:9 aspect ratio, multi-touch browser, HDMI port (??!!?!?), wireless sync, 16 and 32 GB versions and support for 3D Xbox games. Drooling yet?
The site claims their info says this device will launch to much fanfare in the fall.
I am going to call BS on this one. While the specs look good, they look too good. The cost of all this would likely push it out of the market and then there is the problem with the backside. The silver and black is far too reminiscent of the first generation iPhone. Microsoft has an identity image with the Zune, but it is unlikely they’d try to solve this by copying the competition that is eating their lunch on the mobile phone OS.
Our Natesh Sood took a look at the timing of launching something like the Zune HD this year and projects what a late release will do:
The worst thing Microsoft can do is release the Zune HD right after Apple either releases a totally new iPod or upgrades an old one.
And an early release:
The main concern here is with the launch of all the phones, Microsoft making Windows 7 available and ready to go, as well as the possibility of there being a new iPod in September, a Zune HD could get lost in the shuffle.
The bottom line is, this late spring/summer/fall is jam packed with new stuff from all the big players. Microsoft will have its hands full to make enough noise to get the Zune HD noticed if it isn’t amazing.
What is your take? Are you ready to camp out when this goes on sale or is it far to fairy-tale like to be real? Let us know in the comments.
Source: [WMpowerusers]
I'm a big fan of the zune. I think the Zune is a much better hardware than the iPod Classic. However, I'm not sure the ZuneHD (if true) can compete with the iPod Touch since the Touch has the app store as a HUGE selling point. However, if Microsoft is able to rally developers to develop for a ZuneHD/WinMo app store, then I might be inclined to think that this new device may be better than their competitor's – if the Zune and iPod Clasic is any indication.
However, I would recommend that they launch this sooner than latter because 1) to give developers more time to develop for this device (if that is possible with this device) and 2) provide an alternative to the new devices by Apple that are surely coming out this summer. The sooner Microsoft releases this then the less chance of people buying and entering into a 2-year contract with a competing product.