Zune 2.0 Update

While all eyes have been on the iPhone, there's been a significant mum around the sixth generation iPod. In fact, Apple does a spectacular job of keeping both the new product, and even the release date under wraps until Jobs is on the stage to the "oohs" and "aahs" of the iSheep.

On the other hand, the less popular Zune would appear to be headed for a second generation upgrade first. Sales have been ok, but Microsoft I'm sure wish they had been stronger. I took a look in May at where Zune 2.0 could be headed, and I wanted to sum up the latest from the rumor milsl...

The Zune currently is based on a Toshiba Gigabeat. It is a second rate player, and Microsoft is looking for a new manufacturer. They have apparently contracted with a Chinese factory, and that cuts Toshiba out of the picture. Secondarily, I would suspect that this means that there will also be some significant changes to the product overall.

The next issue is the hard drive. The first generation merely matched the smaller capacity of the Video iPod- 30 gigs. Seriously, I thought this was an engineering mistake. With hard drive prices plummeting like a penny tossed off the Empire State Building, expect this to be increased. How much, we don't know, but I'm hoping it will double to 60 GB. If they're smart this will set the Zune apart from the Apple product by choosing a capacity that they don't currently offer making a direct comparison with the iPod a little more difficult.

The feature that got the most hype prerelease for the original Zune was the wireless transfer. It took folks about two seconds to realize that it was rather worthless to share tracks with such restrictions. Factor in the battery life hit, and it looked like wireless was not for any audio player. However, the Sansa Connect showed that wireless can be used effectively in this segment. I'm not sure if Microsoft will follow the Sansa Connect, but they have a long history of borrowing good ideas and I don't expect them to stop anytime soon.

One of the other product launch mistakes was that there was no entry level model. even if the Zune ever dominated the hard drive segment, it's still a minority of players as flash players outsell their hard drive brethren. Also, factor in the flash memory is getting more affordable at larger sizes, and we can see the hand writing on the wall. It is highly anticipated that the new Zune will have a more affordable entry level model that is flash based at 4 and 8 GB.

Of course, that only leaves the question in my mind if they will continue to make the player in brown. While they probably will, I hope they don't as I'd rather see it in just about any other color!

--Jonas

It's an interesting read to see what I thought about the Zune before it came out. Much of what I thought was pretty close to the mark.