The other day a Zune ad popped up that said it would cost $30k to fill up an iPod. Well, it has taken it's brunt of abuse, but it's pretty good really. Head over to GotZune and watch it if you haven't yet.

Well, Penny Arcade takes a stab at the Zune Pass concept using Microsoft's ad as the inspiration... 
Well, the ad has a point, but what they are forgetting is that it would take about 167 years to rack up a $30k bill paying $15 a month for the Zune Pass service. And, it fails to mention the 10 free songs per month that you get with Zune Pass. Let's say you pick 10 songs that iTunes users pay $1.29 for... Well, that would mean the Zune Pass guy paid $2.00 more for the same amount of owned music in a month, but the Zune Pass guy gets 1000's of "Rented Music" too. Until Apple jumps on the "Zune Pass" concept themselves, the only thing they have going for them is the hardware that many love.

Yes, I do realize that not many people are actually going to fill their iPods with $30k worth of iTunes music, but still. I know that there is still a ton of stealing happening out there. I realize that many have massive CD collections that they ripped themselves. I can buy that, but the concept of the Zune Pass advertising is quite right. Me, I have been "Renting" my music since the Yahoo Music Service in the early 2000s.

Source: Penny Arcade via Gizmodo

Hmmm... I like the sources...

Jason over at Zune Thoughts posted this today. Thanks Jason, thanks Paul.

More at Ars too.

It's not too late to get in on the Zune craze that is currently sweeping the country and taking the world by storm (it's not actually doing that, but GET EXCITED people!).  The grand old poobah of the Zune line, the 30GB is available at Woot! for $79.99 + $5 shipping in black, white, and sweet beautiful brown.  That's really not a bad price just to buy one as a backup or a gift.  

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!  To top it off, over at sellout.woot! they're selling the Microsoft V2 car pack for a measly $9.99.  From what I quickly googled, it looks like it works with ANY Zune and normally sells on other sites for $50-$60.  IT'S A STEAL.  

These deals are available until they run out, and if we've learned anything from the Zune Woot! sales from days of yore, these puppies go fast.  Get one now!

Does this mean I have listened to this album more than anyone else?

I am kind of removed from the social and not up to speed with the new features and badges and crap. That release was about the time I bowed out.

I still use my Zune 120 daily and have been doing the Zune Pass since day 1, but just not into the social much.

So, last night some user on Twitter called Officethemovie made some statements that several took as a Zune Phone announcement. The 1st one was simple...

- June 2009 will be an important month for Zune lovers.

Then the 2nd tweet...

- New product launch, that's all I'm allowed to say. Hold off from buying an iPhone/Pre.

Well, this sent the blogosphere into a guessing/rumor frenzy and stories popped up all over the place.

Well, Gizmodo was suspicious and for good reason. This is a Twitter account that seems to attempt to be Microsoft yet they posted from Tweetie, a Mac Twitter Client. Giz noticed a couple other things that didn't seem right too and they have and update that puts an end to this one...

UPDATE: This Twitter account is link to from the OfficetheMovie website, but at best that makes the Twitter account the official mouthpiece of a part of the marketing team for a Microsoft product with little-to-no relation to the Zune project, not an infallible voice of the Zune division, much less the company as a whole.

We are all hungry for news, so I can see why this worked. I often times think about a way to create a fake "leaked product" buzz just to see how the rumors get twisted and how fast they spread.

Eh? I almost shut this site down last weekend due to time and lack of desire to blog about Zune after the kidney punch I received from Microsoft last year. I discussed this with a couple guys and they expressed how many people still actually read the blog even after I stopped the rapid fire posting that I got some of you used to.

I decided to let it ride. It would be unfair to the true Zune fans that enjoy the original commentary we share here. Sorry for thinking about that. I will never share what happened publicly, but I think I can move on from it now.

Where'd the forums go?
Not too long ago, we had a stellar day in the forums. The posting was through the roof. One of the biggest days ever. We had over 46,000 posts in one day. The problem is, they were all spam. I didn't have time to clean them, so I shut the forums down. I will get back to that soon. Sorry.

Thanks to Soccerfreak and Adam Stafford for keeping my baby alive!

This is awesome. I know many cars have build in iPod support, but finally a car with Zune support built in. Sadly, this is the car I decided last weekend that I was NOT going to pursue. I initially wanted one real bad (posted in 2006), but I decided that I should stick to my Mustang.

“Hi All:

Just a quick note to let you all know that we had our first confirmed & successful test of Zune against a GM vehicle in the wild today.

One of our staff visited a Chevy dealership to confirm that the new Camaro’s MP3 connectivity kit worked great with production Zunes. The test was very successful – and this culminates a considerable amount of work with both GM in Detroit and their supplier in Korea to ensure a great user experience.

Zune connectivity is a standard feature on the Camaro which is the first of some 28 models to support Zune as this feature is rolled out across GM models in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia through 2011.

Just thought you folks might like to know. More deals, more makes and more models to come shortly!

Cheers, Dave�

This was posted on a blog by Michael A. Gannotti (via). Thanks so much for sharing, this is stellar.

       In an effort to promote the Zune pass, Microsoft has created a new ad, focusing on the benefits of the Zune pass over apples pricing. Wes Moss, a "certified financial planner", discusses the benefits of using Zune Pass.

       I've got to hand it to Microsoft. Of all the commercials so far, this has got to be one of the best. Instead of showing seemingly random people explore wonderland, this commercial actually talks about something Zune related, while also taking a shot at apple. Especially in these tough financial times, it's important to focus on pricing. We can only hope they stick with this style for future commercials.

Microsoft has accompanied this commercial with www.zunepass.net , a site that basically expresses the same ideas.

Information is slowly getting about about the ZuneHD and what to expect from it. The most interesting is the content delivery of HD quality entertainment that will potentially be offered via Microsoft Mediaroom.  Although there is also speculation over Microsoft building a type of copyright monitoring authority into the ZuneHD device that would pay close attention to your content.

If true this will definitely create a content offering with quality unlike that offered on other devices.  There is no information as of yet on whether the output to TV will be able to connect to an HDTV.  Now they should consider how to add Netflix content streams to the device as done with the XBox360!

Citing unnamed sources within the company, Neowin claims the Zune HD will sport a 3.6-inch multi touch OLED display and an HDMI connection on the side to stream content directly to TVs. Nvidia's Tegra graphics chip for mobile devices will be powering the new Zune, which will come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 120GB versions. Other features include an HD Radio, support for wireless connectivity and a web browser.

The Zune platform is also being completely overhauled and further unconfirmed rumors suggest the updated device would even support "3D Xbox Games," but it is unclear what form this will take - perhaps XBLA titles? We'll have to wait for an official announcement, but if rumors hold true, Microsoft could have a much more competitive device in its hands this time around.

[SOURCE: 'Confirmed' Zune HD specs hit the web - TechSpot News]

Need I say more? Check out the rumored specs: http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=4120

Update: Initial Impressions of the Image.

• That is not a camera on the back. You'll notice theirs one of those small circles at each corner, some sort of screw.
• Interface has gone from all lowercase to all caps.
• Zune logo appears to be etched on back, showing zune originals will continue with this new hardware.
• Lack of "internet" or "Marktplace" options. Could they be hiding somewhere else?