Ah, rivalries; is there anything more
productive? For more than two decades Microsoft and Apple have been going
toe-to-toe on just about every electronic frontier imaginable. This not so
friendly competition has born some great products; from Windows to the MacBook,
this knock-down, drag-out corporate brawl has truly made us, the consumers, the
benefactors of their battles. But one area where Microsoft (and quite frankly,
all other gadget makers) has never really made an impact is in the music biz. Apple’s
iPod is now a household name and nearly household product as well. Microsoft,
already behind the ball, retorted with the Zune and ever since flame-wars have
erupted sporadically across the web. Now, 2 years after the iPod Touch was
released, Redmond is releasing their long-overdue rebuttal: the Zune HD.
The oft-rumoured upgrade has finally been
officially confirmed by Microsoft as the first touchscreen entry into the Zune
music player line up. The 3.3” 16:9 widescreen OLED screen will provide that oh-so-marketable
capacitive interface, bringing multi-touch to Zune aficionados at a 480×272
resolution. So, what makes it HD?
First, there’s the ability to output video
at 720p, meaning you can dump those Planet Earth episodes onto your Zune and
play them on your high-def television (if, that is, you purchase the docking
station. A sad tack-on that will no doubt hinder the products marketability
when commercials have to append the ‘HD video sold seperately’ disclaimer at
the end).
The second component of the Zune HD is the
HD radio functionality. This upgraded brand of radio enables broadcasters to
send out additional information, including artist and track info, along with a
much needed boost in sound quality. Whether you are aware or not, this
technology is already being used by most radio stations across North America. However, the
Zune HD will be the first portable music player to support HD radio.
Another area that has been greatly
overhauled is the internet integration. The Zune HD will sport a specialized
version of Internet Explorer that supports multi-touch browsing.
What we don’t know: Microsoft has been mum
on the exact release date, citing the window to be “early fall.” They’ve also
remained silent on the pricing front, though one should expect it to be
competitively priced with the iPod Touch. And finally, no storage capacity
information has been released to date.
One of the big questions leading up to the
Zune HD’s release will be whether this is enough to start tipping the scales in
Microsoft’s favour. A cursory glance of the highlighted features suggest that Redmond is still
interested in catching up than taking the lead on new features and technology.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.
