Thursday, October 18, 2007

Zune-ness of Zune 2.0

is there a single more ugly device on the planet today than the zune?

pray tell, how did microsoft do this? sure, version one, first one out the door, the OEM manufacturing could only do this box like plastic thing that looks like its from a second rate taiwanese manufacturer. but...they liked it so much THEY DID IT AGAIN!! its an ugly hunk of crap that no user could get past. maybe its actually an experiment to find some interesting lower bound in aesthetic but maximum leverage of the brand to get high ROI.

get the folks that designed the xbox360 controller to design a zune. hint: think smooth edges, SMOOOTH.

3 comments:

KimPallister said...

Given that the Zune team is comprised of many of the original X360 team, I would not be surprised if the contracted many of the same people in it's design.

I actually don't think it's that bad. It's not an apple product, that's for sure. But I have two of them and don't think they are so bad. To say there's nothing uglier on the planet? Come on. That's a little harsh. Have a look at generic-mp3-player land, or the miriad of cell phones, and I'd say Zune's on the upper end of the scale.

You're just a little spoiled with your iphone :-)

adam lake said...

okay okay, not the ugliest thing on the planet. but i expect more from microsoft. actually, i can think of another company right away that has designed even worse consumer products.

my point is that it DOES look like a generic MP3 player from an OEM contract manufacturer, same as all the thousands I've seen at CES, many that didn't make it to store shelves in the US.

it is hard to think about what to do here that will be amazing. i think there has been a consious decision to not go head to head with apple on design, and that actually probably makes sense. i just wish this wasn't the policy.

think touch screen, keep the wireless sync, that is awesome, fm tuner is a bonus (but think about some innovation...an hd fm tuner for example).....

later, my iphone is buzzing....

Anonymous said...

Dude, this first guy doesn't know what he's talking about. The 360's controller is horrible! For one, it's not even consistent from one version (wireless, non-wireless) to the next. I.e., the bulky and ugly battery box underneath some of them. Complete crap.
And MS is so retarded that they won't open the wireless spec so that companies that know how to make quality controllers (like Logitech) can provide alternatives.