Walt Review

Much has been made of the latest review by Mossberg. What I think is interesting is the apparently negative reaction throughout some of the blogs. When Walt concludes his article this way, "Overall, the iPod and iTunes are still the champs. Still, I expect the Zune to attract some converts and to get better with time. And this kind of competition from a big company with deep pockets and lots of talent is good for consumers in the long run." I don't see it as a negative. In fact, that's pretty good praise from Walt. So, I thought I'd look at the biggest concerns these guys have and see if there is merit to them.

Size - the first gripe is that it is "chunky." There is no denying that it is larger than the iPod. True enough. But, the stats don't really do it justice until you hold it in your hand. We could debate that the larger screen means a bigger physical size (it does) and the double-shot process adds a bit of bulk (also true), the real test is does it feel good in your hand or in your pocket. In my experience, once people hold it and feel the weight (yes, it is weight distributed) and the texture, they are sold. Is it big? Maybe, but it certainly isn't too big. And once you play with the interface, you're sold. Even Walt agrees on that point.

Battery - Much has been made of the battery life. But, the stats don't bear out much of the criticism. If you use Walt's points, then we have an hour less battery life when the Wi-Fi is turned on. But, he also points out that we have better battery playback for things like video. Is anyone really going to use the product for 14 hours straight? Unless you fly to Asia like I do, the answer is probably not. I'll be bold enough to state that whether you get 14 hours (iPod) or 13 hours (Zune + Wi-Fi) you're probably going to recharge about the same amount. I think that's kind of a Red Herring.

Points - Walt criticizes that we use points instead of dollars. I can see the merits of this argument. It took me a really long time to get used to the concept of points on the Xbox. However, now that I am habituated to using them, I find it quite convenient. As we roll-out world-wide, having one "universal standard" can be quite helpful. I personally think that points will be a stumbling block for some, but being able to use the same currency between Xbox and Zune will not be a barrier for most folks in the target demographic.

Songs - We also get criticized for the number of songs in the catalog. I'll argue that this is a bit of a red herring as well. What really matters is if you search for a song and it is not there. I'll bet with 2 million songs, there will rarely be a song you can't find. In my personal tests, this appears to be true. In some cases, bigger might not be better.

Screen size - We get criticized for having a larger screen, but not increasing the resolution. I'd be hard pressed to find anyone who can tell the difference between a native 640 x 480 resolution device and a 320 x 240 device at 3". I think we all think we can, but the reality is that it is pretty hard.

Wireless sharing - Walt is not convinced that this is good feature. He thinks it is a bit Draconian to enforce the 3 days/3 plays rule. Maybe. I think a better criticism is the analogy of the guy with the first telephone. But, that changes over time. Everyone I show this to loves it and I think kids in school will find it a cool feature.

Accessories - here's where I take exception. Criticized for ONLY having a hundred accessories? What? I'm not going to even dignify that with a response! ;)

Walt gives us lots of kudos, software, UI, and subscription models. I think he gives us some fair critiques as well regarding points and wireless. If somebody asked me if I thought Walt's article was fair, I'd say yes. If somebody asked me if I was happy with the article, I say I feel pretty good about it.