That design just screams of cheap "MP4 Player" knockoff.

Just in time to be ignored by everyone drooling over touch screen iPods next Wednesday.

If these are real... WTH? Too bad they can't find a form factor to match their reasonably slick interface. Game over.

I agree with both ^^^

The iPod has much better software integration with iTunes. My friend bought a Zune and had so many problems with it. Don't waste you money.

A birdie told me these are real

Please say this means they're dropping the brown.

*giggle*

What's with the "Mickey Mouse" button scheme? lol

@Spyrojoe: no, i liked the brown! the gadget world has enough shiny black, white, and god forbid pink, music players.

The squared off circle is hurting my eyes. Looks like it got run over by a small car.

@morph3us:
I'm all for brown, but that particular shade is fugly.

Can someone find the average # of Zunes breaking? From my experaince with several people who have purchased brand new day 1 Zunes, have seen no flaws what so ever. Well no breaking that is. I know Ipods break quite often though.

don 't like the new design.

Brown Zune FTW

I smell another tattoo on a fat fanboy

Oh noes, it's starting to take the shape of the iPod scroll wheel.. Still not with the scrolling function I presume.

If these are real: Microsoft, why are you doing this to yourself?? Why?

Dropping the brown is a great idea. It only lends itself to the "brick of poo" jokes.

Although now they're going to have a green one according to that, so... spinach poo?

I sure hope they didn't do a fakey colored facade and a shinola back plate a la iPod. The original Zune had a complete all-round gropetastic feel to it.

@stat321:
Because their Entertainment Division is masochistic. Pump out hardware that breaks in the case of the 360 and their other "flagship" with software integration issues.

Where does the heat sink go?

I doubt that these are real. Prob a mock up by some Apple fanboy right before the Sept 5th iPod announcement.

...They're too ugly to be real... right?

@doinka: can't speak on iTunes since I've never owned an iPod, but I just got my Zune from the woot.com deal 2 days ago and the software was a breeze to work with.

the Marketplace itself seems slow, but I don't buy DRMed music anyways, I just rip from CDs I own and that was simple with the Zune software, and it automatically synced the albums to my Zune when it was done ripping. really quite painless.

@SchruteBuck: HAHAHAH oh god thats good.

@MarkHawk: The only Zune FTW will be if Apple and Creative go out of business. Then maybe Zune FTW

These images are so fake! lol Keep dreaming apple fanboys.

@EvilJ: Touche.

I am not a fanboy of either Microsoft or Apple. I like to think that I'm equal opportuniy, but at this point Microsoft might as well just hand over some marketshare to Apple.

How unintelligent are some of you people. Taking the shape of a clickwheel now? The first model had a CIRCLE control. The controls are also D-pad style like the original, not touch. They are thinner than the original as well, and come in various colors, including brown.

Thanks.

Im just saying if this is real then Microsoft better release it or make it public before the 5th. That is unless they like being drowned by new iPod news.

Man, these look really dated now.

@MarkHawk: You are probably seeing more iPods in need of repair because there are a bazillion iPods out there.
I've seen one Zune in public. One.

@ SOCKMONKEY
not everyone wants touch screens. I see this as a smart move. Apple will alienate a lot of their base with a touch screen device. Believe it or not, some people dont like looking at their own fingerprints all over the screen they are trying to read.

@doinka: "The iPod has much better software integration with iTunes"

Which is exactly why I never got, and will never get, an iPod.

@silomunke: ipods are finnicky little pieces of shit. i'm an apple....but please give me something that lasts more than a year.

@stat321:
Yeah, I could care less, really. My wife has an old-ass iPod photo but she's constantly borrowing my little USB-stick MP3 player because it's smaller and has an FM tuner... and it cost $50.

I would be more interested in these things if the screens weren't so brutally small, but then again, that's why I don't own a handheld anything (DS, PSP, whatever). So, I'm obviously not in the target demographic.

I still find it hilarious that someone on here with a Bill Gates avatar had the gumption to criticize the new Sony Video Walkman by saying "the Zune has nothing to worry about."

I would wager a guess that more of these are stolen from retailers than purchased.

These look as real as Google's gPhone!

[gphone.corank.com]

@theimmc:
THANK YOU. I hate iTunes. Glad to see I'm not the only one.

The way I see it, it's a lot like Star Wars. Microsoft is the evil Empire, and Apple is the bunch of hippies running around in the forest with teddy bears. Actually, it's exactly like Star Wars. Guess that makes me Uncle Owen.

I'm gonna call this one a fake... for one thing, the screen looks quite small.

@joe23521: oh no! do ovals make you sick too?

@morph3us: have had my 1st gen nano for 2 years coming up in september. Never an issue.

I hope MS, or someone - anyone, makes something to create some competition against the iPod/iTunes machine. If one player is too big, they tend to rest and decay - like IE.

@SOCKMONKEY:Not to mention the new ipod will have a 120gb hdd... And if this is the new zune it looks even more like the LG Chocolate then it did before.

I don't think enough people on here have tried the Zune to criticize it. I recently bought one for $150, thinking I would give it as a gift. I ended up giving my iPod as the gift, because I liked the Zune so much.

Oh well... to each their own.

@MarkHawk:

ya, wtf are you talking about zunes breaking? i NEVER heard of ANYONES zune breaking. I took mine back to best buy and lied that it was broken just so i could get a new color. ^_^

Looks fake.

Real or not it's a substantial improvement over the first model. I really kinda like that navigation button.

@Dute:
I've played a bit with one, and it was no different in experience than the iPod I own... which is either a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it. I'm not saying the Zune sucks, it's just trying to climb into a heavily dominated market with something that costs the same (MSRP) and doesn't offer enough to take on the perceived "champ". Had they released the Zune and undercut the price of the iPod by $100 or something initially, it may have had a fighting chance.

Why use so much front space for the freakin' button when they can use it for the screen??

Looks like someone is trying to put a round hole in a square peg.

PS-I own a brown Zune. Bought it for $200.00 net a year ago. It only syncs when it wants to. I use it for archival album stuff and an Insignia(BEST BUY) 1gig for all my rapid change podcast stuff. The Insignia is as big as a postage stamp, color screen. replaceable battery, 18 hour uninterupted listening with a great wound. Long live the brand names to drive down the knockoffs.

damn they r still ugly, i like my ipod much better. but i love the zune's built in radio and wide screen.

@silomunke: This is true, iPods do outnumber Zunes at least 5 to 1 but I'd still like to see number.

@djfoxx64: I never said anything about Zunes breaking... I said I don't know of any broken Zunes but I'd like to see what the fail rate is. I know iPods fail rate is higher I was just asking for #'s like people have been doing with the ps3 and 360 these past few weeks.

I like my Zune and while I like the iPod features I am not a fan of the design. It just is to bright and flashy but its also a lot of steel or rounded 70's designs which isn't my taste.

The software for both have there pros and cons. I iTunes has more to buy, Zune allows me to rent till I feel the need to go to a store and buy it. Itunes doesn't drain my system, Zune is pretty and finds my album artwork fast, etc etc etc.

I juts like having choices. With competition comes benefits to consumers. Im waiting for buy one Zune get the second free, you know... to expand the social.

Also still waiting for marketplace on the go for Zunes. And Video to download. Zune screen rocks and doesn't drain my battery as fast as it should for it's size and quality.

It's giving me a yawn-on.

@djfoxx64: Your more likely to spot a wild moose in NYC than to spot a Zune.