Can't wait to hear official specs on it. Everyone pray for decent battery life.

You'd think that they could make it look less IPODish though!

JEEZ

Pumi

Why is it that any PMP that has a circle on it is instantly shunned off as ipodish? Newsflash, the stupid circle, wheel, whatever you want to call it, interface was seen long before apple even thought of making the ipod.

Soon the sheep will claim that the idea for automobile steering wheels was stolen from Gates by Packard, when Gates used his time machine "the iChronoRoam" and took a ride with the Packard Brothers in their first model automobile; gates forgot his ipod in the car, you see?

Stop drinking the kool-aid before it's too late.

I think it looks really clean. But ultra-scratch prone. I hope they used good materials.

Its funny that people would hate a relatively small company like apple so much and would be fiercly defensive of an insane monolith like microsoft. Let's hope that insanely rich microsoft can cut into the sales of mediumly rich apple! And Yes, the fact that all new mp3 players of interest look that much like an ipod does make it "ipodish" be it sandisk, samsung, microsoft, whatever...You can hate the ipod but you can't deny that they all look like it even if they are apparently "improved versions." It's not just the wheel dude.

another note about sheep...ipod's aside, apple computers make up less than 10% of computer users. That other huge percentage uses mostly windows (another interesting lookalike, and did you see vista? seemed to be getting more and more OSXish by the day). Now If the sheep analogy applies to ipod users because they are a majority group of people that don't look for alternatives(or whatever the arguement is), then how would that apply in the computer realm? yeah...

Don, where did I state that I hate the ipod? I love the ipod from a technological standpoint, but I have a personal distaste for proprietary software. As for your other statements, I own and manage windows, apple and linux boxes; they each have their pluses and minuses and you won't hear me say otherwise. I have a very open mind when it comes to my gear, but I will not stand for someone putting restrictions on what I can do with MY music. As soon as I can drag on drop my mp3s on to an ipod, pull em off on to my on to my desktop and have other free range with MY MUSIC, then and only then will I consider buying one. Get it?

The problem here is you close minded iNazis come on ANYTHINGBUTIPOD (it's right there in the name, stupid) just to start flame wars over pointless crap like a stupid circle. We get it, you love your ipod; good for you. For some of us, the ipod just doesn't fulfill our needs or justify its weight in cash and compromise. That's why we come to this site. You've got your beloved player, so let us find a PMP that works for us in peace.

I'm confused about how restrictions are being put on my music. I pretty much do what i want. Including taking music off the ipod (i know it takes third part software, and a little inconvienent, but in no way very restricting at all.)

I understand Ipods are not for everyone. I just think that calling people that have them or like them "sheep," Is a bit silly, unjustified, and/or just stupid. I doubt I'm a closeminded nazi. Patrick just wanted something that looked less like an Ipod for the Argo, I doubt he is a mindless, nazi, sheep, just for (correctly) thinking something looks like an Ipod. Now who's the flamey flamer?

Who knows maybe it will be better. the wireless thing sounds like a sweet deal.

anyway, just saying. you don't need to be so angry all the time.

Flash or HDD? anyone?

The article states a "standard 1.8" hard drive"

ipods = idiots

apple is successful becase people with less than pigeons brain like being spanked by apple again and again and again..

they are so ignorant that don't even know other mp3 players exist. its because of mass advertisements by apple. do u see any other mp3 players advertising so much? apple knows ipods are just pretty looking, that's all there is to it, so they must find a way to fool people and that is keep them in the dark, and excessive ad campaign.

its faken annoying everyone bashes msft for bundling IE and WMP. but nobody has problem when apple forces people to buy overpriced hardwares from apple. even when they force people to buy music from itunes and ituens only. apple should be tried in crminal court before microsoft. at least MSft is not forcing people.

die apple die.

ipods are pathetic excrements for people like trying-to-find-"ANY KEY"-to-press.

Finally, after long awaited years Microsoft enters the portable media player market. Being able to throw vast amount of resources behind something, Microsoft can break another monopoly as they have done with Xbox.

Funny how Microsoft is being put down left and right when from an unbiased standpoint they are keeping things competitive.

Do try to remember before Microsoft controlled the market in the OS field, it was Apple, up until Windows 95/NT.

It was Windows 95/NT that helped to establish Microsoft in the superior role. It was more than just Microsoft building an OS it was Apple becoming complacent in their Superior role. With the superior being a reference to market shares.

Side note, Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, and Apple was founded on April 1, 1976.

With Microsoft’s entrance to the field of PMP, Apple will finally have to do something more than maintain a questionable level of quality in their product. Cause now they have an opponent who can match them ad for ad, player for player, deal for deal. Will Apple implode on itself like it did with its OS?

Granted, Microsoft might not provide the ALL POWERFUL UBER PMP but it will put the competitive fight back into the market and guess what? Apple may lose some of its market share to the other players as people take notice of the OTHER PMPs that are out there.

Personal thought on the Argo, it doesn't look Ipodish at all but something akin to a Sansa or Samsung...actually the player it looks like I can't recall the name of at the moment but it was not an iPod. Maybe it was a iAudio 6. Its the Big screen with small control that gives it that look.

I hope they go with the WMA Pro format over the WMA format and take a leap of faith by going with Ogg Vorbis, in particularly Ogg Vorbis aoTuV as it has proven to have superior audio quality in numerous audio listening tests on Hydrogen Audio, and have less problem samples than Lame Mp3. Also, it’s open source and free, bonus for Microsoft who has had to rethink its stance on Open Source Software.

I do love the fact that it will be Xbox360 compatible.

- Gow

New news! It'll be called the Zune. Here's a link to the Engadget article

http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/zune-what-we-know-think-we-know-and-dont-yet-know/

and a link to the Zune's viral marketing site.

http://www.comingzune.com/

question : will you buy a bag of excrements with Apple logo on it?

Mac user : (excited tone) OH YES! OH YES! OH YES! GIVE IT TO ME STEVE. AH.
PC user : for once in my life, yah, i'd buy an Apple product and shove it in Steve's mouth.