Today's rumors...

[Joe_Linux]

Originally Posted by aimran

John Dvorak is a known anti-Microsoft person.

Just goes to show he is a very smart fellow.

[CrowdAds]

[Joe_Linux]

Does Linux automatically replace the S key with the dollar sign?

No Linux users do when referring to the unbridled Monopoly O$.

[Nickel II]

Originally Posted by sideways

"there are known "knowns." There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know."

Dude, you forgot the unknown knowns, the things that we unknowingly know but do not yet know that we know them.

I don't know about this.

[lion]

Originally Posted by Joe_Linux

No Linux users do when referring to the unbridled Monopoly O$.

And you sir are an unhibited troll. Please crawl under your bridge and play with yourself. Let others here have an intelligent unbiased conversation here.

[eddie.exe]

Originally Posted by lion

And you sir are an unhibited troll. Please crawl under your bridge and play with yourself. Let others here have an intelligent unbiased conversation here.

don't feed then

[bikertrash]

It doesn't make sense for MS to quit PMPs, it's a cheap way to try and test software. There probably isn't a lot of money in PMPs for a company as big as MS, but if half of Zune owners take out the Zune Pass subscription, they could do well. There is probably a Zune HD2 being prepared that can play games like the Touch and have some kind of connection to Xbox as a portable. Hopefully it will keep the present music playing quality as to be worth getting for music and not games.

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by Nickel II

I don't know about this.

roflmao...well-played, sir!

[aimran]

Originally Posted by bikertrash

It doesn't make sense for MS to quit PMPs, it's a cheap way to try and test software. There probably isn't a lot of money in PMPs for a company as big as MS, but if half of Zune owners take out the Zune Pass subscription, they could do well. There is probably a Zune HD2 being prepared that can play games like the Touch and have some kind of connection to Xbox as a portable. Hopefully it will keep the present music playing quality as to be worth getting for music and not games.

Microsoft probably already had in mind the design of the Zune HD2 would look like should as this official rendering from Microsoft that was later removed.

[wmtyrance]

Originally Posted by Mr Manager

I really hate to bite the hand that feeds, as it is so great to have someone from the company as part of this community. In fact, Dave, it was you who gave me a one month free trial that kicked off my Zune Pass membership (still going strong almost a year and a half later). However, I don't really see why everyone is so relieved by this. It is basically the same non-denial denial that Microsoft issued last night.

I absolutely get that you aren't able to say more, but I don't understand why Microsoft isn't saying more. This isn't some Paul Thurott/Mary Jo Foley rumor circulating among the die hards. This is being reported by every major tech news source. Friends of mine who have never even used a Zune are emailing me links to the story on CNN, Wired, and Ars Technica. Sure, there was some initial confusion about whether it was the entire service that was being discontinued or just the hardware, but within a few hours that was clarified and the story being widely reported now is about as unambiguous as it gets. The story from Microsoft (including -- sorry, but I have to say it -- Dave's post here on the boards) runs from ambiguous to completely opaque.

Zune is a great product. We've all had reason to feel frustrated that it wasn't marketed better, and thus has been saddled with a bad reputation in the tech world. That reputation is now pretty much shot. If Zune devices aren't being discontinued, Microsoft needs to say so today (actually, they needed to say that last night), clearly and definitively. I know Microsoft has an announcement coming today. I really hope it involves the future of Zune hardware. If they don't, then Zune hardware is effectively dead, whether Microsoft realizes it now or not.

I feel the same as you. And it really is easy for them to say they are not giving up on Zune when that could just mean the software and new phone. I got alot of double talk from that statement. Also they just started selling it in Canada. Why would you admit it was dead now.

[analog kid]

Originally Posted by aimran

John Dvorak is a known anti-Microsoft person.

He liked the zunehd.

[Mr Manager]

Man, I want one of those fake HD2s in the photo above. Dave, got any lying around your office, by any chance? With 120 GB of storage and WPA2 wireless support? I'll give you a few bucks for shipping...

[Deathscythe]

Originally Posted by analog kid

He liked the zunehd.

alot of people like the zune hd, but still trash on it

[analog kid]

Originally Posted by Deathscythe

alot of people like the zune hd, but still trash on it

Dvorak's positions is usually that MS makes great devices, etc., but that it's too little, too late, and the customer has no reason to care about what the company is doing, which I agree with.

It is a given that everyone's going to bash MS and jibe you for owning a WP7.

[unionjack37]

Actually all my friends love wp7 and think it looks really sexy. They all say they want one when their contracts end. Although I don't think most of them know you have to use the Zune software to sync so that might be a draw back since every time they see my ZuneHD they tell me how much zunes suck and are lame.

[eddie.exe]

I'm starting to see a lot of "via Windows Phone" posts on Facebook. So, good job.

[Confispect]

This would be the perfect time for Zune to come out with something new.

[Angus_NB]

Originally Posted by Confispect

This would be the perfect time for Zune to come out with something new.

I would rather they finish the old one first.
Although it is way ahead of the Windows Phone 7 in media features.

[blackthorne]

It's amazing how one article (bloomberg) can go so viral.....

hopefully its not true and we would all love to see a zune hd2 with phone 7 OS.

[Mr Manager]

Originally Posted by blackthorne

It's amazing how one article (bloomberg) can go so viral.....

hopefully its not true and we would all love to see a zune hd2 with phone 7 OS.

Microsoft could have halted the story if they had come out right away and said "Zune hardware is by no means dead -- the next hardware release is not yet scheduled, but the project is still in active development." Instead, they offered up some doubletalk which could be (pretty easily) read as tacit confirmation that the Zune software would persist, but there would be no new Zune players released.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by Mr Manager

Microsoft could have halted the story if they had come out right away and said "Zune hardware is by no means dead -- the next hardware release is not yet scheduled, but the project is still in active development." Instead, they offered up some doubletalk which could be (pretty easily) read as tacit confirmation that the Zune software would persist, but there would be no new Zune players released.

^THIS is what we've all been saying!!!^

No double talk, no smoke screens, no deception - just give us the TRUTH!!!