iLoungeiLounge
  • News
    • Apple
      • AirPods Pro
      • AirPlay
      • Apps
        • Apple Music
      • iCloud
      • iTunes
      • HealthKit
      • HomeKit
      • HomePod
      • iOS 13
      • Apple Pay
      • Apple TV
      • Siri
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
      • CES
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Font ResizerAa
iLoungeiLounge
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Apple
    • Rumors
    • Humor
    • Technology
    • Daily Deals
    • Articles
    • Web Stories
  • iPhone
    • iPhone Accessories
  • iPad
  • iPod
    • iPod Accessories
  • Apple Watch
    • Apple Watch Accessories
  • Mac
    • MacBook Air
    • MacBook Pro
  • Reviews
    • App Reviews
  • How-to
    • Ask iLounge
Follow US

News

News

Mossberg, Pogue unimpressed by Microsoft Zune

Last updated: May 14, 2021 3:33 pm UTC
By LC Angell

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg and The New York Times’ David Pogue, two of the most well known and widely read tech columnists, both give less than stellar marks to Microsoft’s Zune media player in their reviews of the device today. While both writers give the Zune credit for a handful of features—with Pogue even calling the device “excellent” at one point—they both offer up fairly damaging final reviews.

Advertisements

“This first Zune has too many compromises and missing features to be as good a choice as the iPod for most users,” Mossberg writes. “The hardware feels rushed and incomplete.

It is 60% larger and 17% heavier than the comparable iPod. It has much worse battery life for music than the iPod or than Microsoft claims—at least two hours less than the iPod’s, in my tests. Despite the larger screen, many album covers look worse than they do on the iPod. And you can’t share music libraries between computers like you can with iTunes… 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.”

“Competition is good and all. But what, exactly, is the point of the Zune?” asks Pogue. “It seems like an awful lot of duplication—in a bigger, heavier form with fewer features—just to indulge Microsoft’s ‘we want some o’ that’ envy.

Advertisements

Latest News
The AirPods Pro 2 is $80 Off
The AirPods Pro 2 is $80 Off
1 Min Read
tvOS 26 Apple Music Sing Adds iPhone Karaoke Feature
tvOS 26 Apple Music Sing Adds iPhone Karaoke Feature
1 Min Read
Photos Tabs to Make a Comeback in iOS 26
Photos Tabs to Make a Comeback in iOS 26
1 Min Read
tvOS 26 Users to Have Automatic Sign-In for Apps
tvOS 26 Users to Have Automatic Sign-In for Apps
1 Min Read
The Beats Pill is $50 Off
The Beats Pill is $50 Off
1 Min Read
iOS 26 Users Will Have Storage Reserve Option for Software Updates
App Store Developers May Soon Offer Redemption Codes on iOS
1 Min Read
Apple Silicon Support Added to Steam Client Beta
Apple Silicon Support Added to Steam Client Beta
1 Min Read
M2 Mac Mini Gets Repair Program
M2 Mac Mini Gets Repair Program
1 Min Read
The Powerbeats Pro 2 is $50 Off
The Powerbeats Pro 2 is $50 Off
1 Min Read
Apple Puts iPhone XS on Vintage List
Apple Puts iPhone XS on Vintage List
1 Min Read
iOS 26 Users Will Have Storage Reserve Option for Software Updates
iOS 26 Users Will Have Storage Reserve Option for Software Updates
1 Min Read
iOS 26 to Bring eSIM Android Transfer Support
iOS 26 to Bring eSIM Android Transfer Support
1 Min Read

iLounge logo

iLounge is an independent resource for all things iPod, iPhone, iPad, and beyond. iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, Apple TV, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc.

This website is not affiliated with Apple Inc.
iLounge © 2001 - 2025. All Rights Reserved.
  • Contact Us
  • Submit News
  • About Us
  • Forums
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?