So as we understand it, apparently Microsoft secretly slipped 100 hot pink (or shall we say,
magenta?)
Zunes into the retail market for purchase, where only especially eagle-eyed buyers would notice what they were getting before taking it home and opening up their rather eye-catching player. (For lawsuit's sake, it's in the fine print on the bottom of the box.) Supposedly there's another 100 pink Zunes that were given out to the Zune team, but we doubt those will be up on eBay any time soon, as is at least one of the pinks. Kind of a bummer though for that dude. You get what you thought was going to be your white (or brown or black) Zune home just to find out you've got a limited edition -- great, except that of all the colors to surprise a user with, statistically speaking pink might be the worst selection.
Oh yeah, and in other news somebody hacked
XNJB -- the Mac app that makes use of select Windows-centric portable media devices -- to at least partially rock out Zune style (which so far as we know uses a variant of MTP, kind of like how it also appears to use a variant of PlaysForSure). Hot diggity, pink Zune on a Mac, can you get any more esoteric?
Read - Pink Zune eBay auction [Via
Zune Info]
Read - Zune on a Mac [Thanks, Nate]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben @ Nov 28th 2006 2:49AM
its ugly.
i want one.
adrian @ Nov 28th 2006 3:12AM
Magenta is the new black/white/blue/red
south @ Nov 28th 2006 3:18AM
i have to say, zune's "let's get started" sticker is a lot more inviting than the iPod's "don't steal music" one. Giving the middle finger to your brand-new device (as i did to that iPod) is never really a good start.
stickers aside, though, i'd still buy a new iPod over a Zune anyday.
Ryan Gardner @ Dec 3rd 2006 3:37PM
Zune doesn't have to remind you to "not steal music" because part of the purchase price of your Zune was a tax paid to Universal. You've already paid for the right to steal music.
v1m @ Nov 28th 2006 3:24AM
Welcome to the social. . .metrosexuals!
wes @ Nov 28th 2006 3:37AM
ohoh m$ be careful, don't bring it out here in germany. the german telecom would sue youre ass for using their color!
yeah it's a registered trademark here
Jamar @ Nov 28th 2006 5:14AM
Telekom/T-Mobile, right? We have T-Mobile in the US too with the same color (not sure if they trademarked it in the US, though- when I saw this I almost expected a T-Mobile logo to be hidden in there somewhere...)
Austin @ Nov 28th 2006 3:44AM
A Zune on a Mac!
Crack-A-Lackin'!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5ENLm0JsQw
Edward @ Nov 28th 2006 4:22AM
pink zune.... is it completely gone to red poop? I don't know. it's not pretty. let's get started? well, yeah. for starting, you take more than 1-2 hours including zune software. it's not a start but disaster. then you will get problems with software, and stuck in there for a while. with ipod, you don't have to get problems. it just works!
Sasha S. @ Nov 28th 2006 4:41AM
I have a theory here:
We all know that advertising agencies and many creative people (designers and videographers) are heavy Apple users. So wouldn't it be something if all those people are secretly contacted by Apple and persuaded to make awfull work for Zune. Poor saps from Microsoft are so clueless about what is cool that they simply go along with it and pay for ads and PR effort. But all people get to see about Zune is utterly uncool and dorky stuff. Now that is a (conspiracy) theory that could explain a lot!
I mean PINK zune? Note to Microsoft: PINK is ONLY cool if you make a "Hello Kitty" edition of Zune. Otherwise - don't even go there girl!
Has anyone here seen Zune TV Ads? My goodness, looks like something guys from the comedy show "The Office" would make. I surely hope that Microsoft will continue with Zune so that we can see if "reverse-Helo" effect holds true. Can lame product actually negatively influence the sales of other Microsoft products? Any thoughts on this one?
Rohit Kapur @ Nov 28th 2006 9:05AM
lol... Nice. Your mind works in devious ways, and yeah, they're the best kind. :-)
chewbaca @ Nov 28th 2006 5:39PM
pink is the new black, jack. black is so fall of 1995. i, for one work in advertising and your theory is very correct. notice how a lot of commercials have apple computers in them?
kadajawi @ Nov 28th 2006 6:24AM
Haha Sasha, great idea, might be true.
T-Mobile was founded by the Telekom and somehow belongs to them, more or less (think they were getting together again...).
Let's get started is quite positive... don't know about the iPod, but don't steal music is bad, if they really do that. I think they should license Let's get it started from Black Eyed Peas and play it as soon as you start the player. Or wait... guess not everyone likes that song.
Ps: Pink almost never looks cool. In a lounge or a hip and trendy car interior, yeah, can, with the right shade or pink. But on a mobile phone/MP3 player... never.
mct75 @ Nov 28th 2006 7:38AM
crippled wifi is lame... MS could have used low power bluetooth, or made the wifi do something cool.(internets?) But instead, they reserved it for the lamest possible way to 'share' music. Dumbasses. Does anyone here think that crap is cool?
Lattyware @ Nov 28th 2006 7:40AM
It's not pink, It's lightish red!
(RvB FTW)
thechad @ Nov 28th 2006 8:30AM
Yes, magenta is a manly color. Pink is for girls and frat guys.
Viakenny @ Nov 28th 2006 8:44AM
I'd buy a pink Zune.
seriously!
Chris @ Nov 28th 2006 8:54AM
Well, I don't see a problem with pink in general. Look how the pink nano is selling on Amazon's best seller list. It's selling more than any Zune at the moment. The real problem is that pink is for women and women generally prefer a smaller sized player like the nano (is this too much of a stereotype?). The Zune is boxy like an old Volvo and I don't think pink suits it very well.
Also, it sucks for the guys who accidentally bought it.
Dave95 @ Nov 28th 2006 10:05AM
Pepto-Bismol Pink goes well with the Brown Zune, dont you think?
But seriously, women generally go for attractive looking gadgets. The Zune is the total opposite of attractive! Microsoft seems to be throwing all of Apples playbook at this Zune but failing badly. Closed Zune+Marketplace, Propriety USB, Accessories Partners, Elegant Packaging, and now Pepto-Bismol Pink.
Josh @ Nov 28th 2006 10:39AM
Found a second one on ebay, apparently 19 out of the 100:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-MICROSOFT-ZUNE-MP3-PLAYER-PINK-LIMITED-EDITION_W0QQitemZ260056766303QQihZ016QQcategoryZ147175QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Nick @ Nov 28th 2006 10:49AM
even if that telecom/tmobile have a trademark on their notorious magenta color. They cant just trademark all PINK or MAGENTA. They can only trademark their specific color of Magenta that they use. Otherwise they would have surely sued Motorola with those Fusia Razr's that are offered to other carriers than just Telecom/Tmobile.
macstibs @ Nov 28th 2006 12:04PM
GAH - Gag me with a Zune!
Cop Rock @ Nov 28th 2006 2:58PM
Have any of you Zune experts ever tried this player? Amazing, how you know so much about it and feel threatened by it at the same time. It's a freakin dap, no more no less. Costs the same as an ipod, has a bigger screen and has a radio in it. It is slightly larger, big deal. Hopefully there will soon be a matching wifi receiver that connects to your stereo so you can use your Zune as a remote control. Does Apple have anything like that? No, and don't tell me a blue tooth connector from belkin is a hifi solution. And, no I'm not interested in a lap top with air port/stereo connectivity.
I did play with the Zune recently and you know what, the bigger screen IS significant. And you know what else...I thought it sounded a little better than the ipod.
As for the comment that you simply plug in an ipod and it works: I beg to differ. Does any one remember the pc compatibility issues with Musicmatch and the 2nd generation ipod? Gee, it took Apple about a year to figure that one out.
Choices are good. The Zune is not perfect, however it's not that bad either.
someToast @ Nov 28th 2006 3:55PM
"Have any of you Zune experts ever tried this player?"
Yeah, and it blew.
Does it blow less in pink? Awesome!
werrt @ Nov 28th 2006 5:30PM
Here are some facts you get wrong
first "has a bigger screen" no it has exacly the same size screen in pixels
"Hopefully there will soon be a matching wifi receiver that connects to your stereo so you can use your Zune as a remote control. Does Apple have anything like that? No, "
Yes Apple does really have somthing like that it is called airtunes.
raichu @ Nov 28th 2006 4:02PM
The people who bash Microsoft or Zune without having actually used this player are just haters. The ipod lovers who keep bashing the Zune are only proving to everyone a serious contender is here, and you guys are worried it may hurt ipod or Apple. So you say bad things about it to protect the reputation of your beloved ipod. If Zune really was "so bad", you would not have to keep bashing it, you would just ignore it. No other mp3 has gotten so much hate comments. Zune gets it because Microsoft is the company behind it.
That being said, I wish I had gotten a pink Zune, because I would sell it on ebay and make at least $500 on it. Then I would use the money to buy a black Zune and keep the extra $250.
cosmicrob010 @ Nov 28th 2006 5:25PM
I hearby nominate 'fanboy'as a banned word for 2007.
John @ Nov 28th 2006 5:41PM
Pixels/size. Looking at the two side by side, I'll take the larger size screen.
Airtunes requires a computer, that's not what I was talking about.
cjrenaud @ Nov 28th 2006 6:07PM
Resolution != Size
Duh.
damien @ Nov 28th 2006 8:17PM
I'm not a fan of the pink (or "magenta") Zune, but I would buy the orange one in a heartbeat!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/courage/297952883
Jeramy @ Nov 29th 2006 12:35AM
mac compatablility is probably a major reason why i'm getting an ipod this christmas. and i hate chich products. but i am an apple fan and when i get around to buying a mac (i admittedly don't own one yet), i want my dap to be able to sync up and everything. zune has the xbox connection (which should blossom i would hope) and hopefully more community building on the way. but still, ipod, while completely overused (a big turn-off to me), seems like the best choice.
oh and gapless playback. does the zune allow this? i wouldn't be getting an ipod if they didn't just enable this.
Tech Diva XXX @ Nov 29th 2006 5:01PM
They should have just offered this for sale outright. People who want magenta will buy it. Look at the fuschia Nano. Getting surprised when you thought you bought black or white, not good.
Molly C @ Dec 3rd 2006 3:56PM
Looks pretty cool, actually.
Molly C @ Dec 3rd 2006 5:04PM
One of these went for $920 on ebay, just now:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260056766303
Jessica Lynn @ Apr 17th 2007 4:39AM
I actually own a magenta zune. one of the 100 from the launch team. Its got the standard zune logo on the back, but it also has the zune name written on it, 'welcome to the social' and 'November 14th, 2007.' its really sweet. The pink isn't a bad color, the picture at the top of this page does it no justice. i love mine and wouldn't trade it for the world. They did also release 100 bright orange ones to the launch team that have the same inscriptions on the back as mine, the magenta one does. It's awesome.