What's The Point Of Putting WiFi On A Device If You Can't Use It?

from the none-at-all dept

Mon, Oct 2nd 2006 8:53pm — Mike Masnick

Microsoft's Zune device, the supposed iPod killer designed by committee, continues to show some of the less-than-inspired design choices that only a committee would love. There was already the lack of support for Microsoft's own ironically named "Plays for Sure" DRM, and now Engadget points out that the greatly hyped WiFi on the device is more or less limited to simply connecting to other Zune devices. You can't use it to connect to the internet. You can't use it to download content. Hell, you can't even use it to connect the Zune to your PC (apparently you have to break out a cable for that one...). It's hard to see the benefit of even using WiFi at all in this case, other than to get some marketing hype that will only lead to disappointed consumers when they realize the device doesn't even do some of the most basic things you'd expect it to do. Of course, it's likely that someone will quickly create a hack, though who knows how Microsoft will then react to it. Either way, it's yet another bizarre design choice, that takes away features, rather than focusing on how to make the device as useful as possible.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

36 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Sudeep, 2 Oct 2006 @ 6:48pm

Ouch!! that is the saddest example of Product Design ...I Was impressed by Zune initially. I guess its back to Creative Zen Not even the 80Gig iPod is making me happy. Am Waiting for Bigger HDD Versions to hit so i have a good 2-3years ahead before i dump the device or a new one!>....Phew and i thought selecting a Multimedia player was easy!;)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Tom, 2 Oct 2006 @ 9:10pm

Which Is Exactly why....
Which is exactly why it won't amount to much. Besides, most committees suck when it comes to developing something like this because they always go for the lowest common denominator and then pat each other on the back for their "phenomenal" product while the rest of the world just rolls its eyes. Looks like another fine product from Micro$oft that I won't be buying.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
blurby blurb blurb, 2 Oct 2006 @ 9:46pm

but will it have the ominous blue screen of death? (oh god I hope so!)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
u no, 2 Oct 2006 @ 10:04pm

Well crap
When I first heard of the Zune I was super excited. My Ipod is not bad, but I really hoped the Zune would be able to top it. I guess I was wrong. Speaking of Microsoft, I am also dissapionted about the release of Vista. Will it ever come out ? I guess more apple products for me.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2006 @ 10:19pm

Linux
Since you can get some version or other of Linux to run on almost anything, I think it'll only be a matter of time until somebody hacks a Zune to run Linux, and from there - do just about whatever you want I suppose...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
A chicken passeth by, 2 Oct 2006 @ 10:38pm

Heh heh heh... another vendor decides to cripple its own stuff because it's too useful otherwise. >_>

Dedicated video and music players are overrated.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2006 @ 10:38pm

Normally I don't care much about putting linux on whatever has just come out, this may well be great if whoever puts linux on it unlocks the wifi (i.e. if it's not hardware locked).
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2006 @ 10:39pm

Re: Well crap
Bleh.. why would you want Vista?

Hackers already have stuff waiting to infect it and Microsoft is limiting antivirus software usage for it.

Is anyone else not surprised? Microsoft is known to just mimic ideas, create a mediocre product, and profit. Its not a bad business plan, but never expect anything innovative, revolutionary, or amazing from Microsoft. They will give you exactly what you want without dissapointing you without impressing you.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jdragon, 2 Oct 2006 @ 11:02pm

designed by committee of idiots...
Zune will have a lifespan as short as the Dell Jukebox...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
dorpus, 2 Oct 2006 @ 11:46pm

Most Returned Item?
Are routers the most returned electronic item? The store employees insist it is "easy", that you just "plug it in", but then it doesn't work. Then they will tell you you have to contact your ISP, but the ISP has no idea how to help you. I returned a router, so did my girlfriend, after spending hours fussing with it.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2006 @ 12:13am

Re: Most Returned Item?
Just a little offtopic there.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
the unmerciful one, 3 Oct 2006 @ 12:16am

Re: Most Returned Item?
What the hell does the fact that you had to return a router have to do with some crappy Micro$oft product? I mean, forgive me for being an a$$hole, but seriously... weak, man.
Beyond that, you probably had your settings messed up. Read the manual before you bitch and return.
Rant ended, go in peace.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
dorpus, 3 Oct 2006 @ 12:27am

Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
I followed all the directions given, and then some. Do tech-elitist attitudes such as yours contribute to the high return rate?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2006 @ 12:42am

i see the correlation perfectly. he is correlating the zune to routers. brilliant. you should post your research on your own blog and get a bazillion hits.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Alex, 3 Oct 2006 @ 1:54am

No, I get his point. If the zune won't work with his wireless router, he might as well return it :p
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Daniel, 3 Oct 2006 @ 2:30am

... but keep the zune as its made by microsoft and obviously works fine, the router however must be at fault.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
John Bailey, 3 Oct 2006 @ 3:09am

Zune's genuine advantage....
Picture the scene. You are sauntering down the street. minding your own business.. listening to your own carefully selected playlist of the day.. when suddenly!! An advert for the latest greatest barely post pubescent synthetic group appears in the middle of the playlist... OH JOY..

Just imagine the advantage of advertising beamed directly to your Zune! no more looking at posters or browsing in music stores.. Just hook up your Zune to vista and have the music helpfully downloaded and put on your tab at the Zune tunes store... Unless you tick the do not download advertising related songs, or forget, or the software crashes at the oppertune moment.

Seriously though.. there is already the option to install small programs and music or movie clips on your phone with your concent via bluetooth enabled posters. Just imagine how quickly it can be done via wifi.. And possibly not by your choice.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Martin J. Steer, 3 Oct 2006 @ 3:21am

Re: Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
but what does it have to with this story or with Zune?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The infamous Joe, 3 Oct 2006 @ 3:59am

Re: Most Returned Item?
If I had to guess (and I don't, but I'm gonna anyway) I'd say that he saw the work "hack" and thought that one of you l33t fellas would feel his pain and offer some friendly advice.

That, or the three year old who bought a car on eBay has made it to Techdirt.

God help us all.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
tech2000, 3 Oct 2006 @ 4:14am

Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
Routers have no settings, you just plug them in and they work.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Pr0@W0rk, 3 Oct 2006 @ 4:26am

Routers?
Get a Linksys WRT54G and just plug it up and presto.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ponder, 3 Oct 2006 @ 4:49am

This is more like what is wanted:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/mp3/8939/?cpg=wnrdf [thinkgeek.com] With WiFi access to a music download site.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2006 @ 5:26am

i get ms's idea. make a half assed attempt at the os for the system. you know you have the capability to do the wireless transfer/ wifi download, and what not. but why spend $$ on your own programmers making 100k a year when some pimpley faced nerd can do the same thing in half the time, and be more secure. once it's released, file suit for breach of the eula, take his code, take all his posessions, and release a "update" featuring the new code. double the money NONE of the work.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Sean, 3 Oct 2006 @ 5:37am

Well, you know what they say about committees. The only way you can get things done with a committee of three is when two members are absent.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dustin, 3 Oct 2006 @ 5:48am

Just another bunch of misinformed people
The actual story that engadget posted was misinterpreted. If you actually go and read it it states that at launch the wifi will be used to zune to zune interaction....however with future firmware releases the wifi will become more usefull. And to all the ipod fanboys out there...settle down no one is going to take your little white player out of your man purse that you got at the gap...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jack, 3 Oct 2006 @ 7:54am

Re: Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
why read the directions? I have two, one died under warranty and I got it replaced , took a week. it is a linksyss. I bougt a us robotics for $20 less with a two year warranty . so I am using it. both worked fine .linksyss came with software and directions, used neither.
I am running 3 puters , win 98, winxp, and redhat linux no problems.
E-mail jack1167@msn.com with questions and I'll see what I can do. you never mentioned if it was wireless, or OS.
Jack
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Laughing my ass off, 3 Oct 2006 @ 8:24am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
Wow! Giving Dorpus your email address might be the worst decision you have ever made.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Sanguine Dream, 3 Oct 2006 @ 8:35am

Huh!?!
The Zune won't even be able to play Microsoft's own DRM. Let me guess they were so afaid that it would lead to even more people trying to hack and crack it they decided it was safer to leave it out right? I really wish I could get in on one of these design committees. They don't seem to do anything but come up with halfassed ideas and get paid lots of money.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jack, 3 Oct 2006 @ 8:55am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
I have a few, and this one mostly gets spam. If someone needs help and I choose to offer a hand, how is that a bad decision? you can e-mail your answer if u want!
P.S. this decision doesn't even make the top ten!!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2006 @ 10:22am

Throw in a proprietary storage format and you would think that the Zune was designed by Sony...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2006 @ 2:06pm

Re:
i got the blue screen of death on the credic card pinpad at Bashas. As far as the article goes I am hoping that they will eventualy have an update avalable that would grant that kinde of acces or they would update it to kill all hacks or maby Microsoft is setting this up to be a device that people should hack. I might be 14 but I aint stupid.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2006 @ 5:59pm

Re: Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
Please get off the internet if:
1: You can't configure your router using the included instructions.
2: You don't like our elitist attitudes
[ link to this | view in thread ]
james, 4 Oct 2006 @ 6:07am

price
Who cares about a useless feature if you are not going to pay for it. The Zune will be cheaper then the iPod because MS will once again subsidize the price of the hardware to get market share.

Maybe the idea dorpus was trying to relate was having a product (or a feature on that product) that the average user can not figure out easily.

And to the guys who just plug in their routers, if you don't have a WiFi router, please get one, I love free WiFi.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
yonderboy, 13 Dec 2006 @ 2:50pm

congrats
This is definitely going to be in the top 10 of "most successfully hijacked topics" for December.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 7 Jan 2007 @ 8:42am

For the first time I agree with Mike
I returned mine after 1 day.

I agree 100% with everything you've stated. I'm beginning to think that Microsoft has Apple envy. Apple may not make as much money, but they do just about everything better and are simply "smarter" than MS. So what does MS do? Try to copy only to end up creating a broken Frankenstein device rather than something actually better.

Just wait until the iPod comes out with a larger screen and WiFi. Bye Bye Zune.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Tony, 27 Jan 2007 @ 3:01pm

Re: Re: Re: Most Returned Item?
Yeah. I type in http://192.168.1.1 and I get a whole bunch of nonexistant settings for my router. (Yes, routers do have settings.)
[ link to this | view in thread ]