Bach: Zune+Phone=Nope [But ZuneTouch=Yes!]

[ACE]

Today, Robbie Bach, Microsoft's president for entertainment and devices, renewed the news that Microsoft will not be making a ZunePhone. "“We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves.” He said. This really isn't something we haven't heard before.

Further, Bach continued the discussion and confirmed rumors that Zune will be expanded. He made it clear that Zune is not simply a media outlet, but is a platform that we will see integrated into other Microsoft products. Again, nothing we didn't already know and have mentioned in the past. The Windows Mobile Team has even asked how Zune could work better with Windows Mobile.

But one tidbit worth noting is on what Robbie Bach said about the future of the Zune device itself.


[Image is a Mock Up]

.....“Take the device independent for a second and just assume that over time where there's a screen, touch will be part of it. It's not going to matter what the product line is. You're going to see it be a cornerstone of the work we do.”

That's as clear as clear can be. Zune will have a touch screen interface in the future. As always, keep it locked on ZuneBoards for any more news on this topic!

[via Gizmodo and AnythingButiPod]

[USMCWarrior]

Sweet!!!

[Beausiph]

that will be so cool!!!!!

[MemphisMasenko]

If this happen then Zunes' will no longer be virgins anymore.
It will be like iPods then
just a dirty screen, a window of blurred hopes.

[Alex]

party pooper

[dabeastofdamusic]

this would be cool but they should come up with something original, don't copy from apple, go that extra mile make it better than the best

[ESPKH2]

Will this next Zune iteration be out for the winter holidays?

[dabeastofdamusic]

no i think that it will probably come out in july 2009.

[XanderVincent]

I really don't think I can wait until 2009 .That is going to be incredibly amazing though. Can't wait.

It will probably blow the iTouch out of the water.

[iruka]

O.o A touch screen for Zune.....for some reason, it doesn't sound so Zune-ish xDDD And personally, touch screens are interesting to play with, but there's all the smudging and fingerprints and then I'll go all OCD over cleaning it all the time as if I'm not like that already with my current Zune xDDD

[Netrix]

Originally Posted by dabeastofdamusic

this would be cool but they should come up with something original, don't copy from apple, go that extra mile make it better than the best

Uh... Who is copying from whom? Microsoft Surface (Notice that the date that Microsoft Surface was announced is May 29, 2007, while the iPod Touch was released September 5, 2007.)

[Mr. Munke]

looks cool, sounds cool but i want a 30 GB mp3/phone

[Locke]

Personally, I'm glad there's not a phone in Zune's future. If I want want an overpriced multigadgeted phone, I'll go buy a Blackberry. If I want a kickass music player, I'll buy a Zune. As in, another one in addition to the one I own know. You can never have too many Zunes. ;3

[monahan]

Originally Posted by dabeastofdamusic

this would be cool but they should come up with something original, don't copy from apple, go that extra mile make it better than the best

Um...microsoft have been implementing touchscreen technology into windows mobile technology for years now, this has nothing to do with copying - in fact, you'll find that windows mobile 6.1 competes with the iPhone software on every front, and even beats it on the fact that its internet technologies surpass it.

Originally Posted by Locke

Personally, I'm glad there's not a phone in Zune's future. If I want want an overpriced multigadgeted phone, I'll go buy a Blackberry. If I want a kickass music player, I'll buy a Zune. As in, another one in addition to the one I own know. You can never have too many Zunes. ;3

I'm amused by the fact that the selling point for the iPhone is not the voice functions, but the fact, that in today's world of ultra mobile computers, you can browse the internet with it. I think apple probably win the award for most redundant gadget in recent memory.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by monahan

Um...microsoft have been implementing touchscreen technology into windows mobile technology for years now, this has nothing to do with copying - in fact, you'll find that windows mobile 6.1 competes with the iPhone software on every front, and even beats it on the fact that its internet technologies surpass it.

I'm amused by the fact that the selling point for the iPhone is not the voice functions, but the fact, that in today's world of ultra mobile computers, you can browse the internet with it. I think apple probably win the award for most redundant gadget in recent memory.

Well, if you ask me, the iPhone introduced one key feature into the mainstream market that is actually worth something: multi-touch. I'm fairly certain they weren't the first to do it, but I know that it was not a prevalent feature until the iPhone came out. Now, everyone's gotta have the multi-touch; in fact, the new Windows OS is going to support multi-touch on a wide scale. So, that's one thing that I can honestly say is good about the iPhone: it instituted industry-wide change that will actually have benefits, in that respect. Though, it really didn't do too much else that seems overly revolutionary to me. It basically took existing technology and made it Mac-ified, save the multi-touch thing. It's the third-party developers that are actually coming up with some ingenious uses of the hardware. I saw one app that used the accelerometer to recreate some pretty realistic dice rolling physics(shake the iPhone to bounce the dice around in a virtual box). It's little things like that that make me smile.

[monahan]

Originally Posted by Locke

Well, if you ask me, the iPhone introduced one key feature into the mainstream market that is actually worth something: multi-touch. I'm fairly certain they weren't the first to do it, but I know that it was not a prevalent feature until the iPhone came out. Now, everyone's gotta have the multi-touch; in fact, the new Windows OS is going to support multi-touch on a wide scale. So, that's one thing that I can honestly say is good about the iPhone: it instituted industry-wide change that will actually have benefits, in that respect. Though, it really didn't do too much else that seems overly revolutionary to me. It basically took existing technology and made it Mac-ified, save the multi-touch thing. It's the third-party developers that are actually coming up with some ingenious uses of the hardware. I saw one app that used the accelerometer to recreate some pretty realistic dice rolling physics(shake the iPhone to bounce the dice around in a virtual box). It's little things like that that make me smile.

The physics behind multi-touch were actually intended to be included in a absic form in the early alpha's of windows vista - it was one of the things that went out of the window when the avalon and winFS architecture got scrapped though, which is a shame really.

[Netrix]

"The technology behind Microsoft Surface is called Multi-touch. It has at least a 25-year history,[5] beginning in 1982, with pioneering work being done at the University of Toronto (multi-touch tablets) and Bell Labs (multi-touch screens). The product idea for Surface was initially conceptualized in 2001 by Steven Bathiche of Microsoft Hardware and Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research.[6] In October 2001, a virtual team was formed with Bathiche and Wilson as key members, to bring the idea to the next stage of development."

So my question is: Why would they be working on multi-touch for a long time if they weren't going to use it?

Oh wow... Apple created the first mainstream multi-touch device. So what? Is the iPhone revolutionary? NO. Is multi-touch revolutionary? Yes. Apple didn't create multi-touch.

Multi-touch has already been in development for decades, way before Apple decided to make anything except desktop computers. The comment that "Now, everyone's gotta have the multi-touch; in fact, the new Windows OS is going to support multi-touch on a wide scale." is very misinformed. If Apple never created the iPhone and iPod Touch, Windows 7 would still have multi-touch support. Apple did not make any significant changes in the industry with the iPhone. They just used new technology that is already available.