Apparently, Microsoft has been so focused on getting Zune out the door in time for the mad holiday rush that it hasn’t gotten around to supporting the player under its next-generation operating system.
Though seemingly implausible, the screenshot tells the story (while raising some questions at the same time).
“This operating system is currently not supported by Zune,” reads an error message when trying to install Zune software on the latest versions of Microsoft’s own Windows Vista operating system.
In an official Zune support document, Microsoft, which will begin selling Vista to business customers in two weeks, confirms that the system “is not supported at this time.”
And for those wondering, the splash screen of three women in distress isn’t our contributor’s stab at a knee-slapper. It’s the official installer backdrop chosen by the Redmond, Wash. folks to appear for each and every customer who installs a Zune.
Tee-Hee!
????
USB, Plug and play, 32bit, 64bit, Fat32, NTFS….
32bit/64bit drivers??
USB/plug and play??
So, they didnt make a driver for the Zune to work on Vista??
Does it work with the 360 or the PS3??
Its all SOP…Standard operating procedure…
“Its all SOP…Standard operating procedure…”
It’s more of a SNAFU, situation normal, all fucked up!
The three girls is just when there’s a error in the install app.
So two girls making out, with a third one crying out in pain being kneed by the girl on top, is acceptable by MS to display to young kids. NOT
You know i”ll bet its not compatible with Windows Panorama 2015 either.
Vista is not for sale yet. Its in Beta. Why is it shocking that a beta is not fully supported?
They were cutting features left & right to get Vista out the door, and you expected them to add the new DRM-controls to Vista? 🙂
i.e. Zune DRM is not compatible with the old “Plays for Sure” in WinXP.
I’m floored. Who’da thunk it? Imagine, M$ attempting to flog a dain-bramaged imitation of an Apple product!
Considering the ever-declining intelligence of consumers, maybe they can repeat the success they had with Windows – so that 5 years from now, Zune 3.0 will work almost as well as a first-generation iPod and millions of sheep will think that MP3 players were invented by M$…
…..
Breakdown of Microsofties, by department:
45% legal
45% sales and marketing
5% R&D
2% coding
2% end user support
1% QC
I look forward to seeing M$ fall flat on their face with this one.
Uh, #4 — Vista Gold has already been shipped to Dell, H-P, etc. for OEM installs going to biz customers. You don’t think any of their clients might wish to have a M$oft MP3 player that works with the OS on their PC’s?
The Zune is also incompatible with common sense. The 30GB player is larger and thicker than the 80GB iPod, doesn’t work with WMP, etc.. This is just another step towards the inevitable failure of the Zune. I predict this will take its place next to the Newton.
But, you DO get free cat-fight wallpaper, that’s a plus. 🙂
Just to play devils advocate for a second…
First, like #8 points out, a differing point of view would state that Microsoft has actually released Vista to market. It’s just going to take a couple of weeks before it trickles it’s way down to volume license corporate buyers. (End of Nov last I read)
Second, I don’t think the lone girl in the pic is actually in pain. I think that’s the look of extreme $exual pleasure 🙂
And last but not least, consider the source of this article, appleinsider. Doesn’t that just sound like it might come with a pre-configured bias?
I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin.
A more in depth discussion of the splash screen ensues here…Digg link to article on Zune splash screen girl
It looks more like a bra-less Asian women having an orgasm! I didn’t know the Zune had a vibrate feature! 😛
That screen only shows up when there’s an installation error. I never saw it except in posts like this one, and my setup two days before release went without a hitch.
Is it really inconceivable and surprising that drivers aren’t ready for an operating system that technically isn’t even available yet? I’m sure the thing will work fine by the time Vista is actually shipped.
Additionally, since Vista *hasn’t* shipped, that means snyone trying a Zune with Vista now is doing so on a Beta operating system. If anyone expects “Beta” to mean “complete” they need to have their heads examined — especially in the case of Microsoft.
>>I’m sure the thing will work fine by the time Vista is actually shipped.
Heh. Heh heh. HAWWWWWW!!! That’s the funniest post of the week!
#10 — that’s your basic “kill the messenger” defense, dude. The same article is all over the Web, engadget, etc.. Watching the Posts in this blog, I think you’ll learn that sources are often apparently chosen for clarity, writing — sometimes even brevity — though not Eideard’s science goodies. 🙂
I hereby and officially retract any pre-release enthusiasm I had for the Zune. The fact that it has ZERO video codec support except for WMV and does not work with Windows Media Player are monster stumbling blocks
Unless there is a massive firmware upgrade that adds additional video codecs and makes the wi-fi actually useful or fun, this thing is DOA.
Can someone explain this to me. Why does the Zune need special drivers?! It’s essentially a portable hard drive. Why does it need special drivers to do something as simple as copying music on it?
I get the impression that Microsoft needs special drivers because the company wants complete control over what gets copied onto the device.
I think I’ll continue using my 20 gig Entempo Spirit. It may be ugly, but it was dirt cheap and doesn’t require special drivers to keep me from using it.
“Unless there is a massive firmware upgrade that adds additional video codecs”
That’s odd because Microsoft has claimed that the Zune will support “the most popular formats out there, whether it’s MPEG-4 or H.264.”
I got the impression from that that the Zune would support Divx/XviD. I guess this is one more instance of Microsoft saying one thing and doing another.
If Microsoft were smart they would have included support for every file format possible and sold it for 50% less than an equivalently iPod. Sure, it wouldn’t have made any money, but neither have either version of the Xbox. However, it would have given Microsoft tremendous market share from Apple, just like the Xbox did from Sony and Nintendo.
Sometimes it’s not about winning, but about making the other side lose.
#19. The Engaget review sayeth:
“The Zune supports WMV only, no DivX, no XviD, no H.264 — basically nothing we use. Yes, the software will supposedly convert for you, but seriously, that shouldn’t have be a part of the game. We’re not saying the iPod is innocent here or anything, but we’ll take H.264 as a standard over WMV any day.”
http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/15/zune-review/
I will take Ryan Block’s word for it. Methinks by “support” MS meant “will convert, if you have the time and processor cycles.”
Boy, when it rains, it pours, huh?
The title of the recent TWiT ep was right…too little, too Zune.
SN, the Zune is not a normal hard drive. There is no way to mount it and use it as such. The Zune can only be Zuned.
Well just have love it!
They should rename the company to timex
Keeps taking a licking and still keeps on ticking, or something like that
Propritary.
Full protection and defences to keep you from doing ANYTHING…
Really makes you WANT to buy it??
still …i’ll trade my ipod nano for a zune
i’ll pay the shiping
“SN, the Zune is not a normal hard drive”
I realize that. My question was “why”? The only possible reason I could come up with was so that Microsoft can screw over people who buy it.
Question: If a Zune takes a fall off a Vista in the woods, and know one is there, does it make a sound?
Answer: Most certainly, yet know one can hear it.
Bill Gates: Copycrap + (Lockdown x DRM) – Compatibility = Future$$/oops
Steve Ballmer: Squirt! Where the f*ck is my chair?
Don’t be so naïve, Vista will support Zune by the time it is released to consumers…I love the haters around the Zune release(sarcasm), as though they feel threatened and absord every single bit of news/speculation they can catch and blast it over and over.
IF Vista Killed all the backwards compatiblity with Plug and play….
Because EVERTHING has to be written in 64bit…
????
I will BET..
They made Vista as LEAN as possible, to make it faster…
AFTEr you add ALL the updated drivers…I bet NOT.
#11 – Wow – Compared to Digg, we got us a regular Algonquin Round Table over here 🙂
#29 are u asking a question or stating a fact? There is a 32-bit version of vista you know. So if you dont want 64-bit dont buy it. Simple as that.