Pixel Concept

Apple’s iPod has reigned supreme for years. Many have attempted to lure consumers to other solutions by offering additional functionality in a PMP; but the mighty iPod has remained strong. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, Microsoft drums up serious buzz around a device that may actually be a viable contender: the Zune HD. Of course no one is suggesting that MS will actually dethrone Apple, but the Zune HD has captured the attention of geeks everywhere. The Zune HD is a beautiful, sleek piece of hardware. The brushed metal finish lining the thin frame begs to be held, while the 3.3″ OLED capacitive touchscreen lures your fingers in. Don’t take my word for it; check out the unboxing gallery.

Microsoft Zune HD Unboxing Gallery

The blogs were all buzzing yesterday with Microsoft announcing the October 22 release date for Windows 7. A release date is a great start, but as Kevin points out in his post, we still don’t have any pricing information for the many flavors of Win7. Well, we may now have an indication of some special pricing for students. Yesterday, I happen to have received an e-mail from Microsoft with a link to a survey on Windows 7 RC. The survey had all the usual “What did you think of…” questions, but towards the end, a very interesting question came up. As seen in the screen shot above, the survey asked how likely I would be to purchase Windows 7 at a special student price of $30. The next question followed up by asking how I would feel if the student price was $30. I can only assume that these specific questions came up because I specifically stated that I was a full-time student at the beginning of the survey, but nevertheless, it indicates that MS may be considering a low student pricing scheme. This would not be too far stretched of an idea given that they already offer a “Home & Student” version of Office. Also, given that Macs seem to be so popular among students (through my own observations on campus), this may be an attempt to gain or keep some of that market share. Of course there is no telling if this will actually happen or what version of Windows 7 is offered at the lower rate, but it’s nice to see MS considering something new with their Windows license pricing. Check out the second survey question and survey e-mail after the jump. (continue reading…)