The paint wasn't even dry on the Laptop Hunter ads and Microsoft is after Apple again, this time with a 30 second TV spot [YouTube link] complaining about the costs of filling an iPod, and what an absolute bargain the Zune Pass is.

Claiming that it would cost $30,000US to fill a 120 gigabyte iPod with music, and only 15 dollars a month for a Zune pass, Microsoft wants to make a point that in these trying economic times, Microsoft products make the most sense.

Of course, a lot of the math here is fuzzy, and if you stop buying the Zune pass you lose all your music, except for the ten tracks you get to keep a month. It also doesn't address how many people, like myself, use their iPod. I have a large collection of music on CD going back to the 1980's. I want it to be portable, and to have in the car, so I rip the music in iTunes, and it costs me nothing additional to have about 500 CDs at my beck and call.

For a company as dominant as Microsoft is, they seem plenty worried about Apple. Of course, the Zune hasn't exactly been a world beating product, and who can forget the little New Year's Day present when a lot of Zunes simply expired?

I give Microsoft props for trying. It keeps the Apple fans riled up and on their toes, and certainly choice is a wonderful thing in consumer electronics.

Thanks to Maggy for tipping us to the new ad.

[H/T to Ars Technica]

As if the Microsoft Zune didn't have enough bad publicity, now the Fox Show Family Guy is beating up on the iPod competitor. In last night's episode, called "Ocean's Three and a Half", Carter Pewterschmidt asks Bill Gates for some help programming his Zune. Then Carter remembers he has an iPod, "like the rest of the world." Zing. Pow.

Of course Apple doesn't escape the sharp scalpel of satire either. In American Dad, a Fox show from the creator of Family Guy, Roger the Alien thought he was facing certain death and said: "I'm going to be dead, and I have two more years of AppleCare." Rim shot. Clank.

Here's a Hulu link to the clip from the show last night, and you can also watch the entire episode from the same link.

Thanks to Nick and John for the heads up. I've just got to start watching more television.

As 30GB Zune owners deal with the sudden bricking of their systems after midnight this morning, hopefully they can take comfort in the fact they are not alone in this. Throughout the years, Apple products had their share of time & date problems.

In February 2000, Newton owners began reporting that they were having issues with the Newton being rather confused about what century it was in. Some users discovered that when they entered two-digit numbers as part of birthdays and other common abbreviated dates, things got wonky. For example, if I entered my birth date as 2-28-80 on the Newton, it interpreted the number as being February 28, 2080 rather than 1980. Entries of full dates in the 1900s were also affected. Other users stated that when they tried finding 20th century dates in the Find applet of the Newton, the system actually performed the search using 21st-century dates.

Fixes included resetting the system clock back to 1999 to enter those dates before resetting it again back to 2000 and applying software patches. Sadly, it's a bug that HAL-9000 forgot to mention. Apple even reported back in 1998 that the Newton was Y2K-compliant. Of course, this won't even begin to cover the problems that Newton owners still using the product will have in 2010. If you see our own Newton-sporting Steve Sande at Macworld, be sure to tease him about it.

A Tiger bug discovered in 2005 revealed that Safari's RSS reader would list some items as being an hour ahead of when they were actually posted -- news from the future is not catastrophic, but certainly could be confusing.

Our research this morning hasn't turned up any date-related iPod or iPhone hiccups, but if you know of any examples please let us know in the comments. As for the Zune bricks, there's been no word yet from Microsoft regarding the failures, but Engadget's readers have already come up with a number of theories including blaming it on Steve Jobs, the year 2008 being one-second longer, and other conspiracy theories that are sure to come throughout the day.

We generally try to stay away from politics here at TUAW, but this week, some controversy erupted when a Philadelphia news photographer saw Barack Obama at the gym with -- gasp! -- a Microsoft Zune music player. PC World even went so far as to call it "ZuneGate."

Well, rest assured that an Obama spokeswoman felt it necessary, for some reason, to say yesterday that the president-elect typically uses an iPod, and she didn't know where the Zune came from.

This is so many kinds of disturbing that I don't know where to start.

Let's start with the reaction. People came out on both sides of the issue: some were happy that the president-elect, who built a campaign for change from the ground up, used a Zune because it reflected his desire to set himself apart from the status quo. iPod users were sad, because, well, Obama didn't buy the same thing they did. Cry me a Rio.

Any fan of NBC's geek-centric espionage comedy Chuck knows that there's a healthy helping of Apple tech all over the show, going back to the very first episode. Despite the heavy product placement volume, relatively few Apple fanboy lines make it into the scripts; after all, these folks work at Best BuyMore, which probably sells a lot of HP and Dell gear.

This week, however, a not-so-subtle dig at Microsoft's music player found its way into the episode's closing scenes. Chuck's sidekick Morgan -- not the coolest cat in the junkyard -- jokes that he has a Zune, and then goes off to get his iPod to help Chuck save the world. Nice work if you can get it. The segment is viewable to US residents via this Hulu link.

If you notice other ficitional characters praising Apple and dissing the competition, be sure to let us know via our tips page or Twitter replies. You can also grab screenshots of your favorite Apple gear product placement moments and tag them for our appleontv Flickr pool.

Thanks Mike

[hat tip to When Will Apple for multiple versions of the video clip]

I don't think anybody likes DRM. Customers certainly don't like it: they want to listen to music and watch video where and when they please. I don't think it's that popular with the content providers, either, because it's not a perfect solution. It might cut down on some piracy, but by no means eliminates it entirely.

DRM has come up recently in a few places, and companies have set up camps at two ends of the spectrum. Amazon.com is doing a booming business selling DRM-free music, sometimes for better prices than at the iTunes Store. On the other hand, we have NBC, who may or may not be partnering with Microsoft to create device software that (somehow) determines if a particular music or video file has been stolen.

As much as I'm sure that both Zune users would appreciate having access to NBC's video library, the problem remains of how exactly Microsoft would do that, aside from splashing giant watermarks across everything. My money's on unicorn tears.

How much more investment will there be in DRM before content providers realize it's an inefficient, ineffective way of deterring piracy? Sound off in comments.

As many, many readers noted, a new iPod touch ad appeared on TV over the weekend, and Apple has now posted it on their site. There's a long story behind this one that I hadn't heard yet, it would seem that the ad is a product of TBWA/Chiat/Day, just like most of Apple's ads, but the idea actually came from an 18-year-old English guy named Nick Haley. Nick created the ad (his original cut is above) back in September as a homage to Apple's new iPod, and it looks like someone in Cupertino noticed (or at least someone on Madison Avenue).

This might be old news to most of you, but I hadn't heard it and it's a good story. Apple has a reputation for getting their advertising from other sources, and it's nice to see them acknowledge an ad that came from someone who really loves their products.

Special thanks to reader running for figuring this one out for us: the song used in the ad is actually the same one used in this super weird Zune ad from last year. Even when Apple is completely upfront about the origin of their ad, they can't seem to keep from colliding with competitors in the same space.

Update: Calling it the iTouch was completely accidental, and I apologize. You guys are right-- it's the iPod touch, and I'm sorry for mistaking it. I guess the word was sitting in my brain and just wanted to come out.

Gosh, I love Woot.com. Not only are they based in my original hometown (St. Louis, MO, also home of Fried Ravioli and the Bowling Hall of Fame), and not only do they have some great deals on their site (they sell just one item per day, usually at lower-than-normal prices), but they are insightful and funny people. Take, for example, today's item-- it's a Zune (that non-Apple mp3 player that you may have heard of). When Woot offered the Zune a little while ago, not only did they make headlines, but Apple fans really enjoyed it-- it took Microsoft's mp3 player a full 23 hours to completely sell out, even at the low price of $150.

And now, as reader Jon points out, Woot is giving Apple fans another chuckle. Not only is today's Zune on sale for $130 ($20 less than before-- and it is sold out as of this writing), but their description text is a pitch-perfect parody of another mp3 seller who's had to announce falling prices on one of his products. And they've even offering a coupon back to their previous Zune customers-- as they say, "we want to convincingly pretend to do the right thing for our valued Zune customers."

It's Jobsian parody worthy of Fake Steve. Very nice job, Woot.

Thanks, Jon!

Of all the rumors coming out around tomorrow's big Apple event, this one is the strangest: The Circle. Engadget has it on good authority (a.k.a. a French blog called "generation mp3") that Apple, in an ironic turn, will steal an idea from the Zune and start their own "social" concept, called The Circle.

What exactly that entails, no one seems to know. Wifi sharing? Web radio? iPod-to-iPod connections? Steve will choose a new Lion King? Anything (and nothing) is on the table.

While it would be nice to see a way to transfer music and video between iPods, a closed concept like "The Circle" seems un-Apple, and so of all the unsubstantiated rumors, this seems the least substantiated. I have no doubt at all that we'll see a new iPod, and it's turning out to be pretty likely that both a touchscreen and a new Nano are going to appear, as well as a CoverFlow interface in one or both. But "The Circle"? Don't hold your breath. We'll find out tomorrow morning at noon central.

Song Sender allows you to pick a song from your iPhone's song library and send it to a friend via email. If you'd like to use a song from your library as a ringtone, you can do that too. Install the package into your iPhone using your favorite installer application. When run, the software reads through your library, creating a scrolling list of your songs. Tap any song and you'll be prompted with three choices: play it, send it by email, or add it to your ringtones.

It practically reaches Zune-levels of squirting functionality! Small print: Fair use only. This software is not intended for pirating purposes. Use your powers for good, not evil. Do not take internally. Software is not a substitute for advice provided by a doctor, lawyer, or the EFF. In case of rash, itching, or swelling seek medical attention immediately. This software was brought to you by the letters E. r. i. c. and a. Do not use SendSong to install iTMS-purchased tracks as ringtones.

Update: Version that does not rely on whether you've installed /bin/cp is found here.

I'm a little skeptical about this one (who is the Eagle Research Group, and why are they polling people about iPhones and Zunes?) but a new study from the ERG says that a whopping 70% of Zune users are actually planning a switch to the iPhone. And perhaps even more revealing, 36% of Zune users say they never would have bought one if they'd have known Apple would produce something as "ground-breaking" as the iPhone (well, duh).

Of course it's not news that the Zune sucks, and it's definitely not news that the iPhone is a revolutionary little device. But it's an interesting idea that while the Zune has been fighting to stay alive ever since introduction, it might be the iPhone that actually puts it out of its misery.

The social hasn't been quelled yet, though. Of the Zune users keeping their phone, 43% say the reason they don't want an iPhone was the lack of storage space for music (which is kind of an obvious conclusion when you're comparing a phone and a music player, innit?). And 22% of those sticking to the Zune say the reason for doing so was simply an overall dislike of "all things Apple."

[via DF]

From the entry way at Zune headquarters, we bring you today's Flickr Find: the iPod Amnesty Bin. Yeah sure, it's probably "art" more than it's a real "amnesty bin"--but it says something that upon seeing this picture my heart skipped a beat. It's like seeing adorable puppies in a pound. I instinctively wanted to grab those poor sweet neglected iPods into my arms and give them a proper home. Someone ought to notify the association for the prevention of iPod cruelty.

As one of the posters at the Flickr page points out, this makes you wonder exactly how many of these iPods were bought by the Zune team to seed the bin and make their point--to which I add, I wonder how quickly that bin is emptying as Zune employees wave goodbye for the day.

Engadget is reporting that a rumored firmware update to Microsoft's Zune DAP (Digital Audio Player) could usher in wireless downloads from their Zune Marketplace digital media store. No word yet on whether these would be all-you-can-eat subscription downloads or purchases made via the Zune Marketplace's points system, but regardless: if Microsoft gets this out in the near future and Apple hasn't stepped up to the plate (possibly with wireless iTunes downloads to the iPhone), they'll be one of the last major players in the DAP market that hasn't snipped the chord on downloading yet. Mobile phones and services from the likes of Cingular, Sprint and Verizon are all enabling wireless downloads, with Sprint recently matching the iTunes price of $.99 per song.

While Microsoft doesn't seem to be causing any loss of sleep for Apple in terms of iPod sales just yet, wireless downloads is one of the undeniable holy grails that digital media lovers everywhere have been clamoring for since the rumor mongers first began posting their silly claims of 'wireless iPods any day now' many years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the debut of this feature alone made at least a few potential iPod switchers finally make the leap to black, white and brown waters.

Think about this. What if Microsoft gave Zunes away, the same way phone companies give away cell phones, and collected their money from the Zune Pass all-you-can-eat subscription program instead? You'd sign up for a one- or two-year contract for the service and get the hardware thrown in. That's the idea posted over at Wired where Jason Reindorp, marketing director for Zune, is basically quoted saying it's an idea that Microsoft has been kicking around.

Could a cheaper-made (perhaps flash-based) Zune swing the deal? Would it put Zune on a footing to compete with the iPod monolith? It certainly opens new possibilities.

For $15/month you can load up a Zune with a wide (although not exhaustive) catalog of rental music. Your music plays back for the length of your subscription and your credit card is automatically charged each month until you cancel. Of course, for the same $180/year you can purchase quite a few iTunes albums and singles (or go completely wacky at a used CD store or swapping service like lala.com), but you can't jump onto an actual iPod subscription model.

Subscription models are surprisingly nice. All the music you want, when you want it, without much in the way of limits. If you feel like listening to Nirvana one day and Barry Manilow the next, a subscription model means you can sample without commitment. It's a perfect match to the "for now but not forever" mindset. Sure, if you find something you absolutely love, you can go out and buy it but subscriptions give you the aural equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet (and, sometimes, a similar need for antacid.) With a subscription, Billboard's top music can always be in your pocket.

If an iTunes subscription model was available, would you be willing to try it out? How much would you agree to spend per month? Less than Microsoft's $14.95? More? What dollar amount would you put on such a service? And if iTunes left out album-only tracks the way Zune Marketplace does, would this be an insurmountable barrier to you?