Zune with Mac

I've just acquired a hand-me-down Zune, and am trying to make it work with my MacBook. What do I do?!

 

First rush out and buy an iPod to save yourself the hassle!

Second, if buying an iPod isn't in your budget, I think your only viable options are to connect it to Windows via Parallels, VMWare or Bootcamp. There is no official support on the Mac.

 

sell it and buy a used ipod.

 

well...I'll go ahead and actually give the man a reason.

unfortunately, the only way you'll be able to get music/movies/pictures onto your Zune is if you run Windows on your Mac. You have a couple of options to accomplish this:

1.) Install Windows via BootCamp (reboot required)

2.) Install a virtualization program like VMWare Fusion or Parallels, which will allow you to run Windows on top of OSX without rebooting.

With either option, you'll be able to install the Zune app and add your music/movies/whatever to it.

Until Microsoft releases Zune App for OSX, iDevices remain the most compatible and easiest to use.

 

I'm pretty sure with the anouncement of Windows Phone 7, there was an announcement that Zune software will soon be ported over to Macs. Don't get an iPod. Do yourself a favor and keep that zune, you'll love it.

 

There's a reason iPods dominate the market and you barely hear anything about Zunes.

 

Advertising, Inertia (people tend to use what their friends/significant others use), etc.

There's no doubting that the iPod is a great music player/media player, but there are certainly others that are just as good for many people, Zune being one of them.

Unfortunately for the OP, the Windows Phone 7 Connector software mentioned above doesn't support standalone Zune devices, at least during the open beta period. It would behoove Microsoft to change this because there's absolutely no good reason for it to only support Windows Phone.

There's no easy answer, I guess using a Virtual Machine with the Zune client loaded up would work.

 

Yeah, people like you refuse to look at alternatives.


Actually I have to say that for media, the Zune is vastly superior to the iPod Touch. Gorgeous screen (if lower res), great audio and support and a beautiful and fun software client.

OS X support is, unfortunately, largely nonexistent.

The new Zunes, which will basically run WinPho7 without a phone, will be serious contenders though they'll always remain a distant second.

 

It's not a matter of refusing to look at alternatives, I'm always keeping my eye out to see what's new and interesting. Nothing has come close to iPod/iPhone with regards to filling my specific needs however. If a Zune does it for you, great, but it leaves me feeling empty.

 

Windows Phone 7 syncing will soon be available on Mac's, but the Zune does not run WP7 so that won't work with it.

 

If you ever do look into a new player, don't bother with a Zune or an iPod if all you're going to use it for is music. They are more like media devices rather than music players and fail at delivering high quality sound.

There are plenty of other options out there for much cheaper, like the Sansa Fuze or Cowon D2 that both have SDHC slots for virtually unlimited expansion.

 

It was a joke, don't be that way.

I think the Zune is way better for media. But I still wouldn't buy one either; of the two I'd still go with a Touch for the apps. I am looking forward to the new models, though.

 

to whoever said that zunes are better than iPods on this thread, i know that your entitled to your own opinion but that was just plain stupid. sorry mate

iPods dominate the market for a reason, no other media device on it's range beats it, sell that zune and get yourself an iPod

 

Actually a quick search on sites like Head-Fi would prove that that's simply not true... iPods may have one of the best user interfaces (if you can stand using iTunes which is a job in itself) but they are far from the best technically. iPods dominate the market for reasons other than quality.

That being said, if you're in the market for an all-in-one hand held device to browse the internet, light music listening and playing some games, then the Touch is the best choice. It's well-rounded in every category.

If you're in the market for a pure music player, there are much better choice than iPods like the Fuze, S9, Sflo2, D2, etc.

If you're in the market for a portable gaming device only then you'd be better off buying a Nintendo DS or a PSP.

 

True, but hes probably listening to 128kb/s MP3s through iPod headphones, in which cash everything will sound like crap.

And he has a zune.

 

Zunes offer a significantly better chipset producing higher quality audio.

that's not even a debate. I don't own a Zune (all iPods/iPhones/iPads), but I've listened to one before and quite frankly, Zune audio quality puts iDevices to shame.

the reason iDevices are so popular is because they've been around for so long, have a user interface and experience people are now comfortable with, a brand name that has a high value to it, and an app store that makes an iDevice much more than just a music player.

I wouldn't buy a Zune because the upgrade in audio quality or video experience does not make up for all of the other features that I now depend on that are now available exclusively on the iTunes App Store. It's the ace in the hole that everyone else is trying (hoping) to one day equal. Until that day comes, most people will go with an iDevice just like most gun owners will buy a Glock over...idunno a similar Springfield gun: lots of accessories and flexibility.

in any case, you can get good SQ out of either with the right equipment...but as has been pointed out, most just listen with the included earbuds (fail), so much of this is a moot point.

 

^^ buys an M4, colt dude, colt , AK's are better weapons but M4 comes with a sexier look and better market upgrades

@ Akari, gonna go check these out as you mentioned, Fuze, S9, Sflo2, D2. i think you just blew my ing mind!! i was looking for something like this!

 

Stay on-topic in here please; this is not about which device is better.

For reference:

Thank you.

 

Well you obviously don't know anything about audio.

That being said, iPods offer an intuitive user interface. As a music player though, the Zune does everything better than any iPod on the market (maybe except the new touch, haven't had a go with that one yet)

You guys just assume because something is popular it is automatically good at what it does. I bet several of you guys who claim there's nothing better than the iPod have actually not used anything but an iPod.

How ignorant.

 

Zunes are great.
iPod Touches are great.

Enough, talk about running Zune stuff on OS X, now.

 

My original comments stand.

 

Which model of Zune did you get?
the old Zune software worked fine with Fusion ... give that a go?