In case anyone needed further evidence that software giant Microsoft should be permanently banned from making any future hardware products (see RRoD fiasco, et al), the latest news on the "interwebs" surely will turn any iPod-hater into a Steve Jobs disciple in no time. Apparently, ALL 30GB Microsoft Ziune's effectively bricked themselves at precisely 12:00 midnight PST last night. Not a couple, not several hundred... ALL of them. Just in time for your New Year's Eve party this evening, Microsoft offers you no music. Welcome to the social!
Though Microsoft still has not released an official statement diagnosing the problem or offering a solution, apparently, any 30GB Zune that was turned on at 12 midnight PST last night spontaneously rebooted and subsequently locked up during the boot process. Any Zune not on at that time will suffer the same fate once turned on. Once locked up, the device cannot be turned off, restarted, or recognized by a PC. Basically, it's on till the battery dies. Worse, some users report hearing the hard drive spinning and the unit heating up to uncomfortable levels as they watch... unable to do anything to correct the issue.
Although several light-hearted names for the sudden death of Zunes have appeared online (Y2K9, Z2K bug, Zunepocalypse, Zuneicide, etc) the problem may be far more serious than initially expected. As the devices, once "bricked," can't be recognized by a PC, creating a software solution to fix effected units may not be possible, unless a backdoor "DFU"-style mode exists that Microsoft hasn't previously acknowledged. Microsoft may have another Red Ring of Death mess on its hands, and might have to recall every 30GB Zune out there. On the other hand, as the problem appears to be tied to the date, the units may suddenly start working again at 12 mid PST tonight. Not much use to anyone planning on using a Zune to provide music for their New Years' party tonight, but certainly better than the alternative.
In the meantime, users who choose to take matters into their own hands can "fix" the problem by cracking open the case of their Zune and disconnecting both the hard drive and battery. After waiting a minute to clear the stored date, and then reconnecting, the Zune should be functional again, so long as you don't sync the device with a computer (which will update its clock and lock the unit up again). Of course, you may break the case trying to crack it open, and Microsoft's fix (whatever that may be) may not be available to users who voided their warranty by breaking into the device.
And, in other news: In what is either a huge coincidence, or the greatest marketing ploy in history, Amazon currently has all iPods on sale (and with free shipping), for those upset enough to leave Microsoft's camp completely.
UPDATE: According to a press release put out by Microsoft, they have reportedly tracked down the issue, and expect that the issue, a programming error brought on by the leap year, will “correct itself” tomorrow when the internal component misreporting the date correctly resyncs with the other clocks. At any rate, nothing is certain yet, but the advice is to allow the battery to FULLY run down tonight and then wait until tomorrow to connect the Zune to your computer, and HOPE that it resyncs correctly.
