Zune Analyzed: Design Motivations Hypothesized

Almost three weeks back I alerted you to a number of system dissections that had popped up on the 'Net, among them 'bunnie' Huang's disassembly of a Zune. In a follow-up interview with Digital Media Thoughts, Huang gives a comparative analysis of Zune versus the video iPod, along with his opinions on the reasons for some of the design decisions Microsoft and partner Toshiba made. It's an excellent read, well worth your time IMHO.

He mentions the same causes for Zune's larger form factor that I did in my writeup; a larger display (which not only directly resulted in the need for a larger battery to power it but also created a thicker dual-level design since the display and its associated circuitry could not be oriented on the same plane), a Wi-Fi transceiver, and an FM radio. The other factor driving Zune's larger battery is its higher-performance CPU; Microsoft and Toshiba went with a single-processor Freescale-based design, whereas Apple chose a multi-CPU architecture (main, audio, and video) with the iPod.

Both approaches have strengths and shortcomings, of course; a software-centric architecture like Zune's is more amenable to functional flexibility and future expansion (both of its audio, still image and video codec support, and of its core functions), while potentially being more power-hungry than a more hardware-centric alternative approach. I was reminded, as I read through Huang's observations, that Microsoft and its partners have gone down a very similar brute-force road with their ARM-powered Pocket PCs and Smartphones as compared to competitive offerings.

To wit, I was particularly intrigued by Huang's comment, "What is interesting is that the iMX31 is a processor that is used in many cell phones, and the design parameters of the iMX31 is completely consistent with a very high-end, small and compact cell phone which would retail for a few hundred dollars, assuming no carrier subsidy." Microsoft has already admitted that a Zune-based mobile phone is under development. Could this design, like D-Link's NAS which I recently dissected, be not only intended for production today but also as a springboard for future plans?