Zune Thoughts: Zune80 Survives the Scratch Test

When I learned that Microsoft was abandoning the rugged "double shot" texturing of the first generation Zunes for a metal backing and glass screen, one of my biggest worries was that my "scratch trick" would stop working. A favorite activity of mine when proselytizing to iPodders was to pull out my Zune, ask rhetorically if they hated how easily their iPod got scratched, and proceed to dig my nail into the backside of my device. Mouths would drop, some cried out in horror, others fainted. I remained calm, rubbing my finger over the damage to reveal that no lasting effects were to be seen.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I heard that the backing on the 80 and 4/8 models would be metal. Thankfully, as Chris from Got Zune has proved, this is pretty much a non-issue. He accidentally left his Zune in the same pocket as his keys, a big no-no for mp3 players, yet was pleasantly surprised to see that his Zune passed the "accidental scratch test."


Thankfully, I haven't yet faced such a scary situation. I pretty much baby my Zune (putting it in cute outfits notwithstanding), but it's good to know it can stand up to the challenge when needed.

One thing though: I've noticed recently that if I apply a slight pressure to the back upper-right quadrant (up-left from the front), I'll often see a "ripple" on the screen. I assume this is due to the space-saving measures Microsoft used when designing the new player, but I'm wondering if this is a bad sign. Anyone else notice something similar?