IP Democracy: Zune: It's All About Community..and Music

On the heels of Apple’s big dog-and-pony show on Tuesday, Microsoft announced (but isn’t making available) its Zune product, a clear shot across the bow of Apple’s seemingly unshakeable iPod. In a move that seems savvy, Microsoft is pushing the Zune as a “connection” device — the word “connection” in either singular or plural form appears eight times in the press release announcing Zune.

To be sure, the Zune has a lot of features going for it including 30 GB of disk capacity, built-in FM, music, pictures and, yes, video playback. (For more on Zune’s features, see Engadget.) The best part, however, is the built-in Wi-Fi. And this is integral to the connections component.

Zune will enable wireless sharing of music. Songs downloaded from the Zune Marketplace, an iTunes rival that will offer both subscriptions and per-track sales, can be played on a friend’s Zune for up to three days. Moreover, every Zune will come preloaded with music selections from a group of record companies including DTS, EMI Music’s Astralwerks Records and Virgin Records, Ninja Tune, Playlouderecordings, Quango Music Group, Sub Pop Records, and V2/Artemis Records.

But Microsoft is not hyping the video component of Zune, even though it has a three-inch LCD video screen and is capable of playing video. Staci Kramer has an interview with Microsoft VP Brian Lee and he confirms that video is not a focus. The idea, he claims, is “to celebrate music.”

No word yet on the price of the device. Just as Apple announced a beta version of its iTV gizmo, which won’t be available for another six months or so, Microsoft is announcing that the Zune will be available “this holiday season” but isn’t shipping the units to store shelves right away.

Apple and Microsoft are clearly locked in a perception battle and Microsoft has definitely just upped its “cool” quotient a bit. (However, note to Microsoft: drop the brown colored Zune model…you will anyway). Apple is on the defensive now because it has market share to lose — the Zune, if it takes off, will clearly come at the iPod’s expense.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on September 14, 2006 10:55 PM to IP Democracy