Zune Can Carry-and Share-a Tune

It lives in a smaller universe with fewer songs and videos, but Microsoft's digital music player has a few tricks up its sleeve

by Phil Mintz

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Solid player, large screen, easy navigation; online music store offers purchase and rental options

The Bad: Lack of video content, fewer accessories than iPod, no support for "PlaysForSure" vendors

The Bottom Line: An attractive option for those who like to sample a lot of music and want to share it wirelessly

Reader Reviews

My local Tower Records is shutting down, part of a chainwide liquidation, and a few years ago I would have been down there in a minute, prowling through the bins for long-desired gems selling at cut-rate prices. But just a few days ago I was in the Barnes & Noble next door to Tower, and I didn't even set foot inside the music dinosaur.

For the past year and a half, I've been getting all the music I can ever want—and rarely have time to listen to—through Yahoo!'s (YHOO) all-you-can-download Y! Unlimited service. I listen through my computer at home or, when I'm on the train, to tracks I've transferred to my 5GB Creative (CREAF) Zen Micro digital player.

But over the last few days, I've left my Zen at home and have been traveling with Microsoft's new Zune, the latest challenger to Apple's (AAPL) iPod, which, in its various models, commands about three-quarters of the U.S. market for mobile players and has become as ubiquitous a trade name as Kleenex and Scotch tape.

A Handsome Contender

In the past, others have challenged the iPod, but none has had the marketing heft and deep pockets of Microsoft (MSFT) (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/23/06, "The Apple iPod Turns Five"). At this point, it may be impossible for any company to overcome the iPod phenomenon, but with the handsome, well-planned Zune, Microsoft might have a chance.

The most obvious thing about the Zune, which went on sale Nov. 14, is that while it's not an iPod, Microsoft's designers didn't stray far from the popular layout. The overall look, from the 3-in. rectangular screen, to the black, round button below it, owes a debt to its iPod cousin. It's a handsome unit, with a satisfying heft. It feels solid. The model Microsoft sent me to sample was white with black trim. It also comes in black or brown.

To start, Microsoft is offering only one version, with 30GB of memory, retailing for $249. As with the iPod, a slew of third-party retailers have jumped in with accessories for the Zune, although there are far fewer such add-ons than there are for the iPod (see BusinessWeek.com, 11/7/06, "Zune: Equipped for Success").

Beauty Contest

Much has been made about iPod's "cool" factor—and the lack of it in the wannabees. Still, my 25-year-old son didn't sneer when I pulled the Zune out of my jacket pocket and plopped it down on the table at a Manhattan delicatessen next to his 30GB iPod. Actually, he noted the that black, round click pad and the flanking forward and back arrow buttons reminded him of the original iPod.

Side-by-side, the Zune is about twice as thick as the iPod, and a little taller. But its 3-in. LCD screen is larger than the iPod's (2.5 in.). And it's definitely easier on the eyes than the tiny, text-only screen on my Zen Micro.

Using the Zune is fairly intuitive. It took me longer to get my laptop upgraded with the proper operating system (Zune requires the XP operating system with Service Pack 2) than it did to install Zune software onto the computer itself.

Easy Housekeeping

The Zune on-screen interface is clear, and transferring the music already on my computer to the Zune didn't take more than a few minutes. Music ripped from a CD took just a few minutes more. The sound quality from the Zune is as good as similar players. The earbud headphones—black—packaged with the system sounded fine, though the foam ear bud covers fell off almost immediately after I put them on the phones.

It was also a straightforward task to transfer a few photos from my computer to the Zune. I was able to look at them individually, as slide shows, and it was easy to take a JPEG of one of my daughter's paintings and turn it into "wallpaper" for the Zune's control panel. Pictures display either in landscape or portrait mode, and you can play music while looking at photos. It wasn't too long before the black screen got smudged with fingerprints, however.