Zune a 'poor me-too' of iPod say disappointed users, reviewers

NEW YORK: Earlier this month Microsoft released its portable music player Zune hoping to compete against Apple's iPod. But market watchers, analysts and most of the first users are saying the product is a poor imitation of Apple's offering. We quote some users and experts: “a poor me-too”; a technological “folly”; Microsoft “botched it this time”; etc.

So what's a fair verdict? Will Microsoft's Zune eventually match or trump the iPod with better features or will it just trail behind the latter, which in any case has a head start? To be fair, Zune does have a couple of features that the iPod doesn't have, but are they enough to ensure good sales momentum?

What's different about Zune: it allows the user to 'squirt' (i.e. to share) a song with someone using another Zune within 10 meters. The person just has to accept the tune and the gadget will catch it in a few seconds. However, the recipient will be able to listen to it either only three times or keep it for three days, whichever comes first. After this the song will 'evaporate' or 'expire'.

It's a bit like peeking into another person's playlist to learn about their musical preferences based on which, one would draw up a mental picture of that person. It could even be used simply to share music with friends. This feature uses the built-in Wi-Fi which alerts the user every time another Zune is within range. The company believes the squirting feature of Zune is “a really good first step” and could likely include similar wireless features in later versions of the digital music player,

When asked about the 3-day limit for free listening, a Microsoft spokesperson said the restriction was based on the company's deal with record labels. The music industry continues to see any technological advance as a threat to its business. They fear it would encourage piracy.

The iPod and now Zune have greatly transformed the way people buy music. People no longer visit a brick-&-mortar store to check out CDs of their choice and then make a purchase. A significant percentage of music sales nowadays happens online. Apple's online music library iTunes has made it a lot simpler, allowing visitors to download songs of their choice for 99c a song or for a subscription fee as with Rhapsody.com which charges a monthly fee of $9.99 for unlimited access to music.

On the other hand, Zune's equivalent of iTunes, the Zune Marketplace (uses a currency of points), compels the user to shell out at least $5 which will buy a bulk of 400 points (@ 99 cents for ever 79 points). When your total purchase reaches $80 worth, you get one extra song free. The Zune Marketplace offers a choice of about 2 million tracks but no videos or podcasts.

While experts say that there may be room for more players in the market for digital music players, Microsoft's attempt clearly does not qualify. It is certainly not an “iPod killer” an analyst said. But Apple isn't likely to sit complacently either. Although Zune may not be regarded as competition, the company could soon include the WiFi feature in its own iPods.

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