Zune, zune, zune

So it's been a few days since Microsoft brought to market their own mp3 player, Zune. It' pretty clear where my loyalty lies in the Microsoft/Apple battle, but when Zune came out I wanted to try to take an objective look at it, because it's a unique situation. Apple has constantly been playing second fiddle to Microsoft's dominance, and for once, Microsoft is now playing catch up in the music market. So, it is to Apple's advantage to look at this with seriousness, as they really haven't been in this position of #1 before.

So, I went to my local Target in order to see the device for myself, and see how I thought it could fare. Here's what I thought.

First off, I couldn't find it. The Target I went to has avery clearly marked electronics department filled with TVs and cameras and video games. There are end caps of aisles devoted to iPod accessories and PlayStation consoles, even musical instruments now. But I had to ask in order to find the Zune display. I thought that they might not actually have it in stock. It turned out that I had buzzed right by it, because the display was capping none other than the diaper aisle immediately preceding the electronics department.

There was so much established stuff in the electronics department that the Zune display had been pushed to a nearby, but not integrated aisle. These speaks volumes to the problem faces Microsoft. They have been out of the music game for so long that they are going to have to survive on the cusp of it for a long while before they are seen as a real player. (no pun initially intended)

So, once finding the darn thing, I took it through the paces (as much as I could because it was bolted down better than a field goal post). The first thing I noticed was the use of a click-wheel. It seems that Apple's click wheel user input has been so popular that Microsoft could not ignore it. They had to have one in order for Zune to look like it was an mp3 player.

The problem is that the click wheel is not a click wheel. It doesn't scroll with your touch, in fact it's simply a four way navigational button, with a select button in the middle. The first thing I tried to do was use it to scroll through a menu like a click wheel. When I brought Dee to the display, I saw her try to do the same thing. It doesn't work that way, however.

In addition to the non-wheel, click circle, there are two buttons to either side of it. One is "play/pause" and the other is "back." The thing that was terrific about iPod's click wheel design was that it eliminated the need for multiple buttons, by including all the functions of the iPod in the click wheel. (Early iPods had four buttons to control the music play back, when the wheel was strictly used for scrolling, but we're past that now.) This Zune design is not terrible, but...

one of the great things about the zune is that it uses it's screen in both portrait and landscape modes. If you're listening to music the Zune is held vertically, and if you are viewing photos or watching a movie, the screen can be turned horizontally allowing for a widescreen display. The problem is that your interface also turns, and those side buttons are now not that intuitive. What does an arrow pointing downward mean? What does a rotated play/pause button mean?

I have no idea how heavy the Zune really is in comparison to the iPod (again it was practically welded to the display), but the box that I was able to hold felt significantly heavier than an iPod box. The price is $250 which is only dead even with the iPod's price. The songs bought through Zune's music store can't be played on an iPod and vice versa.

It seems to me that you are going to have to be in one camp or the other, and I'm afraid for Microsoft that the iPod camp is far too big and the motivations for switching not great enough. (People want to cite the ability to share songs wirelessly as a great reason to switch, but honestly I can think of less than a handful of situations when this would happen for me and the shared music only plays three times.)

I know that there are people who have attacked the iPod over issues regarding the battery or scratches or price... but I just don't see people rushing to buy a Zune based on these reasons. I think they will catch some Windows users who still don't have an iPod and want to stay in the Windows world. I think they will get a few people who just want to try what's new... but I think the majority of people who already own iPods or have had an iPod experience will be disappointed in Zune and will either choose an iPod or no player at all.

Sorry, Microsoft, but I think Apple is still going to soundly beat you here, and as referenced earlier, keep you in the aisle where you and your brown colored player belong: with the diapers.