Microsoft on Tuesday launches what it hopes to be an iPod-killing Zune, marking the beginning
of a colossal battle with Apple in which analysts say the software giant initially has as many weaknesses as strengths.
In general, Microsoft has done a good job in building anticipation for the launch that could eventually reshape the market dominated by the iPod, which is in the hands of three out of four owners of portable music players.
"There’s certainly a lot of buzz," says Joe Wilcox, analyst for JupiterResearch. "Partly because it’s Microsoft, and because people love to watch giants fight."
When the Zune lands on store shelves, it will have plusses and minuses that are on the lists of many analysts. On the positive side is its ability to share tracks wirelessly between devices and to play music downloaded from Microsoft’s subscription service, which will launch the same time as the device, along with the Zune online store. In addition, the device has the brainpower of the Xbox team behind it. The tenacious developers and marketers of Microsoft’s video game console have managed over a few years to rise from zero to No. 2 behind Sony’s PlayStation.
On the negative side, Zune is larger and heavier than the iPod, and there’s no comparable mini-version, i.e. the iPod Nano, that customers can clip to their pocket while listening to their favorite bands.
Beyond this general consensus, however, analysts differ on Zune’s Achilles’ heel, and its best weaponry. How Zune Stacks Up To The iPod - News by InformationWeek