ipod vs. zune

i know i'm a little behind, since all the commentary has probably been posted about microsoft coming out with the zune (it launched today, i believe) but it's just now resonating with me because i'm taking a strategy class and i think this is great example of an company that is not being innovative. i mean, okay, yes, its wireless and there's some sort of "social component" because you can share files or whatnot. but honestly, it's really just the ipod with more bells and whistles and not something truly different. and for the same price? and it's bigger and heavier? sounds like a winner to me...

the thing with apple is they've been so good about capturing the low-end market (with the shuffle), the mid-market (with the nano), and the high-end market (with the video ipod). one strategy microsoft could have pursued is to create a market that apple hasn't already tapped into, and capture a share of new users. instead, microsoft has decided to go head to head at the high-end of the market with a company that sells not only a product, but an entertainment package (ipod, itunes, itunes store, podcasts). to be even remotely competitive, zune has to be better than the ipod, and interface just as well with the rest of apple's services. or, microsoft has to provide their own system, which i guess is what their doing. sigh.

i hate to be the one to say it. but it'll be a bust.