The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg has reviewed Microsoft's Zune, which appears on Tuesday. As you'd expect from a first generation device, it doesn't match the iPod, but Mossberg has plenty of good things to say. For example:
On the plus side, I really liked the interface on the Zune. In some modes, it allows you to do things with fewer clicks than the iPod does. For instance, if you are browsing through music, you don't have to go back a step to switch from, say, a list of artists to a list of albums. Those choices are arrayed at the top of the screen and can be selected with a sideways push of the navigation pad.
Also, the entire interface is more colorful and visually satisfying than the iPod's. Lists of albums are accompanied by thumbnails of their covers. Menus zoom in and out, and some are translucent. You can also select your own photo as the wallpaper or background for the device. But, unlike on the iPod, you can't customize the main menu or go to "Now Playing," or shuffle all songs with one click.
Other negatives include the bulk of the device and limited battery life.
Of course, Zune doesn't really challenge the iPod: it's just a way of establishing a presence in the market, particularly among Xbox users. And whereas Mossberg complains about having to pony up for $5 worth of Microsoft Points currency to buy your first 99c song, I expect that many early buyers will be spending Microsoft Points they already have in their Xbox Live accounts.
Which is not to say that Microsoft isn't planning to challenge iPod in the long term, but it's not rational to think that what's taken Apple five years to build is going to be overturned in five minutes, or even five months. At the moment, Microsoft isn't playing to win, it's playing to find out if it's worth playing again.
