80 GB Microsoft Zune Review
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Right now it seems as if Apple has a stranglehold on the portable multimedia device industry. I'd say almost every American from the age of 6 to 60 has at least seen or heard of an iPod. Just think how that makes Bill Gates feel. Of course, Microsoft had to retaliate with the Zune. Never heard of it? Then keep reading to find out more about the 80 GB Microsoft Zune.
Apple vs. Microsoft
By now, everyone has heard about the back and forth competition between Apple and Microsoft, which has been going on since the 1990s. In the past couple of years this competition has heated up because of a recent resurgence from Apple with their new releases of the iPod, iPhone, and iMac, just to name a few. It seems that Microsoft is now making a push to regain the dominance they had over Apple throughout the 1990s.
In 2006, Microsoft released the first generation Zune, which was a 30 GB music/video player. This player was not received very well by consumers or critics. The first generation Zune did have some rough edges, and Microsoft realized that. When Microsoft came out with the design of the second generation Zunes, they addressed almost every negative issue that held the first generation model back from competing with the ever-popular Apple iPod. The new Zune comes in three flavors: an 80 GB hard drive model, an 8 GB flash memory model, and a 4 GB flash memory model.
The 80 GB Zune is in direct competition with the Apple iPod Classic 80 GB, and it is definitely a much more able competitor than the original 30 GB Zune was in 2006. The new Zune is the same price as the iPod at $249. There are rumors that Apple is planning a price drop of their 80 GB iPod to try and get an edge over the Zune, but I'm sure that Microsoft will counter with a similar price drop as well. The competition between the iPod and the Zune will only help consumers get the lowest price possible on their media player (isn't competition great!).
To further "take back" the market share they had before the iPod, iMac, and iPhone showed up, Microsoft has reportedly made plans for a huge marketing campaign through 2012. Apple has really had it easy in the electronics marketplace for the past five years or so, but Microsoft is on the right path to stir things up a bit in this "iPod-dominated" society that we currently live in.
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