Adam Krebs
09-21-2007, 10:30 PM
Phew. In just a couple days, the alleged "<a target="_blank" href="http://www.zunethoughts.com/news/show/23094/zune-2-rumors-again.html">confirmation</a>" of the Zune 2.0 has shot to the top of all the major tech blogs, and even a few of the bigger guys too. <br /><br />This is both great news and terrible news. The great news is that it shows people are actually caring enough about Zune that it's moved beyond the mostly mocking and hyper-critical coverage it was getting at its inception. It also means that Microsoft has a great deal to live up to. Apple has proven itself in the hype arena, meeting and often greatly exceeding expectations. Now it's Microsoft's chance to step up. Many parallels have been drawn between the Zune and Microsoft's other big entertainment project, the Xbox. Many would agree that the original Xbox, while quite capable, was bested by the PS2 in nearly everywhere that counts. Now its successor, the Xbox 360, has set the standard for video game consoles in both device experience and entertainment value while the PS3 slowly rots.<br /><div style="page-break-after: always;"><span style="display: none;"> </span></div><br />The Zune itself is a solid player, and even if Zune 2.0 isn't a giant leap in hardware, I'd still be pleased as long as they completely revamped both the firmware and the software. Adding community features similar to yet distinct from the 360's, and also allowing tighter integration with the rest of the MS ecosystem (true integration, nothing faked), would also be a boon. At this point Microsoft has to decide what it wants to do with its Windows Media division. I see WMP and Zune as mutually exclusive, with the Zune software a competitor to iTunes and WMP closer to Winamp.<br /><br />There's a saying about Microsoft that it doesn't get it right until the second or third generation. Here's hoping that's true.