Confessions of a New Zune Owner

While I was at CES, the unthinkable happened: I bought a Microsoft Zune player.

It's actually something I'd been thinking about for a while -- although, on a personal level, there's little about the Zune ecosystem I find compelling.

Here's the thing. Over on one of my websites I've been planning for some time to start producing video podcasts, and as the day approaches I've been thinking that it's in my best interest to cover my bases for the three best platforms for watching podcasts. The first two were easy: The video-enabled iPod (looks great, has great support in the form of iTunes, is darn near ubiquitous) and the Sony PSP (an expletive-inducing, gorgeous widescreen display). But it took me quite some time to come around to the idea that the Zune would be the third.

My ambivalence was reinforced when I actually saw a Zune for the first time at Microsoft's kiosk at CES (scarce as they are in the US, Zunes aren't yet available in Canada). The tactile experience was much like the visual experience: it's functional, but it's just there -- not too heavy, not too light, with usable but hardly innovative controls.

I also spent some time talking to one of the women there, and I thought to myself that out of all the Microsoft representatives I've met over the last decade, she was the only one who seemed genuinely excited about the product she was touting. The trouble was, all the features she was really excited over exist in other players already.

But -- and here's where I let out the big sigh -- Microsoft is going to keep plugging away at the Zune, and if by nothing more than sheer shelf presence and promotion, they'll probably get to that goal of one million players by June, or at least come close enough to get some leverage. And, of course, the Zune player and service will improve over time. It probably won't topple the iPod/iTunes ecosystem anytime soon (if ever), but there's still a good chance it will be entrenched.

So I plunked down my credit card and got one of the things so that it can sit on my test bed. But I'm keenly aware that my entire estimation of the Zune's eventual success has nothing to do with any outstanding qualities -- it's just that, with a player that's good enough, Microsoft will probably be able to move units purely because of their size, reach and connections. That's more than a little galling, and the fact that I contributed to their cause by buying the Zune doesn't help. I'm still trying to work out an acceptable penance.