if m$ keeps starting large and money losing ventures, it has to dig into their balance sheet. I don't care how much cash they have. they're setting themselves up for a world of hurt when all these "sell for a loss" fiascos add up.

losers.

But it might push Apple to try harder or faster... I personlly can't wait to see the ugly thing... zune...hmmm wonder where they got this name... while I was thinking....look what my good friends at google hwlped me find... http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/07/zune_player_big.jpg

Competition is good. Although Zoony may not be good, it may have some features that will 'inspire' Apple Engineers. Microsoft's biggest problem is that they are late in the market. Although this is not a fully mature market, lots of people have MP3 players and mp3 playing phones. I am sure that not everyone needs YAD (yet another device), but there are some disgruntled ipod owners (with older devices) who are frustrated by the battery replacement issues.

It looks like Zune should come out about the same time the new iPods are released. Should be entertaining. The ZUNE should be just a blip at first, but remember the Xbox!

While we all really, really hate MS from the bottom of our guts, We shouldn't completely dismiss it. There is a chance that this device might be better than any other competitor (save for Apple's fare). MS is a huge dinosaur, but even as such, it has a few bright guys (gals?) in there. Realistically, I think it will be a modest success. In the end, it will most likely have caused three things: one good, one bad, one neutral, for Apple.

1. It will have driven Apple to stay on the creative/competitive edge (Nano came almost a year ago); 2. I will have caused a drop in Apple's stock value by spooking the Wall Street idiots into dumping for fear of MS market takeover; 3. It would have killed the rest of the competition (Creative, Samsung, Sony...)

All in all, no measurable effect on Apple (or the iTMS/iPod market space).

Pathetic Monopolistic Tactics Here from you friendly neighborhood computer malware brokers.

You see if you cant be the darling of the computer industry and make profits, just wreck the competitors ability to survive by giving away free MP3 devices and music to go with them. MSFT did the same hatchet job on Netscape, just turn around and offer a free product complete with plenty of hooks for virus' and trojans to piss off consumers.

MSFT should be smart enough to realize that this strategy will cost 'shareholders' lots of ca$$h but they dont really care about shareholders anyway, most execs have already ca$$$$hed out of the big lug from Washington State.

This stupid MSFT strategy is directly due to AAPLs new TV commericals that are quite embarrising to the PC company, so why doesnt anybody here imagine that this MP3 thing could actually work??

The answer is obviously simple to those in the know, stay tuned and watch the giant fall and take with it many other dependant hardware and software firms.

MSFT got a lot of money to throw away before they will quit; I also think it's criminal the MSFT software on the mac has so many errors and a large percentage of comands that dont work; then they put out a new version and the same errors get overlooked. MSFT should be sued in a class action to return these monies spent by mac users for software that doesnt do what its sister software on PC does with ease.

The entire world should know the truth about these short cummings but magizines are afraid of the big advertiser pulling muli-million dollar contracts away, so its hush, hush and now has become a huge conspiracy. Would you knowingly purchase a defective overpriced product that causes your company great harm?? Be sure to read your software agreement, its' halarious how they try to remove liaibility threat from you company sueing them...again this is another tactic to s**** the world, competitors wont copy a software program that doesnt actually work...

It should be illegal to publish software claiming to be cross platform when its not, MSFT should be punished for these crimes against consumers

It should also be illegal to 'dump' on a market just to collapse the revenue stream for your competitor.

Somebody needs to be looking out for these poor consumers who are getting had, wheres' Elliot Spittzer at??

Unfrotunately it will tank in a year and half.

if I was a MS investor, I'd be afraid... very afraid.

we havent seen any upadtes to the ipod for this reason. Maybe apple wants to one up MS

Finally, all the moronic microsoft lovers will have their own player. They should have been more overt in stealing the idea however, it should be the iPOS.

And I'll say it again, the thing is butt ugly! The battle is already lost if you can't convince the consumer; even if its technologically better, who'd want one?

where are you? there has to be some way you can spin this into a negative thing for apple.

try something like: "Okay. Microsoft has got you now. This product is gonna be great. It's gonna play music, and some video. And there is no way Apple can keep up with that level of innovation. It may take 5 years, but this thing (they're not sure what it is yet) is gonna be really cool for you kids. Just you wait... Microsoft will show you what's cool! Just like they always have. And that Intarweb thing, it's just a passing phase. Bill was right all along."

No wonder Bill is giving so much money away to charities. He'll get a better return than pushing Zune.